Potter | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 22

Jenna stared up at him, trying to hold back a smile. She didn't even know why his words meant so much to her.

     Seeing her watching him from the corner of his eyes, Sirius looked back at her, grinning his handsome grin. But then his gaze became more curious.

     "What?" Jenna asked.

     "Your hair has changed color again."

     "What?" She exclaimed, taking a strand of her hair and saw that it was blue again.

     "Wait – you didn't know you had just changed it?" Sirius wondered and Jenna shook her head. "I thought you'd changed it because I told you that I liked it more like this."

     "Don't flatter yourself too much, Black," said Jenna teasingly. "I don't care that much about what you say."

     "Ouch!" Sirius pulled a fake hurt impression and pouted, but then the two of them laughed.

***

Next day, Jenna was surprisingly in a better mood and even waved at Remus over breakfast, who smiled at her weakly and waved back.

She still felt her heart lurch at the sight of him, but tried to ignore her feelings and go back to eating her toast.

With the sound of hooting coming from afar, they knew that the morning mail had arrived with the owls.

An eagle owl flew near where the girls were sitting and dropped two letters before Jenna and Lily.

Looking curiously at each other, they opened up their letters and read through.

"What's in it?" Marlene asked with her mouth full.

"It's Slughorn," said Lily.

"He's invited us to a Christmas party on Friday," said Jenna, rereading her letter. "He says we should each bring a partner."

"Oooh! Take me! Take me!" Marlene said excitedly, putting her spoon down.

"I thought you always said that these gatherings were boring, Mar," said Lily, chuckling.

"So? We can go and act like lovers," Marlene wiggled her eyebrows, making Jenna snort into her tea and Lily and Alice to chuckle uncontrollably.

Just then, another owl – which Jenna recognized as their family owl – flew forward and dropped a letter in Jenna's breakfast plate.

"Ugh," Jenna groaned, taking the dirty letter and opening it. But she soon smiled as she read what was in it. "Guess what, Lily! This is amazing! My mum has agreed!"

"Agreed on what?" the four girls turned their heads to see James, standing behind them.

     The four boys were on their way out of the Great Hall but were near the girls just in time to hear Jenna.

     "Well? What did Mum agree with?" James asked again.

"Oh, you know," Jenna started with a grin, "just agreed with me that you're a nosy git."

"Ha ha," James said flatly, but then quickly leapt forward and snatched the letter out of Jenna's hand.

"Oi!" Jenna called and abruptly got off her seat, trying to pace towards James and get the letter back. But she was blocked by Sirius, who grinned down at her.

"What!?" James exclaimed after he was done reading it. "You're going to Evans's house for Christmas!?"

"Yeah! Now nose out!" Jenna huffed.

"But what about our Christmas Party tradition!?" James retorted.

"Oh, yes, and we're all about rules and traditions, aren't we, J.P?" Jenna said sarcastically and James rolled his eyes, handing the letter back to Jenna.

He then turned to Lily and said, "I'm heartbroken that you didn't invite me, Evans."

"Go somewhere, Potter," Lily said bitterly, reading through her copy of Daily Prophet.

"Gladly, as long as you're there with me," James winked.

"You guys make me wanna puke," said Jenna, sitting back down.

***

That day after their classes, Lily, Marlene, Alice, and Jenna returned to the common room, proceeding with their homework in their usual corner.

"Who are you asking to the party, Lil?" Jenna asked, already tired of studying.

"I still don't know yet," said Lily, not looking up from her book.

"I say ask James," Marlene suggested with a smirk, receiving a deadly glare from Lily. "Oh, c'mon. Cut the poor boy some slack."

"No!" Lily said angrily. "He's just an immature ar–"

"–Immature arrogant toe rag." The three girls broke her off and said in harmony, then breaking into giggles.

Lily rolled her eyes at them and shook her head, trying to hold back a smile. She then turned to Jenna and said, "Who are you gonna ask, anyway?"

"Dunno," Jenna shrugged. "I can't ask Remus. And I don't like asking others who I don't know much; they might get the wrong idea and think I'm into them."

"Well, who else is there to ask?" Alice wondered.

But just then, the door to the common room opened and four noisy boys walked inside and everyone turned their head on them.

By that, Jenna's grin widened. "I just thought of someone."