The Twin Lockets

The Twin Lockets

Chapter Nine: Suspicions

Harry looked up from the locket to Hermione. "What were you talking about with her?"

"Nothing," Hermione lied.

"Hermione, we heard the whole conversation. Just tell us what it means. Who is Jenna?" Harry asked.

"Harry, I..." Hermione stopped. "I don't know. She... let something slip earlier and I thought maybe she was somebody else. But, she's not."

Harry looked at the locket, its double S's interlinking on the front. "So, you wouldn't know about this locket with the two S's on it, would you?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "No."

"And you wouldn't know anything about what Luna said on the train, right?" Harry continued.

Hermione shook her head. "No. Nothing."

Ron's eyes widened. "With a locket around their neck... Riddle's grandchild... Do you really think she could be?"

"I'm positive Harry said. "Didn't she just mention her father and her grandfather in a bad light? And why else would she have Slytherin's locket?"

"It's not... She's not..." Hermione stuttered.

"What are you all talking about?" Ginny asked, stomping her foot. "Who is what, now?"

"Jenna -the girl on the train- is Voldemort's grand daughter," Harry breathed.

Ron twitched at the mention of Voldemort and Ginny shuddered a little.

"You're just jumping to conclusions, Harry," Hermione said, through gritted teach. "You don't know any of that for fact."

"Well, what other explanation is there?" Harry asked, coldly.

Hermione didn't reply.

The four of them looked down at the locket in silence, till Ron said, "We have to go, now. Come on."

Harry followed Ron, the locket still in his hands. Ginny and Hermione stayed behind.

"Hermione, is she really?" Ginny whispered.

Hermione looked at Ginny with a sad, defeated expression on her face. "I can't answer that, Ginny."

The two walked up to Hogwarts in silence. Each knew the other had a secret, but neither wanted to tell theirs first.

Ginny thought about the night she'd left from the Death Eaters. She remembered how she'd escaped. Or, rather, how she'd been rescued.

"Why should I trust you?" She remembered herself saying.

"You shouldn't," had been the response. "But, you have to. So, are you coming with me or not?"

Ginny remembered following the hooded figure into the night. Then, she remembered one last thing. The person had turned around and looked at her. "Almost forgot," the person had said. Then, she remembered them lifting their wand. "Stupify!"

And, when she woke up, she was on her doorstep.

Hermione thought about the memory. Lily's memory. She'd been so close. Why wouldn't Jenna talk to her? She could've helped her. Together, they could've stopped the war, perhaps. Or, at the very least, save several innocent lives.

Then, she remembered something. She could prove to Jenna that it wasn't a hopeless cause. In the memory, what part was it that Harry was supposed to see? The words echoed back to her. "Lily, in the Forbidden Forrest, if you walk for twenty-two yards from Hagrid's hut and then make a left and take exactly thirty seven steps, you'll come to a place. A large tree. Whisper the password. This password: Corpus Vipera. When you do, a passageway will open up to a small place. In this small place, on the other side of the pond, there is a tree. Carve your name on it, under mine. Yours and Potter's. Please, just do this. I can't say why. Just do it. Please..." That one part must've been why Lily had left the memory to Harry. And, perhaps that one part was what could convince Jenna that it wasn't too late. There was still time. Then, she remembered the very last words that had been spoken in the memory:

"Alright. I will," Lily had said. She looked up at the one other person in the room. "I'll always love you. You know that, don't you?"

The person had looked up at her. "Sometimes I wonder if you know." Then, the memory had faded. Maybe if Jenna saw it, even just the ending, she'd be convinced that she and Hermione could do something. Maybe it really wasn't too late. Perhaps there was still time.

Hermione and Ginny sat down besides each other. Both of them barely heard when McGonagall had began her speech. "Recent events have made this, perhaps, the hardest year we have ever had to face. But, we must be strong and endure in this hard time. Many of our students have left, but I congratulate those of you who have stayed. The wizarding world needs you more than ever and..."

Ginny tuned out McGonagall's words. That is, till she mentioned the new teachers. "I'd like to introduce you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Amelia Hartingson and our new Transfiguration professor, Nymphadora Tonks."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny looked up immediately. Ron mouthed, "Tonks?"

Hermione looked up at the professors' table. Hartingson smiled at the students. Tonks was no where to be seen.

Suddenly, Tonks came bustling through the door, out of breath. "Sorry I'm late! Missed the train. Oof!" She jogged up to the front of the room, tripping a little before sitting.

McGonagall rolled her eyes. Several students giggled. Tonks just turned bright pink and smiled, nervously.

"Also, before our sorting," McGonagall continued, "I'd like you to all know that two new students have come to Hogwarts this year: William Daniel Paris and Jenna Athena Maus."

Hermione glanced over at Ron and Harry, the first of which had just whispered to the second, "Must've changed her name. Fooled McGonagall, I guess."

Jenna and William came through the front doors. Jenna walked in, stiffly, sitting at the Ravenclaw table in a huff. She glanced at Hermione and scowled. William, much more slowly, walked to the Slytherin table and sat down.

Ron's eyes were wide. "What? But he's not supposed to be in... He shouldn't be..."

"Figures," Harry interrupted, his unexplainable dislike of William showing on his face.

The sorting went by quickly. There were less first years than any other year before. Actually, there were less of every year from every house.

Hermione looked down. She'd noticed McGonagall's lack on commenting on Dumbledore's death. Perhaps it was still too painful for the new Headmistress.

After the feast, McGonagall simply announced, "It's time for you all to go back to your common rooms." Everyone got up to leave, going to their respective houses. Except for Hermione, that is.

"Jenna, I..." Hermione began, following the dark eyed girl.

Jenna spun around. "You what? First of all, now all of your friends know who I am."

"They don't..." Hermione protested.

"Second," Jenna sharply interrupted, "it's none of your business who I am or who anyone from my family is or anything from my life in general."

"Jenna, I just wanted to help..." Hermione began.

"Third," cut off Jenna, "there's nothing you can do or say to make anything better. You can't solve every problem just because you're the Great and Wonderful Hermione Granger. I don't need your help, I don't want your help, and there's nothing you can do to help. Deal with it."

Jenna turned around to leave. She had taken several long strides before Hermione whispered, "But I could help. I could show you something. A memory..."

Jenna spun around. "A what?"

"Jenna, I... it's... it's just a hunch. I don't even really know what it means. But, it could help..." Hermione said.

"Alright. Show it," Jenna said, crossing her arms.

"Not now," Hermione said. "I'll need time to find a pensieve. And, I need to make sure Harry and Ron don't find out. I'll be ready in a week."

Jenna snorted. "A week? Alright, you have yourself a deal, Hermione." She paused, her face turning sour. "What's in your memory? It's not my father, is it?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. It's about your mother."

"Fine," Jenna said. She turned to go, but paused. "Tell Harry he can have the locket. He'll figure out how to open it soon. Just make sure he doesn't give it to anyone else, will you?"

"Alright," Hermione said. As Jenna turned and walked to the Ravenclaw Towers, Hermione couldn't help but wonder why Jenna had been so persistent that Harry keep the locket. Unless maybe that's what Jenna had been planning all along. Considering all of the things Hermione knew about the girl, there were so many secrets she kept, as well.