"And you guys did nothing? You slept in the same bed alone, all night, and did nothing?!"
"We weren't really in the mood Theo," said Jessica as she fastened her hairband around her ponytail, "besides, we weren't alone, nor sharing. I was bunking in the spare bed whilst Lee was next to me snoring and George was having nightmares. It's not exactly sexy when you can hear the brother of the guy you're dating shout out about ghouls and goblins."
It wasn't exactly how she had pictured sleeping in the same room as Fred for the first time.
First of all, he and George had to sneak her in to the common room without any of the Gryffindors seeing them. Then, she had to clean up Fred's injuries from the fight as George recalled what happened to Lee with delight, and then she had to sleep alone with the dread of what was to come keeping her up all night.
"Oh come on, I'll close the curtains," Fred had said from across the room when he had woken up in the middle of the night to see her awake, "we'll have privacy."
But Jessica rejected his offer on the grounds of not feeling well, just like she had done earlier when he asked her the first time.
In all honesty, she was scared of the necklace activating again with another vision and freaking him out. She had no idea who the long-haired man she had seen was, but she knew it wasn't going to get out of her head easily. To appease him though she did wear his shirt to bed, and this did bring a comfort that was close to being in his arms.
Now it was Monday morning, and she and Theo were walking up the stairs from the common room to attend Umbridge's first assembly as Headmistress.
"What about you and Pansy?" Jessica asked him, "Did she believe you when you told her it was innocent?"
"Yeah I think she did eventually," Theo said as they walked up the stairs, "she didn't at first though obviously. Blamed me entirely instead of you. We're cool now but I think I've got to work on her trusting me like I had to do with you."
Jessica smiled and nudged Theo in the arm. If someone was going to be allowed to have a normal relationship, she was glad it was them.
"What's Draco like? He barely even breaths my way now. It's pretty weird."
"I don't know, he seems normal," Jessica replied, though she didn't know what normal really was with Draco anymore, "I mean he basically confessed to falling in love with me and now he won't leave me alone. Literally. He's attached to me at the hip. I had to stay back in the loo with 'stomach problems' just now to get a break."
"Really? That's rough."
Jessica thought Theo would've reacted bigger to this, maybe perhaps supplying a sarcastic comment or so. But nothing, he merely looked interested at all, like he was afraid Draco would hear him.
"Listen," Jessica said as they were about to reach the Great Hall, pulling him aside and lifting the back of her hand up to his face, "you have this ring too, what does it mean exactly? And why can't I take it off?"
She had tried the night of the party. Fred tried, George tried, even Hermione tried. No spell, charm or force could lift the ring from her finger. It was stuck.
Theo examined her hands and his eyes focused like he had an idea, but for some reason didn't disclose it. "I don't know," he said, "Draco just got it for us one Christmas. Mine comes off so maybe it's just too small a size."
It wasn't a satisfactory answer, as Draco knew her size, but Jessica couldn't quiz Theo further as other Slytherin students were coming up behind them.
As the two approached the entrance to the Great Hall they saw two burly male wizards taking students wands, dumping them in a sack without any sign of when they'd be given back. Some students were fighting them, demanding to know why they were being forced to give up their possessions, but after a while they gave up when they realised the older wizards weren't budging.
This should've been the first clue that something was wrong.
"Please have your wands to hand," the wizard in front of Jessica shouted as she and Theo reached the front of the line.
"Not you, move ahead," the man roughly told Theo and when he saw Jessica he nodded in agreement, "you as well."
He was looking down at their Inquisitorial Squad badges.
The two eased past the guards and entered the Great Hall, wondering why wands were being taken in the first place more than why they were being given special treatment. They were used to that.
"What do you think that was about?"
"No idea."
The change of Umbridge being headmistress was certainly more noticeable in the Great Hall, the previously charming and welcoming atmosphere was now depressingly dark and barren. All the candles were out, the house tables were cleared, and rows and rows of hard oak benches were laid out facing the stage - where Umbridge was standing front and centre. Each teacher was sat along the edges of the hall too, all looking gloomy and apprehensive.
The life in Hogwarts as they knew it was truly gone.
Theo and Jessica walked to the left-hand side of the room where Slytherin House was seated, the Inquisitorial Squad sat in the very front row. On her way, Jessica caught the eyes of Luna, Neville and Fred, who individually gave her greetings of fear and contentment all at the same time.
Wanting to ground herself from the faint feeling of uncertainty, Jessica sat in the first available space, which was the one Draco had saved for her between him and Blaise. Theo walked straight to the end next to Pansy, where they both shared uneasy looks and held each other's hands.
Draco put his hand on Jessica's knee in a similar manner, but she instantly recoiled and pushed it away.
"What were you talking to him about?" Draco muttered under his breath, placing his hand stubbornly back.
Jessica turned to Draco, blurred red and black shapes moving behind his head in the background.
"He was trying to convince me not to dump you," she lied sassily to Theo's defence, "but unfortunately I'm still not convinced."
"For merlin's sake I hate it when you're stubborn," Draco mumbled, his jaw tightening, "I said I was sorry, what more do you need?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down in the Gryffindor section marked with their house flag. They were all closely discussing something, presumably why their wands were taken, but she was more drawn to the large gashes on their cheeks.
It was Draco's signature. He did that so they couldn't cover it up.
"Sometimes sorry isn't enough," Jessica hissed to him spitefully, "and it's not me you should be apologising too. I don't know why you bothered giving me this ring if you weren't going to change. I don't want to belong to this brute before me."
Draco didn't have time to respond as the hall filled up and Umbridge clapped twice, causing the doors to shut and rendering the inhabitants silent.
Jessica became nauseous instantly.
"Good Morning boys and girls, and welcome to the first day of a new dawn at Hogwarts!"
Umbridge walked up and down the stage, her hands clasped together with her smile sickeningly wide.
"Now your previous leadership has been somewhat lacking and misguided, leading most of your poor souls to be led astray. I'm here to change that, and to whip you all up into educated, polite, well-mannered witches and wizards who one day will do our ministry proud."
There was a slight grumble from the crowd, and a chorus of laughter arose from the Gryffindor students sitting next to Fred and George. Umbridge pretended to ignore it.
"You might have wondered why your wands were confiscated from you as you arrived, and you would be quite right to be curious," she continued, "it is indeed with such sadness that I have to say that there are rumours of a rebellion amongst you towards my new regime, and we can't have that, can't have that at all."
Umbridge stopped and addressed them all from the front.
"So, as I don't know which of you are planning this plot, I thought a group exercise would be best to get my message across."
With a wave of her wand, Umbridge opened the side door to the hall and Filch entered carrying something cloaked under a black cloth. He placed the object onstage next to Umbridge and took the cloth off to reveal a large glass bowl filled with parchment, placed on a stone pillar. Murmurs began to arise amongst students and Umbridge clapped again to discourage them.
"In this bowl is the name of every student that attends this school. I will pick out each name and read it aloud one by one. For every tenth name I call out I would like that student to come into the centre of the hall to await further instructions. There are only seven names not in this bowl, that still have their wands, and that is my Inquisitorial Squad. I ask them to come and sit behind me now."
Crabbe and Goyle stood up straight away, almost knocking the bench backwards with the force of their legs. However, the others were not so excited and got up slowly. Draco stood up first causing a chain of reaction amongst Jessica, Blaise, Pansy and Theo, all following his lead to walk behind Umbridge and sit down facing the rest of the school.
In her new seat, Jessica met the eyes of Professor McGonagall. She appeared downright petrified at what she thought was about to happen.
"I shall start with...," said Umbridge and she reached her claws into the bowl to start the draw. She pulled out a small rolled up piece of parchment and began to speak.
"...Adrian Pucey, please stay seated."
Adrian smiled smugly to himself for being called first and so did the other eight students called after him, all of whom were Slytherins and in their seventh year.
Umbridge's hand reached in for the tenth time and everyone in the room held their breath. No one wanted to be the first person called up when the consequences were unknown, but at least it looked likely that it would be a Slytherin.
"...would Luna Lovegood stand up please."
Everyone looked to the back left section of the hall where the Ravenclaws were sitting. Even the Ravenclaws were turning around, relieved it wasn't them. The blonde-haired boy next to Luna had to nudge her to attention, and when she snapped out of her daydreaming haze she stood up lazily and shuffled to the end of the row.
Her long blonde hair swayed behind her with each step she took, and Luna halted in the centre of the hall when Umbridge raised her hand.
"Now, stand there for a moment," said Umbridge as she raised her wand, and she turned back to the Inquisitorial Squad to whisper some instructions.
"Watch exactly what I do and remember it."
Umbridge smiled and Jessica felt a weight drop in her stomach as she revolved towards Luna with her wand pointed out.
Umbridge only looked this happy when she was about to induce pain.
"Incacerous," Umbridge commanded and a thick rope appeared from out of nowhere to bound Luna's hands together.
"Crucio!"
No one could prepare themselves for the sound that they were about to hear. Luna's shrieking filled the whole hall and bounced off the stone walls, infiltrating everyone's eardrums with fury. Many students had to cover their ears with their hands, and some chose to look away, but no one could ignore the screams that came from Luna's twitching body on the floor.
Jessica watched in horror as Crabbe and Goyle sniggered next to her, and it became apparent just what Umbridge was doing. This wasn't just punishment, this was a lottery. A stunt to put fear in the masses.
Except the fear was already there. This was just cruelty.
Umbridge stopped after twenty seconds and released the rope around Luna's hands. Everyone was dead silent as they digested what they had just seen been performed in a school.
"So, now you know the score," said Umbridge in a casual manner, "we will continue until every name is drawn from this bowl. If Heads of Houses could collect their students from the floor and return them back to their seats then this won't take too long."
Everyone shifted in their seats and whispered to their friends as Professor Flitwick tried to lift Luna back to her seat using the little strength that he had. Teachers had obviously had their wands taken too, which in a way was Umbridge's own version of punishing them also.
Jessica looked away over Draco's shoulder, not bearing to see the sight. But Draco pulled on the material of her robes to bring her back to the front.
"Don't let her see you do that," he whispered, "she'll think you're weak."
Umbridge cast the Silencio charm, causing everyone's voice boxes to be taken out except for hers and the Inquisitorial Squads, and Jessica hopelessly looked at Fred - who was comforting George after being reminded of what he had been through. He grabbed his throat and stared at Umbridge with the utmost hate, and she couldn't agree more.
No wands, no voices, they were perfect little soldiers who she could just boss around at will. It was barbaric.
"The next name is...Daphne Greengrass."
Theo sighed with relief as her name and another eight Slytherins were called out. However, there was no escaping how obviously fixed this lottery was, and the tension grew amongst the students as everyone waited for their names to be called out.
"And the tenth name is...Hermione Granger. Draco you are up first up."
Fred and Jessica locked eyes as the realisation hit them both at the same time.
This was why the Inquisitorial Squad weren't in the bowl, and why they had been able to keep their wands. Umbridge wanted them to do the public humiliation and further cement themselves as her personal police. This meant Jessica would have to do it, and Fred knew she now had to choose whether to expose herself or hurt someone else just to keep her secret.
It was lose, lose.
Fred mouthed, "stay calm," as Hermione made her way defiantly through the row of students to the centre.
To his credit, Draco did at first appear hesitant to perform the task, but, even after a glare from Jessica, he lifted his wand and performed the curses he had been told to do with ease. As Hermione's screams ran through the hall, Umbridge relieving the Silencio charm for everyone getting punished, Draco smirked proudly of his achievement.
"Let's hope we all get a muddy," Goyle laughed.
Only Crabbe laughed with him.
Ron and Harry both struggled in their seats as Hermione cried silent tears, but Umbridge seemed to have put a non-moving charm on everyone sat down. Nobody could move to come to the aid of their friends, they just had to suffer through the pain and watch on hopelessly.
After that, they just kept on coming, and none of them got any less disturbing.
Crabbe was second to step up, and Professor McGonagall barely had time to take Hermione back to her seat before rushing over to pick up Neville who had fainted before even receiving the torture curse.
Another nine Slytherins later and it was Goyles turn, Professor Sprout getting Ernie McMillan's face grubby with soil from her apron in the process of taking him back.
Next was Blaise, and Professor Flitwick cheeks puffed as he had to drag Cho Chang's body over his shoulder after Blaise coldly bound and tortured her with little effort.
In the next round, it wasn't all Slytherins that were safe and two Ravenclaws were included in the first nine. Jessica had to stop herself from rolling her eyes when the name "Angelina Johnson" was called and Pansy stood up to take her turn.
Theo didn't get up right away when he was called. He hadn't been watching the entire time and at this point he was hunched over and leaning on his knees, twirling his wand in one hand and holding his head in the other. His eyes were switching focus spots every second like he was seriously debating something, and Jessica thought he was a nervous wreck.
"As Theodore's getting ready," said Umbridge who appeared slightly miffed at Theo's hesitation, "let's draw the tenth name."
Jessica stared at Theo as Umbridge reached into the bowl and drew out another piece of parchment. She was trying to send the message that he didn't have to do it, that he could stand up for himself like he did the other night, but he wouldn't look back.
Draco looked down at her. She could feel his eyes burning into the side of her head.
"...Fred Weasley."
Fuck.
Jessica could've thrown herself at Theo right there and then to hold him down, using her entire body weight to stop him from moving. Theo even knew it himself, lifting his head up to look at her as soon as the name was announced. She tried harder to send him the message of rebellion, to tell him that he had a choice to say no, but even she knew her abilities didn't stretch to telekinesis.
"Theodore?" Umbridge asked as Fred bravely strode into the centre of the room with an attitude, "I'm rather confused. Your father and I were just having a conversation about your future plans at the ministry, he told me you were quite quick on your feet. Very confusing considering what I'm seeing."
It was like a switch clicked over in Theo's eyes and Jessica knew she had just lost her best chance. His body lifted himself straight and he looked sideways at Jessica with apologetic regret. Umbridge's words about his father had inspired him to go against his instincts in order to make him proud instead. It was the same as it had been for all the Slytherins, but she just thought he was beginning to be stronger than that.
"Sorry," he muttered to Jessica as he walked past her and her sickening eyes averted instantly to Fred who's fingers were itching at his pocket, wanting to reach for a wand that wasn't there.
He was preparing himself to take the pain, she knew he was, he wouldn't dare let it show that he was scared. He couldn't call for George for backup, for he was stuck on the bench, and he couldn't pull their plan early, because they had taken his wand. The prankster who always had something up his sleeve was finally left defenceless.
Well...almost defenceless. There was still one card left to play, and it was the one she knew Fred would never want to use.
Her.
Theo raised his hand to cast the incacerous charm at Fred but Jessica raised her wand quicker, not stopping to think and shouting "Expelliarmus" at her best friend.
The wand flew out of Theo's hand and hit the wall whilst Jessica jumped off the stage and ran to the middle, putting herself in between Theo and Fred. If the crowd could've made noise, they for sure would've gasped judging by their facial reactions. Even the Inquisitorial Squad and Umbridge were staring at her open-mouthed.
Fred tried to push her forward, telling her quietly to go back, but Jessica had already made up her mind. He had been the one to say that she shouldn't fight in the shadows anymore, and she wasn't going to.
"Think about what you're about to do," Jessica told Theo as she held her hands out in surrender, "I know you haven't been torturing people if you can help it, and think about what's going to go on your record if you do this. He hasn't done anything wrong. None of them have. You don't have to do this to get respect for your family, especially from people like her."
Theo stared at her, his wand hand shaking. She tried her best to blur out everyone else, just focusing on him and him alone, she knew he would listen to her if she could just get him out of that mindset.
"Come on," she said, "you're better than this."
To her relief Theo started lowering his wand, his arm shaking furiously as the adrenaline of rebellion ran through his body. His eyes were even starting to water as he let his consciousness takeover.
Jessica smiled with solace. He hadn't let her down.
"What on earth do you think you're playing at Miss Clarke?" Snapped Umbridge, furiously walking towards her and pointing, "get back in line right this instant and stop being a stupid little girl."
"Oi, she's smarter than you, you toad faced-"
Fred had started to defend her but Umbridge placed the Silencio charm back on him before he could even finish.
"I'm not going to be quiet, I've been quiet, for a long time," Jessica started to shout in Umbridge's face, "honestly, a one in ten lottery of punishment? How about you try and earn everyone's respect instead of forcing your way in!"
Umbridge's face was the most uptight and screwed up she had ever seen it, and she was proud. The red colour in her cheeks was only made bolder by her bright print outfit.
"Jessica Clarke move out of the way and let Theo complete this round. I will talk to you about this later."
"No, I want to talk now," Jessica argued, "you say that we're the better race over muggles but you're copying their dictators! It's medieval!"
"Medieval?" Umbridge scoffed and she stepped back to turn her stumpy body back around to the Inquisitorial Squad, "and do any of you feel the same way as Miss Clarke?"
Jessica looked up hopefully as the people she had called her friends for the last eight months said nothing to her defence.
They were scared, they were used to following the easy route to success, but Jessica had the upper hand. She knew her best friends wanted out.
She turned to Pansy, who had rearranged herself in the order to be next to Theo. Her eyeline was shared between them.
"I know you guys don't want this," Jessica pleaded, "It's wrong, you know it's wrong. I've heard you talking about it, I know you want out. This is your chance. Decree no.29 doesn't even cover this, if this all goes away you'll all be sent to trial."
"Excuse me Decree no.29-"
"Decree no.29 states we can punish a student using whatever method we like as long as they have done an offence worthy of punishment as set out by ministry guidelines," Jessica interrupted Umbridge with absolute confidence, "that's right I've looked up the small print and I'm sorry headmistress but I don't think speculation of rebellion or walking into this hall counts as a worthy offence!"
Out of the corner of her eye, Jessica could see Hermione. Through her bloodshot eyes, she was beaming, Hermione had never been prouder of her.
Fred was the same. You couldn't take the smile off of his face as he stood back and cheered her on silently.
"Jess sit down and stop being stupid," Draco demanded roughly, "if you were sick in the head today you should've mentioned it."
"Yes I am sick, I'm sick of you!" Jessica retaliated and the students surrounding her watched on like they were tuning in to a live theatre show, "if you got your heads out of your arses and thought as individuals you would notice that we are the bad guys, not them. Make a stand for fucking once in your life!"
Embarrassed by her outburst, Blaise, Pansy, Theo and Draco all hung their heads and avoided her gaze, betraying her by taking the easy way out. Crabbe and Goyle just stared straight forward, but they wouldn't have felt an emotion if it hit them in the face.
"Cowards," she muttered, disbelieving what she was seeing from her friends and shouting at them, "each and every one of you, you're cowards! You know this isn't right but you just care more about yourselves more than anything else!"
"Enough!" shrieked Umbridge, making everyone jump on their toes. "You've become quite difficult Clarke, I don't know quite what's gotten into you. Either get back in line or take Weasley's place."
It was the simplest answer she ever gave, and she made sure to make eye contact with her so-called friends as she said it.
"I guess I'm taking his god-damn place."
Theo and Pansy looked at each other guiltily, Blaise scuffed his shoe on the floor, and Draco put his head in his hands out of frustration. All of Slytherin appeared to agree with them, not believing she would stupidly put herself in harm's way when she could've easily saved herself. But it didn't matter, the people she respected were the ones she was doing it for, and they hugely outnumbered the others.
"Theo," Umbridge ordered abruptly, the colour of her skin now approaching beetroot purple, "execute now on Miss Clarke. Mr Weasley, you can sit down. You are very lucky to have been saved by her foolishness."
Fred didn't move. He didn't want to see her hurt any more than she wanted to see him hurt. She could understand, but she couldn't let him do it.
"Go Weasley or I'll make you," Jessica said sternly, her eyes widening as she turned to face behind her, "do I not look sure of what I'm doing?"
She then relaxed her face for a milli-second to show Fred that she really was alright to go through with it, and he looked at Umbridge before looking back at her, nodding sadly as he couldn't speak.
"They follow you just like they follow me," sighed Umbridge, and she sweetly pouted at Jessica's determined face as Fred sat down, "last chance Clarke. Do you really want to waste your potential?"
Jessica looked across at Fred, who was already sat down and looking away towards George who returned to her a sorrowful expression. Then she looked one row in front, where Neville and Hermione were being comforted by Ron and Harry, both of whom were now seeing Jessica in a different light.
"I'll stand in front of every single one of them if I have to," she replied confidently.
Umbridge grimaced, "oh, how disappointing. Theo, do it now."
Draco suddenly stood up like Umbridge had dragged him off of the bench herself. He patted Theo on the shoulder and gave him a comforting smirk, holding his wand arm down.
"Look," he told him, "I know your hesitating because she's gotten into your head and you feel lost with us fighting. But don't worry, I forgive you. You sit down and I'll cover it this time yeah?"
"Seriously? Getting in his head?!" Jessica scoffed, "I'm looking out for him and trying to stop him from making a big mistake! If you were really his friend you'd be doing the same thing too, you can tell he doesn't want to do it!"
Theo stood there tight-lipped and frozen bodied.
"Just because you've chosen to make trouble doesn't mean you have to pull us all in with you," Draco replied as he raised his wand to point it at her, "I told you to sit down Jess and you didn't listen. It will hurt less from me I promise."
Jessica laughed deflatedly as their relationship broke down in front of every single person in that hall. There was no escaping it, she was going to get tortured, and Draco out of everyone was going to be the one to call her bluff.
"Are you really going to sell me out for a little bit of power?" she asked him, "because if so, your idea of love is really twisted."
She thought he might have shown an ounce of regret but, alas, he was as cold as the wind outside. "Power is everything," he said darkly, "I thought you understood that about me by now."
Deep down she thought she did, she thought she had finally begun to understand the mystery that was Draco Malfoy. However, as he raised his wand, she realised she was further away from finding out the answer now than when they had first met.
"Crucio!"
As the red beam of light hit her shoulder Jessica fell to the floor in a daze, but not in pain. The necklace glowed like it had many times before under her school uniform and it sent a ringing through her stuffed ears. She started breathing heavily, as if to battle against the torture on the outside, but instead it was to fight as her body felt like it was getting clouded - an entirely new vision taking over.
She blinked once and the Great Hall turned into a white old fashioned ceiling.
She was in her aunt's house. The same night as every vision she had there. This time she was lying down on the floor just after she had been crucio'd.
A thud and a grunt brought her attention to her right side. Through her weary vision, she could see her aunts lifeless body being moved, dragged at by the feet. Someone was pulling her. Jessica snuck a peek upwards, expecting to see Dumbledore as he had told her he had moved the body, but to her shock the face of Lucius Malfoy greeted her. He was struggling to pull her aunt along the floor towards the living room door, his silver hair falling in front of his face.
"Oh come on Dolohov, be useful and help me would you, what are you standing around for?"
A man came in to view with brown shaggy hair and a sharply cut beard, dressed in the same black robes as Lucius. Jessica recognised him as one of the guests she had met at Malfoy Manor.
Together they each took a hand and started to drag her aunt's body out of the smashed up room. Jessica watched them with every step, and just as the body was pulled out of sight she realised that the crucio curse may have affected her more than she thought, because she could've sworn that she saw her aunt's chest move up and down like she was breathing.
A minute later, she observed another hooded man carrying in a lifeless body, which the man laid down in the same place her aunt had just been. Jessica wondered why they had taken her out only to bring her back in, but at a closer look, she realised that it wasn't her aunt. It was a doll, a toy version of her. Only someone close to her would recognise the difference, the design on it was really detailed.
The man who carried her in was barely viewable under his robes and hood. He could've easily walked out with his back to her and Jessica would've never known who he was. However, as she was learning all adult male wizards were like, he couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"Disgusting, why my father has me acting like a servant carrying this shit I'll never know."
The voice rippled the hairs on the back of her neck. It was the same voice that caused the same reaction by kissing it only weeks ago.
He took off his hood and Jessica stared at the tall, platinum blonde-haired boy standing in front of her. He turned towards her and she couldn't keep her glare off of his moon-grey eyes.
"And who do we have here?"
Jessica held her breath as Draco walked up to her, knowing he couldn't see her but still reacting to his presence anyway. His demeanour was frightening, but not in the sense that it was scary. He was unemotional, a robot, with no emotion either way to show how he was feeling. His brain didn't even look like it was controlling his body. It reminded her of a film she had watched once with a hitman robot.
But this didn't make sense. How could this have been? If he was there that night...then why hadn't he revealed it?
Draco crouched down to the floor to take a closer look at her and she shivered as he stroked the hair out of her face and placed a hand on her cheek. She felt him do it, yet she wasn't her in this vision. He still was looking at her with the same fascination as he did now.
"Jessica Clarke," he said quietly, rubbing her cheek with his thumb, "how long I've waited to meet you."
"Leave her, the Dark Lord has other plans as the ministry has been alerted," barked Lucius in the background, "come Draco."
Draco straightened up to attention at his father's orders and released his hand off of Jessica's flesh.
"Until we meet again," he whispered, standing up and following Lucius out of the door.
Jessica gasped as she snapped out of the vision.
She was on the floor, face and belly downwards. In the distance she could see Draco on his back, cradling his leg that he had tripped over. Umbridge was tending to him, and so were Crabbe and Goyle. The other three, however, were staring right at Jessica.
She looked down to see that the necklace was out and burning hot, having saved her from the curse once again. It must've lifted Draco up like it had done to the attackers in Hogsmeade, but now it had done it in front of everyone.
"Get up," hissed someone from behind her, "and pretend your unconscious."
Two long boney hands grabbed her from under her arms and pulled her up to her feet. From the long black robes she could see on the floor she could tell it was Snape. He was her Head of House, he was following Umbridge's rules.
From the looks of it, every student and teacher was fixated on her and not the show going on at the front of the hall. So, to follow which indeed was the easiest scenario, Jessica closed her eyes again and made herself limp, doing what she was told.
"I'll get her out of here Headmistress," Snape announced to the room and in her darkness of vision, she felt him pick her up in a cradle position and take her out of the Great Hall.
"What did you see?" Snape asked her as the doors closed behind them.
"What?" Jessica murmured, not up to full strength.
"Don't play with me, you must have seen something."
Feeling it was safe, Jessica flickered her eyes open partly. The sunlight was shining through the windows and it burned her eyes so she immediately closed them again. If Dumbledore couldn't be here, Snape was the next best thing.
"It was that night again, a little bit after," she told him, "I think I learnt two new things."
"Which is?"
The vision replayed in her head in short hurtful scenes. It brought her a terror that was confused with hope. "The body Dumbledore buried of my aunt was a fake, he has her. Voldemort took her."
Snape continued carrying her down towards the dungeons where his office and potions classroom were located. Jessica could look up without the sunshine and saw from below his lined long face squint.
"And the second?" he asked coldly.
They walked past the Slytherin common room door and Jessica stared back at it over Snape's shoulder. Everything she had experienced in that room now was a complete mystery. There was nothing that she could be certain was true in her time there.
This was the biggest disappointment she had ever felt. Mainly because she had been so stupid to believe it.
"Draco knows," she said gravely, still looking back at the door as they got further and further away from it, "about everything. Me, my aunt, the necklace. He's known the whole time."
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Hi guys,
Sadly this story will be coming to an end soon, as I have planned the last few chapters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I have had writing it, I always enjoy reading your reactions to it - really makes the time I put in worth it!
Have a great week you lovely lot <3
K xx