-:Chapter 3: Where She Belongs:-
"Hello Pansy. Blaise." Draco said to the two intruders. Jenny watched silently, wondering if she should stop the two newcomers from whatever violent torture they were no doubt about to inflict upon him. But then she remembered that she was currently mad at him, and decided against it.
"Draco, what gives? We have been going insane looking for you, you couldn't even bother telling us that you decided to fucking run away like some damn coward and…and…who the hell are you?" Pansy said, finally noticing Jenny. Draco looked stricken, his eyes darting between Pansy and Jenny with something akin to fear.
"Hi, I'm Jenny." Jenny said, holding out her hand to Pansy, a smirk crossing her face as she added, "I'm one of those bad things that happen to good people." She saw the corner of the girl's mouth twitch, while the dark-skinned boy grinned behind her back. The girl let her eyes drift over Jenny carefully, sizing her up.
"Oh, really?" she said at last, her hands resting on her hips. "Then why are you hanging around here? There's a compartment full of do-gooders right next door."
"She's already taken care of them, Pans." Draco said with a smile, leaning back in his seat, his arms crossed behind his head.
Pansy and Blaise looked between Jenny and Draco, their eyes demanding an explanation—now.
"I didn't do anything." Jenny said defensively, sniffing indignantly. "I gave him fair warning before I decked him."
"Decked who?"
"Weasel-by." Draco said, with a hint of pride and respect in his voice. The dark skinned boy's grin widened even more, and he pushed past the other girl to kneel at Jenny's side.
"Blaise Zabini," he said, taking her hand, "I love you madly, will you marry me?"
Draco stiffened, his hands clenching behind his head as he glared at the back of his best friend's head; A glare which only intensified when Jenny giggled and batted her eyelashes at him.
"Aw, aren't you cute." She said sweetly, patting his head like she would an overeager puppy. "I should warn you though," she said, leaning in to whisper in his ear, "They weren't kidding when they called me…well, a bitch." She pulled away, planting her foot solidly on his chest and sending him sprawling back on the seat next to Draco.
"Why did you punch him?" Pansy asked, completely unaffected by the actions of her companion.
Jenny shrugged. "I never said I was a particularly nice person." She said innocently, a wicked smile on her face.
Pansy's dark eyebrows shot up to her hairline, and a wide grin spread over her face. "I like her, Draco. Where ever did you find her?"
"Oh. My. God!" Jenny gasped, staring at the looming, gargantuan castle in awe. "It's huge!"
"Your school wasn't like this, cara?" Blaise asked, sounding amused. Draco bristled involantarily; every time Blaise called her that, that sweet Italian endearment, Draco wanted to throw him out of the carriage. 'What the hell was wrong with me?'
Beside him, Jenny shook her head, snorting inelegantly.
"Are you kidding me? That…thing…is like fifty times the size of Salem!" she said, her eyes darting between the three Slytherins occupying the small carriage. "How do you not get hopelessly lost?" she asked suddenly, her voice rising slightly with panic. "'Cause I don't have a very good sense of direction-"
"Don't worry, Princess." Draco said teasingly, nudging her shoulder with his. "We won't let you get lost."
She instantly let out a sigh of relief, her eyes closing as she attempted to calm her racing heart. "That's good. The last thing I need is to get lost in that monstrosity." She said, looping her arm through Draco's and resting her head on his shoulder.
"That's definitely not going to happen." Pansy said with a laugh. Jenny cracked an eye open to squint at her.
"No, trust me, it can. I can get lost just about anywhere." She said with complete sincerity. Pansy shook her head, grinning at the pale girl's naiveté.
"No, I meant that-"
"You're going to be mercilessly stalked by half the male population of the school, all willing to jump at the opportunity to help you out." Blaise finished for her, his eyes roving over her shamelessly. Jenny rolled her eyes.
"Please. Like I'd waste my time on shallow morons who are only interested because I'm the shiny new 'toy' on the playground." She said, shifting closer to Draco, partly because he was warm, and partly because he smelled so deliciously…edible.
"Not even for a fast run around the track?" Blaise prompted, sounding disgustingly hopeful to Draco's ears. Jenny scrunched up her nose in distaste.
"I don't do sprinters. I like my men to finish the mile." She said, with a subtle nudge to Draco's ribs. She closed her eyes once more, while inconspicuously breathing in another shot of Eau de Malfoy…
…and remaining completely oblivious to the delighted smile that stretched across Draco's face.
By and by, they arrived at the oak front doors, and even though they dashed as fast as their legs could carry them, they still ended up soaking wet by the time they got inside…
…Just in time to see Peeves pelt the Golden Trio with a large red water balloon.
Jenny laughed, clapping loudly. "Bravo, good sir! Bravo indeed!"
Peeves grinned at her, zooming over to them and squinting at Jenny, who remained oblivious to Draco's white hot glare direct at Peeves, and the way his fingers flexed towards his wand pocket. "You're no ickle firstie." Peeves said, hanging upside down in front of them.
"Damn straight, home-dog." She said in her worst Brooklyn accent, smirking and crossing her arms. Peeves grinned, righting himself before sweeping off his belled hat and bowing dramatically.
"Augustus Bartholomew Winthrop Peeves, at your service, milady."
"Jenny Rovalt. Pissing off the whole planet, one loser at a time." She said with a salute. Peeves giggled once before zooming off, tossing a few more water balloons far away from them before leaving.
Jenny eventually became aware of the fact that all three of her new acquaintances were staring at her in awe. "What?"
"He…you…" Pansy spluttered incoherently.
"Peeves is never nice. To anyone." Draco supplied helpfully.
"Well, has anyone ever tried being nice to him?" she asked pointedly. They all shook their heads, and she grinned, tapping her temple. "See, I'm super-smart like that."
"Miss Rovalt!"
"Uh, no, sorry. She died." Jenny said, as she turned to see who had called her name. A tall thin, no nonsense looking woman with square spectacles and a large witch's hat narrowed her eyes at Jenny, clearly un-amused.
"Malfoy! Zabini! Parkinson!" she barked, her eyes flashing to them. "The Sorting is about to begin. Please take your seats in the Great Hall."
"What about her?" Draco asked, not moving an inch.
"Miss Rovalt will come with me." McGonagall said firmly, leaving Draco no choice but to follow Pansy and Blaise into the Great Hall.
"And now that all our first years have been Sorted, I have an exciting announcement to make. Over this past summer, our Ministry of Magic decided to extend a hand of friendship toward our fellow witches and wizards across the sea. I am speaking, of course, of our American allies to the west. In the spirit of friendship, one student from the Salem School of Magic, one of the most esteemed wizarding schools in all America, was invited to join us here at Hogwarts. Therefore, I would like to extend a hearty Hogwarts welcome to Miss Jennifer Rovalt!"
There was a moment of silence as Jenny was pushed forward by McGonagall, before the hall erupted in two parts polite applause, and one part shameless wolf whistles and catcalls. She smirked at the latter group, waving cheekily and blowing a kiss.
"Anyway…" Dumbledore shouted over the noise. "As this is rather unconventional, the staff, including myself, have decided that she be Sorted after the first years. My dear, if you please…?"
Jenny, heaving a very dramatic sigh, walked over to the little stool, picking up the hat herself and moving to place it on her head.
"SLYTHERIN!"
Jenny screeched and stumbled back, dropping the hat to the floor. "What the HELL?" she gasped, clutching her racing heart. "I thought it wasn't supposed to talk 'till after I put it on!" she said to Dumbledore. He smiled.
"I suppose the hat didn't need you to put it on to know where you belong." Dumbledore said, gesturing toward the Slytherin table. Jenny glanced over to the table, and, spotting Draco, Pansy and Blaise seated near the far end, beamed and skipped down the steps, leaving the hat lying on the floor where she had dropped it.
"Wassup, Homies?" she asked as she seated herself next to Draco. "It appears you've angered the karma gods, and I'm supposed to be your punishment."
Draco grinned, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to whisper in her ear. "I couldn't think of a better reward."
-:End Chapter:-