Monday. September 2, 1995

Ah, the first day of class. Always such an adventure.

Had the professors changed over the holiday? Had they gained weight? Lost weight? Had they grown peevish (or, if they were Snape, cheerful)? Would there be interesting material to cover?

Jenna smiled to herself as she waited for Wyatt to catch up with her. While Jenna was eager to get to class, Wyatt was, one might say, ambivalent. He couldn't quite decide… Was he thrilled beyond belief to kick off his last year as a student? Or was he prematurely bored, knowing that all they'd really be doing was N.E.W.T revision? He honestly couldn't tell.

Their schedules were identical, as they seemed to be every year. Today was Defense against the Dark Arts, followed by a break, then Charms, lunch, Herbology, double Transfiguration, and dinner.

Jenna had made a bit of an effort this morning to look nice, applying a bit of lip color and leaving her hair down. Wyatt hadn't said a word, but Jenna hadn't missed the tiny smirk he gave her when she checked her reflection in a window before they entered Umbridge's classroom.

Umbridge was already sitting at her desk. She smiled warmly at the twins.

"Good morning, Professor Umbridge." Wyatt said politely as he took his seat in the front. Jenna took up her position in the seat next to his, giving Umbridge a shy wave.

"Are the two of you in the same year?" Umbridge asked with a bit of a frown.

"Yes, Professor. We're twins." Wyatt gave her a slightly cheeky smile. "I'm the smart one, and Jenna's the pretty one."

Jenna's cheeks heated up, but she didn't say anything, keeping her eyes fixed on the desk.

"Oh, fine. Stop the sad face." Wyatt turned to her. "You can be the smart one today. I'll be the pretty one, how's that?"

"You do have better bone structure." Jenna murmured, smiling slightly.

"I certainly do. And much better hair." Wyatt gave his hair a slightly exaggerated flip before turning back to Umbridge. "So, Professor Umbridge…"

"Yes, dear?"

"We've, er, both been reading through Mr. Slinkhard's book, and we were wondering… Is it just Defensive theory that you'll be teaching this year?"

"Oh, yes." Umbridge smiled sweetly. "It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations which, after all, is what school is all about! But I will be going over this a bit more once class has begun."

Wyatt nodded.

"That makes sense." He looked at Jenna. "Could be interesting, yeah? See it from not so much a practical standpoint as a theoretical one. Nice change in perspective."

"Quite right, Mr. Harper." Umbridge seemed pleased. "I do hope the rest of the class is as… open-minded as you are!"

Wyatt grinned, nudging Jenna.

"Did you hear that? I'm open-minded."

"You're certainly something, Wyatt." Jenna murmured, opening her textbook and attempting to ignore the heat on her cheeks. Was he seriously kissing up to her?

After class, as everyone was filing out…

"Hem hem! Mr. Harper?" Umbridge called. "A word, if you wouldn't mind?"

Jenna frowned at Wyatt, who shrugged slightly before turning and walking towards the professor. Jenna awkwardly shuffled out to the corridor, pressing her back against the wall and staring at the floor as her classmates passed by.

Roger Davies paused before her, hitching his bag further up on his shoulder.

"Hi, Jenna." He said brightly. "Didn't get to see you last night! Have a good holiday?"

"Oh. Um…" Jenna felt her jaw tighten. He'd never once spoken to her when they weren't in the library. He was always with his friends, and she was always with Wyatt. "…yes. You?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it was alright." He smiled. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair down before. It… it looks nice."

"Oh. Thank you." She lowered her eyes, silently willing him to leave. He stayed a moment longer, swaying awkwardly in the silence.

"Alright. Well… I'll, er, see you around, I guess?" he finally said after a moment. "Where are you headed?"

"Study break."

"Yeah? Me, too. You, er, going to the library?"

"Maybe."

"…Oh. Alright. Well, that's where I'm headed, so…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll… see you when I see you."

"Yeah." Jenna nodded, not meeting his eyes. After a tense moment, he walked away.

Jenna hurriedly dug through her bag for a hairband. She rapidly fingercombed her hair into submission and tied it up, letting out a shaky breath before scrubbing the color from her lips with the sleeve of her robes. What was she thinking, changing her routine like this?

What did she hope to accomplish? Umbridge was a professor! Jenna leaned her head back against the wall, sighing. Professors didn't date students. Professors didn't even look at students that way. And even if they did… why would Umbridge look at her of all people? She was so plain, so generic… as though whatever higher power had designed her got bored halfway through and had decided, "Whatever. This will do."

And why was Jenna so sure she even really liked Umbridge, anyway? What was really so great about her? Umbridge was just a woman. A woman who wore too much pink, and talked like a little girl, and… and…

On shaking legs, Jenna walked alone towards the library. Let Wyatt catch up on his own. She couldn't think straight, she needed to focus on something concrete, something that wouldn't change.

As she walked into the library, she let out a slight sigh of content.

The musty smell of books, the dim lighting, the silence… This was good. This was safe.

She sat down at one of the tables near the back and started thumbing through her Charms book.

After a few minutes, Davies sat down across from her, his own Charms book open in front of him. He gave her a careful glance, his eyes darting to her hair for a moment.

"Are you alright?" His lips barely moved.

Jenna nodded, not sure how else to answer.

Davies reached over and gave her arm a soft squeeze.

"Hey." He said gently. "I know we don't talk much, but… if there's something wrong…"

"Please…" she whispered before she could stop herself. "I just need to stop thinking for a bit."

Davies nodded.

"Alright." He squeezed her arm again before moving his hand away. They both continued reading in silence.

When Wyatt finally sat down next to her, Jenna had almost forgotten about Umbridge.

"You left without me." he noted quietly, taking out his Charms book. "What gives?"

"Got tired of waiting." She didn't look up from her book. "What'd she want?"

Wyatt glanced at Davies, who quickly looked back down at his book as though he hadn't just been scowling at him.

"She, er, said she'd seen my resume at the Ministry. I guess she has a friend in the Trading Standards Body." He glanced awkwardly at his book. "She kind of… invited me for a cup of tea after dinner."

"She what?" Davies hissed. "Just casually?"

"Er… yeah…" Wyatt glanced at Jenna, whose face had tightened. "She's a professor, so… I kind of have to go, you know?"

Jenna nodded, her jaw clenched.

"I need the loo." She rose, shoved her book into her bag, and stalked out.

Wyatt and Davies watched her go, taken slightly aback.

"What the Hell is going on with her, mate?" Davies asked after a moment. "Is she alright?"

"She's… Jenna."