Please don't kill me! I hadn't actually realised just how long it had been since I updated. I say this every time, but life really does get in the way in of things, and days and weeks seem to melt into one. But hey, I've got another chapter, and I'm hoping people are sticking with me, fingers crossed. And for those of you waiting on my NCIS fanfic, I am in the middle of really annoying writers block with that one. But hey, I will get out of it, eventually.

Chapter 5

It was a few weeks later when Albus and Minerva found themselves standing in an alleyway after disapperating from Hogwarts. Minerva stood brushing her robes down, glancing around making sure nobody had seen them.

"Albus one of these days your sweet tooth is going to get you into big trouble." Albus simply chuckled. He had recently discovered a wonderful little cafe in Cornwall, that made the most delicious lemon cake he had ever tasted. He had come a couple of times by himself, before he finally managed to convince Minerva to come with him. Although she had been reluctant to admit it, Minerva had enjoyed her first trip to the cafe, and it's chocolate fruit cake was fast becoming one of her favourites.

"Now Minnie you also have a weakness for Joan's cakes." He said with the familiar glint in his eyes. Minerva just sighed, and transfigured their robes into something that wouldn't stick out too much. She turned to look around the alley to make sure nobody had seen them, before the pair left the alley and headed towards the cafe.

It was a busier day but Albus and Minerva managed to find a small table for the two of them tucked away in one of the corners of the shop. Joan spotted them when they walked in and smiled to them, gesturing she would send someone over in a minute. Being the gentleman he was Albus moved quickly to pull out Minerva's chair for her, to which she smiled a 'thank you.' The duo saw that Joan had a few people helping her put in the shop including a couple of girls who could have only been in their early teens and a woman Albus recognised as Joan's daughter. A few minutes after they sat down, Joan walked over to the pair with a smile on her face.

"Why Mr Dumbledore, how lovely to see you again, and I see he has managed to drag you along again Miss McGonagall." She laughed.

"Please dear I told you to call us Albus and Minerva." He smiled. Joan smiled again.

"Let me guess, a tea for both of you, and lemon cake for Albus, and chocolate fruit cake for Minerva?" Joan smiled as she repeated the pairs last order. They simply smiled.

"Joan I simply must take some cake back with me for when our new term starts. I simply won't be able to go for too long without tasting it." Minerva rolled her eyes. Joan laughed.

"Give me a few minutes and I'll get one of the girls to bring them over to you." She smiled again and walked back to the counter.

Albus and Minerva settled into their seats and Minerva cast a non verbal silencing charm over their conversation, so they were able to talk freely without fear of someone overhearing their conversation.

"I take it all the visits are in order for the new students?" Albus said.

"Yes, I will be doing a few myself next week, and the others have nearly finished the rest of theirs."

"Wonderful." Albus exclaimed. Minerva laughed.

"Sometimes Albus you are like a child at Christmas, excited by everything and anything." She smiled. Albus smiled back at her.

"Well my dear Minnie, in these times one must gain enjoyment for anything they can." Minerva both scowled and smiled at the same time. Albus knew she hated being called Minnie, but she did agree with his statement. For a second she allowed her thoughts to be filled completely by their missing student. No, she wasn't a student anymore. It had been just over 8 years since she vanished in the middle of the night. Minerva smiled sadly. She would be 26 by now; pretty much a grown woman. She wondered what little Rachel had gotten up to in the 8 years she had been away. She never admitted to herself that the woman may be dead. For the time she had spent with her during her lessons, she knew Rachel wouldn't have gone down without a fight.

Minerva was still daydreaming when the waitress arrived with her's and Albus's order. She only snapped out of it when she saw Albus's expression. The man had turned as white as his beard and his eyes were as wide as the Black Lake. She was confused until she heard a voice from behind her.

"So who is the lemon cake and who is the chocolate fruit cake?"

Jenny had been sitting out the back of the shop getting some more cakes out of the oven, when Joan had popped her head around the door and asked for her help with some of Joan's favourite customers. Joan had asked Jenny if she wouldn't mind helping in the cafe for a few hours when she popped in that morning, and Jenny being Jenny of course couldn't say no. Lola would be ok by her herself for a bit, and Jenny had promised herself she would take her faithful companion for a long walk when she got home. Joan passed Jenny a small grey tray containing two pots of tea, some milk, a slice lemon cake, and a piece chocolate fruit cake.

"For table 13 Jenny dear." Joan said to her. Jenny smiled and took the tray as one of the younger girls, Elizabeth, held the hatch open for her. She thanked her as she walked past.

Expertly navigating the labyrinth of tables in the cafe, Jenny made her way to the corner table. She could see it held two people, an elderly man with an extremely long white beard, and elderly woman who had her back to Jenny. The man looked up as Jenny approached and Jenny saw his eyes widen when he spotted her. It was like he'd seen a ghost. The woman still had her back to Jenny, and as she approached she could see the woman was deep in thought. Shaking off any uneasy feelings she had, Jenny spoke up.

"So who is the lemon cake and who is the chocolate fruit cake?"

Albus simply stared. Minerva was thankful the man had the ability left to not let his mouth fall open, for she knew if he hadn't it would be on the floor by now. Minerva herself was thankful for her ability to be able to keep herself together no matter what the situation, but even she was finding it difficult. The waitress simply stood still holding the tray looking just as confused as they was.

"Erm... I'm the fruit cake." Minerva managed to get out. The woman smiled a friendly smile and removed a hand from the bottom of the tray and placed the two cakes on the table in front of their intended recipients, and followed it with a pot of tea each. She turned to leave when Albus's hand shot out, and grabbed the woman's arm. She turned sharply and stared straight into Albus's eyes. He stared back. For a moment neither moved, which allowed Minerva time to take in the woman fully. She was of average height and had short black hair which was tied up in a ponytail with a blood red hairband. Her skin was a pale completion, and she wore very little make up which only helped to highlight her natural beauty. She had a pair of well wore light blue jeans covering her legs, a grey t-shirt with a black bat in the middle of it surrounded by a yellow outline, which Minerva recognised a the symbol of a muggle comic book character, and had a pale cream apron tied around her waist. She had a pair of a black flat shoes on her feet, which added nothing to her height. Her blue eyes sparkled like precious gems in her midday sun.

Albus released part of his grip on her arm, which allowed her pull herself free.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" She asked, refusing to let her nerves be heard through her voice. Albus simply shook his head, and the woman began to walk away.

"Yes there is?" Minerva found her voice. The woman turned back again. "Could you ask Joan to come over when she's free?"

"Of course." The woman said.

"What's your name?" Minerva asked again.

"Jenny." Came the reply.

It took a bit of time before Joan was free, but she made her way over to Albus and Minerva. The pair had eaten their cakes and were both drinking another cup of tea when she pulled up a chair and sat down.

"What did the two of you say to Jenny? She seemed ever so rattled when she came back from serving you." She accused.

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about." Minerva said. Albus was still having trouble getting his wits back. Joan looked at the pair.

"Who is that girl?"

"Jenny? She's the Matthews's youngest girl. Local teacher, lovely girl, always says hello, kind, polite, generally just a nice young girl, why?" Minerva was unsure how to phrase the next question.

"Has she always lived in the village?" Joan gasped silently, quickly regaining herself.

"No. She's only been here for about 8 years. Haven't you heard the stories about her?"

"What stories?" Albus asked.

"Well Jenny is known in the village as the mystery girl, well not so much any more." Joan moved herself closer to the pair and lowered her voice. "Susan and Nick Matthews found her in the park a little over eight years ago. Poor girl, she'd been found under a bush by the family dog. Poor thing was soaked through from the rain, it was those storms we had a few years back you remember the very bad ones, anyway they were out walking when they came across Jenny. They bought her here and I fed them all, and we asked Jenny were she'd come from, and what she was doing our in the rain all alone. Do you know what she said?" She asked the puzzled pair. "Nothing. She couldn't remember anything poor child. When they found her she had a very nasty looking cut on forehead, in the shape of a lighting bolt. Her fringe covers it now, but the doctors seemed to think that she had been attacked. As well as the cut on her head she had bruising on her body, suggesting she had been attacked and they thought that this caused her amnesia. She never remembered anything; about the attack, about her life, who she was, all the poor child could remember was that she had recently been at a castle. But of course that could have been anyway. So when nobody reported her missing the Matthews adopted her and she's been living here ever since."

Albus and Minerva looked at each other, both knowing what the other was thinking. 'It couldn't be.' 'After all this time.'

"Do you know something about her?" Joan asked.

"Possibly." Minerva said. "The school Albus and I work at up in Scotland, 8 years ago we had a student by the name of Rachel Evans. The night before she was due to leave for the last time, she disappeared, completely without a trace. She's never been found."

"Scotland. That's a long way away." Joan began.

"Yes, but it is possible it could be done." Albus butted in. "She could have been drugged, or unconscious." He added.

"Possibly, and you think Jenny could be Rachel?"

"Well the timing fits, and she does bear a remarkable resemblance to her, tell me when she was found, did she have long hair, I mean very long hair?"

"Yes, it fell down to her hips nearly."

"That's exactly like Rachel. She had very long black hair tied with a red hairband, she had ever since the day she started at the school." Joan turned to look at Jenny. She was currently chatting to a mother and a child, the child was in her class. Jenny was smiling and laughing, and Joan couldn't help but look her in a different light. Could she be a missing student from a Scottish boarding school?

"But Jenny's not Scottish."

"The school takes students from all over the country, both Rachel and her twin went to the school."

"Her twin?!" Joan exclaimed. "Jenny has a twin?" Minerva nodded.

"Well possibly. Do you think we could talk to her?" She nodded in Jenny's direction.

"I don't see why not, follow me. I live above the cafe, that'll give you a bit of privacy."

She rose from her chair and beckoned for the wizard and witch to follow her.

"Jenny dear," Joan whispered as they reached the young woman. Jenny turned. "Could I see you for a moment please, upstairs?" Jenny looked puzzled, but followed her honorary grandmother without a second thought. Joan whispered something to her daughter, and the woman nodded back as she smiled at Jenny, Albus and Minerva.

And there we are, please enjoy my latest and very belated chapter, hope you all had a merry Christmas and a great beginning to the New Year. Let's hope this year I can actually stick to a proper writing schedule.

As always please read and review, I love hearing from you guys it really makes my day.

Beth xx