Harry Potter and Destiny's Arrow

"I take it you and Ron aren't going to Hogsmeade," Jake asked at dinner on Friday night.

"Seeing as Ronald and I aren't currently speaking, no," she replied bluntly.

"Hermione, this is crazy. You like Ron. He li..."

She shook her head violently, bushy hair flying everywhere. "No."

Jake sighed and turned to the red-haired girl next to him. "Ginny, would you help me out here?"

Ginny set her fork down. "I've tried. Believe me, I've tried."

"Ron hasn't given any sign that he likes me. At all," Hermione said. Jake couldn't tell whether she was trying to convince him or herself.

"Besides, men are prats," Ginny added. She and Dean had broken up two weeks prior.

Now he was the one on the defensive. "Just because you..." He gestured to Hermione. "Happen to be in l--" She shot him a glare. "In serious like with a guy who can't admit how he feels and because you..." He gestured to Ginny. "Happen to be attracted to guys who are completely wrong for you..." Now they were both glaring at him. "Doesn't mean that men are prats."

"Oh and you're so in touch with your feelings..." This was Hermione; he really didn't like where this was heading. "That you've asked Katie to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

He blushed and ducked his head. "I'm really not into stealing other guy's girlfriends."

"Other guy's girlfriends?" Ginny repeated. She looked at Hermione. "Who's Katie going out with?"

"Oliver Wood, duh," Jake answered.

"I told you last weekend that Oliver and Katie broke up," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"No, you didn't," he said, unable to keep his gaze from wandering to the end of the table where Katie was sitting with some of the 7^th Years'. They were laughing about something and he found himself again thinking how cute she was. Suddenly, he felt very dizzy.

"Yes, I did. At the Quidditch match. Right before..." She stopped. "Oh, it was right before we won. I think we may have been interrupted," she recalled sheepishly.

"She's not going out with Wood? The guys said..." his voice trailed off as Katie glanced up to find him staring at her. He quickly averted his eyes.

Ginny snorted. "The guys? Who, Ron and Harry? Like they would have any clue who any of us were dating..." She grinned. "Well, Ron would notice if Hermione was dating someone else."

"He would not," she protested.

"Please, Hermione. He would totally flip out if you were dating...."

Jake tuned the two girls out as he peeked down the table again. This time Katie was staring at him. She doesn't have a boyfriend...I think I'm gonna be sick...The brown haired girl elbowed her and she blushed slightly, realizing she'd been caught. She smiled shyly at Jake.

"That's it," Ginny shouted, breaking up the staring contest that seemed to have developed between Katie and Jake.

Jake turned his attention back to his dinner mates. "That's what?"

"I've got a plan," she said with a fiendish grin.

He didn't like the sound of that. Not one bit.

****************************************

That was how Jake found himself at The Three Broomsticks at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. With Hermione. Ginny had promised that she and Harry would get Ron there at the same time.

"This is a horrid idea," Hermione said for the fifth time.

"Then why are we here?" he asked for the fifth time.

"Did you want to tell Ginny no?"

The door banged open and the three of them walked in, taking a seat on the opposite side of the pub. Jake waved. Harry and Ginny waved back enthusiastically while Ron just glared. He'd discussed the plan with Harry last night and the black-haired boy had promised to reverse any hexes Ron might put on him. He scooted his chair closer to Hermione. When he cast a glance in Ron's direction, he noticed a definite reddening of the ears. Ginny motioned with her hands. Jake thought she was either telling him to order another butterbeer or to hold Hermione's hand. Just as he reached over to take one of Hermione's hands in his own, the door banged open again. What did I do in a former life? It was Angelina, Alicia, Fred, George, and Katie.

"What are you doing?" Hermione hissed as she stared at their hands.

"Trying to make Ron jealous enough to do something, remember?" he whispered back with a smile plastered to his face.

"This is ridiculous."

"It's a dream come true for me," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm holding hands with you. Waiting for Ron to hex me into the next century. And the girl I'm crushing on just walked in."

Hermione turned around. "Katie's here?"

"Yup. And Ron's head looks like it's going to explode." Jake paused. "I think I know exactly how to end this thing."

"What's that?" Hermione said as Jake leaned alarmingly close to her. Closing his eyes, he puckered his lips slightly. It's not like she's unattractive...but she's no Katie Bell...Just before his lips touched Hermione's...where the hell is Ron?... he felt himself lifted from his seat.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER," Ron shouted as he drew back his arm to punch Jake.

Hermione had stood as well and she put her hands on her hips. "Let him go, Ron Weasley," she screamed at him.

"But Hermione, he was going to...going to..." The arm dropped to Ron's side, but his fist was still clenched.

"Why do you care what he was going to do?" she yelled.

"He was going to kiss you," he shouted.

"So, what do..."

"Because he has no right to kiss you." Jake was forgotten as Ron and Hermione stood practically nose-to-nose. Everyone in The Three Broomsticks was staring at them, mesmerized by the tall redhead and the short brunette.

"YOU have no right to tell me who I can..."

"I should be the one kissing you," he roared.

Hermione stood there, slackjawed. When Ron's brain caught up to his mouth, he turned a shade of red not found in nature. After several long moments had passed--with Ron looking like an overripe tomato and Hermione standing there with her mouth open--he turned to go. He was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"What?" he said quietly when he turned back to look at her.

Hermione said nothing, merely flinging herself into his arms and pressing her lips to his. They stood there, holding each other and kissing for several minutes. Ginny nudged Harry and Jake and, with a you-know-what eating grin on her face, said, "I told you so." Jake looked on in amazement. I guess this is what they mean by snogging... After they kissed for several minutes, Ginny made a gagging noise. "Oi! Get a room, you two," she shouted.

Hermione broke the kiss, embarrassed, and Ron shouted back, "Bugger off!"

"Ron, don't swear," Hermione added before taking Ron's hand in her own and leading him out of The Three Broomsticks.

Ginny looked at the two boys. "Wanna go to Honeyduke's?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Jake shook his head and sat back down. "I'm going to finish my butterbeer. I'll catch up with you guys later." He watched Ginny and Harry leave together, thinking that they'd make a cute couple. I think helping one couple get together is quite enough for one school year... The sound of a throat clearing interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to find Katie standing by the table.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi." Her friends were gone.

"May I?" she said, gesturing the chair Hermione had been occupying.

"Sure," Jake replied, half-standing as she pulled out the chair and sat.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't..." He paused. "Oh, you mean that," he continued, waving a hand.

"I know that you and Hermione were..."

He chuckled. "Me and Hermione? That...uh, that was for Ron's benefit."

"R-really?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh."

They sat there for a few minutes not speaking. Jake was trying to think of a way to ask her to spend the rest of the day with him. He had no clue what Katie was thinking. Probably wondering how to gracefully get away from me...now that she knows I'm not heartbroken... Finally she broke the silence. "You haven't been to Hogsmeade before, have you?"

He shook his head.

"Come on then. I'll show you around," she said with a smile.

*************************************

She took him to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, where he bought a new quill. After that, they made their way to Zonko's. Katie confided that she felt guilty being in Zonko's--"what with Fred and George opening Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and all"--so they quickly left. Outside of Zonko's, they ran into George and Fred who were scouting the competition. Angelina and Alicia accompanied their boyfriends. While Katie caught up with her two best friends, Fred...or is it George?...convinced Jake to try a new product. Just as he was about to pop it in his mouth, Katie noticed what he was doing and plucked it from his hand. She turned to Fred...or is it George?

"George Weasley! What does this do?" she asked irritated.

"Just a new product. Thought Jake here..." He clapped Jake on the shoulder. "Would be a sport and help us out."

"What. Does. It. Do."

"Well, it's supposed to change hair colors every 30 minutes for 24 hours." Katie arched an eyebrow at him. He continued, "But we've been having some glitches."

Angelina called Katie over. Before she left, she warned Jake, "Do not eat anything either of them gives you."

Jake glanced at George who smiled innocently at him. The four of them said their goodbyes to Katie further down the street. As he left, George clapped Jake on the shoulder again. "No hard feelings, then, mate?" He shoved a bag into Jake's hands. "On the house. Enjoy!"

"What did they give you?" she asked, relieving him of the bag once they were out of earshot. She opened it and pulled out a box of Wildfire Whiz Bangs. Her face softened as she said, "Fireworks. I love fireworks."

Jake filed that mental note away. Maybe for her birthday...I don't even know when her birthday is...maybe I've missed it...are fireworks even legal here...

"Jake!"

He returned to the present to find her staring at him. "Y-yeah?"

"I asked if you wanted to go to Honeyduke's."

"Sure," he said, taking the bag back from her. Their hands brushed for a second and the butterflies in his stomach started up again. Houdini, she's beautiful. If he'd been paying the least attention, he'd have noticed the slight flush in her cheeks.

They entered Honeyduke's to find Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione there. Ron was stuffing chocolate into his mouth with one hand and holding Hermione's hand with the other. Harry and Ginny were standing close together, talking. Hermione looked over at Jake and arched an eyebrow. He shrugged in response to her unvoiced question.

"D'you like these?" Katie asked, holding up a box of Bertie Bott's.

He grimaced.

"What was it then? Liver, earwax, bogeys?"

His face became more and more contorted. "What is wrong with you people? Why would you eat any candy that could potentially taste like earwax?"

She grinned at him. "What fun would it be if they all tasted good? Where's the risk in that?" She ripped open a box and removed a bean. Taking a bite out of it, she smiled. "See, this one's mint." She handed the other half to him. "Try it."

He took it, but looked suspiciously at it.

"Go on then," she urged. "D'you reckon I'd steer you wrong?"

"Well, I don't know you that well..." His voice trailed off as he noticed the grin disappear from her face. He took a deep breath and popped the half bean into his mouth, chewing cautiously. A smile lit up his face. "It is mint."

"Told you," she said triumphantly. She held up the box. "Wanna try another?"

He nodded slowly, glad to see the grin had returned. I'd do anything to make you smile like that all the time...She handed the box over to him and watched as he plucked one out. Gathering his courage, he chewed and swallowed it.

"Maybe we should have quit while we were ahead then," she commented, seeing the face he'd pulled. She quickly grabbed a Chocolate Frog and handed it to him.

"Ah, good old Chocolate Frogs," he said, ripping open the package and shoving the frog into his mouth. While he was chewing, he glanced at the card. "Morgana!" he exclaimed.

"Found one you don't have yet?" Katie asked.

"I--I mean, it's Morgana," he replied, trying to sound cool about the whole thing.

"I collect them too. Wood always thought it was childish," she said.

"Oh." Talk about a mood killer...

As if reading his thoughts, she said, a little too brightly, "Well then. I'll guess I'll go pay."

"No!" He said, a little too loudly. "I mean, I'll pay," he said more quietly. "After all, I ate 'em."

"You just want the Morgana card for yourself," she teased.

He smiled, glad that the awkward moment was over.

********************************************

As they walked back to the castle proper, Katie stopped and turned to him. "Um, I was just wondering..."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Jake, d'you reckon you're ever going to kiss me?"

"W-what?" he said dumbly.

She didn't answer, but just stepped closer to him. He noticed that her hair was closer to the color of honey than to blonde and that her eyes matched the sky. When she was too close for him to focus, he closed his own eyes and leaned in. Their lips touched briefly. Just as the kiss deepened, she pulled back. Jake opened his eyes, wondering if he'd done something wrong. She was blushing. "Wouldn't do for the Head Girl to be caught snogging in broad daylight."

"Right," he said in a disappointed tone.

"I guess we'll have to find someplace more private," she added with a shy smile.

****************************************

Jake wandered down to breakfast late on Sunday morning, replaying yesterday's events in his head...she really likes me...He and Katie had found someplace more private after that first kiss. After an hour of...snogging, I guess..., she'd pulled away, murmuring something about needing to patrol the hallways. Rather than return to the common room and to the questions he was bound to encounter, he'd went for a walk around the grounds.

"Where'd you get to last night?" Ron asked as Jake plopped down at the table in the Great Hall.

"Is everything OK? You didn't show up for dinner last night. And then you never came back to the common room. We were worried..." Hermione was speaking a mile a minute.

"Look at him, Hermione. Of course everything is fine," Harry interjected.

Jake missed this entire interchange and, as he loaded his plate with food, he realized that he wasn't alone. "Oh! Hey, guys."

Ron snorted. "You kissed her, didn't you?"

Jake flushed. "W-what?" In between kissing, Katie had made it clear that she wasn't ready for anyone to know--'what with me being Head Girl and all'--and now his friends were asking about it.

"Don't bother to deny it."

"We...I...we didn't..." Jake sputtered.

"You did kiss her," Hermione said softly.

He nodded dumbly.

"That's great," Ron said, pounding him on the back.

"She doesn't want anyone to know," Jake said miserably.

"What do you mean she doesn't want anyone to know?" Harry asked.

Jake shrugged and shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth. He chewed slowly, considering his words. He could definitely understand why she wouldn't want the whole school gossiping about the Head Girl. On the other hand, he really wanted the whole world to know that she was his...your what? Girlfriend? I don't recall you asking her out on a date even... He'd just assumed that...you know what they say about assuming... He looked up to find the three of them staring at him.

"Well?" Hermione prompted.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said, getting up and leaving.

*********************************************

Katie found him in the Astronomy Tower, sitting on the ledge and looking out over the grounds. She cleared her throat, afraid that if she just started speaking, he'd plummet to his death. He turned around, grimaced, and turned back to the view.

"Harry said I'd probably find you up here," she explained.

She could see him shrug. He hadn't turned around again. As she struggled with her thoughts, she studied him. The wind was ruffling his sandy-brown hair and, although they weren't currently looking in her direction, she could picture his hazel eyes and cheeky smile. She'd always found him easy to talk to. Alicia and Angelina needled her mercilessly about him, but Katie had thought that he and Hermione were a couple. When she found out they weren't, she'd spontaneously asked him to spend the day with her. Which had led to her asking him to kiss her. Which had led to a lot of snogging.

Jake looked down at the lake. He thought he could make out two specks--one with red hair--embracing down there. But then again, maybe it was his imagination. Since several minutes had passed without any noise, he assumed that Katie'd left. He clambered off the wall and turned around.

"Ah!" he shrieked, startled to find her still standing here, staring at him. He cleared his throat and tried to lower his voice. "I...I thought you'd left."

She shook her head slowly. He was the first boy she'd been remotely interested in since Oliver had broken up with her almost a year ago. And instead of telling him that, she'd suggested that they keep their snogging a secret. Merlin, I'm an idiot...

"You probably want to talk about yesterday," he said.

She nodded, too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice the trace of sadness in his voice. "I just wanted to explain..."

He cut her off, forcefully. He had to at least try to make her see that they deserved a chance. "Look, we didn't talk about anything...permanent...yesterday."

"I know, that's why I wanted..."

"Go out with me," he blurted out.

"W-what?"

"Go out with me. On a real date."

"W-when?"

"Tonight," he said emphatically.

She shook her head. Seeing his expression falter, she quickly explained. "I have a prefects' meeting tonight."

The confident look returned. "Tomorrow then."

"H-how?"

"Leave that to me," he said as he walked to her, kissed her briefly on the cheek, and strode out of the tower.

***************************************

Jake was kissing Katie while they were sprawled out on her bed. She'd just grabbed his hands and guided them to her...

"NO!"

He sat bolt upright in his bed and tore back the bed curtains. Another shout came from Harry's bed. Jake made it to Harry's bed at the same time that Ron did. When they pulled back Harry's bed curtains, they saw him thrashing about. He was muttering something about 'an unnatural evil' as they looked at each other and nodded in tacit agreement.

"Harry!" Ron shouted as Jake shook him.

Slowly Harry stopped thrashing and opened his eyes. He said, "Something bad is coming" right before he passed out.

"Get Dumbledore and meet me in the Infirmary," Ron commanded as he slung his friend over his shoulder.

Jake nodded and scrambled out the door. As he ran barefoot to Dumbledore's office, he rounded a corner and collided with a tall body. Looking up from the floor, where he lay in a tangled heap, his eyes met Professor Snape's.

"Out of bed at this hour, Willig? I'm afraid that will be ten..."

"I need to get to Dumbledore, you stupid ass. Harry's blacked out. Ron's taking him to the Infirmary," Jake explained as he jumped to his feet.

Snape's outraged expression quickly turned to a determined one. "I'll get Dumbledore," he said, striding away.

****************************************

By the time Jake and Ron got back to the common room, the earliest risers were beginning to stir. Naturally, this included Hermione who was already dressed and sitting in an armchair, reading. When the portrait hole opened, she glanced up to find the two boys in their pajamas.

She immediately jumped up. "Are you alright?" she said, making her way over to Ron. Without a second thought, she took his hand and led him to the couch.

If Jake wasn't so tired, he'd have found the fact that Hermione was now so open with her feelings very amusing. As it was, he plopped down and listened listlessly as Ron recounted their night.

"Is Harry OK?" she asked in a worried tone.

Ron shrugged. "He's conscious. Madam Pomfrey said he could attend classes today IF he promised to take it easy."

"Oh, Ron," she replied, wrapping her arms around him

Jake made a gagging noise and headed up the staircase to the 6^th year boys' dormitory. He thought he could get a few hours of shuteye if he skipped breakfast.

***************************************

"You're not eating much," Hermione commented at dinner that night.

Jake pushed his food around on his plate, not answering.

"He's nervous. What with his date with Katie and all," Ron teased, spearing a piece of steak off of Jake's plate.

"So what are you going to do?" Hermione asked.

Jake shrugged. He knew what he was going to do, but wasn't about to share it with the other three.

"Surely, you have something planned," she pressed.

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione, leave him alone," Ron said.

"Ronald Weasley, I'm just trying to..."

"Trying to boss him around, I reckon," Ron muttered.

She huffed in his general direction and left the table. Ron sighed and said something about needing to go after her. When they were both gone, Jake brought up last night to Harry.

"Are you sure you're..." He gestured.

Harry nodded, but didn't explain further. Instead, he changed the subject. "So are you going to tell Katie?"

"Tell her what?" Jake said innocently.

"Who you really are. Who your mom is. Why you're here at Hogwarts."

"That would be a perfect first date, don't you think?" he asked sarcastically.

"I just think you ought to tell her is all."

"Not tonight..."

The door to the Great Hall banged open and a chilly wind blew through. At the entrance stood at very pale woman with jet black hair. She silently made her way to the head table where Dumbledore motioned for her to come talk to him. Out of the corner of his eye, Jake noticed Harry rub his scar.

*****************************************

At 7 p.m., Jake grabbed his backpack and his wand. He pointed his wand at one of his quills and mumbled something. A rose sat where the quill had been. He picked it up and made his way to the common room. Katie was sitting in an armchair, staring into the fire.

"Hey," he said softly.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Hi."

"This is for you," he said, handing her the rose.

"Thanks." The end of the rose looked surprisingly like the point of a feather. She shrugged, thinking it was the thought that counted.

"Ready?" he asked, hefting the backpack onto one shoulder.

She stood. "Am I dressed alright?" All he'd told her was to dress casually so she was in jeans and a sweater.

"Yeah, come on." He extended his hand to her. Rather than taking it, she glanced around the common room to see if anyone was watching. He sighed inwardly and shoved his hand into his pants pocket.

*******************************************

Jake led Katie to the Quidditch pitch and right there in the middle of the sand, he spread out a blanket. He motioned for her to sit and, reaching into his backpack, pulled out a butterbeer and handed it to her. He plopped down next to her. She took a sip and tried not to seem disappointed. Even Oliver, who was never one for romance, could have done better than this...

Without looking at her, he said, "Just give it a few moments, OK?" He glanced at his watch and silently counted down. Five, four, three, two, one...The first Wildfire Whiz Bang shot into the sky.

"You remembered?" she said, watching in wonder as it exploded.

"It was only two days ago," he said matter-of-factly.

"That's not what I meant, Jake, and you know it."

He ducked his head to hide the blush he felt on his face. "I know."

As they sat watching the fireworks explode over the Quidditch pitch, she reached over and took his hand. He glanced down at their hands and back up at her. Katie was looking resolutely at the sky and he grinned, turning his attention there as well. Once the fireworks finished shooting off, she gazed at him.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

He squeezed her hand and smiled. "You're welcome."

The sound of one last firework made them look up. A pink heart exploded into the night sky. A second later, the words 'Katie and Jake' filled the heart.

"I...I didn't have anything to do with that," he said in a strangled voice.

She laughed. "I'm sure that was George and Fred's doing." She paused and took a deep breath. "I can't say that I disagree with the sentiment though." Before he could reply, she leaned closer and kissed him.

********************************************

Jake escorted Katie to her first class the following morning. "See you at lunch?" he asked.

She nodded and pecked him on the cheek, knowing that the gossip mill of Hogwarts would be going into overdrive. She watched as he took off sprinting down the hall and, shaking her head, entered the Charms classroom. Jake skidded to a stop in front of a long-neglected classroom on the 5^th floor. The notice on the board had said that DADA would resume...here. He hesitantly pushed the door open and blinked while his eyes adjusted to the almost total darkness. Heavy draperies covered the windows and the only light was coming from candles.

"Jake, over here," he heard Harry whispering to his right. He headed in that direction and found Harry and Ron seated together. Hermione had saved the seat next to her. He dropped his backpack on the floor and sat down. "Walking Miss Bell to class, were you?" she asked with a smile.

"Just because my girlfriend doesn't have all the same classes with me..." he replied, casting a glance at Ron and then Hermione. He was pleased to see a blush rise in both of their cheeks.

Harry rolled his eyes and decided to come to his best mates' rescue. "Girlfriend?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

Now it was Jake's turn to blush. "Well, yeah, we kinda..." He went silent as the candles flickered in the room and that same chilly wind from last night swept through the room.

"I'm Professor Tepes," a seductive voice called from the front of the room. All eyes turned there to find the pale, dark-haired woman from last night facing them. "I am here to teach you Defense Against the Dark Arts. I've been told you've not had the best instructors in this area, no?" she added with a chuckle. She instructed them to open their books and the class groaned, thinking of Umbridge. "You must first learn the theory before putting it into practice, no?"

*******************************************************

By the time they'd finish with Double DADA, the rest of the school was at lunch already. The four of them entered the Great Hall and snagged the only seats at the very end of the Gryffindor table beside the first years. Jake spotted Katie at the far end of the table, sandwiched between Sloper and some blond 7^th Year. He waved at her and she smiled back. So much for sitting with your girlfriend, huh? He grabbed a plate and began loading slices of roast beef onto it.

"Mind if I sit here?" Katie's voice came from behind his left shoulder.

He spun around to find her holding her plate. Shoving his backpack onto the floor, he motioned for her to sit.

"Hi, Harry, Ron, Hermione," she said as she set her plate down and made herself comfortable on the bench next to Jake.

"Hey, Katie," the three of them replied. They quickly brought her up to speed on the new DADA professor. Jake noticed that Harry was quiet during this part of the conversation and was absentmindedly fingering his scar.

"Well, I guess I'll meet her after lunch then," she said. The conversation quickly turned to the coming Saturday's Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

"I put my money on Ravenclaw," Jake interjected.

Katie snorted. "I wouldn't bet on it. Cho's been...distracted...lately." She glanced at her watch, realizing that she was going to be late. "I've got to meet with McGonagall," she said, jumping up.

"Will I see you tonight?" Jake asked, standing as well.

She shook her head. "Probably not. We've got practice and then I've got to meet with Theodore to go over some things." Jake pulled a face at this and she laughed. "If you're able to drag yourself out of bed, we could have breakfast tomorrow."

He nodded and gave her a peck on the lips. "Til tomorrow." He watched her walk away before turning back to his friends. Who were all grinning at him. "What?"

"You've got it bad, mate," Ron said.

"You're going to get up in order to eat breakfast with her?" Hermione inquired. "That, I would pay money to see."

**********************************************

Jake sat on his bed with the curtains drawn. Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out what appeared to be his diary. It was, in fact, a two-way communicator with his mother. Picking up a quill, he began to write.

'Hey mom. You have a sec?'

A moment later, the reply appeared. 'For my only son? I may have up to a full minute.'

'Funny.'

'So how have you been?'

'Pretty good.'

'How are Hermione, and Ron, and Harry?' He'd filled his mom in on his new friends in an earlier missive.

'They're all fine. Hermione and Ron finally got together...with a little help from me, Harry, and Ginny.'

'And you're alright with that?' She seemed to think that he was carrying some sort of torch for Hermione.

'Mom, I've told you a thousand times. I don't see Hermione like that. And besides that I'm kinda...'

'Kinda what, Jacob?'

'Kinda seeing someone.'

There was no writing for a while. He could just picture his mother sitting there, debating whether to act nonchalant or press him for details. He decided to save her the trouble.

'Her name's Katie. She's Head Girl, a 7^th year, she's on the Quidditch team...'

'Ooh. An older woman.'

'Mom! It's only a year.'

'Sorry.' He knew full well she was grinning as she wrote this and not the least bit sorry. 'So she likes you? And you like her?'

He nodded and then remembered that his mother couldn't see him. 'Yeah. To both questions.'

'Then I'm happy for you. Robert is hovering over me, tapping his watch. I've got to go. I wanted to let you now I'll be in London in two weeks. Supposed to meet with Minister Fudge. I'd love to see you.'

'That's not really up to me, is it?' He didn't mean to sound so petulant, but coming to Hogwarts, thousands of miles from his family, hadn't exactly been his idea.

'Ouch. Regardless, I would like to see you. And perhaps meet this girlfriend of yours...Katie, you said her name was?'

'We'll see.'

'I've really got to go. Love ya.'

'Love ya more. Bye Mom.'

He shut the book and shoved it back beneath his pillow. He stowed his wand next to his bed. The one thing he forgot to do was set his alarm.

***********************************************

Because Jake missed his breakfast with Katie, he wasn't able to see her until Thursday night. Partly because she was miffed at him. Partly because they couldn't get their schedules together. Thursday night, however, found Jake opening the Room of Requirement. Harry and Ron were running late at Quidditch practice and Hermione had run off to the library after dinner. They were supposed to have a DA meeting in half an hour. Jake walked past the Barnaby's tapestry three times, thinking about what he needed. He opened the door to find a cozy table for two, some soft music playing, and lots of candlelight. He quickly shut the door and willed his mind to focus on the DA meeting and not on Katie. He walked back and forth three times again and opened the door. The table, music, and candles were still there.

"What do you have on your mind, Mr. Willig?" came a voice that sounded surprisingly like Professor McGonagall's. He slammed the door shut and spun around to face...

"You should see your face," Hermione managed between fits of laughter.

"That's not nice," he sputtered.

"Katie still mad at you?" she asked when she'd finally gotten control of herself.

Jake shrugged. "Why do you girls get so...weird about things?"

"Weird about things? You forgot to meet her for breakfast. Which I could have told you would happen, given your history of waking up early," she said as she marched down the hall and back three times. He pushed open the door and found it as it always was for DA meetings.

"Don't say anything to anyone, OK?" he pleaded as they entered the room.

"I think it's cute that you were thinking about your girlfriend," Hermione said with a grin.

Jake was saved from this conversation by the arrival of Harry and Ron. Ron pulled Hermione into a corner to 'greet her properly' as he put it. While they were pretending not to notice the snogging, Jake brought something up to Harry.

"I've...ah...been thinking...about DA," Jake began. Harry said nothing, waiting for Jake to continue. "And I think it's great and all...but I think that...maybe...we should be learning how to defend ourselves without our wands."

Harry furrowed his brow, not entirely sure what Jake was getting at. "You mean hand-to-hand combat?" he finally asked.

"What happens if our wands get taken away? We need to be able to defend ourselves and this is..."

Harry shook his head. "No, you're absolutely right. We should know how to defend ourselves without magic."

"OK then." Jake was delighted that Harry hadn't taken offense to his suggestion.

"So when do we start?"

Jake's head popped up. "W-we?"

"I figured...after breaking Malfoy's nose and all...that you'd be the perfect bloke to teach us."

"You want me...to teach everyone how to...fight?"

Harry nodded. "If they want to learn, yeah. What do you say?"

*************************************************

That was how Jake found himself teaching everyone some simple evasive moves at the end of the meeting. Using Hermione as an example, he showed the group how to use their opponent's size and momentum to overcome them. He figured that if Hermione could take him down, the others might be willing to try. After she flipped him onto his back for the third time, he said, "I think you've got the picture. If everyone would partner up..."

Hermione loomed over him. "That was great. I can't wait to throw Ron to the ground..."

"Hey, this is only to be used for noble purposes," Jake shouted from the ground as Hermione blushed at the unintended meaning of her words. She disappeared and he pushed himself up onto his elbows to survey the scene around him. Ginny had flipped Neville and Harry was sprawled on his back as Dean grinned at him. He scanned the room, looking for Katie. She'd ignored him for the entire meeting, running through spells with Ernie McMillan.

"I need a partner." He craned his neck back to find Katie standing behind him. He scrambled to his feet.

"Hey, I just wanted to say that I'm..."

As he spoke, she turned around and placed his arms around her, one wrapped around her shoulders and the other securely around her waist. Maybe she does forgive me after all... He caught a whiff of her shampoo--a lilac-y scent--before he went tumbling feet over head. He hit the ground with a very audible 'oof.' "Guess you're still angry," he said, grinning as he looked up at her.

Despite herself, she smiled back and helped him to his feet.

Twenty minutes later, only Harry, Ron, Hermione, Jake, and Katie were left in the Room of Requirement. "Nicely done, Jake," Harry said, leaving. Hermione and Ron followed him out. He eyed Katie suspiciously, wondering if she was still mad at him.

"Walk me back to the dormitory?" she asked.

Guess not... "Sure."

As they slowly made their way back to Gryffindor Tower, they walked hand-in-hand. Katie was grilling him on his likes and dislikes.

"Obviously, you like sleeping and dislike getting up early," she teased.

"Hey! I overslept once."

"What else then?"

Jake shrugged, unsure of what she wanted to know.

"Favorite color?" she asked.

"Blue. You?"

Can I say hazel? Is that even a real color? "Green, I guess. Favorite food?"

"A hot dog from a New York City hot dog cart. With relish and mustard," he said dreamily. He could almost taste it now. Pity the house-elves didn't have access to a real cart. "You?"

"My mum's roast turkey. She'd make it every Sunday," she replied. "Favorite song?"

Jake pondered for a moment. "Long and Winding Road."

"The Beatles then?"

He stopped and looked at her. "You know who the Beatles are?" Ron hadn't a clue about any muggle music.

She smiled. "My dad's a muggle."

"And your mom?"

"Witch." She paused. "Your parents?"

"My mom's a witch. My dad was a wizard."

"W-was?" Katie asked, looking into his eyes.

"He died before I was born."

"I'm sorry," she said.

He shrugged and tugged her gently. It was easier to talk about this if they were moving and she couldn't stare at him. "It's OK. Me and my mom get along pretty good."

"She was OK with you coming to England?"

This is your chance to come clean about who you are... "Actually, she suggested it. There's something I need to tell you about..."

"Ah, young love. Out for a stroll, no?" Professor Tepes had seemingly come out of nowhere. "Miss Bell, Mr. Willig."

"Good evening, Professor," Katie said, dropping Jake's hand.

"No reason to be embarrassed. I was once young too," Professor Tepes said with a smile.

Jake stared a long moment. Professor Tepes's incisors were elongated and sharpened to a point. He blinked and when he looked again, they were normal.

"Til tomorrow," the teacher said as she continued down the hall.

************************************************

After morning classes on Friday, Jake made some excuse and parted ways with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Probably going off to snog Katie," Ron explained. Hermione felt like something was going on with Jake, but, before she could pursue it, Ron dragged her toward the Great Hall. "Don't want all the food to be gone," he grumbled as Harry tagged along after them.

They quickly seated themselves and Ron was half-way through his first plate when Katie plopped down next to Harry. "Where's Jake then?" she asked as she filled her plate.

"We thought he was with..." Ron began. Hermione stomped on his foot hard. "Ow. What did you do that for?"

"He said something about needing to go to his room," Hermione said.

"No, he..." This time Harry stomped on Ron's foot. "Would you two quit it?"

"Excited about the match tomorrow then, Katie?" Harry asked by way of a subject change.

She glanced from Harry to Hermione to Ron, thinking that something was up, but ignoring it.

*************************************

Jake was in the library, looking through a stack of books with names like 'The Compleat Vampyre' and '1001 Creatures that Go Bump in the Night.' Madam Pince had suggested he look at Gilderoy Lockhart's works, but he shook his head, remembering how Harry had called Lockhart a phony. He was thoroughly convinced that he had seen Professor Tepes' teeth elongate and then shrink. As he scanned the books, more of it made sense. "The lack of natural light in her classroom, the fact that no one ever saw her during the day, the teeth," he mumbled to himself.

"There you are."

He glanced up to find Hermione leaning over the table, looking at his books. "As much as I commend you for taking your homework seriously, I do not like having to cover for you with your girlfriend," she said as she sat across from him.

"Katie?"

"Asked us where you were. And we didn't know. I would have never in a million years pictured you in the library," she answered his question.

"Do you think she believed you?"

Hermione shrugged. "Do you have something to hide?"

"No, I just..." He sighed and sat back in his chair. As he tried to collect his thoughts, he ran his hands through his hair. "I think that Professor Tepes is a vampire," he confided in her. He expected her to smile or laugh or look horrified. Instead he got...

"What's your evidence?"

He laid out his arguments to Hermione. When he was done speaking, she looked at him for a long moment. Finally she said, "We need to tell Harry and Ron."

***************************************

Friday night, the four of them sat in the common room, waiting for everyone else to go to bed. Jake was glad that Katie had Head Girl stuff to take care of. He didn't want to lie to her, but she could not know what they were planning to do. Once the common room was empty, Harry pulled his father's Invisibility Cloak and Marauders' Map. Harry looked at the cloak and at the four of them, shaking his head.

"We're not all going to fit under the cloak. Two of us will have to use the cloak and two of us will use the map. We'll take separate routes to Tepes' office," Harry explained.

"Hermione and I will take the cloak," Jake blurted out.

"WHAT?" Ron shouted. He was turning red about the ears. "You'll do no such thing."

"Look, we're the same height. You and Harry are too damn tall to fit under this thing," he said as he held it.

"You and Hermione shouldn't..."

Jake faced Ron. "When are you gonna get it into that thick head of yours that Hermione is madly in love with you?" He stepped closer to Hermione and wrapped the cloak around both them and they disappeared. Jake's voice came from the door, "We'll meet you there."

As they made their way down the hall and up a staircase, Hermione whispered over Jake's left shoulder. "Did you have to say that?"

Jake shook his head. "Honestly, Hermione. First off, it's true and secondly, Ron was too ticked with me to probably even register it."

She opened her mouth to respond when Jake stopped short. She collided with his back and peeked over his shoulder. Filch was rounding the corner. He stopped for a moment, sniffing the air, and then, satisfied that all was right, continued on his way. Jake waited several minutes to make sure it wasn't a trick. They continued walking, neither speaking for fear of getting caught. Finally, they arrived on the 5^th floor, stopping in front of Tepes' classroom. Five minutes later, Harry and Ron arrived.

"Poncy bastard," Ron muttered.

"Don't swear," Hermione said as Jake pulled the cloak off of them.

"She's not in there, is she?" Jake asked.

Harry checked the map. "Nope, she's down by the Forbidden Forest."

"Shall we?"

They slowly pushed open the door to the DADA classroom. Without the candles, it was even darker than usual. When the door shut behind them, none of them could see past their noses.

"Lumos," Hermione commanded. Her wand threw off enough light for them to make their way to the front of the classroom. The door was locked.

"Alohomora," Jake cast a spell with his wand. He reached out and turned the knob. They walked into what looked to be an ordinary office. Except for the large coffin in the corner. "I knew it," he said triumphantly.

"There's someone in there, I tell you." Jake would recognize that voice anywhere--Theodore McGowan.

"Theodore, there's no one in here," Katie's voice replied.

"Get under the cloak," Jake whispered as he threw it to Harry. A second later, the three of them disappeared. He looked up just in time to see Theodore grinning at him.

"What have we here?" Marcus said sarcastically. "Tut, tut. The Head Girl's boyfriend breaking into a professor's office."

Jake looked to Katie's face. He could see anger and disappointment and shock warring in her eyes. "Katie, it's not what you think."

"We need to see McGonagall. Now," she said flatly.

Jake exited Tepes' office, casting one furtive look over his shoulder.

Five minutes later, he was seated in McGonagall's office. She was listening to McGowan's version of events (which Jake had to admit was accurate), shaking her head. "Miss Bell, do you know anything about this?"

"Katie didn't know anything about this, Professor," Jake jumped in to defend her.

McGonagall studied Jake's face and knew he was telling the truth. "Mr. Flint, Miss Bell, you may go."

Theodore grinned wolfishly at Jake. Katie didn't look at him. Once they left, McGonagall turned to Jake. "Explain yourself, Mr. Willig."

"I...I...she's a vampire," he finally blurted out.

McGonagall shook her head, the slightest hint of a smile in her eyes. "Of course, she is. That's part of the reason why Professor Dumbledore hired her."

All the air went out of Jake and he looked down at his shoes. "I'll pack my things," he mumbled.

"What was that, Mr. Willig?"

"I said I'll pack my things," he said more clearly.

"You're not being expelled. Not today," she added with a smile. "You will however have two weeks' detention with me. And fifty points will be deducted from Gryffindor."

"That's it?"

"Oh, I rather think that your hands will be full with Miss Bell." She looked through her glasses at him. "You may go," she said, shuffling some papers on her desk.

He stood. "Thank you, Professor McGonagall."

When he was in the doorway, he heard her say in an undertone, "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, and Miss Granger owe you."

**********************************************

He dragged himself through the portrait hole, bracing himself for the onslaught of questions from the trio. However, the common room was empty. As he stepped on the first stair to the boys' dormitory, a voice stopped him.

"What did you think you were doing?"

He set his foot back on the floor and turned. Katie was sitting in front of the long-extinguished fire. "I...I...I thought she was a vampire. So I wanted to find out," he said after a long moment of debating what to say.

"You thought that she's a what?"

"Vampire. Turns out I'm right too."

She said nothing to this. "I suppose that Harry, and Ron, and Hermione knew what you were doing."

He just nodded his head. Lying wouldn't do any good. That's part of why this had happened in the first place.

"But you couldn't tell me." This was more a question than a statement.

He made his way toward her and sat on the adjacent armchair. "No, I couldn't. You're Head Girl, Katie. You'd have tried to stop me and then..."

"Then what? Turned you in?" When he didn't answer, she continued. "D'you really reckon I'd have turned you in?"

He glanced down at his shoes. "Of course you would have. That's who you are. You do the right thing. " He looked up, adding, "That's part of the reason that I like you." But she was gone.