A/N: Hey! And no, Ron was never an auror, Harry was an auror, and Ron was a curse breaker and I figured it was a nice touch to have most of the Weasley siblings work at the Weases, so he does that occasionally. He doesn't own the joke shop. And you want Jess and Ron to meet? Well, next two chapters! I hope! It keeps getting longer!
Luv Ella xXx
Ron tossed and turned in his bed. He couldn't understand it. There was something about the woman that made him want to know everything about her, but he knew that that was impossible. Perhaps it was the fact that it was impossible. Maybe it was the fact that he was moving in with Katie the next day, and that he couldn't do things like that anymore.
No. It wasn't as though he were attracted to this woman; it was just that he felt a pull to investigate. He wanted to find out who she really was, and why he had never met her before. He wanted to get to know her, for no obvious reason.
The woman that Ron was thinking about was Carrie Brown.
There was something about her that made her sit at the surface of his brain and congeal with thoughts.
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Jessie looked across at Jade's bed. It was empty. The curtains were still open, and the bed was unslept in. Jess sat up, quickly.
The previous night had been the party. She hadn't seen Jade since she had left Slughorn's party early. Jess had, in fact, stayed until the end, chatting friendlily with Zeke Malfoy. Zeke had become quiet at the end of the evening, however, and though Jess had lay awake deep into the night wondering what had been bothering her knew friend, she didn't hear Jade get in.
And now this. The empty bed, with the open curtains, on a Saturday morning.
Jessie got out of bed, and got dressed. The rest of the girls in the dormitory were already at breakfast.
She headed down the stairs and into the common room. She checked her watch.
It was midday. Of course everyone else was out, they were at lunch, not breakfast. Maybe Jade had even gone down already. It could be possible.
Jess saw Daniel in the chair by the fire, his head lolling to one side, pensively.
"Hey Dan." She said, walking up beside him and flopping down in a chair. "Have you seen Jade?"
Daniel jumped out of his stupor, and looked shocked.
"No! Why?" replied quickly. Jessie raised her eyebrows, and Daniel visibly relaxed.
"Um, no reason, she just wasn't in the dormitory, and I don't know when she came in last night…just wondering I guess. You haven't seen her all morning?"
"No, and I've been here since early. I don't think she got up, I thought she must have been asleep still." Daniel said, a crease appearing in his forehead as he looked towards the door to the girl's dormitory.
"I'm sure she's fine." Jessie said, not too certainly. There were plenty of explanations. Jess just couldn't think of them, that was all. She'd only just woken up… At least, that was what she tried to convince herself.
She and Daniel tried to convince themselves that all afternoon; all through lunch, where they ate together in the Great Hall. After lunch, when they chose to sit in the courtyard on the school yards and talk the afternoon away, while watching the front doors for any signs of their friend.
Or 'friends', Jessie was actually keeping an eye out for one other person at the same time, though she kept her motives a secret from Daniel, and with good reason. Zeke Malfoy was not popular with Daniel and Jade, and Jessie preferred to keep their newfound friendship under her hat for a while. At least until they could see how great a person he was.
But Zeke had not been at lunch, though Jessie had intently watched the Slytherin table for any signs of his blonde head. After, when they were in the common room, discussing Quidditch, and watching the door, Jessie saw no indication of Zeke slipping in through the front doors.
His situation, however, was much less suspicious. Zeke could have easily stayed in his common room all morning, and Jessie had no way of knowing. No way at all.
They didn't find any sign of Jade when they gave up on the courtyard; the winds became colder, and the light began to seep out of the sky. They headed back inside the castle, frowns upon their faces, despite the fun time that they had spent together.
Daniel was panicking, inside. He knew how Jade had been feeling last time that he had seen her. The stranger on the stairs had been able to provide little comfort with her idle words. Jade had no way of knowing how much meaning they held. To her, the stranger had no measure of the situation or the boy she had spoken about. The last that Daniel had seen of her she had moseyed on down the corridor, slowing, away from the party, probably to sulk on a more deserted staircase, but Daniel didn't want to follow. He thought that this might be pushing his identity a little too far.
Jessie, not knowing this, was more worried about Zeke, as time wore on. The last that she had seen him she was leaving the party, Slughorn closing the doors, and he had been as white as a ghost, and had shaken dangerously when he hugged her goodnight. She knew that something was wrong with him.
Daniel and Jessie headed up to dinner. The Great hall, though full to the brim with students, was held no face that comforted either of them in the slightest. Daniel and Jessie exchanged frightful glances.
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Zeke sat across from the girl, fighting back tears, which he knew was inappropriate and childish. He couldn't help it. All he could see, by the light of the flame he had brought with him, was the girl, bound to the tree opposite him with invisible ropes that he had conjured himself.
Jade was trying not to cry too. Tied so tightly that she couldn't move, her mouth moving silently as she tried to scream out through the silencing charm the Slytherin had cast on her.
It was a strange coincidence that both the first years were thinking about their fathers, as they sat there in the forest, trying not to cry. Neither of their fathers would have sobbed had they been in that situation. That showed how much they knew.
Jade Potter was the daughter of the famous auror, who defeated the Lord Voldermort. Everybody knew that, even the boy sitting opposite her, which might explain a little why he had bound her to the tree ion the first place. The daughter of Harry Potter wouldn't quiver when tied to a tree trunk by a fellow first year. She would think up some brilliant way to rescue herself from the situation, and trap the culprit single headedly. This thought made Jade want to cry even more than the thought of being helpless in the forbidden forest.
Zeke was waiting for his father, Draco. He didn't know what came next. All he knew was that he had to get Harry Potter's daughter and keep her in this part of the forbidden forest until Draco came for her in the morning. He didn't know why, and he didn't know how he was going to endure the thought of doing this to her, but he knew that this was the chance that he had been waiting for to prove himself to his father, and he wasn't going to mess that up.
But it didn't help that Jade was friends with Jessie.
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Hermione sat on her back porch, staring out at her garden. Her garden, which was completely devoid of gnomes, contained no animals whatsoever, and had a perfectly manicured lawn. It was so ordinary, and so normal that it made Hermione want to cry.
This was understandable, of course. There were many things these days that made Hermione want to cry. Just yesterday she had cried after plugging in her hair dryer. She spent a very uneventful hour trying to remember, for her sanities sake, the spell that dried hair, just to see if she could. It wouldn't come to her. Hermione, who could remember so many spells, the human sponge, couldn't remember. She could hardly remember Hermione anymore. The real one, who she went to school with; because that was what it felt like. It felt like the frizzy haired girl in her memory was a childhood friend who she had lost contact with forever.
Last night she had left the party still smiling her fake, forced smile, waving at Ron, and Katie of course, as they left. Hugging lavender goodbye, shaking her head at Lavender's attentive look, and ignoring the downcast face that the woman wore afterward.
And so Hermione sipped on her coffee, wishing it was butterbeer, and thinking how quickly she could get on a plane to England, when she knew she would never get herself past customs…
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Ron, Harry and Ginny were packing all day, hoisting things into boxes and throwing out objects when they thought appropriate. It was a task that Ron was meant to have completed a long time ago, but had never gotten around to, and so now, on the day that he was meant to be moving in with his Katie, there was a task force of three all slaving away at the job.
Ginny was going through papers when she came across a letter. It was from Ron, to Hermione. She opened the box that it was sitting on top of.
Mountains of paper flooded out around her knees, when she knelt in his cupboard. Ginny rolled her eyes, and picked up one, curious.
They were all written to Hermione. Ron's scrawl of a signature adorned the bottom of each sheet of parchment, and some near the bottom were even tied into scrolls.
"Ron!" She called, sticking her head out the door, a few of the letter clutched in her hand. "Ron, Harry…" she said, a little quieter this time. Harry came running into the room.
"What's wrong?" he asked, kneeling down.
"Nothing, where's Ron?"
"He went over to the shop, Fred and George said they had more boxes, and he wanted to pick them up."
"Couldn't they have sent them over here?"
"Sure they could have, but Ron likes to get out of packing…" Harry explained, with a roll of his eyes. He scanned the room, sceptically. It looked as though it had snowed paper over night, things spread out all over the floor. "Looks like he had good reason to want to get out of packing…" Harry added, with a chuckle. His laughter subsided when he saw the expression on Ginny's face.
"What?" Harry asked, leaning forward, "What's wrong?"
Ginny shook her head hopelessly. She waved her hand at the letters sweeping her feet.
"Look at them all. How did it ever end up like this?" she asked, and buried her head in Harry's shoulder.
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"You think so too then?" Daniel asked darkly, leaning across to whisper at Jade. Jade jumped. She didn't think that Daniel had been paying any attention to her, and she had taken the chance to stare over at the Slytherin table, to see if Zeke was there. He wasn't his spot at the table remained ominously unattended.
Jade was startled by Daniel's reaction.
"Sorry?"
"Zeke's not there. Do you think that he knew how closely Jess had been watching him?" Daniel asked. "He could have done something to her. All that Forbidden forest business."
Jessie shook her head, "No, it can't be that. He's not that bad, really…"
"Well then why does he go there?" Daniel said sceptically, " It's too much of a coincidence, the both of them missing from dinner, we need to find her soon Jess, I'm getting really worried, we need to go to McGonagal."
"McGonagal? What's she going to do about it?"
"Stop Zeke hurting Jade-"
"Daniel, you're becoming as paranoid about him as Jade is. Seriously he's not that bad!" Jess almost pleaded. She didn't want Zeke to have the teachers on his back for something that he didn't do.
"Jade, we can't take any risks, and it seem sort of likely-"
"Ok, ok, we'll check the dormitory first though, alright? Please, she might be up there by now, and then all of this would have been for nothing."
"Alright, but if she's not…"
Jessie's heart sunk through the floor and back down to the Great Hall the moment that she stuck her head in the dormitory. It was completely empty. Jade was nowhere to be seen, and none of her things had been touched since Jessie had left the dormitory that morning.
She sat down on Jade's bed, and sunk her head in her hands. She didn't want to get Zeke involved. She didn't want him to think that she didn't trust him. She had to go back to the common room. Daniel was waiting for her there.
She shifted in her seat, and something made an odd, crumpling noise.
Jessie froze. The noise was gone.
Ash was sitting on something uncomfortable. Pulling back the blanket on Jade's bed, Jessie gasped, and produced a large piece of tattered parchment.
The marauders map sat in her quivering hands, a triumphant smile on her face.
"Daniel, I have it!" Jessie squealed, descending the stairs two at a time, and brandishing the marauders map in her hand, the other hand sliding it's way down the banister.
Daniel's eyes lit up.
"She was there?" he asked, quickly, trying to look behind Jess. Jess shook her hand, but one look at the map in her hands told Daniel what Jess had meant. The map would show exactly where Jade was.
Jessie unfolded the parchment, and both Jessie and Daniel stared expectantly at each other.
"Go on…" Daniel said finally, nodding at the map, his eyebrows raised. Jessie looked confused.
"What? Are you going to open it?" she asked Daniel. Daniel looked surprised.
"I don't know the password, I thought you would!"
'I cant remember it! It was something about being a marauder…or roaming…or causing trouble maybe…" she muttered, trailing off.
"Well how are we meant to use it if you don't know the password?" Daniel asked, outraged. Jessie stepped back.
"I thought that you would have taken notice!"
"Why would I have? I never thought we'd be using it to save her!" he replied.
"We are not saving her! We're checking that she's alright!'
"She's not here, so obviously she's not alright!"
"There's a lot of possible explanations, I'm sure of it, now, lets calm down, people are staring…"
Jessie was right. People all around the common room were starting to return from their dinner, and may had taken an interest in the gradually rising voices of the two first years in the middle of the common room.
"Ok, then lets both try some. We must be able to remember something, Jade always opens the map, we can do it." Daniel said, calmly, though he was shaking a little, as though a chill was sent through the relatively warm room.
Jessie nodded, and stared down at the map, which she held, unfurled, in her hands.
"Alright. Um, I promise that I am bad?" she attempted.
"Show me your secrets?' tried Lupin.
"Help us find our friend."
"I promise I'm a marauder."
"I'm a big ugly seventh year."
"That wont work."
"Thought I'd try."
"Help us find Jade"
"I, Daniel Lupin command that you show us your map." Even before Daniel had finished talking, letters began to seep across the page and form words. Daniel and Jessie leant in, and read what had become inscribed on the page.
Did you say Lupin?
Daniel looked stunned. He stared at the page. That was all that was written there.
"Yes, Daniel Lupin, first year."
More words formed on the page.
First year? Wow.
Jessie was confused, but words continued to form, and before long there seemed to be a conversation being written through the previously blank page in front of them.
Lupin? How come Lupin's kid got the map? I thought I called dibs on that.
Messers Padfoot wishes to express his annoyance that he was not presently when said dibs occurred.
Padfoot, why are you talking like that?
Messers Padfoot wishes to remind Mr Prongs that this is how all four of us agreed to write on the map. He also wants to know why Lupins kid got the map!
Messers Wormtail would like to add that this is no insult to Moony's kid, and that its better than the spawn of Snape getting his hands on the thing.
Since when was this definitely my kid! Lupin might be a common name in the future!
Daniel and Jessie were shocked, to say the least. Daniel opened his mouth to speak again.
"Er, the maps not mine. It belongs to Jade otter, and she's in trouble, so I have to see this map to help her. Er, please?" He asked the parchment. It didn't seem to notice.
Potter? James' daughter then? No fair!
Shush Padfoot, she's in trouble! Sure, you can see the map… Your Moony's son.
"No, actually, she's James' Granddaughter, but thankyou, she is in trouble, and we need to see this map!" Daniel said, quickly. Then he stared at the name Moony. Suddenly, it all made sense, and he burst into uncontrollable laughter. Jessie appeared to be outraged at the blatant show of hilarity that Daniel was expressing in such a dire situation. Not that she believed that Zeke was doing anything to Jade…
Granddaughter? All right then.
Wait!
Daniel and Jade groaned. The edges of the map had began to creep over the sides of the parchment, and etch their way across the page, but the new message had stopped its progress.
Messers Moony doesn't think that his son should be exposed to such dangers that are shown on this map. I don't want his to get up to what we get up to.
Oh come on Moony!
Messers Moony wishes to comment that his son should be doing something safer, and more productive. Like studying or knitting. Yes son, go and knit.
Moony! You want him to be boring, or do you want James' granddaughter to die!
Messers Moony would like to mention that what Padfoot just said made no sense at all, and wasn't even right, but I see what he meant to say, and agrees with his point of view. Alright, Daniel, be careful…
The map continued to spread across the page, and one quick look at the part of the map that contained the forbidden forest told them where Jade was. Only problem was, that it wasn't Zeke who was with her.
It was Draco.
A/N: and a triumphant smile is on MY face, because I wrote this chapter sooo long ago! Cant wait to see if you enjoyed it or not! yew! Hope that u enjoyed this chapter! And thanks for the reviews and feedback that I got at the end of the last chapter! The parents won without a doubt! And Ive tried to even it out a little, but lets just say that there's not long until they merge anyway!
Luv Ella xXx