Chapter 32:

Going Public

Jessa practically ran to her own dormitory room. Instead of going to her bed, she went to her best friend's, shaking the other girl awake.

"Jessa? It's too early…" Taryn mumbled.

"Draco Malfoy asked me out!" she exclaimed. Taryn sat bolt upright.

"What? When? Tell me everything!

"Just now. I – apparently, I fell asleep in the common room last night and he brought me to his room, which is why I look like this," she said, gesturing to her rumpled uniform. "And then he asked me to be his girlfriend this morning!"

Taryn all but squealed as she began readying for the day, before she looked over at Jessa, who was doing the same. "Not to be…not to bring you down, but what are you going to tell your brother?"

Jessa swallowed hard. "I don't know. It's happening quickly, but he – Draco – it's different. I mean – he looks out for me. Not that, you know, Harry doesn't, or you don't, but it's…different. It feels…"

"…romantic?" Taryn teased.

Jessa flushed, but rolled her eyes, nodding all the same.

"So…can I ask?"

"Can you ask what?"

"Is he a good kisser?"

Jessa flushed even more but shrugged. "I mean, I don't have anything to compare it to, but yeah…I suppose so."

Taryn smiled again, hugging her friend briefly as they finished getting ready before heading down to the Great Hall.

The following afternoon, Jessa, Draco, and Blaise headed down towards the lake, taking advantage of the cool, clear weather while they could. They sat underneath a large, hopefully non-lethal tree.

"Were you really not interested in going to the ball?" Jessa asked as she leaned back, glancing over at the lake, which sparkled in the light as the sun danced over it.

Draco sighed, exchanging a quick glance with his long-time friend before responding. "Jessa, I've been taught stuff like that – formal dancing and interactions and such – since I was old enough to walk. The Yule Ball didn't sound exciting – just another obligation. But now…" he replied, pulling her towards him, leaning in for a snog.

"Draco, not…not here," she tried to say, but the blond didn't listen, and she didn't truly want him to stop anyway.

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were making their way down to Hagrid's hut, when Harry caught sight of them, causing him to immediately change direction.

"Malfoy! What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing? Get away from my sister!"

Draco stood, moving to step forward, wand already sliding into his hand, but Jessa beat him to it, stepping in front of him.

"I said 'yes'," she said simply, crossing her arms.

"What?"

Jessa bit her lip for a brief moment, but ploughed on. "Draco asked me out. And I said yes. He has every right to snog me. You don't have to like it. I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to respect my choice."

"Yo – you're – you're dating now? But…but he's – "

" – but nothing, Harry. You may not like it, but I don't need your permission. Can't you just be happy for me? For once?" she pleaded, her voice her voice quieting at the end as she stared at him. Then, before allowing him the chance to reply, she brushed past where the three Gryffindors stood, making her way back up to the castle.

"Well, that was bloody disgusting," Ron commented, his friends fast to agree.

Jessa sat in the library, quietly working on the increasing amount of homework. She rested her head on her hand, still quite tired, when two bodies joined her across the table. Looking up, she saw two very familiar, very identical faces staring at her.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Is it true?"

"You're dating Malfoy?"

Slightly exasperated, she nodded her head at the now-gaping Weasley twins.

"Can I ask you something?"

Fred and George shard a glance before nodding.

"Is Harry ashamed of me?"

They continued to gape at her.

"Why would he be?"

"Disappointed, maybe…"

"…I know we are at this news…"

"…but ashamed?"

"Because I'm not living how he expected. No, listen! Please. I – I remember when he came home after his first year here. He was so excited to tell me everything. How great Gryffindor was, and who to avoid, and how much time we were going to get to spend together, away from the Dursleys. Granted, much of what he was saying is a blur and I didn't have the context for it to make sense, but he was so excited. And then practically none of that actually came true. Don't you remember? For almost a month, and all of his first year, apparently, he didn't tell anyone who I was. I still have to explain."

"It's more like he doesn't know where the little sister he remembers has gone. You aren't the same little girl he left behind at your awful relatives when he left for his first year, certainly not now. You've both grown and changed. It's just hard seeing that in a younger sibling," Fred explained. It was the most she'd heard him say in one-go before, even as George moved around the table to sit next to her, putting an arm around her.

"Believe us," George said. "We're struggling ourselves with Ginny. But Harry couldn't be ashamed of you. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"And you?" she asked again. She knew they viewed her as a surrogate sister, and she felt similarly. They just shook their heads.

"If he hurts you, you tell us, yeah?"

"We'll have no problems roughing him up."

"I don't think he will. But thanks. I know you don't want to hear this – but he's nice to me. Looks out for me."

"Then we'll go along with it."

"Might not like it."

"But we'll go along with it."

Jessa smiled shakily at them. "Thank you. Though…if you've got any of your practical jokes that need testing, well…I won't say no to quietly placing them in certain areas of the Slytherin common room."

The twins shared a semi-frightening grin. "You're on."

Happy Adoption Anniversary to my cat! :)