A/N: I apologize for not posting sooner, I have been busy. I am actually preparing to leave the U.S. for a year on a student exchange to Denmark. So I haven't had much attention on my fan fic. But I am back now and I hope to have another post soon. (Oh, and isn't the third Harry Potter movie just awesome. He he, I love it.)

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. glares at lawyers standing nearby There, are you happy now?

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Chapter Eleven: Darkness Gathers

Jessica's eyes stung with tears as she stomped off across the grounds. She was just so mad! How could he have done that to her? She had hoped that he had forgotten about being cruel to Hermione...

She threw herself to the ground in the shade of a large tree by the lake. Tears slid down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly. It seemed as though everyone who she had met in the magical world had betrayed her in one way or another. It wasn't fair... She'd never done anything to them...

Jessica laid there on the cold grass and cried until she couldn't cry any more. But that didn't stop her from wanting to. Exhaustion overtook her and she slipped into sleep.

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Draco Malfoy went back inside after his argument with Jessica, furious. She still insisted on protecting that know-it-all Granger. He wasn't going to talk to her if she insisted on acting as she did. He stormed to his dormitory and laid down on his bed, drawing his curtains shut. He laid there and fumed for an hour before finally falling asleep.

He woke to Crabbe and Goyle's snores. But that wasn't why he had woken, their snores never bothered him. Somewhere deep inside him he had a feeling that something was wrong. He silently got out of bed and proceeded, just as silently out of his dorm and common room. His feeling of dread grew stronger as he entered the entrance hall. Biting his lip he looked around, then he headed for the door that led to outside. He pulled it open and stepped out.

It had snowed in the hours which he had slept and it was much colder. He shivered and following his instincts headed for the lake. As he drew closer he found himself scanning the shore. At first he saw nothing. Then he saw a strange formation in the snow. As he neared it he saw that under the snow it was lilac colored. For a moment he didn't understand the significance of this, then, understanding, he broke into a run. Sure enough, under a thin layer of snow lay Jessica, curled up into a ball.

Draco knelt down next to her and brushed the snow off of her face. He reached down and touched her face, which felt only a bit warmer than the snow that had been resting on her a moment ago. Fear shot through him. Was she dead? She hadn't responded to his touching her face. He watched her intently for a moment and then noticed the rise and fall of her ribs. It was there, but so minuscule that he had failed to notice it before. Not dead then. But close. Draco knew without needing to be told that if she did not get help soon she very well might die. But what could he do?

Well, he reasoned, the first thing would be to get her inside, out of the cold. Slowly, carefully, he slid his arms underneath her and picked her up. She was heavy and while he could manage it he found himself wishing for Crabbe or Goyle. Slowly, with Jessica's weight pressing down on his arms, he made his way back up to the castle.

Once inside, he had to consider what to do next. He knew he ought to get her to the Hospital Wing but that was a long way from the Entrance Hall and Draco did not think Filch would believe his story if he was caught. Draco knew that Jessica needed help as soon as possible and getting caught by Filch would only slow that down. Finally, Draco decided to take Jessica to Professor Snape. Draco knew where to find him and he didn't know where to find Professor McGonagall, Jessica's head of house. Draco set off for Professor Snape's private room, which he knew was located just off of Snape's classroom. By the time he got there he was nearly to the point when he couldn't carry her any longer. Setting Jessica down on the floor, he commenced to bang on the door to Snape's personal room.

"Professor!" he called, his voice urgent as he banged on the door. "Professor!"

A moment later the door flew open revealing a very dishelved Professor Snape wearing a long gray night shirt.

"What is so important that you have deemed it necessary to wake me in the middle of the night Draco?" Snape asked, slightly irritated but no more than usual. Then his gaze fell on Jessica. He stared at her for a moment before looking back to Draco.

"I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk outside Professor," Draco said, hoping his explanation sounded plausible. "I found her by the lake, covered in a thin layer of snow."

Snape bent down and touched her face with his hand. He kept it there for a moment before removing it abruptly.

"She needs to be taken to the Hospital Wing," Snape said, conjuring up a stretcher and lifting her curled up form onto it. The stretcher began to float along out of the room and into the hallway. Snape followed it, looking back at Draco only to say, "Come along Draco." Silently, he did so. The two of them proceeded to the hospital wing in silence, Draco's fear for Jessica rising.

When they got there Snape took Jessica off of the stretcher and placed her onto one of the beds. With a snappish order of, "Stay here and watch her," he hurried off to fetch Madame Pomfrey. Draco stared down at Jessica, their argument and his promise never to have anything to do with her again forgotten. He'd never thought she could look so helpless, so innocent. Guilt washed through him, this was all his fault. Maybe if he'd managed to stop himself from insulting the mudblood Granger...

Snape came back in followed by Pomfrey. As they hurried over, Draco could hear Snape giving her a hurried explanation.

"...found her out in the snow, and she's cold as ice. She needs care, immediately."

"I can't care for her until I'm certain of her condition, Severus," Pomfrey said. "Though I have a good idea from your description." She, like Snape reached down and touched Jessica's face, then felt the girl's clothes.

"She's caught hypothermia," Pomfrey said quickly. "We must get her warm. Severus, the headmaster needs to be informed." Her eyes fell on Snape and she continued, "I may not be able to save her, Severus."

Snape nodded abruptly. "I'll inform the headmaster at once." He glanced at Draco and said, "Draco, stay here and help Madame Pomfrey." He strode out of the room, his robes billowing.

Pomfrey glanced at Draco and met his eyes as he said, "What can I do?" She nodded her head over to a cupboard in the corner.

"Fetch me all the blankets from that cupboard." Her tone was slightly anxious and Draco had to keep himself from running as he hurried over to the cabinet. Flinging it open, he piled all the blankets into his arms and carried them over to Madame Pomfrey. She had just cast what looked like a drying spell on Jessica, because her robes and hair were now dry. Draco set down the blankets on the foot of the bed.

"I need you to lift her," Pomfrey said. "We need to get the blankets laid out underneath her." Nodding slightly he lifted Jessica off of the bed. Madame Pomfrey flicked her wand at the blankets and they unfolded and laid themselves out on the bed. He set her back down and together they began wrapping her up in them.

Even through two layers of blankets Draco cold feel how cold her hands were. He kept glancing at her chest, checking to make sure that she was still breathing. She had to pull through this, she just had to.

The sound of footsteps jerked him out of his thoughts. Snape had returned again, this time leading Dumbledore. He must have already informed Dumbledore of Jessica's situation because the look on his face was very grave. Both of them proceeded to Jessica's bed. Dumbledore touched her forehead a moment, then stood there looking down at her. After a moment he turned to look at Draco.

"How long was she out in the snow, Draco?" Dumbledore asked.

"She's been out there since before it snowed sir," Malfoy said. "We had an argument and she stormed off."

Dumbledore's blue eyes seemed to look right into his thoughts. The headmaster nodded, then pulled out his wand and turned back to Jessica. With a complicated hand movement that Draco's eyes couldn't follow he pointed his wand at Jessica and said, "Eathoran." From the tip of his wand a reddish gold mist emerged and it hovered over Jessica a moment before disappearing beneath the blankets. Dumbledore and everyone else in the hospital wing watched Jessica carefully. After a moment, her short and shallow breathing became calmer and more relaxed. Color began to flood back into her cheeks and Draco could have sworn he heard Dumbledore sigh in relief.

"Your care should be sufficient to handle the problem now Poppy," Dumbledore said, turning to Madame Pomfrey. "But she is not to exert herself in any manner whatsoever."

"Please, Professor," Draco said, saying the words quickly so he would not have to think about what he was saying until later, "may I stay with her?"

"I hardly think she is any condition-" Madame Pomfrey began. Dumbledore raised a hand and she broke off.

"That is up to Professor Snape, Draco," Dumbledore said. Draco turned and looked at his head of house. Surely Snape would let him stay here with her...

After a moment Snape nodded. "However, I expect you to be at breakfast. And you are not to spend the entire day tomorrow up here. Miss Banks will need a good deal of uninterrupted rest. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," Draco said. He moved to the side of Jessica's bed as Dumbledore and Snape walked out of the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey bustled around for a moment pulling different potions off of the shelves and muttering to herself. Finally she walked over to Draco and set a potion down on stand next to Jessica's bed.

"If she wakes up and you're awake then make sure she drinks that," Madame Pomfrey said with a gesture towards the bottle. She walked off to the other end of the Hospital Wing and disappeared out the doors.

Draco stared down at Jessica, unable to stop the guilty feelings rising through him. This was all his fault.

"I'm sorry, Jessica," he said very softly. "I-I shouldn't have called Granger a mudblood. I'm sorry."

For a moment he imagined he saw her smile at those words. Then he blinked and it disappeared. Great, Draco thought. Now I'm hallucinating. I must be really tired. He leaned over and rested his head on Jessica's bed. Just for a moment, he thought, closing his eyes. Just for a moment. His breathing slowed and soon Draco was fast asleep.

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When Harry went down into the common room the morning after Valentine's day he was greeted by a very worried Hermione. She looked a mess, there were dark circles under her eyes, her hair looked like she had made absolutely no attempt to neaten it and she was frowning and biting her lip nervously every now and then.

"Jessica's gone, Harry," She said quickly, but quietly, so no one else in the common room would overhear.

"Gone?" Harry repeated. "How can she be gone Hermione? It's not like Dumbledore just lets students leave whenever they want to."

"I don't know how, Harry, all I know is that she didn't come back up to the dorms last night. And I've been asking around and nobody has seen her since the dance last night. We've got to find out what's happened to her, Harry."

Harry thought quickly. All right, so Jessica was not exactly his most favorite person in the world, but she was a Gryffindor. And after she had stood up to Malfoy for Hermione's sake last night, he owed her this.

"Have you seen Malfoy?" Harry asked. Malfoy had been the last one to see Jessica.

Hermione nodded. "He was eating breakfast down in the Great Hall when I went to go look for Jessica."

"If anyone knows where she is, it should be him," Harry said. "I think he was the last one to see her last night. "I'm going to go get Ron, and then we can go hunt down Malfoy."

After Ron had been woken and the situation explained to him, the three of them headed down to the Great Hall. As they approached the large doors Malfoy walked out, alone, as he had been for the last few weeks. Ever since he had started to hang around with Jessica, Crabbe and Goyle had not been following him around as usual. Well, so much the better. Now they could get to Malfoy without his "friends" interfering.

Malfoy didn't even look at the three of them as he passed by them. His face appeared distant and worried. The trio actually had to catch up to him and get in his way before he noticed their presence.

As he looked at them, realizing who they were, a familiar sneer appeared on Malfoy's face. "Oh, look, it's Weasel, Granger and Potty."

"And it's the Ferret all by himself," Hermione said, coolly. "Where are your little bodyguards? Or has your nastiness finally driven them off?"

"I don't see what business it is of yours, Granger," Malfoy snapped. "Get out of my way; I'm too busy to waste time talking to a Mud-" He stopped suddenly, cutting off the insult mid-word.

Hermione, Ron and Harry just stared at him in disbelief. Harry looked around but there were no teachers in sight. Had Malfoy really just restrained himself from insulting Hermione?

"We're looking for Jessica," Harry said coldly. "Where is she?"

"Why would I know, Potter?"

"You're the last one to have been seen with her," Harry said. "No one has seen her since the dance."

"Say I did know," Malfoy said. "Why would I tell you? You never seemed to care about her before. You two haven't exactly been getting along have you? You were jumping to conclusions all the time, picking on her every fault; it's no wonder she refuses to associate with you. You weren't exactly the greatest of boyfriends were you?"

Harry's fist flew, almost of its own accord, towards Malfoy's face, where it hit his nose with a sickening crunch. Malfoy stumbled back, his hand going to his nose. As he looked down at the blood on his hand, an expression of anger replaced the shocked look that had been on his face when Harry had punched him. He plunged his hand into his robes for his wand.

"What is going on here?" Harry felt his heart drop as he turned around to see Snape walking towards them. Great, he was in for it now. Snape had been looking for an excuse to punish him all year and now he had one. The problem was that he had actually done something wrong this time, so whatever punishment Snape handed him he would have to take.

"Potter punched me Professor," Malfoy said, his voice slightly odd sounding.

Snape turned to Harry, a look of suppressed triumph on his face. His black eyes glittered as he asked, "Have you some quaint little story for us Potter? Some strange theory about how Mr. Malfoy's was broken?"

"No sir," Harry replied through gritted teeth.

"Then you are confirming what Mr. Malfoy said?" Snape's voice sounded faintly surprised.

"Yes sir," Harry answered. Couldn't Snape just get on with it?

"Well, well," Snape said. "Can it be that you are actually admitting that you did something wrong for once Potter?"

Harry said nothing, but merely glared at Snape who looked at Malfoy and said, "How badly are you hurt, Draco?"

"I think he broke my nose sir," Malfoy said, shooting a glare at Harry.

"Go up to the Hospital Wing and have Madame Pomfrey mend it," Snape ordered. "But you are to return to the dormitory when she is done. You are not to visit Miss Banks, Madame Pomfrey has told me that she not to be disturbed." Malfoy nodded and walked off down the hall.

Harry's glare had turned into a disbelieving stare. As Snape turned back to him, he said, "Jessica is in the Hospital Wing?"

"That is correct, Potter," Snape said quickly. "Now, thirty points from Gryffindor and two weeks worth of detention. I hope that will be enough to discourage you from picking any more fights." He turned and walked off.

Harry turned to look at Ron and Hermione. Ron's face held a look very similar to Harry's while Hermione's face appeared worried.

"In the Hospital Wing," Harry muttered. He met Ron and Hermione's eyes and then all three of them set off for the Hospital Wing at a run.

When they got there however, Madame Pomfrey refused to let them see Jessica.

"She has suffered a severe shock, Mr. Potter and she is not to be disturbed whatsoever," Madame Pomfrey said briskly. "Now unless you are injured I suggest–"

"Can you at least tell us what happened to her?!" Hermione asked exasperatedly.

"She caught hypothermia, Miss Granger," Madame Pomfrey said. "Now off with you, she's not allowed to have visitors."

Harry just stared at Madame Pomfrey for a moment, then he turned and walked off slowly down the hallway, with Ron and Hermione still following.

"Hermione," Harry said over his shoulder as they walked, "what's hypothermia?"

"It's when your body temperature is abnormally low," Hermione said. "You can die from it when it's too severe."

Harry stopped in his tracks and Ron nearly ran into him. "You can die from it?" he asked softly. "Hermione, you don't think that-"

"No," said Hermione, cutting in. "Madame Pomfrey would have been much more worried if Jessica were going to..." She trailed off, not wanting to say it. Her voice contained a note of confusion as she continued, "What I want to know, is how she caught it."

"Well, isn't it obvious, Granger?" Malfoy's voice said from behind them. It seemed to lack its usual venom, but hints of it were still there. "She was out in the snow too long."

"And how do you know this?" Harry snapped.

"Temper, temper, Potter," Draco said with a sardonic smile. "Carry on like that and I won't tell you anything." Harry gritted his teeth, reminding himself of the two weeks worth of detention that he already had.

"Tell us please, Malfoy," Hermione said carefully. All three of the boys looked at her strangely. Here she was being polite to the boy who had treated her like dirt for the past five years of school. Hermione ignored Ron and Harry and focused on Draco. "We care about her too."

Draco smirked, though somewhat less markedly than before. "Since you asked so politely, I'll tell you. But not here. It'd be my end if I was seen conversing with Potter and his friends. Meet me in the empty classroom next to the Charms classroom." He turned around and strode off, around a corner and out of sight. Hermione stared after him for a few minutes, then turned to Harry and Ron.

"I don't know about you, but I want to find out why Jessica has hypothermia," she said. "But that's going to mean being polite to Draco. So you can come along, but only if you can talk to Draco without arguing." She walked off to follow Draco, and smiled to herself as Harry and Ron followed her.

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Draco was waiting for them in the classroom when they got there. He sat on the teachers desk, drumming his fingers with obvious boredom on the polished wood. He looked as though he were going to say something but then he must have changed his mind, for he merely nodded at them as they entered and shut the doors behind them. The trio proceeded up to the front of the classroom and all took seats on the tables nearest Draco.

"So," Harry ventured after a moment. "Are you going to tell us why Jessica has hypothermia?"

Draco half-glared at him, but then nodded. "Yes. It's really not that complicated." And he told them why.

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Up in the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey watched Jessica carefully as the girl turned restlessly in her sleep. She frowned, looking at the girl carefully, then she hurried out of the hospital wing, concern on her face. She did not like the look of this. She was going to get Dumbledore.

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Jessica was standing in darkness. She couldn't see anything, it was too dark... No, wait. There was a fire nearby, and she slowly moved towards it. She drew closer and saw that there were people standing in a circle off to the side of the fire. Someone was speaking in a high cold voice that made Jessica shiver. She kept moving closer, almost unable to help herself. Soon she could hear the words the person with the cold voice said.

"You have taught your son well, Lucius," the voice said. "He has made it possible for this event to occur."

"Yes, my lord," said one of the men who stood in the circle. Jessica stood in the shadows and watched. All the men who stood in the circle seemed alike, for they wore black robes and masks covered their faces, masks with only holes for the eyes to see out. In the center of the circle stood a man, tall, with skin whiter than new-fallen snow and eyes as red as the Gryffindor quidditch robes. He had slits for nostrils and a cruel smile played about his lips as he gazed down at something near his feet.

"Some of you are perhaps wondering why I have not killed him already," the man said and Jessica heard that high voice once more. There were quiet murmurs of assent from various members around the circle. Jessica's heartbeat picked up. This man, whomever he may be, was evil. She could sense it from the way he spoke and the smile that she had seen playing about his lips.

"We have him. That is true. But I have given your son another task Lucius. One that not even you knew of." The man looked around the circle, smiling again. "He will send the girl to us. She will arrive soon." He cast his eyes out beyond the circle of men, searching, and Jessica felt panic grip her as she realized that she was closer to the light of the fire than she had thought. The man saw her, and he smiled at her...

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"So you are saying that because you upset her, Jessica caught hypothermia?" Harry asked Draco, his voice cold.

"If you want to see it that way, then yes Potter, it is my fault," Draco said, annoyance in his voice. "But if you're going to think like that, then you also have to acknowledge the fact that it is because of me she is alive right now."

"He's right Harry," Hermione said softly. She looked at Draco. "Thank you."

"I didn't do it for you," Draco said, and he stood up and stalked from the room.

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Jessica tried to step backwards but fear had frozen her feet to the ground. The man raised his wand and pointed it at her, his red eyes cold. His mouth formed a word she could not hear and rope appeared from the end of the man's wand, and it wrapped itself around her wrists and ankles. She fell, unable to maintain her balance. The circle of men parted and one by one they turned to look at her. She now saw the man clearly, and she could also see that there was a person lying on the ground at his feet. The person's face turned to look at her.

"HARRY!"

Jessica jerked up in her bed, her eyes wide, searching the room frantically. She, she was in the Hospital wing. Slowly she registered the fact that there was a hand on her shoulder. She looked to the side and saw Professor Dumbledore looking down at her, his eyes kindly, yet at the same time they were keen and penetrating. Jessica felt herself calm under that gaze.

"Hello Miss Banks," Dumbledore said calmly. "It is nice to see that you have finally come to."

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Reviewer Thanks:

PippinsMyHobbit: Ah do not feel stupid. I actually tried to make it not so obvious so it is actually a compliment to me that you did not pick up on it. Necklace or no necklace, Jessica still has anger issues.

Trinka: Not exactly to make her hate Hermione, since, as you noticed, she still likes Hermione. Don't worry, all shall be revealed by the end which I think may actually be coming up rather quickly. And if I have not revealed all, you have my permission to bug me until I do tell all.

Well, did you guys like? I'm sorry if it was confusing, I promise all questions will be answered by the end, if I write this correctly. However, it might take a bit. It will be up ASAP though. And remember, the review button is your friend!