I bring to you Chapter Nine: The Other One early, for two reasons: 1. I am going to be busy on Friday and will not have time to update 2. Chapter Ten is much longer then the rest and I want to take the time to end the story with a bang. I like this chapter, as it shows how close Professor McGonagall is to Jennifer and how she wants to protect the young witch. Also, there is that surprise ending to this chapter that will be fundamental in the conclusion to this story. So without further ado, I present Chapter Nine: The Other One.
About a month since the day Jennifer received her letter from Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall came to the young witch in her dormitory (where Jennifer slept since she started her private lessons) with a grim expression on her face.
"Jennifer, the time has come." Professor McGonagall started. "You have been proven that you have exceptional talent as a witch, and now it has come the time where you must put that to the test against your adversary. It must happen now, as she could potentially travel to the school herself and cause mass destruction. I will only be able to guide you as far as where she is hiding, as I must prepare for the start of term. Are you ready?"
Jennifer pondered on that question for a moment. Was she ready? Did she really think that she, an eleven-year-old witch just realizing her magical capabilities, could defeat an extremely powerful, extremely experienced Dark wizard such as her mother? I can't think like that, thought Jennifer. I must have confidence in myself.
"Thank you Professor, for everything," said Jennifer. "I am ready to fight and defeat her, all because of you. If you hadn't taught me everything you did, I might've done something stupid and ended up killed. But you gave your all to help me, and to that I say thank you." She then gave the Headmistress a hug, putting as much sentiment as she could into it.
Professor McGonagall gave a warm smile before saying, "I am truly proud of you, Jennifer. You have shown remarkable talent since I started teaching you, giving justice to your lost loved ones. But now we must go to my office to make final preparations." Jennifer responded with, "Okay Professor, I will be with you shortly."
The Headmistress nodded and left the dormitory, leaving Jennifer standing there alone. She sat on her bed and sighed. "I'm actually going to kill her. A person I've loved for years is going to die at my hands." she said to herself. "But I mustn't have sympathy. She murdered two people that I loved in cold-blood and she is going to pay for it with her last breath."
Jennifer looked up at her desk and focused on a picture of Mrs. Reynolds, propped up in an ebony frame. She walked up to the photograph and let a tear stream down her young, sad face. "This is for you, Mrs. Reynolds. I will kill her for you."
"Now Jennifer," Professor McGonagall said. They were both seated in her office going over final preparations, both stricken with fatigue. "You will not be going against your mother alone. We have been granted the top Auror in the Ministry of Magic, the government of the Wizarding World, to assist you. The Ministry also just sent a team of Aurors to your mother's location to see if they can apprehend her before we send you in to Liverpool by Apparation. Now Jennifer, I must ask you to refrain from killing your mother. I understand you are enraged by her actions, but you must restrain yourself. You do not want to have on your conscience that you killed the woman that raised you for all your life, and you most certainly do not want to drop to her level. Please Jennifer, do not kill her."
Jennifer looked appalled as she exclaimed, "But Professor, I made it very clear how she must pay for what she did. That despicable woman tried to kill me, but better yet of a reason, she killed the person I truly loved the most. She is going to truly see how I felt when she committed those acts of evil. She is going to die today."
Professor McGonagall sighed, "Well if I cannot convince you, then do as you please. But remember this, you will forever live with the burden of taking another human being's life. You may not realize this now, but that is a truly terrible burden to live with. No matter how malevolent that person may be."
The Headmistress looked up at the grandfather clock on the wall. "It is time for you to leave, Jennifer. But before you do, I must introduce you to the Auror that will assist you." She gestured towards a door, and out walked a young man with scruffy black hair, glasses with lens that were as round as a button, and a scar in the shape of a lighting bolt right in the center of his forehead. The man introduced himself by saying, "Hello Jennifer., I will be traveling with you today. My name is Harry Potter."
Well wasn't that surprising! When I first started writing "The Girl Who Didn't Know", I wanted to include as little of Harry Potter characters I could while trying my best to keep it in the canon. But as the story progressed, I realized that I need to have Harry Potter in this, as what better way to understand this protection then by meeting the person that also went through it? But here is the big news: The conclusion to "The Girl Who Didn't Know" is coming next week. The final chapter will be titled Chapter Ten: The Love Between a Mother and Daughter. There will be an epilogue, and it will be included with Chapter Ten. So leave a review and speculate!