Jenna had a lot on her mind in the days that followed. She couldn't understand why Dumbledore had brought Slughorn back, she still wasn't able to make the connection between Alexandra and Regulus and how he could possibly be alive, and worst of all, she was worried about Sirius.
She hadn't received any letters from Sirius, but she wasn't expecting to get one anytime soon either, because they both knew that it would be risky to write to one another. So Jenna made sure to visit Dumbledore's office every day to ask how Sirius was doing, each time afraid that she might hear the worst news.
But Jenna was glad to learn that Sirius was doing fine, though she found out that he was being on different missions every day, trying to recruit forces and convince them to join their side.
Although Jenna didn't bother asking Dumbledore about his intentions of bringing Slughorn back, knowing that there was no point, because he wasn't going to give her a direct answer.
There was also something else that Dumbledore didn't tell Jenna, which she only found out by eavesdropping on Harry, Ron, and Hermione's conversation while being in her cat form.
Dumbledore had asked Harry to come to his office every once in a while for private lessons. Unlike Jenna's expectations, the lessons didn't contain Occlumency or any other spell. Instead, Dumbledore was showing Harry the memories he had collected of Voldemort and his past.
Dumbledore had also set Harry a little mission; to get close to Slughorn. Although Harry was too busy with his studies and the upcoming Quidditch tryouts to think of that at the moment.
Excited to see her nephew as the new Gryffindor captain, Jenna walked to the Quidditch field in the form of a fourth year Gryffindor girl. Quietly, she went to find a seat in the stands, until she spotted Hermione there, with a book in her hands.
"Psst," Jenna called out to Hermione as she reached her, saying quietly, "it's me, Crookshanks."
"Oh, Jenna!" Hermione smiled in realization, closing her book. "How are you doing? Oh, I've been dying to talk with you! Only I couldn't. There always seemed to be someone in the dorm. I couldn't possibly speak with you."
"I know." Jenna laughed at how fast the girl spoke, taking the seat beside her as they waited for the players to walk into the field. "Anyway... I thought you didn't like Quidditch. What are you doing here?"
"I never said I didn't like it," Hermione protested, though Jenna noticed her face flush slightly. "I just came here to watch Harry and Ron. There are so many people who have signed their name up for the team this year. It's because of Harry, obviously."
"You don't say." Jenna grinned. But then their attention was caught as one by one everyone walked into the field with their brooms, gathering around Harry and waiting for him to speak.
"Let's see if he's taken my Captain skills or not," Jenna said jokingly, bearing a smug smirk as she watched them all mount their brooms.
"You were the Quidditch captain?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Of course." Jenna nodded, before turning to glance at her. "Didn't you know?"
"No." Hermione shook her head earnestly. "How come there's no trophy with your name on it? I've seen a few of Harry's father and even Sirius. But never yours."
"I guess Dumbledore took them away. Until last year, Harry wasn't even supposed to know that I even existed."
Jenna then turned her head toward the field with a little disappointed frown, and Hermione took that as a sign that she wasn't too comfortable talking about this matter any further.
As it seemed, Harry had decided to start with a basic test, asking all applicants for the team to divide into groups of ten and fly once around the pitch.
Jenna was actually finding the tryouts hilarious. The first ten was made up of first years and it could not have been plainer that they had hardly ever flown before. Only one boy managed to remain airborne for more than a few seconds, and he was so surprised he promptly crashed into one of the goal posts.
The second group was made of ten of the silliest girls Harry had ever met, who, when he blew his whistle, merely fell about giggling and clutching one another. When he told them to leave the pitch, they did so quite cheerfully and went to sit in the stands to heckle everyone else.
The third group had a pileup halfway around the pitch. Most of the fourth group had come without broomsticks. The fifth group were Hufflepuffs.
"If there's anyone else here who's not from Gryffindor," roared Harry, who was starting to get seriously annoyed, "leave now, please!"
There was a pause, then a couple of little Ravenclaws went sprinting off the pitch, snorting with laughter.
At last after two hours, Harry had found himself three Chasers: Katie Bell, Demelza Robins, and Ginny Weasley, who had outflown all the competition and scored seventeen goals to boot. Although Jenna was pleased to see Harry tell off the complainers who were annoying him.
"That's my final decision and if you don't get out of the way for the Keepers I'll hex you," Harry bellowed.
"That's my boy," Jenna muttered to herself with a proud grin.
Harry had deliberately left the trial of the Keepers until last, hoping for an emptier stadium and less pressure on all concerned. Although to his great dismal, all the rejected players and a number of people who had come down to watch after a lengthy breakfast had joined the crowd by now, so that it was larger than ever.
As each Keeper flew up to the goal hoops, the crowd roared and jeered in equal measure. Jenna noticed that Ron was a little green in the face, and he was extremely nervous. Although his opponent, Cormac McLaggen, seemed way too confident in himself as he smirked proudly.
Ron looked ready to pass out as he mounted his Cleansweep Eleven when Harry called him up.
"Good luck!" Lavender Brown cried out from the stands.
For a quick moment, Jenna caught Hermione glaring at the girl's direction, but when Hermione saw Jenna grinning at her, she shifted uncomfortably on her seat and looked away.
"What?" Hermione said awkwardly, avoiding Jenna's knowing look.
"Nothing," said Jenna as her grin widened, turning her gaze back on the field.
Despite how nervous Ron seemed to be, he did a great job on saving the penalties, five times in a row. It was then McLaggen's turn to guard the hoops. Hermione kept looking around nervously, clutching her hands into fists and keeping them on her lap.
McLaggen saved the first four penalties, but then, one of the chasers flew forward to throw the Quaffle for the fifth time. Everyone held their breath, watching the ball as it flew toward him. He seemed as though he was going to catch it.
But then, Jenna suddenly heard Hermione whisper under her breath, "Confundo!"
The next moment, McLaggen's broom shifted to the right, and he missed the Quaffle by inches. He looked around in confusion, having no idea what had happened.
At the end of the tryouts, Harry landed on the ground along with the other players. With a satisfied smile, Harry then turned to McLaggen to tell him that, most unfortunately, Ron had beaten him, only to find McLaggen's red face inches from his own. He stepped back hastily.
"His sister didn't really try," said McLaggen menacingly. There was a vein pulsing in his temple. "She gave him an easy save."
"Rubbish," said Harry coldly. "That was the one he nearly missed."
McLaggen took a step nearer Harry, who stood his ground this time. Jenna suddenly tensed up, her stern glare on the boy, as though she was ready to pounce and punch him if he dared to cross the line.
"Give me another go," McLaggen demanded with authority.
"No," said Harry firmly. "You've had your go. You saved four. Ron saved five. Ron's Keeper, he won it fair and square. Now get out of my way."
It looked for a moment that McLaggen might punch him, but he contented himself with an ugly grimace and stormed away, growling what sounded like threats to thin air.
"I better go and congratulate them," Hermione said hastily with a happy smile, getting to her feet. "I'll see you later —"
But Jenna quickly got a hold of her wrist, holding her back.
"Don't think I didn't notice," said Jenna with a grin, winking at her as Hermione blushed, before letting her go.
Without saying another word, Hermione left Jenna's side and went down to the field to join the boys and to congratulate them.
Jenna looked back at Harry, a warm smile on her lips as she watched how happy he was. She wanted to go to him more than anything, to hug him and pat him on the back, telling him how proud she was. But she held herself back.
All in good time, she promised herself.