I am sooooooooooo sorry. I have no excuse for not updating sooner other than I'm really lazy; which is not much of an excuse, come to think of it…well, here it is! Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 26

Forgetting

Exams were like nothing Jenna had ever gone through before. There was so much to learn, to remember, to take in that she could feel the nerve endings pulsing inside her brain. For the week preceding the dreaded exams, Jenna, Rhea and Addy spent most of their free time studying. The common room was surprisingly subdued, which Addy pointed out was a good thing when Rhea scoffed at the idea of being inside during such nice weather.

"It's cloudy, Rhea, and there's a storm coming! Honestly, if I didn't tell you to study, where would you be?"

"Outside," Rhea stated, matter-of-factly. Jenna giggled.

"She got a point, there, Addy. You're too uptight for your own good sometimes. There are some days when I look at you and wonder how many lemons you had to swallow to get so sour." At this, Rhea let out laughed so loudly that a group of fifth years by the fire, including a very distressed Desirée, gave them evil glares for disrupting the semi-quiet.

Addy blushed and stuck her head back into a year's worth of History of Magic notes. Rhea grinned at her cousin and gave the thumbs up to Jenna when she knew her sister wasn't looking. Jenna smiled back and buried herself in A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch.

Charms was first. They were supposed to levitate glass orbs into the air, enlarge them, blast them apart and repair them in order to get any sort of good grade.

"Well that wasn't so bad. I didn't need to memorize that chapter on locomotion charms at all---don't do that, Rhea, it's not funny in the least," she admonished at her sister's loud snort of laughter. Jenna smiled to herself before continuing the conversation.

"It was a lot easier than what I had thought, but did you see Shelby Galit try?" This time both twins burst into a fit of giggles.

"It was brilliant! Flitwick must have levitated fifteen feet into the air before Shelby could figure out what she did wrong."

"And Curtis Briarly! The way those big, gold stars shot from his wand every time he tried to do a spell! I wonder if they've disappeared by now."

"Probably. It may have been accidental, but I doubt Curtis's magic is strong enough to keep those stars around for long periods of time."

"Addy?"

"Yes?"

"You are way too much like Mum sometimes." Addy blinked.

"Okay."

"You will be doing a Forgetfulness potion. Instructions are on the board; you have one hour. Begin."

Snape's chopped sentences silenced as the chopping and gentle plopping of potions filled the dank dungeon. Jenna sweated as the steam rose into the air, but she continued without stopping. She could hear Rhea murmuring next to her "Please don't let me fail. Please don't let me fail" every time she put something in the cauldron. Secretly, Jenna was thinking the same thing.

With ten minutes left, Jenna waved the steam away from her vision to look at her potion. It was an ugly, murky brown, but it smelled like autumn leaves. She glanced at Addy who was adding the final ingredient to her potion. Jenna held her breath and watched Addy's potion go from olive to the murky brown, just like Jenna's had. She sighed knowing Addy would have done it right.

"Stop! Cork your potions, label them and bring them up to my desk. Now!"

A flurry of robes and potions headed to the front of the class. Jenna was one of the last to make it down, deciding that she would wait until people weren't shoving each other to give her potion the professor.

She waved to Addy and Rhea to wait for her as they packed up their things and carefully carried her potion to the Snape's desk, setting it carefully down among the others. She noticed not very many were the dull brown she knew to be right. Snape eyed her dubiously as she looked at the bottles littering his desk, but Jenna didn't seem to notice. Jenna turned around to pick up her things.

"You don't fool me one wit, Miss Meyers."

It was barely above a whisper, but Jenna heard it as clear as if he were yelling in her ear. She continued packing up her cauldron.

"I don't know what you mean, Professor."

"You know exactly what I mean." He stood from his desk and walked towards her. Jenna began to shake, but tried to hide her fear as she watched his robes swish with his movement out of the corner of her eye. Mobility seemed a distant memory for Jenna as the potion professor's face became equal with hers. She smelled his breath on her face and tried not to wrinkle her nose at the stench of alcohol and toothpaste.

"I know who you truly are. Your persona exudes arrogance and foolishness. Your father stank of it, as well as your grandfather." His voice was low and menacing and made Jenna's flesh crawl with every foul breath of air he placed upon her skin.

"My-my father? You knew him?" she managed to choke out. He ignored her questions.

"Just remember…I'm watching you, Miss Meyers." He sneered at her and back away, sitting down at his desk as though nothing had happened. Jenna, ashen-faced by now, quickly shoved her things haphazardly into her bag and ran.

"Wait!"

Jenna stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around.

"I'm taking five points from Gryffindor…for dawdling." She felt the acid dripping in his voice. Jenna shuddered and raced out the door, glad she didn't have to enter that classroom again for months.

Elizabeth stood impatiently on the platform, waiting for the scarlet steam engine carrying her daughter to appear. She had been there for a half-hour already. Wasn't the train supposed to be here by now?

She glanced around the platform at the dozens of other people who were waiting for their children to arrive as well. However anxious or impatient they all looked, not one seemed to be worrying that the train was eight minutes late.

A rush of red and a loud whistle announced the arrival of the Hogwarts Express; Elizabeth let out a deep sigh, never having felt happier to see a train. The train pulled to a halt and all the compartment doors simultaneously opened. Students poured from the train, in all manners of muggle dress. It was times like this that Elizabeth wished Jenna had died her hair bright pink, just so it would be easier to spot her.

"Hi, Mum!" Elizabeth jumped and clutched her heart.

"You scared the living daylights out of me." She regained her composure and bent down to envelope her daughter in a hug before grabbing her trunk and her daughter and dragging her into the Muggle World.

The train ride back to Kings Cross had been uneventful. Jenna hadn't told anyone of her conversation with Snape. It wasn't something she wished to relive just yet, or better still, try to forget completely. There were so many other things that she could dwell on that brought on a much happier mood…like the wedding. She let thoughts of beautiful dresses, soft music and a very large cake drift through her mind as she stared out the window of the Underground with glazed eyes.

So, Jenna? What are plans for the Quidditch game you and your friends are going to?"

Jenna looked up from her untouched dinner. When had they gotten home? Her mother was eyeing her with concern. Truthfully, Jenna thoughts on the wedding had turning to brooding over whether or not she should be lying to her mother like this. She still wasn't sure it was the right thing to do.

"They'll be sending an owl tomorrow with all the information," she stated plainly. Elizabeth nodded and the rest of the dinner continued in silence until

"Mum?"

"Yes, Love?"

"Do you still love Dad?" Elizabeth looked at her daughter, shock showing in every inch of her face.

"Jenna, I—" Jenna leaned in closer, her hair brushing into the spaghetti they were eating. Elizabeth hesitated, her breathing a little faster than normal.

"I don't believe that's any of your business, Jenna. Now, I think it's time for you to go to bed."

"Mum, it's only eight o'clock, and I think it is my business; he's my da—"

"Jenna? I'm asking you nicely…please drop this. You're not going to get any answers from me." Elizabeth sat down again and ran her hands through her wavy brown hair. Jenna bit her lip. She hated when her mother got angry, but there were questions that she needed to know the answers to that only her mother could give. She turned dejectedly from the kitchen, but stopped.

"Did you ever love him?" She looked at her mother earnestly for some time before a tearful answer reached her ears.

"Yes. I loved him more than anything." Jenna nodded and moved silently towards her bedroom. The door to Jenna's room closed with an audible 'click' that activated the only thing that could run through Elizabeth's mind without causing heartache.

Hush-a-bye; don't you cry.

Go to sleepy, little baby.

When you wake, you shall have

All the pretty little horses.