Coven-Over-Bridgewater

"And so down there are the dungeons, that's where we have Potions with Professor Snape, and -"

"Yes, all right, I see," said Jenna distractedly. "So where are our dormitories? Where do we eat? Where do we see people?"
Hermione sighed.
"We're not there yet," she said impatiently. "First I'm showing you the important things, like the classrooms and the library. There will be time for all of that social stuff later."

As Head Girl, Hermione Granger was asked to show the new student, Jenna Templin, around the school to get her oriented with the layout of the building, which was very complicated even for students who had been going there for all seven years of their education. Hermione, as it was her nature to do so, was of course taking her duty very seriously, but Jenna seemed less interested in the actual school as she was in talking to people and socializing. It was still rather early in the year, not even halfway through the first quarter, so Jenna wasn't very worried about having to catch up with her classes. Hermione, however, felt it was her responsibility to make sure Jenna was on top of things.

"Alright, so I suppose we'd better head over to the library then," Hermione said. "It's really a wonderful place, the library. I go every day, and there are still hundreds of books I haven't read yet, though I'm trying hard to read as much as I can before this year is over. It's a great place to do work, too, so quiet, and though Madame Pince is really quite --"

"Woah, who are they?" Jenna whispered to Hermione, gesturing toward two boys coming down the hall towards them.

Hermione looked up to see two boys in their grade, sixth year, walking towards them, apparently deep in conversation about something seemingly very important. The taller one was speaking spiritedly and gesturing wildly with his long arms, and the dark-haired one walking next to him was merely shaking his head smiling, as if he was entirely sure that what the other was saying was very wrong indeed. Hermione recognized them immediately as her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

"Oh, they're my friends, actually," Hermione said to Jenna, who was gaping at one of them, though Hermione wasn't sure which. "Ron and Harry."

"Hi Hermione," said Harry as they passed each other in the hall, and Ron gave a smile and a little wave.

"Hi Harry, Ron," she said smiling, and as soon as the two boys had passed they immediately started up their lively conversation again, this time Ron the one shaking his head and Harry attempting to make his point heard.

"Wow," said Jenna, turning her head to look at their retreating backs as they continued on down the hallway. "The one with the glasses is a friend of yours, you said?" she asked, looking at Hermione now, an expression of awe on her face.

"They both are," Hermione said, a hint of irritation in her voice. "Why?"

"His name's Harry, right?" Jenna asked, completely ignoring Hermione's question.

"Yes, it is," and then, forgetting momentarily to be polite and be a good representative of the school community, she said, "but why do you care?"

"Because he's cute, that's why!" Jenna said, laughing slightly. "Don't you think so?"
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. We're best friends, I don't really think of him 'in that way'."

"How can you not?" Jenna asked. "He's totally adorable! I'd even go so far as to say that he puts the boys in my old town to shame."

Resisting the urge to say something rude, Hermione suggested, "Let's just go down to the Great Hall. It's almost dinner time anyway, and then afterwards I'll show you the library."

Jenna didn't hesitate to agree, as she was very keen on visiting the social center of the school, and so the two of them set off for the Great Hall.

* * *

When they arrived it was already very busy. Students of every age filled the Great Hall, talking loudly and playing cards or trying in vain to finish up homework that was due the next period. The food was not yet served, so there were just empty plates and silverware set out for every student at each of the four House tables.

"Each House sits together at their respective tables. This is our table over here," Hermione said, leading Jenna to the Gryffindor table. Some of Hermione's friends were already seated there, including Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan. "Hi Dean, hi Seamus," she said to them. "This is Jenna. She's a new student here, and I've been showing her around the school today."

"Hi Jenna," they both said.

"Hi," she said, smiling a bit, and she and Hermione sat down across from them.

"Where are Ron and Harry?" Hermione asked. "I saw them a minute ago, but they were going the other way."

"They'll be back in a minute," Dean said. "They just went up to the dorm. Had to get something for our next class."

Hermione nodded, and then she said to Jenna, "So now you basically know all my friends. We're all in Gryffindor of course, and all in the sixth year, like you. Oh, but Ron's got a younger sister Ginny who's a friend of mine too. She's in her fifth year, you'll meet her later, I suppose."

Jenna smiled and looked around the room. She seemed very intrigued by the festive start-of-term decorations that were still up from two weeks ago when the school year had commenced. She had previously been home schooled, and she hadn't ever seen so many people so close to her own age in one place before. It was all very overwhelming and exciting.

Suddenly her attention was captured by a certain someone entering the Great Hall. Nobody else seemed to notice his entrance since it was so busy and loud in there, but Jenna certainly did, and she was immediately intrigued by him.

"Hermione," she said, nudging Hermione on the arm but not tearing her gaze away from this mysterious student. "Hermione, who's that? Do you know him?"

Hermione pulled away from her conversation with Seamus and Dean for a moment to look where Jenna was looking. She followed Jenna's gaze to the giant doorway, where a student in their year was shuffling into the Great Hall. A worn canvas bag was hanging over his shoulder, nearly tearing at the seams from the amount of books he was toting around with him, and if you were looking at him you'd only be able to see the top of his brown-haired head because he was looking down at his feet as he shuffled his scuffed dark brown loafers across the Great Hall floor. He was wearing light brown corduroy pants and a dark red sweater that, Jenna noticed, his rather broad shoulders and strong-seeming chest seemed to fill quite nicely. He looked up momentarily, probably just to make sure he was heading towards the right table, and Jenna caught a glimpse of his face. His eyes were brown and clear under his silky-looking brown hair, but he cast his gaze to the floor once again after that.

"Oh, yes, of course I know him," said Hermione casually. "His name's Neville Longbottom."

Jenna tore her eyes from this beautiful sight and looked at Hermione.

"Oh my gosh, Hermione, he's coming this way," she whispered, her face becoming flushed. "He's not in Gryffindor, is he?"

"Sure he is," Hermione said. "He's a friend of mine, actually."

"Oh my God," Jenna whispered again, seeming rather nervous.

"Jenna, what's wrong with you?" Hermione asked, laughing a little.

"I take back what I said about your friend Harry, Hermione," Jenna said. "He was cute, but this boy is...I don't know. I'm in shock! I am actually at a loss for words. And let me tell you, that is a rare thing for me."

Hermione glanced back at their approaching classmate. He was halfway to their table. "I guess I never really noticed," she said, shrugging a bit. "We've been friends for a while, but I hadn't seen him for a few months since two weeks ago, so maybe he's changed a bit since the end of the last school year."

Jenna didn't say anything. She was too busy gazing longingly at her fellow classmate to reply.

"Jenna, you're staring!" Hermione hissed. "Come on now, get a hold of yourself. He's just a boy, okay?"

Jenna nodded and turned back toward the table. "You're right, he's just a boy," she mumbled to herself. "That's all. Just another student. Just another --"

"Hi Neville," said Hermione cheerily, and Jenna looked up to see him sitting down across the table next to Seamus. She was awe struck at his incredibly indescribable handsomeness.

"Hi Hermione," he said quietly, smiling a very small, meek smile at her. Dean and Seamus greeted him as well, and received marginally heartier replies.

Hermione glanced over at Jenna. Her face was plastered in a somewhat eerie, teeth-flashing grin, and she was fluttering her eyelashes so vigorously that Hermione worried about her sanity.

Suddenly she remembered her duty as Jenna's ambassador. "Oh, Neville - ah, this is Jenna Templin. She's new here."

Neville looked at Jenna and hoped that the surprise he was feeling inside wasn't registering on his face, as her odd manner could actually be quite shocking to a person as reserved as he was. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to be unfriendly, so he smiled and said:

"Hello, Jenna, nice to meet you. I'm Neville."

Jenna felt suddenly overcome by an attack of the giggles. "Hi," she managed in between breaths and tittering laughs. "I'm sorry, would you excuse me for a second? I just have to...you know, go the the bathroom." With that she climbed out of her seat and quickly fled the Great Hall.

Seamus watched as she left, then turned back to his mates at the table. "Where'd you say she transferred from? The loony bin?"

The other boys laughed, but Hermione tried to remain serious. "No, she's from Coven-Over-Bridgewater, and she was home schooled, not institutionalized. There's a difference you know."

"Please excuse my friend over here, Hermione," said Dean of a snickering Seamus. "He's sorry, he hasn't been people-trained yet."

"Joke around if you like," said Hermione somewhat hotly, "but keep in mind that you're a representative of this school and had best make a good impression."

"Yeah, and besides, you don't even know her yet," Neville piped in. "For all you know she could be really nice."

"What are you doing on Hermione's side?" Seamus asked jokingly.

"You're just defending that Jenna girl because she seems to be smitten with you," Dean said. "Isn't that something?"

"What?" said Neville incredulously, looking around at the three of his friends who were seated at the table with him. "She's not smitten with me! She doesn't even know me!"

Hermione laughed and smiled, finally loosening up a bit. "She certainly seemed smitten to me. Why do you think she went all silly and then skittered off to the bathroom in such a hurry when you sat down?"

Neville shrugged, tugging absently on the collar of the shirt he was wearing under his sweater. "I don't know, maybe she just really had to go."

Dean laughed at the expression on Neville's face as well as his friend's obvious naivete. "Deny it if you want, but I think she finds you cute," he said, which sparked a loud "Ooooh!" from Seamus.

There was a slight pause. Then - "Are you going to tell her?" asked Seamus carefully.

Neville looked at him. "Of course not. I don't even know if she's noticed me, let alone is thinking about marrying me. Besides, I've only known her for - what, five minutes? I waited five months to tell you guys, and you're my best friends."

Seamus, Dean and Hermione nodded silently in understanding.

"Now be quiet, you lot, she's coming back," Neville said quickly, and indeed she was. Jenna returned to their table, smiling sheepishly and looking much subdued.

"Find the washroom all right?" asked Hermione earnestly.

"Yes, thanks," said Jenna, and she smiled thankfully at Hermione, who smiled back. Fortunately for Jenna, whose face was still looking a bit flushed, dinner suddenly blossomed up out of the table and covered the long wooden surface with hundreds of bowls and platters of wonderful-looking foods.

Ron and Harry joined them just then, hurrying into the Great Hall to find their seats at the Gryffindor table, and Ginny Weasley found the group as well. Once the three of them had been introduced to Jenna and vice versa, the Gryffindors were able to have a very enjoyable meal. Jenna seemed to have calmed down quite a bit, obviously having benefitted a great deal from her quick respite from the commotion in the lavatory, though once or twice she found herself a bit taken aback when Neville addressed her directly, and more than once nearly spilt the contents of a bowl or tray he very politely asked her to pass him.

"Sorry Jenna, one last time- would you please pass the pumpkin juice this way?" he asked, smiling apologetically. She laughed a bit and smiled and picked up the full pitcher with a shaky hand, trying hard to hold it still as she passed it a few places down.

"Thanks," he said when he received it, and he smiled a grateful smile that he had no idea was making Jenna melt like the ice cream in his bowl.