Chapter 11:

Openings

Jessa groaned, placing her chin in her palm. While she'd never been great in school, she'd also never had this much trouble before.

"Need a hand?"

She startled, looking up to see Draco Malfoy standing in front of her.

"Do you know Lockhart's favourite achievements of himself?"

He made a face. "Er – no. But I do know about the transformation formula and how it applies practically," he replied, pointing to the piece of parchment sticking out from her pile of notes and assignments.

Pulling the parchment to the top of her pile, she paused. "And what do you want in return?"

"Can't I want to help a first year in my house?"

She simply raise an eyebrow, giving him a hard look. Rarely did anyone do something for nothing in her experience.

He rolled his eyes but conceded as he sat across from her. "A partner to practice with on the pitch."

"Done," she answered without much thought. Draco smirked and pulled out a spare piece of parchment to help outline her homework.

"And Draco?"

He glanced up at her mid-action.

"Thanks."

He nodded. "You're welcome."

Taryn and Jessa were walking back from dinner about a week later, along with most of the rest of Hogwarts, talking animatedly, when they were forced to stop short.

Looking up, she realized why. Mrs. Norris was hanging from a lamppost, completely still. There was writing on the wall…in blood.

The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir beware.

Even worse, her brother was in the centre of it all.

Of course, he was.

"Prefects are to escort students back to their common rooms. Now," Professor Dumbledore instructed calmly.

"I'll meet you back there," Jessa whispered to Taryn, before pushing through her peers to get to her brother's side. She was grateful when none of the professors seemed to object.

Harry saw her approach, turning so she could sidle up next to him. She quietly listened in, just staring at the bloody message on the wall.

"Harry? What's going on?" she asked when they were excused.

"I heard voices."

"Pardon? Like, someone calling you?"

"No. Something wanted to kill."

She paled.

"Harry, even here this isn't normal. I don't think you should be telling people," Hermione advised.

"I'm not telling people, I'm telling my sister," he countered, before realizing that, somehow, the two girls had never actually formally met.

"Er – right. Sorry. Hermione, Jessa. Jessa, Hermione."

"Nice to finally meet you," she said, offering a hand to the older girl. Hermione just nodded.

"Keep me posted, yeah? And watch your back, will you?"

Harry nodded and they parted ways, heading back to their respective common rooms.

Entering the Slytherin Common Room, it was filled with students in small groups discussing what had just happened.

She crossed to where Taryn and some of their other year mates sat in their own small group, talking about what little they knew of the situation.

"What is the Chamber of Secrets?"

They stopped speaking, turning to look at her.

Taryn nodded, finally answering. "Rumour has it Slytherin left a secret chamber behind when the founders were building the school. It was said to help protect the school against enemies and mudbloods. It – "

" – sorry, 'mudbloods'?"

She shifted in the silence that followed. "Muggle-raised, remember?" she pointed out.

"Right, sorry, Jessa," Taryn replied. "A 'mudblood' is an insult for muggle-borns."

"Ah," she said simply, thinking of her own mother.

"Anyways, the Chamber is said to have held a protector, a monster. Last time it was opened, a girl was murdered before it was stopped. Only the heir of Slytherin is able to open it. However, no one's ever officially found it – so it's only considered to be rumour."

"And now it's supposedly been opened again."

"Right. And hurt Mrs. Norris in the process. Not that I blame them. She and Filch are right gits," Louis Harper added in. Jessa had to give him that one.

"Still – does this mean we're in danger?"

Harper snorted. "Not us. But the Mudbloods should probably watch out."

Despite the lack of understanding for her new world and the new threats, Jessa was enjoying herself. She was finally allowed to excel in school, if she could manage it. She didn't have to worry about holding herself back so as not to show up her idiot cousin. Didn't have to worry about the Dursleys breathing down her neck or being stuffed back into her closet. She had regular food and clothes that fit her.

Better yet, she was finally starting to feel like she belonged. She was making her own friends, her own place in her classes, and more importantly, she was rarely anyone's "little" anything – be that "cousin" or "sister".

Befriending Taryn Pucey had been a lifesaver. Although she needed an occasional reminder, she more than understood Jessa's lack of wizarding knowledge and was more than happy to help fill in gaps. More understanding than she was expecting, to be honest, given what Jessa now knew about the Pueceys and many other Slytherin families.

A bigger surprise had been Draco Malfoy. While they didn't spend a lot of time together, they were growing closer. Especially since he had shown not only willing to assist her with troublesome assignments, but a decent teacher as well. And she in turn, enjoyed flying with him in their "free" evenings, helping him practice quidditch techniques and having an older friend to talk to.

For the first time, Jessa was content. Even with the more…troubling things she was finding out about the wizarding world – such as hatred for those like her mum and most everyone's apparent hatred for Slytherin – she was happy. Being at Hogwarts, she felt free.