As the Sister of Harry Potter

Chapter 34: Secrets

Lee and Sarlanda did announcements Monday morning.

“Morning all! Miss Skulls and I would like to congratulate Gryffindor for their win against Slytherin Saturday afternoon.”

“We’d also like to tell Draco Malfoy that he totally deserved to have the crud beat out of him by George Weasley and Harry Potter. Bravo gentlemen.”

“Now, if everyone would please make sure you’re here for lunch, we have a special surprise for you all!”

“Ye-up, so be sure you’re there! Now, Mr. Palm Tree would like to sign us out with another joke!”

“Okay, here goes… you know you’re a pureblood when you can smell a Muggleborn from a mile away.”

At lunch that day, everyone was nervous to see what would happen. Umbridge cast her toad eyes around the Hall, looking for suspicious activity. Meanwhile, Harry was handing me back the Map.

“Giants? Wow…” I said, amazed.

“Yeah, but we really doubt any of them will be on our side…”

“Yeah, that’s a shame. But—”

PING

A brightly coloured candy with an S on it landed on my plate. Similar pings sounded all around me, and soon, a symphony of pings began as it started raining Skittles. I looked up, laughing, and saw the ceiling was covered in bright rainbows. I caught a couple in my mouth, chewing the fruity goodness, but most just bounced off my head. The intercom switched on for a few moments, just long enough for Ophilia to say, “Love and rainbows! The Marauders.” Looking up at the staff table, I saw Umbridge’s face was contorted in anger.

“Suck in Madame Toad,” I said under my breath.

-

“Alright everyone, so tonight we’re learning Impedimenta. The effects vary depending on how strong of a cast it is, but it basically prevents your opponent from getting at you. All right Jen,” said Harry, raising his wand. We were at opposite ends of the room, and I charged him. “Impedimenta!” Harry yelled, and I tripped spectacularly. Fred and George cheered, and I stuck my tongue out at them.

“Alright you lot, get to work,” I said, dusting myself off.

I paired up with Neville like usual. He was getting really good. By three meetings, he was able to fully disarm me, and the last one, he had made me dance like crazy with a well-placed Tarantallegra. His aim still needed lots of work, but with his fourth attempt at the spell, he managed to freeze me. When I came out of it, I was grinning ear to ear. “Nice one Neville! You’re doing really good!”

His eyes shined. “Really? Th-thanks Jennifer!”

Harry and I dismissed DA. In the corridor, Cedric caught me and gently pushed me against the wall, kissing me sweetly. “Hey,” I aid breathily when he pulled away.

“Hi, so I was thinking—”

“Did it hurt?”

He smiled. “No, but… would you like to stay in my dorm tonight? I mean, you wouldn’t get in trouble, and there’s lots of room…”

I beamed. “Sure, just let me get my PJ’s.”

I dashed up to my dorm and back to the corridor. We walked to a plain wooden door. Cedric knocked on it and said, “Lilies.” The door opened and we entered the Head Dorm. The “common room” had two couches, a huge table, and a fire, just like it had been every time I had gone through here with the Marauders to do announcements. Over the left doorway hung a Slytherin banner, and the right, a Hufflepuff one. I went up into Cedric’s dorm to change, and when I came back down, Sarlanda was there too.

“So good of you to join us Jen,” she said, smirking.

“Thanks. Oh damn,” I said, remembering something, “I left my bag in the Room.”

Yawning, Cedric said, “Well, you’d better go get it. You’ll have forgotten by tomorrow.” So I set off down the corridor, barefoot and my wand lit. When I reached the Room of Requirement, I paced the wall and entered the room.

I stopped short with the door half-open when I heard a sob come from within. Cautiously, I peered around the corner of the door.

Brittany Chang was kneeling on the floor, her hair a mop of limp curls on her head, and she was crying. She must have been, because there was no one else here. I wanted to just leave her alone, but my feet were already carrying me inside.

“Brittany?”

She gave a right start, turning around quickly and when she saw me, a look of pure fright crossed her face.

“Get out of here!” she croaked out, more tears staining her face with her makeup. From where she was sitting, I could clearly see all the weight she had gained, particularly around her middle.

“What’s going on?” I asked, walking over to her.

“Get out!” she yelled, pushing feebly on my knees. I merely sat down next to her.

“Not until you spill what’s going on.”

Even though all the fights we had, the hair pulling, the jinxes, and getting knocked off brooms, I wanted to know what was going on. It wasn’t like I was enjoying seeing her have a complete meltdown.

“Why do you even care? I’m sure you already know anyways,” she spat, trying to control herself now. “You hate me, just like everyone else.”

“I don’t hate you, I just get irritated with you sometimes,” I stated. “I still respect you.”

“I—I’m sure.”

“Look, just tell me what this is about.”

“Why do you keep asking? You already know!” she nearly shrieked, more tears running down her face.

I was at a loss. Did I really know? I tried to think back on everything I knew about Brittany… I heard an echo of Ophilia’s voice from after our first Prankcouncil meeting. “Oh, just some stupid rumor going around about how she got pregnant over the summer.”

Suddenly, it didn’t seem like just a rumor anymore.

“It’s true then?” I asked quietly, almost too shocked to believe it. “You’re going to have a kid?”

She looked up at me with pitiful eyes, and she cried even more. “I—I am. I found out the end of Jul-July. And now all my friends are avoiding me, Rodger didn’t let me back on the Quidditch team, my grades are slipping, I look like shit… all I have is DA.”

She was hiccupping now. I started to say something, but she kept on going. “But my friends were the wo-worst. All behind my back, they’ve been calling m-me slut and whore… I mean, my second time, and I get pregnant. How’s that for lu-luck?” she finished grimly.

“It’s terrible luck. But honestly, your friends should be supporting you. Some friends, eh?”

Brittany sniffled. “Jennifer… why are you being nice to me?” she asked.

“Because I’ve been there. I’ve been in the spot—hell, I’m in the spot—where the world’s against you. And you need someone right about now.”

I stood, preparing to go. She stood with me. “You know, Jennifer, they always told me you said nasty things about me behind my back. Is that true?”

“If by that you mean that I never completely trash-talked about you or spread rumors, then no, I haven’t.”

She nodded. “And… do you really mean it?”

“About needing someone? Sure, come talk if you want some help.”

“Th-thank you, Jennifer.”

She said it shakily, but at least she had stopped crying. With another nod, she left.

I sighed and picked up my school bag and stood in front of the Foe Glass where I had started tapping up articles. I stared at the Order photograph, watching the original Marauders and my mum wave at me. But wait… Sirius and Lupin also had women next to them, two women that I didn’t recognize. I pulled down the photo and scanned the back of it for their names. Finally, I found their row. Roxanne and Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, James and Lily Potter, Anne Murray, Remus Lupin, Elainea Schist.

‘I guess they’re Hyden and Launa’s mums…’ I thought, replacing the photo. I took one last look, and said, “Mum, Dad… I hope you’d be proud of me, too.”

If I would have taken one last look at the Foe Glass before I left, I would have noticed a tall, dark figure lurking in it.

I was between the Gryffindor common room and the Head’s dorm, deep in thought as I stumbled along laboriously under my bag. Suddenly, as I passed a broom closet, a hand shot out of it and dragged me inside. I tried to scream and pull out my wand, but another hand covered my mouth and my bag (which contained my wand) dropped to the floor. It was pure cave black in there; I couldn’t have seen anything if I had tried. My captor’s lips brushed my right ear as they spoke.

“Lovely to see you Jennifer.”

“Lance.”

I tried to say it menacingly, but it turned into a somewhat lustful sounding groan. I felt him smirk again my face. His wand lit from the bottom corner and I could see him once my eyes got used to the light.

“I missed you over the summer,” he said softly, almost threateningly.

“What do you want?” I breathed. One hand had a firm hold on my neck while the other one traced my face and through my hair.

“Oh, just a bit of fun. A taste of the old days…”

“That ended five years ago,” I growled, and he tightened his grip on my neck. “Besides,” I went on, panting a little, “we were twelve. It didn’t mean anything.”

“To me it did, I assure you,” he whispered, brushing his lips against my cheek. I shuddered violently.

He chuckled darkly. “Oh, power is sweet.”

“What power?” I gasped out.

“Tut, tut Jennifer, you question too much. You will find out in due course. I’ll give you a tiny piece of the puzzle, though.” He pulled up his left sleeve and showed me his arm.

“The Dark Mark,” I grunted. Air was being quite limited at the moment, and I was praying it wouldn’t spark an asthma attack. “H—how do you know I won’t go to Dumbledore?”

With sudden pain, images forced their way into my mind. Harry, spread-eagle on the floor, eyes empty… Cedric, a mangled bloody mess… Lance, his wand pointed at Ophilia’s heart, a flash of green light… “Stop!” I cried out, sobbing. Lance looked satisfied.

“Let out my secrets, and, well… you know what’ll happen.”

“You filthy bastard,” I choked out, tears still falling. With surprising and intimidating force, Lance pulled my face up to his and our lips crashed together. I tried to fight back, but he seemed to enjoy that and just held me in place by my throat.

When he finally had enough, he said, “You will speak of this to no one. And I will know if you do, I can see more of you mind than even you can.” And that was it, his wand was extinguished and myself and my bag were being hurtled out into the corridor. I snatched my wand out of my bag and wrenched the door to the broom closet open, but it was empty. Trembling, I collected my bag and walked to the Head’s dorm.

“L—lilies,” I stuttered to the door, and clambered inside. Cedric was asleep, sprawled out on the couch. Sarlanda was still up, pouring over a Transfiguration book we would need for our next prank. After shifting Cedric gingerly, I sat down opposite her. Sarlanda looked at me, eyes narrowed.

“What happened?”

I filled her in on Brittany. Sarlanda still looked suspicious. “But Brittany didn’t give you that mark on your neck. What did Lance do this time?”

“I c—can’t tell you,” I said, breaking down again. “H—he’ll hurt someone seriously…”

“Blackmail, is it?” I didn’t respond. Sarlanda sighed and snapped her book shut. “Fine, if he wants to play it that way. But I will find out what that bastard’s up to,” she snarled, and stormed up to her dorm, leaving me to sleep fitfully with dreams full of fire, blood and Lance.