"You might want to slow down Jess," Blaise advised as he poured his first cup of coffee, "we don't want you pulling a Summerby."
As the rest of the Slytherin table in the Great Hall giggled, Jessica smiled sarcastically and continued scooping as much porridge as she could into her mouth. She was sat on the end in her house jumper, eating quickly so that she didn't have to sit there longer than needed. There was an important appointment that she couldn't miss.
"Summerby was sick because Goyle hit him too hard with a bludger and gave him concussion," Theo said to Blaise matter-of-factly, "it was hardly because he ate too much."
Jessica remembered. It wasn't pretty.
"Great, just the thing I need you guys to talk about," Pansy groaned as she pushed away her plate.
"Hey, you're worried?" Theo asked next to her, "at least you know what could hit you in the face, I'm in the stands!"
The pair were both very nervous, and for good reason. Now Adrian had been kicked off the Quidditch team a new chaser was needed, and after seeing how good she was at throwing a drink, the whole team decided that Pansy deserved the appointment. Umbridge had also made it clear that she didn't want Lee Jordan to commentate anymore either, so chose Theo as his replacement. A job suited to a charming loudmouth like himself.
"At least it's only Gryffindor, today," said Crabbe as he choked down his fourth pastry, "should be an easy win with Snape refereeing."
Jessica doubted this but wouldn't dare speak her mind. Angelina had replaced the team members she had lost, and one of those replacements was Ginny as seeker. She had kept her promise from Christmas and had snuck Ginny out on to the pitch whenever she could to practice for the trials, but found Ginny didn't actually need many of her tips because she was really good already.
When Ginny had come running into detention shouting she had gotten the position, Jessica had never been prouder until she realised she would have to play against her.
"Yeah plus half their team is injured thanks to mine and Pansy's detention last night," added a sniggering Goyle, "you did Johnson right Pans? So you're covered!"
Pansy nodded meekly as Jessica glared at her. She had tried to make Pansy agree to end the one-sided feud she had with Angelina but so far had made little progress.
"What?" Pansy mouthed back.
Jessica just continued to eat. She didn't want to knock Pansy off her focus, and to be honest, maybe the team would benefit from her aggression. Jessica certainly didn't have any of it anymore towards the other team.
"Honestly slow down, you're going to bloat," Draco said to Jessica as he forced her hand with the spoon in down, "they're going to be after you. We'll protect you but you've still got to hold your own and you can't do that if you're too busy gobbling up your food like a pig in a trough. You might as well be on Weasley's farm."
Jessica stared at him with complete contempt. He was currently chewing toast so loud it made her skin crawl with every bite. He was a total hypocrite.
She slammed her spoon down so that porridge splattered out of the bowl and onto Pansy's eggs and she stood up out of her seat.
"Don't go..." whispered Pansy sympathetically.
"Are you serious?" Draco laughed, his new captains badge reflecting off sunlight, "it was a joke."
"Yeah well like most things you say, it wasn't very funny," mumbled Theo as he took a sip of tea.
Draco stomped on Theo's foot under the table.
Jessica flicked her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms tightly, the chill in the hall hitting her chest. "Don't be silly, I've got thicker skin than to be offended by that, I'm just going to the bathroom," she told the table smugly, "besides, I'd rather be a pig than a ferret."
She turned around and hurried out of the Great Hall, leaving Theo and Blaise clapping merrily behind her and Draco lost for words. She was sure she would pay for that later but the short-term satisfaction was worth it.
After a brief exchange with Dean and Luna on the staircase about why they wouldn't be attending her detention tonight due to a 'meeting' she wished them safety and continued on her journey. She had to make her appointment and Draco had given her the perfect excuse to leave.
Knock, pause, knock, knock, pause, knock.
The door to the hospital wing opened and Jessica slipped in through it.
"Nobody saw you come in?"
"No, they're all at breakfast and Umbridge is in her study."
"Good, you may continue through."
Madame Pomfrey guided Jessica down the ward, passing bed after bed of unconscious Hogwarts students who had fallen victim to the cruciatus curse in recent days. Since Umbridge had used it, certain members of the Inquisitorial Squad had grown confident enough to copy her. It was harrowingly silent in there but they all looked at rest, which was the only positive. Jessica avoided looking at them all as the guilt of not helping them pulled at her insides. However, she could not avoid looking at one - a small blonde Hufflepuff first year who had been the first girl sorted on the night when Jessica was.
She was a new addition from yesterday.
"You always catch him when he's asleep I'm afraid," Madame Pomfrey told her from the end of the room.
Jessica pulled her eyes away from the little girl and walked over to the bedside Madame Pomfrey was standing by. In it, a peaceful George Weasley was sleeping straight-bodied in purple striped pyjamas. The sunlight was hitting him directly from the high windows and it created a golden shimmer over his pale skin and freckled complexion. On his side table lay mountains of handmade cards and gifts, enough for one to come from nearly everyone at the school.
"He's doing better, ready to leave soon I think. I'll give you two minutes," Madame Pomfrey said kindly and she walked away to attend a boy four beds down who was shifting in his sheets.
Jessica reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment that she had folded into a tiny square. She looked down and brushed it over with her thumb, thinking about how long she had debated doing what she was about to do.
She had to do it. Enough was enough.
When she could see that she wasn't being watched by Madame Pomfrey, she slipped the note inside George's right sleeve, making sure it couldn't be seen from any angles.
"I'm sorry George," she whispered down to him as she brushed his bright hair out of his tranquil face, "I should've done something sooner. I hope this can make you forgive me."
Jessica then sat back on the edge of the bed to take another thing out of her pocket. This time it was a single marigold flower she had plucked from the grounds earlier that morning. It was still ripe and alive so she placed it into the vase next to George's bed, the same vase that contained the other thirteen singular yellow flowers she had brought him. Today marked two weeks of him being in here, and two weeks of the sound of his whimpers still terrorising her nightmares.
"I wondered who had been giving him those," said a deep morning voice.
Jessica turned around to see Fred sleepily walking up to her in his school robes and rubbing his eyes. She looked around for Madame Pomfrey, who had agreed with Dumbledore not to let anyone catch Jessica visiting, but interestingly she was nowhere to be seen. She wondered whether she should call for her, as Fred appeared to not have slept in days.
Jessica had avoided him for the past two weeks whilst being riddled with guilt, both for his brother and for leaving him hanging on a secret. She couldn't bring herself to now answer questions about where they had left off that night - explaining her visions seemed so unnecessary when his brother was lying in a hospital bed.
"I was hoping the arrangement would be a lot smaller," Jessica told him bittersweetly, looking straight back at George, "I thought he'd be out quicker than this."
"We all did," Fred sighed as he approached her side and let out a big yawn, "but thanks for visiting him, I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
"I don't blame him if he doesn't," Jessica grumbled, "my hands aren't exactly innocent in all this."
Fred lazily placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it with his thumb. Even his touch made her want to hit herself with a jinx. "Dumbledore told me what happened Jess," he said softly, "you had no hand in it, Umbridge did it and Draco told on him. I know you like to act like it's you against the world but this time it really isn't."
"I deserve it anyway," Jessica huffed grumpily whilst staring at George's expressionless face, "I let him down. I could've done something."
"No, you couldn't. You weren't even there," Fred continued to argue to make her feel better, not getting why she was so down. It was actually quite funny how carefree he was when he had just woken up, and his hair appeared to reflect the inside, all messy and skew-whiff. "You don't control what Draco does and he's not the type to listen to someone telling him different anyway. Only someone with psychic powers could've stopped that and I don't remember you being a loony like Trelawney."
Jessica smirked to herself dolefully. That last sentence alone was the reason she wouldn't be telling him anything more. He didn't know that her visions were loony and psychic like Trelawney, and now she wondered if he remembered finding out she had visions at all.
"How are you doing?" Jessica glanced up at him to try and change the subject, "about this."
"Alright," Fred answered and he rested his arms on the bed frame to lean down to her level, "at first I was shocked when I saw him like it. Then I was just angry, really angry, and every night I come here we plan on how we might get revenge on that bitch. I honestly haven't left that stage yet but George has started to calm down, I guess having loads of gifts from people makes you feel better."
Jessica looked at George's table full of gifts and smiled, "yeah it seems like being the martyr of a rebellion pays off."
"Yeah the lucky guy," said Fred and he went over to inspect a few of the trinkets, picking up one particular heart-shaped card that was from Angelina Johnson. "You once asked me who was more popular with girls, me or him," he said humorously as he waved the card like a fan, "it's always been pretty even but I think this has fast-tracked him into the lead. Jammy git, I almost wish it had been me."
"Well I don't," said Jessica abruptly, knowing Fred was using humour as a coping mechanism, "when I heard that a Weasley brother had been crucio'd my stomach fell out of my arse thinking it was going to be you. I thought you'd stayed behind for me when I went to Dumbledores office."
"You wish I had you mean," Fred mumbled as he casually put down the card at the bottom of the pile.
"No..." Jessica elongated firmly, "...I certainly don't."
"Oh come on," he teased boldly with a grin, "you're telling me you weren't a little bit disappointed that I hadn't stayed behind to wait for you."
Jessica's smile betrayed her. "Funnily enough, when I saw George like this I wasn't," she mocked, "I'm glad you went back."
Fred placed his hand on his heart to mimic being sincere, "so you care for my safety now?"
"Of course I do you idiot," Jessica laughed as she hit his hand away, "I've never wanted to see you hurt."
Fred smiled at her and pouted, raising his eyebrows confidently as he scanned the other cards.
"What?" Jessica asked curiously.
"Nothing," he shrugged. He was acting like a little kid who had just found out a secret.
Madame Pomfrey suddenly emerged out of her office carrying a bottle of bright blue liquid. "Miss Clarke, your time is up, I've got to wake him up to drink this. Fred, hold him down, you know he tries to down it like a bottle of rum every morning."
Jessica stood up off the bed and allowed Madame Pomfrey space to get around. She took off the lid of the bottle and smoke came out of it. It looked positively wonderous.
"See you later," Jessica said to Fred who was holding George's arms down, "are you coming to watch the match later?"
"Yeah I promised Ginny I'd go so at least one of us is there," Fred responded as Madame Pomfrey poured a cup full, "try to not dominate the whole game this time would you? I need to tell him a good story."
Jessica smiled and nodded, walking backwards out of the hospital wing as George spluttered awake from being fed the medicine.
"Who was that?" she heard George ask in the distance, "I heard another voice."
As Jessica walked out of the door she heard Fred reply, "a friend, but she'll be back soon."
She looked back to find him looking at her and they held each other's gaze for a moment. They both smiled as she closed the door and Jessica miraculously felt as bright as the sunshine outside.
"What were you doing in there?"Umbridge snapped as Jessica exited, eagle-eyeing the hospital wing doors.
Crap, she had walked straight into the toad in pink stockings.
"Making sure no one was in there," Jessica replied sharply, "I check once every day to make sure no teacher is helping the wounded."
"Oh, you do?" Umbridge asked rhetorically and she reached for the door handle. Jessica held her breath as Umbridge opened the door and peered inside, even more so when she made an 'mhm' noise.
"Very well Miss Clarke I think I need to see you in my office tonight," said Umbridge as she closed the door, "you've improved a lot recently and taking initiative like you've done makes you a star in my eyes. 8 pm, don't be late, and bring Draco too."
Jessica did not let on how relieved she was that Umbridge hadn't seen anything until she left to tell off some second years for something (probably breathing). Dumbledore had put a protective charm on the hospital wing, making it visible to all students and teachers who required it but making it invisible to Umbridge. All you had to do was tap the special knock and you would see everything and everyone inside.
Now she knew it definitely worked.
***
Slytherin did win that morning by fifty points, but not by catching the snitch. Ginny did that after a short 40 minutes. Gryffindor was just too far behind by then so Angelina pushed her to end it. It wasn't that Slytherin played particularly good, especially as Jessica was purposely diverting Crabbe and Goyle to not hit the opposition, it was that Gryffindor's new team just weren't up to scratch. Angelina had lost steam (possibly due to her catching arm being slashed to pieces), Ron was getting bombarded with too many shots to save at once, and Fred and George's replacements did a terrible job knocking the Slytherin team away. Ginny was the only one playing well.
The win made Pansy the happiest she had been in months, as she had found a new way to process her aggression in a healthy environment. The positive spirit also ran through the whole team as Theo had a successful match, affectionately calling Pansy and Jessica's partnership 'Team Orthus' in his commentary due to their identical appearance on the field. He wasn't as funny as Lee, but he made it his own.
For an hour or two afterwards, Jessica's mind was distracted from the looming doom of Voldermort and the students in recovery in the Hospital Wing. There was no quarrelling in the Slytherin camp either, and they all had fun playing impressions in the common room throughout the afternoon. Even Draco had forgotten the Ferret comment Jessica made, kissing her on the sofa for everyone to see.
However, as she should've known, it would all change once she and Draco left for Umbridge's office that night.
"So, to get this straight," Draco said as the two sat opposite Umbridge in her office, "we can skip exams, work for the ministry from now until the end of summer, and get paid?"
"Yes, that's correct," Umbridge replied with a crooked attempt at a smile, "in a department of your choice as well, I've been informed you're both interested in law enforcement?"
Draco nodded but Jessica shook her head. "No, we talked about wanting to be Healers."
Draco reached his hand over to hold Jessica's and squeezed it, communicating silently that she should be quiet. A gesture she didn't appreciate, nor get why.
"I think your confused," he told her, and then smiled back at Umbridge, "we'd happily take positions in that department. After all, that's what my father told you we would be interested in wasn't it?"
Umbridge grinned and nodded but Jessica just stared at Draco dumbfounded. She knew he wanted to be a Healer, that was of the things that had bonded them. It was all he ever talked about for a job because he loved putting things back together again (after tearing them apart first). She couldn't believe he would give that chance up just to work a boring desk job, and let his father speak for her as well. Although, perhaps she could. The one person Draco never said no to was his father.
"Well then, that's all settled, you'll finish Hogwarts in a months time and start your placements then," said Umbridge.
"In a month? But that's in April," Jessica said, "we don't finish until the end of June."
"Well yes but because you're exams are taken care of you won't need to be here for your mocks or the summer term," said Umbridge, "and by then the process of having Dumbledore removed will be completed and I will be Headmistress. You'll have permission to go."
Jessica sat back in her seat. If she and Dumbledore were gone in April that would mean everyone would be unprotected for three months. She couldn't even begin to imagine the damage Umbridge could do within that time. Besides, this wasn't creating good stead for her safety either way - she would be dumbledore-less in an otherwise protected school, or she would be working at the ministry with Draco's father and god knows however many death eaters in disguise.
"Should I send confirmation?" Umbridge asked. Her quill was perched and ready to go in her hand.
"Yes," Draco responded, his hand squeezing Jessica's more than it was previously.
"No," Jessica said softly, "thank you for the offer, but it's not for me."
This had gone too far. She was not Umbridge's minion, she wasn't going to keep up appearances at the expense of hurting others. Also something wasn't right about Lucius requiring them both to work in the law enforcement department. It was a clear red flag.
"Excuse me?" Umbridge retaliated, her lips pursing like drained raisins, "are you saying you don't want to accept my offer?"
Draco was squeezing her hand so hard now she thought he was going to break it.
"Yes," Jessica nodded flatly, "I've thought about it and I want to do my exams like everyone else."
"Professor she's not thinking straight, she got hit by a bludger and it's made her deluded-"
"I didn't get hit once Draco! I can speak for myself and I'm saying I'm not doing it. I want to stay here on the Inquisitorial Squad. Give the internship to Pansy, she actually wants to work in Law enforcement, you would know that if you paid attention to anything she was saying."
Not wanting to be shouted down or persuaded differently, Jessica thanked Umbridge once again and ripped her hand away from Draco's grasp, walking out of the door. Her destination was Dumbledore's office, to let him know that Umbridge now had a date for his removal.
Draco, unsurprisingly, followed her out and caught up to her on the second floor, one floor away from where she needed to be.
"What the hell Jess? Do you realise what you've just done?! You've disrespected my father, Umbridge and even me when turning down that offer!" Draco shouted after her.
"Oh I'm so sorry," Jessica called back, "I thought you all had disrespected me by not giving me any choice in the matter! Being Healers is everything we talked about Draco, I don't have to change my mind because daddy said so!"
Draco grabbed her and forcibly turned her around. His grey eyes were dark and broody, more infuriated than she had ever seen. "This is a big opportunity Jess and I need you to do it with me. Law enforcement? The possibilities are endless, do you realise the power we'd have?!"
"Yeah, I know how much you'd love that power," Jessica sneered in his face, "I saw that sweet little Hufflepuff first year you tortured last night. You promised me you would go easy on her. You tortured an eleven-year-old girl to sickness Draco and you don't even care!"
"She was weak!"
"She was innocent!"
"What has gotten into you?" Draco asked, shaking her so hard her feet almost came off of the floor, "you've been up and down for days now!"
"Maybe I want the guy from the letters back," Jessica hissed, "have you seen him anywhere? Because I'd prefer him to this coward stood in front of me!"
Draco was about to argue back when they were both plunged into darkness. Total darkness. Every light source around them apart from the moon outside was extinguished.
"What was that?" Jessica asked worriedly as she looked up at the ceiling.
"Probably Peeves," whispered Draco, "playing a trick."
"Then where is he?" she whispered back.
Both of them seemed to have the same idea and started stepping back towards the wall. The corridor began to get colder, but much frostier than it should've been without the candlelight. At first, Jessica thought it was just a winter's breeze, but then she sensed something was wrong when icicles infiltrated the ledge in front of them, moving like solid watersnakes. It wasn't snowing, nor raining, there was no reason for ice to be on the window.
Inspired by curiosity, Jessica walked forward to see what could be causing it, Draco reaching and failing to pull her back. When her eyes scanned the grounds above she saw figures moving in the sky, resembling something black and floaty. It looked like a bird. Perhaps a flock of birds. And they were heading straight for the castle.
"I think Hagrids brought in a pack of crows to guard his vegetable garden," Jessica said and she returned her attention back down to the ice she where was resting her hands, "but that doesn't explain this."
Draco had fear in his voice as he clambered to the wall, trying to make himself invisible. "That's because those aren't crows," he trembled, "they're..."
A hooded figure floated up from the bottom of the window right into Jessica's face. She screamed and jumped back before it came through the gap, the chill attacking her body and making everything within her piercingly cold.
"...Dementors!" Draco screamed and he ran away without looking back, abandoning her and racing out of sight.
Jessica couldn't believe he had left her there defenceless, but she didn't have any time to linger on it as she had to scramble to think of what to do. She had been taught about dementors in her first private lessons with Lupin but she had never met a real one before.
What the hell were they doing at Hogwarts?!
She shakily took out her wand from her pocket and pointed it towards the dementor, thinking of the memory of her family on the garden swing. If this failed, she at least had confidence that her necklace wouldn't let any harm happen to her.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A little spark shot out of her wand but disappointingly, nothing else happened. She couldn't concentrate out of fright.
"Expecto Patronum!" she said again as the dementor came even closer. This time the black swan appeared and held the dementor at bay. However unfortunately, this one wasn't acting alone, and others came to join him through the windows. It was three against one.
"Help! Someone help!" Jessica shouted as she focused on blocking all three dementors attacking her. To aid herself she thought of a constant stream of happy memories, all of them strong enough to hold them off but not strong enough to send them away. She was getting tired and needed a miracle quick. They weren't moving.
"Expecto Patronum!" someone shouted from behind and a glistening silver magpie flew over Jessica's head. This Patronus was strong enough to create a shield against the dementors, and at once all three of them flew away out of the window.
Jessica looked over her shoulder to see who had saved her. Standing there, fresh out of the hospital wing in his pyjama's, stood George Weasley.
"Thanks," she exhaled, still shaking.
"I can't believe it worked," he said in return with a bewildered smile on his face. He grabbed her hand and started to run, "now come on, they'll be back."
Jessica definitely didn't want to stay there, as more cloaked figures were seen in the distance, so she ran with him. As they climbed each floor it became apparent that the entire castle had been put out of light, each corridor and passageway without a window being too dark to navigate without using Lumos. However, this didn't scare Jessica, what scared her were the dementors that seemed to be following them. They were everywhere.
"Why did you save me? I thought you would've let them have me," Jessica panted whilst George pulled her around a corner to hide them from a group of dementors. They continued running and George used his other hand to pull out something from his trouser pocket. It was the folded up piece of paper she had left in his shirt sleeve earlier that morning.
"I knew something was up with you," he replied cheerily, "but I never had you down as the leader of a rebellion. Thanks for the flowers by the way, yellow always was my colour."
Annoyingly for Jessica, he didn't seem out of breath at all like she was, and he had just come out from two weeks in bed.
"I'm not creating a rebellion, I'm saving people from ending up like you did," she explained matter-of-factly, "it's only been going on since she's introduced the cruciatus curse. I invited you to join because personally I feel like I owe you, I have to be selective because...well you're smart you can work it out."
"Who else knows?" asked George as he fired another Patronus down the corridor, sending a dementor away.
"Those who are in the group, no one else. You'll see who on Monday. You can't tell anyone though, that's the first rule."
George laughed, "Well I'm telling Fred."
"You can't."
"Why not?"
There were no dementors in sight so Jessica yanked him to a halt and pulled him down to her height to look him dead in the eyes. "George I risked a lot by even inviting you, please don't ruin this. It's not a joke."
"Okay fine," George said, responding to her serious tone, "but I really can't see why you couldn't have invited us all in on the first place. You've just let me hate you all this time."
"I told you in the note, if I saved all of you at once everyone would be suspicious. We can talk about the rest and the soppy stuff later, let's just get out of the here before another one comes along. Did you have somewhere in mind?"
"You know I do."
They eventually reached the top floor and a dementor came flying towards them out of nowhere. Jessica thought George might have been taking her to the Gryffindor common room but surprisingly he took her past the portrait of the Fat Lady to a large tapestry, which he pulled up and hid both of them underneath.
"Come on," he begged at the wall, Jessica cradling his arm as the dementor got close enough for her to feel the cold, "show yourself you stupid room!"
Within a second, a door was formed out of the stone and Jessica's eyed widened at the sight. Before she knew it, George opened the door and pushed her inside, closing it as the dementor approached.
"Thanks," Jessica panted as George finally let go of her sweaty hand so she could adjust her robes, "how did you know the door would appear out of nowhere?"
"The real question is why did he allow you through it."
Jessica turned around into the room that was still miraculously alight, like it wasn't part of the dark barren castle walls outside. It had old mirrored tiles, high ceilings, and a floor that resembled industrial grates. It was a room unlike any other she had seen at Hogwarts.
Standing inside were a large group of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students with their wands pointing at her, headed by Ron, Harry and Hermione. Dean Thomas and Luna Lovegood were there too, as well as every other member of her detention group. They looked worried to see her there, just as all the others did.
"George," said Fred, stepping out from the back of the crowd and looking between his brother and Jessica, "you're out...what's happened?"
"Never mind what happened," said Harry as George was about to speak, "what the hell is she doing here?"
Jessica had never felt more uneasy than she did amongst this sea of friends and ex-friends alike. In fact, she thought about taking her chances with the dementors instead.
It would be a lot less painful than this was about to be.
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Hi guys, sorry for the wait, I've had a lot of things come up!
We reached #134 in the story hashtag this week, the highest rank this book has been on that particular hashtag (out of 20k stories) as well as high rankings on individual character hashtags so I just want to say a big thank you to you all <3
As you can tell Dumbledore's army will be the main focus of the next chapter.
K x