dedicated to CarinaEngler - happy birthday ! (It's still the 5th where I am...)

Ch. 30: Not Jenna 

Song For This Chapter: Ride - Lana Del Rey

     "Alright, what did you learn?" I questioned her as I sat, hunched over on my bed, watching as Lana pulled a box of industrial sized matches from under her mattress and began striking one, watching the flame sizzle out before striking another.

          "Malfoy wears briefs."

     I rubbed the side of my head, and checked my ears, sparing her a worried glance, "Uh, Jenna, that's not what I asked you to find out -"

     "Woah, wait," Lana grinned, sitting up and setting her box of matches to the side, "You watched him in briefs? Jenna, you are a glorified, first rate, pervert!"

     Jenna's eyes widened and she shook her head, "N-no! I snuck into the Slytherin Quidditch team's changing room when they were on the pitch and I rummaged through his locker. He's got a pair of silk drawers in there."

     Lana scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Figures."

     "Not important!" I snapped my fingers in front of their faces, "Focus - what else did you find? Anything suspicious?"

     She shrugged, "No, not really. As I was leaving the changing room, he and his cute friend, Blaise, ran into me and gave me an ear full for being in here. Apparently, he now thinks that I'm a spy for the Gryffindor team. Also, I overheard that he and that Harvard chick were meeting up for drinks tomorrow."

     "So, you blew your cover." Lana rolled her eyes, but spared Jenna a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Better luck next time."

     "Thanks, I guess," She sighed, flopping down on the bed, "Tomorrow is Sunday, correct?"

     I watched her carefully, she still seemed a bit too jumpy for my taste. "Yeah, tomorrow we're all heading to Hogsmeade for the trip out, remember?" Eyeing Lana as she rolled back onto her side and grabbed the carton of matches once more, I added: "Why are you so up? Did you get more candy from a secret admirer again?"

     "You should really stay away from those," Lana snickered, playing with the flame on her stick, "You never know when one of those could be poisoned."

     Jenna bounced up off her bed and shook her head, "Not exactly," she trailed off, "I'm just ready to go out to Honeydukes! They have these totally awesome lemon drops, and I've been craving them since last summer."

     "You love sweets too much." Lana decided that she was bored playing with fire and tossed the matches under her bed, stretching out onto her back so she could stare up at the ceiling, kicking off her boots. It was getting late, and I was sure that they would be considering going to bed soon.

     Yawning, I rubbed my eyes as the night drew on with light bantering from the three of us, earning a few glares from the other girls trying to get an early night's sleep. I scraped my chair towards the desk and flicked on a lantern as the lights began to burn low. Grabbing a pad of paper and an envelope, I decided to write to Fred before bed.

     In the letter, I wrote about nothing in particular, just updating him on my schedule and the odd things I'd been doing. It wasn't really long, in fact it was actually quite short, but I signed it with my name and had Ami fly off with it anyway, not caring too much for my lack of writing eloquence. 

          In reality, I just wanted to talk to him. Perhaps that made me sappy.

     Once I had my fill of watching Ami flap off into the distance, I crawled into bed and prepared myself for whatever horror the next day would bring. So far, the only safe place in this topsy-turvy world was Hogwarts and I wasn't too keen on the idea of leaving premises without feeling secure. 

     "What are you wearing?" Lana snorted as the three of us, Jenna, Lana, and I, walked through the snow covered street of Hogsmeade, just window shopping. We made plans with Harry, Hermione, and Ronald to meet up at the Three Broom Sticks in a bit, but for now we wanted to look for anything new that may have been going on. "Did you mug Red Riding Hood?"

     Jenna grinned as she tugged on the red sleeves of her red cloak, "It's cool, right? I'm always seeing witches wearing legit cloaks, but I didn't have any - so I figured red was my color."

     "I like it," I shrugged, gathering my hair to the side of my neck and loosely braiding it until it hung lightly down my chest. I'd decided to keep it long, despite the fact that it made my head feel heavy compared to when it had been short. "I think it gives her a... mysterious look?" I offered Jenna as she clapped with excitement. Obviously, those had been the words she wanted to hear.

     When we walked into the Three Broomsticks, the warm air caused my stomach to buzz with numb thankfulness. The bitter outside air had begun to eat away at me.

     "So, did you ever find out about that 'Half-Blood Prince'?" Jenna asked, cropping up a conversation with me as soon as she saw something in the corner of the pub, turning her attention away almost immediately. 

     Caught off guard, I frowned, "No, actually. I didn't have much time looking into it, but I imagine that Hermione may know something about it." 

     Lana tugged on our coats and motioned towards the middle of The Three Broomsticks where my twin and her two best friends were sitting, tall glasses of butterbeer sitting in front of them, practically untouched. "I found them."

     "Great," Jenna blurted out rather quickly, eyes flickering around as she spread a large grin onto her lips, "Uhm, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom, so you guys can go on without me." Barely sparing us a wave, the bobble-head blonde waddled around the corner and disappeared. 

     Lana and I exchanged mirrored looks of confusion and suspicion, but we waved it off. It was obvious that Jenna was merely being Jenna and she would slip up and tell us what she was up to eventually. Patting my shoulder, Lana smirked. "Well, I'm actually going to hang with Dean and Seamus, but you have fun!"

     "I know you have a thing for Seamus," I hissed out towards her as she stalked away, not believing that both of my friends were abandoning me on a trip that they had begged me to come on. I hated to admit it, but now-a-days I didn't like being too far from safe places. And, those were too rare now.

     Awkward and alone, I found myself inching towards my sister's table, wondering if they would be willing to share a table with me. It wasn't as if they should have any reason to turn me down, really. 'They'd be lucky to have me,' I reassured myself with a chuckle, happy that even by myself my subconscious mind could make me laugh.

          Unfortunately, I realized that it was a sign that I talked too much to myself.

     Shaking that off, I maneuvered over to Hermione, dodging strangers toddling about with drunken steps. I was a bit amused and disturbed that some people were already plastered when it was not even three o'clock yet. 

     Among the drunk, a tipsy Professor Slughorn slapped his hand down on the bar counter as I passed, and I would be lying if I said it didn't make me jump. "Ahhh," he drew out his syllables as he wobbly swiveled around to talk to me, "Miss Granger! Fancy meeting you here, aye?" 

     "Well, Professor, it is cold outside, and I have to say the butterbeer here is some of the the best," I humored him, always having time to spare for drunk banter. 

     "Yes, yes, yes," Slughorn nodded, adjusting the lopsided cap he wore on his head and patting a hand on his flushed cheeks. "Yes, yes, I-I, er, what was I going to say..."

     "I'd dare to say that you've had a bit too much, sir," I muttered under my breath, but he obviously was too preoccupied to have heard that.

     Slughorn tapped the bar a few times to get the bartender's attention, "Ah, Marty! Get us a round of brandy would you, for me and my friend here -"

     "-Oh, no," I told the burly man behind the counter, ignoring the fact that I was underage. "No more alcohol. No more." 

     The man smirked and gave me a nod, turning around to greet another customer at the bar. Slughorn outed at that for a brief moment, but then a slight smile slipped slowly onto his lips as he seemed to be brought back to a new topic. 

     "Right, Miss Granger," he cleared his throat, pulling a thin envelope out of his breast pocket and handed it to me. Taking the crisp letter into my hands, surprised, I flipped it over in my hands to see that it was stamped with the Slug Club crest. I'd seen it on invitation that Harry had chucked in the bin of the Gryffindor Common Room. 

     "Professor?" I arched a brow, confused.

     Slughorn slouched on his bar stool, muttering under his breath about where that bar tender was with his brandy, but after a second he was brought back. "Yes, yes, yes, Miss Granger - this is for you! I have seen how well you are preforming in my Potions class, and I feel that you should have the opportunity to join the club. We are having a dance, of sorts, coming this Christmas, you see." 

     A smirk tugged against my lips as I continued to listen to Professor Slughorn's rambling about his party and about the 'interesting' people that were going to be attending this 'prestigious' event. He mentioned a few times how lucky I was to be invited, what an honor it was. 

          I merely keep nodding my head in response.

     "Uh, excuse me," A cough sounded from behind me, cutting Slughorn off as he was in mid-description of the party he'd thrown in '68. "But, I need to talk with Elizabeth Granger for a moment, you don't mind, do you?"

     Slughorn's brow scrunched up in small confusion, but suddenly his attention was taken by Harry Potter across the room as the boy waved him over. "Not at all, I'll be just over there..." He trailed off. Despite how much I really wanted to, I refrained myself from telling Professor Slughorn that I really didn't care. 

     Once the man was out of ear shot, I pulled Fred into my arms and rested my head on his shoulder, chuckling like a school girl as I did. "My hero," I murmured out, squeezing him against me as if he belonged there, both of our arms around each other. For a moment, I blushed and then dropped my hold.

     "You would think that we haven't seen each other in years instead of a little over a month," He teased, patting down the hair on his head that was sticking up in odd directions. "Congrats on getting into the 'SlugClub' by the way. My mother was ecstatic to hear that Hermione and Harry had gotten in." 

     "Well," I smiled, peering up into his brown eyes, "Now she'll have something else to be proud about. But, I'm not even sure if I'd like to attend. The meetings are said to be boring - and Hermione told me that."

     Fred tossed his head back with a laugh and turned to 'Marty' the bartender. "I'll have a butter beer and a coffee please." 

     "I love it when you think you know what I want," I flicked him as he took the stool beside me, scooting it over a considerable amount so that I could feel the cold air that still clung to his coat from the bitter air outside. 

     "You don't want this?" He rose a brow, taking the coffee that Marty slid over and pressed it against his lips, taking a sip.

     Curling up my nose, I took a chug from his butterbeer, "Gross, now your spit is in my drink. How am I supposed to drink that now?" I gulped another mouthful of Fred's beverage just for good measure before happily handing the sugary thing over.

    "It wouldn't be the first time you've had it in your mouth." He wiggled his brows suggestively and I grimaced. 

     "Okay, first of all: That's what he said," I glanced up at him slyly, tucking a few loose strands that had escaped my braid behind my ear and continued, "And second, don't make our kissing sound so dirty."

     "What, you mean our snogging?" Fred took another sip of my coffee, offering me a smug smile as he turned to look around at the people in The Three Broomsticks. There still wasn't too many people in here, but it was enough to make the pub take an almost sticky, humid air. "Ugh, Malfoy's here." He jabbed a finger towards the back room where Malfoy and Harvard, that one girl I'd noticed a few days before, were sitting, talking lowly to each other. For a moment, I wondered if they were dating. I bit my lip to keep from laughing too loudly at the sight of Jenna hovering in the background, striking a secret agent pose.

     "And, there's Ginny...," My gaze slid over towards the darkened corner of the room where Ginny was sitting beside Dean Thomas, which quickly turned into more than just holding hands. "Snogging Dean." 

     Fred's head whipped around towards the sight and a disgusted face quickly sunk in, "Gross - ugh, let's go."

     "What?" I pointed towards my half-empty butterbeer. "But, it's half-empty."

     "It's half-full."

     "What?" I repeated, "It's obviously half-empty. I've drunk half of it."

     "Nothing can be half empty, Elle."

     Furrowing my brow at him, I lifted the glass to my lips and began to chug the drink, Fred quickly caught on, picking up the coffee and shooting it back as if he was a pro, finishing well before me. 

     Draining the last of the cream on top, I slammed the mug down with a pout, seeing that Fred had finished his within a full ten seconds before me. "Not fair, you had a smaller cup."

     "You'll get me next time, I'm sure," He chuckled, then pointed to his face, "You've got whipped cream on your lip." 

     I reached up at brushed the back of my hand against my bottom lip. Lightly, Fred pressed a hand against my cheek and brought my face closer to his, planting a warm, heart-attack inducing kiss on my upper lip, trailing his tongue along the surface as he did, making me swoon - only a little. 

     Flushing, I kissed him back, forgetting the fact that we were in a pub,forgetting the fact that my twin sister was only sitting a few feet away, forgetting the fact that Professors were present as well. 

     I pulled his face closer to mine, running my finger through his hair. It had grown unruly once more, but I couldn't care. It made no difference to me what fashion his hair was in, just as long as it would be there for me to play with. 

     Smirking, Fred pulled away, parting my fingers and our lips while letting out a small whistle. My blush spread up my neck and onto my cheeks. "Got it," he quipped, taking me off guard for a minute as I thought back to what we had been talking about before that kiss. "The whipped cream, Letter."

          "Yeah," I blinked a few times, feeling dumb, "The whipped cream."

     "Bloody hell," Ron's disgusted voice came out as he, Hermione, and Harry walked past. "Is everyone in this bloody family snagging someone but me?" 

     "You need to find yourself a girl, mate," Fred told him, but his eyes were locked with mine, and in them I only saw playful humor. I smiled back, pressing a hand against my lips with my heart rate picking up at thoughts of doing that again. 

     "Shut up," Ron grumbled and shook his head the both of us, "Let's go." Behind him, Hermione and Harry shared a look of annoyance. Obviously Ron had been complaining a lot. 

     Fred intertwined his fingers with mine as we watched them go, then he nodded towards the door, "Would you like to take a walk as well? You've got some time before the rides back to Hogwarts leave." 

     "Uh, sure I guess, Fred." I hopped up from the stool and made sure I had everything that I'd come in with. I had everything except for the two idiot friends. 

     "What? No questions asked?" He nudged me as I went to grab the door, pulling it open for me as if he was the perfect gentleman.

     I shrugged, stepping out into the brisk cold and wrapping my scarf tighter around myself. "After a kiss like that? I'd follow you anywhere." I winked, hand still tightly clasped with his. It was almost to the point that it felt natural. Not quiet natural yet, but very close. 

          I'd fallen hard for Frederick Gideon Weasley. 

     "Well, I should have ordered for you a long time ago, in that case."

     "I guess so," I chuckled, turning to glance up at his beaming face. Snow was collecting in his fiery hair, contrasting brilliantly to make his hair seem even brighter, much to my amusement. We walked and talked about different things. I asked about George and Blake, he mentioned that they were thinking of expanding the business, and I told him about how I was having Jenna stalk Malfoy. 

     "Oh, here it is," He pulled me to a stop and we stared up at the shiny store sign, a softness lighting up the joyful brown of Fred's eyes. "Here's where it all started."

     Zonko's joke shop gleamed down at the two of us in all of it's glory. I'd been here multiple times, but this was the first time I'd actually seen the way Fred's eyes lit up as a boy at Christmas when he stood outside the place.

     "You and George loved this place?" I prodded, wanting to hear the story of the mischievous twins's adventures at Zonko's. No doubt the two were his best customers. 

     Fred stared at me as if I'd insulted him. "Loved? I still love this place. It's my first love," He said, wrapping an arm around my waist and tugging me close as if to tell me that he didn't mean anything by those words.

     "Ah, first loves. Mine was Johnny Depp."

     Fred's face contorted, "Wait - who's Johnny Depp? And, why was he your first love? Did he go to that American school with you?" 

     Snickering, I rolled my eyes, "No, he is just a famous Muggle." I tucked my hands in my pockets and nodded towards the shop, "So, are we just going to gawk at the place, or are we going in?"

     "I don't think you should," He chuckled, "You might make her jealous."

     "Her?"

     "Yes," He nodded, pulling out a pocket watch and shoot me a grin, the grin I loved, the one that crackled the skin around his eyes and set fire to his irises, "Also, you'll need to head back to catch the rides to Hogwarts." 

     "Look at you," I poked him in the chest, "Being all responsible and shit. I'm dating a man, wait 'til my momma hears."

     Chuckling, he walked back with me to the main street that would lead us all to the carriages. They were still a distance away, but the sight of the Threshals made my stomach churn. They were still as terrifying as the first time I found that I could see them, the first day back at Hogwarts. 

     On the road, the two of us caught up with Hermione, Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, Lana, and Ginny. They were chattering happily with each other and joking around as we approached. "Oh," Ginny perked up, sparing her brother a calculative eye, "Hello Fred, Elle. Where have you two been?"

     "Probably off making out somewhere," Lana snickered, earning a middle finger from me, which she quickly returned with a smile. 

     Ron rolled his eyes, "I wish you two would just break up already."

     "That's really nice, Ronald, really." Hermione snapped, sending him a frown, "Why do you want everyone to be as miserable as you?"

     "I'm not miserable." He turned his head away, muttering his response under his breath. "I was only joking, 'Mione."

     Fred chuckled at this, "No worries. Elle and I are going to get married, so don't expect a break up so soon, not until I'm ready for my second wife." 

     Rolling my eyes at that, I shook my head with a chuckle that mirrored my boyfriend's. "Right,  of course we are. We were just off, planning nuptials. You know, the usual." I chose to ignore the snide comment about the second wife. 

     Glancing around, I couldn't help but feel the gaping hole that was left without Jenna's presence. "Has anyone seen Goldie Locks? I haven't seen her since earlier." 

     One after the other, they shrugged or shook their heads, proclaiming that they really had no idea where Jenna had disappeared off to, and didn't know when she'd appear. "That's going to be a problem," Lana nodded, and I agreed with a groan.

     "Yeah, I can't believe that she would just go missing like that," I sighed.

     Lana shook her head at me and pointed the left, "No, I meant that."

     Our group turned to see that Jenna was racing towards us, face screwed up in a scared grimace, but still determined none-the-less. She was kicking up white powder with her speed and I raised my arms in self defense, if she was going to run straight into me, but she didn't.

     Instead, Jenna ran past our group of nine and kept running. Screwing up my face, I watched her with a small chuckle. "Jenna, what are you doing?!" I yelled at her.

     "I'm stopping something!" She yelled back. Her voice took me by surprise because she didn't hold a single ounce of joking in her tone. "KATIE, DON'T TOUCH THAT!" 

     "Huh?" Lana tiled her head to the side, and we all watched as Jenna practically tackled Katie Bell into the snow, knocking a package out of her hand. "Oh my god, Jenna! What are you -" Lana blurted, but stopped herself as we all rushed forward, trying to see what she was up to.

     "I need to take it to him," Katie muttered about, face full of snow. "I need to take it to him." 

     Jenna went to kick away the package, and a intricate, silver necklace slid out of the wrappings. However, as she moved her leg, Katie grabbed her and sent Jenna sprawling, face first onto the necklace. 

          She didn't move.

     "Jenna?" I asked, stepping closer as she lay, sprawled in the snow and Katie went to grab for the necklace again. As soon as Katie's fingers brushed the jewelry, she too was unconscious. 

     Then, by magic, Jenna's body was tossed into the air. Her mouth was open wide, as if she was trying to scream, but no words could come out. She was in the air for almost a whole minute, silently screaming as tears rushed down her cheeks. 

     "J-JENNA!" I screeched as she toppled back onto the floor, next to Katie Bell who was writhing around in pain. "JENNA!" Fred intervened and grabbed me by my waist, holding me back, not letting me see her. "L-let me go! Jenna!"

     "Don't get any closer!" A rough, booming voice sounded behind my group, but I didn't care as I struggled against Fred's hold. "Stay back, I said!" Hagrid yelled at me and Lana as she tried to rush forwards as well, shock wearing off.

     The wind howled around us, whipping our hair into the air and freezing the tears as they spilled onto my cheeks. Hagrid bent down and grabbed Jenna, flinging her over one shoulder before grabbing Katie Bell as well and doing the same with her. "Do not touch tha'," He nodded towards the necklace as Harry went for it, "Excep' for tha' wrappin's."

     "Jenna," My voice broke as I watched her figure being carted away by Hagrid. How had she known about the necklace in the first place? Had she found out about it while spying? "This is all my fault."

~~~~~

aloha from hawaii :)

[not edited]