Twin Fall ↠ A Fred Weasley story

31. The Boathouse

"Where are you going?" Harry asked in exasperation.

Jess was walking away from Dumbledore's office in the opposite direction of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"I need to talk to someone," she said loudly, without turning around.

Harry jogged to catch her up and held her in place.

"Talk to who? Jess we're going through this together..."

"Why didn't we say something, Harry?" she hissed, angrily. "Why didn't we tell him about the voice we've been hearing? Why did you cut me off?"

"Because it doesn't matter! Dumbledore knows we didn't do the attacks. Justin and Nick were just in the wrong place at..."

"Don't say that!" Jess huffed, trying to pull away from him. "We could have the answer and you're too scared to say anything!"

"I'm not scared," Harry bit back.

"You're a liar."

Jess glared at her brother with venom swirling in her eyes. Her heart ached, and she felt as if she didn't tell someone soon, she would explode. She yanked herself back, hard.

"It's hard enough everyone knowing we speak parseltongue - it's hard enough that Dumbledore knows!" her voice was rising angrily. "But, he asked us if we had anything else going on, Harry. It's like he knew! And you knew I wanted to tell him, but you completely pushed me aside."

"I didn't think it meant so much to you," Harry said, sadly.

"Mean that much to me?" Jess's voice was borderline hysterical. "It might just be Mrs Norris, or Colin, or Justin, or Nick, to you. But to me, it's who's next?" Her green eyes were ablaze with rage. "Has it even occurred to you that Hermione is a muggle born?"

Harry's eyes widened.

"Take that as a no then," Jess seethed. "I hope you know what you're doing darling brother, because we had a chance to possibly put it right tonight-"

"I get it," he held his hands up in surrender. "I shouldn't have interrupted you."

"Right," Jess tossed her hair over her shoulder. "We'd all better hope that these attacks subside. If Hermione is next and we could've stopped -"

Jess choked back emotionally. She turned to walk away again.

"I'm sorry, Jess," Harry called after her.

Jess looked back at him, "I hope we're not sorry when all this is through."

"Where are you going, please?" he asked.

"To find someone."

"Fred?"

"Does it matter who?"

"Well, yes it does," Harry retorted in frustration. "I thought you were keeping him away from 'our stuff'."

"I was."

"Then what's chang-"

"JESUS HARRY!" Jess yelled in irritation, spinning to him. "I need him, okay? He makes me happy - he makes me laugh! He's a good thing in my life, in comparison to a whole lot of bad, which seems to be just taking over right now."

Harry retreated at her outburst. Jess rubbed her forehead with stress.

"I'm sorry, Harry." she mumbled, trying to compose herself. "I am. I don't want to shout, especially not at you, because you're the only one who knows what I'm going through."