The weather could not have been more different on the journey back to King's Cross than it had been on their way to Hogwarts the previous September. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky and the sun beamed its rays through the grounds of Hogwarts.

     With yet another apologetic look, Hermione had opened the cat basket for Crookshanks to get in earlier that day, before using the carriages to get back to the train along with the others.

      Harry, Ron, and Hermione had managed to get a whole compartment to themselves. Pigwidgeon was once again hidden under Ron's dress robes to stop him from hooting continually. Hedwig was dozing, her head under her wing, and Crookshanks was curled up in a spare seat like a large, furry ginger cushion.

      Harry, Ron, and Hermione talked more fully and freely than they had all week as the train sped them southward. They broke off their conversation about what action Dumbledore might be taking to stop Voldemort, and what he was up to this very moment.

     Jenna knew the answer to this question; Dumbledore was probably assembling the old members of Order of the Phoenix, having a task for each and every one of them.

      Jenna was startled to learn that Hermione had figured out Rita Skeeter's secret; the woman was yet another illegal and unregistered animagus, listening to everyone's conversations as a beetle.

      Jenna was impressed that the young girl had figured all these out on her own, although she became thoroughly surprised when Hermione took out a jar with a beetle inside it.
    
     "That's never — you're kidding —" Ron whispered, lifting the jar to his eyes.

      "No, I'm not," said Hermione, beaming. "I caught her on the windowsill in the hospital wing. Look very closely, and you'll notice the markings around her antennae are exactly like those foul glasses she wears."

     Jenna's yellow eyes were now on Hermione. She truly was the smartest witch of her age.

      "I've told her I'll let her out when we get back to London," said Hermione. "I've put an Unbreakable Charm on the jar, you see, so she can't transform. And I've told her she's to keep her quill to herself for a whole year. See if she can't break the habit of writing horrible lies about people."

      Smiling serenely, Hermione placed the beetle back inside her schoolbag. But right at that moment, the door of the compartment slid open.

      "Very clever, Granger," said Draco Malfoy.

     Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him. All three of them looked more pleased with themselves, and way more arrogant than ever.

     "So," said Malfoy slowly, advancing slightly into the compartment and looking slowly around at them with a smirk on his lips. "Trying not to think about it, are we? Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?"

     "Get out," Harry snarled, hatred all over his face.

     Jenna tried to remain calm and keep her raging emotions under control. But if that boy kept talking, she wasn't sure how long she could hold herself back before turning into human and hexing him off. He reminded her too much of Lucius.

      "You've picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this!" He jerked his head at Ron and Hermione. "Too late now, Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well — second — Diggory was the f —"

     But right at that moment, an explosion went off inside the compartment, as though someone had exploded a box of fireworks within the compartment. When Crookshanks got up on her seat to take a closer look in shock, she found Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle laying unconscious on the compartment's floor.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had got to their feet to jinx them, unaware that right outside the door, Fred and George Weasley had attempted to do the same, accompanied by their friend, Lexi.

All of them moved inside the compartment, looking down at the three Slytherins as they laid motionlessly on the floor.

     "Interesting effect," said George impressively, looking down at Crabbe. "Who used the Furnunculus Curse?"

     "Me," said Harry.

     Jenna felt proud, for some reason, as she laid back down on her seat. And she knew that James would be too.

     "Odd," said George lightly. "I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed."

"Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor," said Fred.

     And so by that, they all started kicking, rolling, and pushing Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle out into the corridor and rolled the door shut.

     "Exploding Snap, anyone?" said Fred, pulling out a pack of cards coolly, as if they hadn't just left three unconscious boys out of their compartment door.

      Dumbledore had informed Jenna in the last few days of a few thing he was planning on doing. For one, he had asked Mrs. Weasley to take in Lexi Hooper for the summer and look after her, although he said that he would explain the reasons behind this decision later on. But according to him, the girl's presence was necessary for the Order, and highly important.

      Jenna hadn't been able to sleep well for the past few nights, ever since the third task was over. All that she could see whenever she closed her eyes was her old friends.

     Not many of them had survived the last war, all those years back. The Death Eaters were taking out the Order members one by one, many of them being Jenna's own friends.

     Throughout that time, none of them knew how the Death Eaters were finding their hiding places, oblivious to the fact that Peter Pettigrew had been behind it all along. Even the mere thought of that filthy and traitorous rat was enough to set her teeth on edge. The remorse of not killing him and letting him escape last year still haunted her thoughts.

      After the train finally came to a stop at King's Cross station, Crookshanks went back inside her cat basket as they all got up and exited the train. They said their goodbyes to Harry, watching him leave with the grim-looking Dursleys.

     Lexi — just as Dumbledore had asked — left with the Weasleys to spend the summer at the Burrow. Jenna noticed that the girl seemed awfully close to Fred, specially after the Yule Ball. Perhaps turning the boy's head into a pumpkin had worked after all.

      Once Hermione sighted her parents and greeted them warmly, they helped to put her trunk in the car along with Crookshanks's basket, so they could go back home.

      Although later that night, Hermione waited until her parents were off to sleep before walking back to her bedroom with Crookshanks, slowly closing the door before Jenna transformed back to her human form.

      "Ugh, finally!" Jenna said quietly, stretching out, having stayed as a cat for a long while.

     But when she looked back at Hermione, she realized that the girl looked rather troubled and sad.

    "What's the matter?" Jenna questioned softly, looking at her worriedly.

     "It's just that... everything's going to change now, isn't it?" Hermione muttered, going to sit at the edge of her bed.

      "Yeah," Jenna nodded feebly, "yeah, it is."

      Hermione then tried to shake her head off the thought, looking back up at Jenna with a sad smile. "I'm going to miss you."

     Jenna felt the edge of her lips tuck up into a wide smile. So she made her way toward Hermione, bringing her into a warm hug. "I'll miss you, too."

      Hermione hugged her back, closing her eyes in worry. There was a war approaching them, and there was no denying it.

      "Now..." Jenna started with a comforting grin, pulling away to look directly into her eyes, "I want you to stay strong. I know you will. Because even I've got to admit... I'm not sure if Ron and Harry could ever survive without you."

     Hermione laughed, looking down with her cheeks slightly blushing.

     "I'll see you soon," said Jenna after a short pause, getting to her feet. "Just tell your parents you set Crookshanks free for a while or something."

      "Don't worry about it," Hermione chuckled, shaking a hand at her reassuringly, "I'll come up with something."

     "I'm sure you will." Jenna winked at her, grinning.

     And so, with one last wave at Hermione, Jenna climbed out of her window and Dispparated away the moment she was outside, heading to Remus's house.