Jenna sat in the living room on the couch with a smirk playing on her lips as she flipped through the pages of her book, waiting for her brother to come out of the kitchen.
After long minutes, she looked behind her shoulder when she heard footsteps, only to see James walking toward her, looking slightly green and sick.
"Had fun, Jamesie boy?" She grinned up at him.
"Oh, shut up," he said grumpily, dropping himself next to her on the couch.
"How did it go?" Jenna asked amusingly.
"Well, first they made me swear that I hadn't given Lily love potion," James said and Jenna snorted at that, "and then Dad started explaining for eight minutes how I should wait until marriage."
"No way!" Jenna gave out a laughter.
"Oh, it gets worse," James mumbled.
"Ooh, what happened?"
"I thought I had it bad with Dad, but then Mum starts saying how normal it is for people our age and — and then went on explaining about all the protective charms." James groaned, hiding his face in his palms as Jenna roared with laughter. "Ugh, it was a nightmare!"
"Serves you right." Jenna grinned after her laughter finally faded. "How come they let you go so soon? I thought it'd take them longer."
"They didn't let me go. I escaped."
"How?"
"They started bickering, so I took the opportunity and ran out of the kitchen," he explained. "I don't think they've realized I've gone yet."
"Well, at least the hard part is over." Jenna chuckled. "Now we're even."
"So truce?" said James.
Jenna nodded with a smile. "Truce."
With another miserable groan, James leaned his head on Jenna's shoulder, grimacing in disgust. "Obliviate me."
Jenna laughed, wrapping her arms around her brother and hugging him comfortingly as he kept mumbling grumpily to himself.
***
Two days later as Petunia's wedding day arrived, James spent almost all morning in his room, getting ready for his date with Lily.
He was trying to look his best, seeing as it was his first time meeting her parents and therefore wanted to make a good first impression.
"Just use your father's hair potion! Your hair is too untidy for this occasion!" Mrs. Potter told James for the hundredth time as he joined them in the living room.
But James only shrug. "What matters is that Lily likes it this way."
"Yeah, right," Jenna said sarcastically, scoffing.
"She does!" James said defensively. "Lily told me herself that she always liked the way it looked, she just didn't want to admit it."
"If you say so," Jenna gave him a knowing grin.
James opened his mouth to retort, but Mrs. Potter cut him off, saying, "So when will you come back home tonight?"
"Er... well Lily's parents told me that I could stay at their house tonight after the wedding," he said. "In the guest room, of course." He added the last part rather gloomily.
"Well, your father and I might be working late tonight. Maybe even all night. Just wanted to make sure that you two are safe."
"You and Dad are overworking yourselves," Jenna said worriedly and James nodded in agreement.
"They need our help at the Ministry," her mother answered.
"Oh, yeah?" James raised a brow at her. "What about the times you're not working at the Ministry?"
"I think it's time for you to go, Jamesie boy. You don't want to keep your girl friend's family waiting," Mrs. Potter replied wittily.
Rolling his eyes, James looked down at his watch and so waved the two goodbye, getting out of the house to Apparate in the distance.
Fleamont was already gone on the mission and Euphemia left as well in an hour or two.
Each time their parents went out, they came back looking more tired and exhausted than the last time.
People were attacked and killed by werewolves everyday and the number of Death Eater attacks was worse than ever.
All they could hope for was the they would never come hope with the Dark Mark splattered across the sky above their house, which could only mean that the Death Eaters had killed someone once more.
As Jenna sat alone in the house with her wand right next to her in case, all she could think about was her mission.
After two years of practice, she was now skilled at Occlumency, ready to join Lord Voldemort's forces as an imposter at any moment she was asked to do so.
Dumbledore himself didn't know yet which one of Voldemort's Death Eaters Jenna was going to appear as and how. They didn't even know when; it could be right after her seventh year at Hogwarts, or it could be five years from now for the right time.
But the closer Jenna got to the end of her school year, the more she realized what she had to sacrifice for this cause. Other than her own life, she wouldn't be able to see her loved ones for a long time.
What if she died in the process without seeing them one last time?
But Jenna then shook her head off the thought, reminding herself that she had agreed to do this job, accepting all the consequences that Dumbledore had warned her about.
There was no going back now.
Just then, Jenna's thoughts were interrupted when she heard something from outside the house.
For a second she thought that it might be Mickey, but then her stomach lurched when she remembered that her mother had sent the house elf to one of her friends for help, whose husband had been murdered recently.
With her heart beating fast, she held her breath as she took her wand, slowly getting to her feet. She let out a gasp when she saw something pass the window from outside.
She knew that because of all the protective enchantments around the house, no one who meant harm could get inside.
But what if the Death Eater waited outside in an ambush and attacked the moment either her parents or James arrived?
So with her wand clutched in her grasp firmly, Jenna let out a shaky breath as she took hesitant steps toward the front door, trying to see who was outside.