Hello! This is my fan fiction, called "Cookies For You"! I don't want to stay and rant all day, so I will just get on with it!


I do not own JK Rowling’s characters. All settings and characters belong to JK Rowling and Bloomsbury Publishing Inc.

zwillo is my AMAZING beta - thank you so much!


Chapter One


Jocelyn Stewart stepped out of the carriage and smiled as she looked at the Hogwarts Grounds. She really missed this place while she was at Beauxbatons. The tall towers, the vast forest, the classes, the food, and the great people were what she missed. Of course these were poor words used to describe them, but they were all she could think of now. Majestic, glorious, breathtaking were more like it. Even though she was only at Beauxbatons for a year, she swore she would never go back.

As she went inside the Great Hall, she grinned at all of the people chattering and laughing. It was like home. Jocelyn was enjoying all of this when suddenly; she heard a loud scream followed by a shout of “Joss!” Hermione Granger was staring at her wide-eyed, gaping mouth, and frozen.
Jocelyn laughed at the sight of her best friend and ran to sit with her at the Gryffindor table. The rest of her friends, Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and others were staring at her with the most perplexed expressions. This is exactly why she didn’t tell anyone she would be returning to Hogwarts, she loved to surprise people. She expected the cheerful greetings and the confused looks, but certainly not the rest of the houses at the tables looking at her. Nor the first years standing on their tiptoes and craning their necks at her to see what all the commotion was about. Sheesh, she was only gone for a year.

“So, when exactly did you plan to let everyone know that you were coming back?” asked Hermione.

“Well you know me, I wanted to surprise you guys!” Jocelyn answered, laughing.

“Well you sure got me, pretty lady,” said Fred or George.

Then there was a booming voice that rang across the Hall. Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster, had gotten up and started with his opening speech. The hall was deadly silent, Dumbledore had that effect on people, he talks, and they shut up.

“Welcome new students, and welcome back old students!” he said joyously, and winked at Jocelyn. “Another year at Hogwarts begins with the sorting of first years into the houses of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin!” There were loud cheers from the students as their house was called. This only scared the first years all the more.

“I would like to say a few rules that shouldn’t be broken here at Hogwarts, but unfortunately do.” His eyes rested briefly on Fred, George, and Lee. Jocelyn laughed at the mischievous trio. “So I shall once again remind you of them. First, steer clear of the Forbidden Forest, for there are many life-threatening issues in there, such as werewolves and spiders, but you will be just peachy if you stay out,” Dumbledore said cheerfully. The man was not making the new little kids feel any better, especially with the ‘life-threatening’ bit, neither is he comforting Ron. The spider remark most likely got to him.

Dumbledore went on with the rules as Jocelyn looked around the Hall. Ron and his brothers seemed taller and their orange hair wilder and longer. They seemed to have filled out a bit over the summer, not fatter, just more muscular. ‘They will never stop growing, those silly freaks,’ she thought to herself. Harry was also getting taller and his crazy hair was also all over the place. His face seemed pale and shrunken. ‘Thanks to his dumb aunt and uncle who can’t stand anyone if her skirt isn’t right or his tie straight enough, let alone a wizard,’ she though bitterly. Hermione shot up an inch or two as well, but as she looked around, she noticed everyone had, must be a witch/wizard thing because the Muggles at home wait three years before they grow, then they stay that tall.

Hermione had cut her hair, but it was still as bushy as she remembered. She looked around the Hall and took in everyone she could remember, and compared their new image with their old ones. Parvati and Lavender are still inseparable, Dean’s lost some weight, Pansy still has the twisted up dog face, Snape hasn’t changed, no new teachers, darn. There was some change, not much, but some. She was still inspecting the hall, when Hermione elbowed her in the ribs, “Well, they are halfway through the sorting and you haven’t so much as raised your head when we get new people!” she whispered. Then Jocelyn was aware of the screaming, shouting, and applauding as the first years were sorted. They had about 12 new kids, great.

At last, a little girl named Cassie Jones was called up, and as she sat down with the Sorting Hat placed upon her head, she looked like a corpse, yet determined in a funny way. “Well, well, well, what have we here? Fine mixture of all four houses! Brave, loyal, humble, and cunning, such a rare thing. Where to put you?” the Hat said quizzically. Joss noticed that Cassie was keeping her eyes shut while she was chanting something, obviously wanting to be in a specific house. “Want to be in a certain house? No, no, you don’t like blue or yellow I see; you love silver but prefer red to green. Hmm this is sure a toughie,” the Hat chuckled as he glanced over in Harry’s direction, whom smirked back. “Well, your determination places you in GRYFFINDOR!” the Sorting Hat shouted as Jocelyn’s table whooped and jumped. Little Cassie sat down at the end, looking petrified and relieved.

During the humongous feast, the group reunited and laughed as they poked fun of what happened while Jocelyn was gone, the stuck-up girls at Beauxbatons, and the summer events. Between clinking their goblets and catching their breath from laughing, they managed to get in a few bites to eat. Finally it was time to go, and the Gryffindors stumbled to the portrait of the Fat Lady. The password was spoken (Licorice) and they all stepped into the Common Room. Jocelyn and Hermione went upstairs and changed into their pajamas. Afterwards, they went down and sat with the boys.

“So Jossie, how was Beauxbatons? I know that you said there were a lot of stuck-up prats and the teachers were a monotonous, squeaky voiced bunch, but did you learn anything?” Fred asked.

“Well George, I did. I mean they’re really experts in Charms to tell the truth, so I’ll charm you better any day!” Joss laughed.

“Hey! I’m Gred!” George whined.

“Oh yes, sorry George,” Joss said to Fred.

“Oi, it’s George!” George shouted.

“Says Fred!” Joss laughed even harder.

“What? Ok yea, you’re right about the charming thing, I mean look at you, you haven’t a wand yet I’m charmed by your presence. That’s weird.” Fred said.

“Aw, aren’t you just the sweetie pie?” Joss smiled at him.

“Yes, I am.” Fred smirked while Ron just rolled his eyes and Harry raised his eyebrows.

“Well now, it’s getting late and I’m exhausted, I’m going to bed,” Hermione yawned.

Right when she stood up and stretched, Ron shot up and said it was indeed late. Fred and George laughed at the timing of Ron and Hermione both getting up and saying they were going to sleep.

“I’m with you Miny,” Joss agreed. The twins started to follow the girls up their dormitory, but they were caught off guard as the staircase was turned into a slide and they slid to the bottom.

The twins untangled themselves as they looked up at the top of the stairs, where Hermione and Jocelyn were clutching their sides and rolling on the floor.

“What in the name of Merlin was that?!” George asked.

“You ca- you can’t honestly tell me,” Joss gasped, “that a couple of, of prank- pranksters like you,” she was having trouble talking, “have never tried to g- get into the girl’s dorm- mit- mi- tories?” she asked as she had another spasm of laughter. Fred and George looked confused before they forced out an embarrassed laugh at their silly stunt. Hermione’s face was beet red as they continued up into their rooms. They were greeted with groaning and pillows to their face from the other girls because it was only one in the morning and they were howling.

“Good night Miny,” Joss said, fifteen minutes later, calm and sleepy.

“’Night Jossie,” she yawned.

That night Jossie was peaceful in a dreamless sleep, finally at home.




Hope that wasn't too horrible! I appreciate feedback!

Thanks to my amazing beta, zwillo! Thanks Dayna!


Chapter Two

Jocelyn woke at 6:00 a.m. to her alarm. Hermione was sound asleep and Joss didn’t want to wake her up. She got dressed, fixed her hair, and bounded down the stairs. She came to an abrupt stop when she heard a snore in the common room. As she rounded a couch, she saw Fred spread out, feet and arms dangling off the ends. She laughed and grabbed a blanket from her bed and covered him with it. She turned toward the portrait hole when she suddenly tripped over a dark mass and hit her face. “OW! What on earth?!” she shouted. She looked back and saw that George was wrapped in a quilt. He wiggled about until his arms were loose, and with his eyes barely open, he reached out to Joss and hugged her.

“Finally,” he chuckled.

Ok, this isn’t awkward at all, she thought as she pushed away from the half-asleep George and went out the portrait hole. She walked down to the Great Hall and noticed that only a few people were in there. Parvati and Lavender were eating, both of which Joss thought slept in until the last possible minute, not three hours before class. The only other people were Pansy Parkinson, whom Joss hated with a fire of a thousand suns, Malfoy, and his wingers, Crabbe and Goyle.

She didn’t really like any of the six people, so she decided she would go outside and enjoy the early morning. Just autumn, she saw the giant, majestic trees were a lovely golden color, the lake sparkled strangely under the September sun, and the grass was a faded green. It was pretty chilly outside; Joss regretted not having a jacket on her.

She sat for a while before deciding to go inside. When she stepped into the entrance hall she noticed that Pansy was just leaving the Great Hall, without Malfoy. Weird, I thought she was stalking him. . . Oh great here she comes!

Pansy pranced over to Joss with an evil smirk on her face. Joss kept walking, pretending she hadn’t seen her. Pansy stopped right in front of her and started her normal annoying chanting.
“Ooh, look who’s back from Beauxbatons. Tell me, Jossie, did you enjoy that snooty school? I’ll bet you did,” Pansy sneered.

Why does she have the most retarded insults?! If you can call them insults. “Well, it wasn’t that great, and yes it was snooty, I’m sure they’d be just thrilled to have an obnoxious little selfish spoiled brat like you on their grounds. You would learn so many things from their ridiculous ways. At last, there’s a place where you’d fit in,” Joss said sweetly. Not the best I can do, but it’ll get her mad. It did.

“You low life, miserable-“ Lucky for her, she didn’t finish.

Malfoy exited the Great Hall then, and Pansy looked, no not looked, stared, at him like he was some Greek God, which he wasn’t.

“Hi Draco, I’ll be right with you, I just had to settle something,” Pansy called at him. Ugh.
She practically ran towards him and said, “Everything’s all right, Sugar, I’ll go and make sure there’s no one there to bother you okay? I’ll see you later, Sweetums!”

Yuck, someone’s dripping a little too much honey today.

As she left, Malfoy just stood there, five feet from Joss, and looked like he would throw up. He probably hated Pansy as much as Pansy loved him. For some reason, this made Joss feel better. For some reason she felt the need to tease this poor boy.

“Erm, we aren’t together, I don’t know why she thinks so,” he said, embarrassed.

“I can see that, Sweetums,” Joss said, why am I teasing him?

“Don’t. I really can’t stand her, please don’t,” he begged.

“Yea, well you aren’t the first person to hate her. That little cow she deserves to burn up, really slowly,” Joss laughed. Walk away. Now.

“Couldn’t agree more, you know- “ he stopped talking.

Parvati and Lavender froze on their tracks and stare wide-eyed at Joss and Malfoy. Like, oh my gosh, a Gryffindor and Slytherin have hooked up. Quick, let’s tell everyone before anyone else does so we can get the honor of spreading little rumors that everyone will obsess about but act like they don’t care. Isn’t life brilliant? Joss rolled her eyes as they skittered upstairs.

Malfoy groaned, “Good Lord, what will they say now?”

“No one in the Gryffindor tower will believe them, whatever they come up with. So it doesn’t really matter,” Joss said matter of factly.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he replied quietly. “Well I’ve got to go. Bye,” he said quickly.

“See you later,” Joss called after him, “Sugar!” I could get used to talking to him.

Joss went into the Great Hall and saw that Fred and George were slumped over at the table eating breakfast. She grinned and sat between them.

“Have a good night’s sleep in the Common?” she asked sarcastically.

George looked up at her with droopy eyes, “Eh? Was that you who decided to sleep on me?”

“Um, that may be how you remembered it, but as I recall, I tripped over your lazy bum and you hugged me. Since I was fully conscious then, I believe my story is more likely to be true than what you cooked up in whatever dream you were having of me sleeping anywhere nearly remotely close to you,” she ranted. Joss loved to rant.

“Right, did you put the blanket on me, Sweet?” Fred asked.

“Yes, I did, Dearie. May I just ask why you two were sleeping there in the Common?”

“Yes, you may, Joss.” Fred answered her.

“Doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get an answer though,” George smirked and nudged her.

Hermione walked through, followed closely by Ron and Harry. As Joss looked up, she noticed the Great Hall was halfway full of hungry students. Hermione looked perplexed, if not a tad angry, as she walked over to where Joss was sitting. She sat across from Joss with Harry and Ron on either side of her. The boys were looking at Joss like they wanted an answer to an unasked question, Hermione looked ready to give out a lecture, while the twins looked around to see what they had missed.

“So, Parvati and Lavender tell me that you were flirting with Malfoy, and a trick was thrown in here and there!” Hermione snapped.

Jocelyn could not believe her ears. Sure, she expected the duo to say something a little more dramatic, but Hermione was sounding like she actually believed them. “And you thought that was true because... why?” Jossie asked.

“Well I don’t believe the whole flirtatious scene going on, but Parvati always needs something to build off of, were you talking him? If so, why?” Hermione demanded.

Someone’s in a freak out mode now.

“Geesh Miny, what difference does it make? I’ve seen you speak to Malfoy, and you aren’t head over heels in love with him. Do I get after you for as much as even looking in his direction, let alone talk to him? Yea, we said stuff, but we aren’t going to go skipping off into the sunset and watch rainbows! Now if you don’t mind, I’ve had enough to eat. See you around,” Joss spat out as she stood from the table and left.

Well if she doesn’t beat all, Jocelyn thought furiously to herself, she’s spoken to about every bloody person in the school, and brown-nosed all of the teachers. She can’t love each and every one of them now can she? The nerve of that girl! Oh hey, Joss talked someone today. Oh no, it was a boy, I’ll bet she’s hiding something! She was just half as bad as stinking Parvati and Lavender. Keep it up; you’ll earn your reputation, Hermione!

Joss stomped up the stairs to the Fat Lady. “Licorice,” she said bitterly. The hole did not open. “Well go on then! Licorice!” The door remained shut. “Open up you cow!” Joss shouted, kicking the door.

“Joss! Stop, kicking hardly has that much effect on magic when you say the wrong password!” Harry came around the corner. “Eleanor,” he said to the Fat Lady and the door swung open.

When they were inside, Harry held Joss by the shoulders. “What is wrong? I know Hermione tipped your boat, but why are you so worked up?”

“She didn’t tip it, she sank the flipping thing!” Joss said angrily while trying to get free of Harry.
Harry let go of her shoulders but grabbed her elbow and led her to the couch. Her blanket was still on it. He pushed the blanket aside and sat down, motioning her to do the same. Reluctantly, she did so.

“I’m sorry all right? But do you care to tell me what actually happened with Malfoy?” he asked kindly. This only aggravated Joss the more.

“What does it matter? Pansy walked up to me and we exchanged a few words, not friendly, and he came in. Pansy drooled all over him and did the whole, “Sweetie, my dear,” act. She left and he said they weren’t together and that’s about it! Now, was that so interesting?!” she yelled.

~Harry~

This girl is sure mad... “Joss, you don’t understand. When Parvati and Lavender walked in, they looked as though they’d seen a ghost. Forgive me for thinking something actually happened! Malfoy is bad news, and you know we all care about you! Just calm down a minute, come here,” he said softly. Harry held out his arms for a hug from Joss. She sat cross-armed for a minute before finally crawling into his welcome arms. Harry rather liked holding her warm body, comforting her. He inhaled her scent, citrus? No, it was different, sort of a homey smell. He felt something wet on his shirt and realized she was crying. It was unlike Jocelyn to cry. He held her tighter.

“Sorry I got so mad, Harry, I just hate it when people jump to conclusions and automatically think I did something wrong,” she apologized.

“S’alright Jossie, just relax,” he whispered.

They sat on the couch for what seemed an eternity, though a peaceful time. Harry was sure Joss was asleep, he didn’t mind taking a little nap himself, so he made himself a little more comfortable and pulled the blanket over the two of them. Suddenly, the portrait hole opened quietly.

~Hermione~

As Hermione walked into the room with Ron and his twin brothers, none of them felt much like talking after Joss’s angery burst. I didn’t actually mean to make her mad, but she shouldn’t have thought I was too nosy or anything like that. It was only 7:00, two hours until classes would start, and they were all feeling a little drowsy. “Joss?” Hermione whispered, “Harry?”

She took a few steps forward when a shape startled her. The shape just happened to be someone moving on the couch. Hermione decided to investigate further and see whom it was. She went around the corner and saw it was just Harry’s face. But a step further and she gasped and froze. Joss was curled up with him.

Don’t overreact, it’s not like they aren’t really, really, really good friends. Not a relationship. Besides, if it is, what’s the big deal? Two of my friends are together. I should be happy. Well the big deal is that they didn’t tell me! Wait, tell me what? I don’t know that anything is going on between them. Don’t. Freak. Out.

A million thoughts rushed through Hermione’s head. She did freak out when she saw Joss attempting to get closer to Harry, and then Harry wrapping an arm around her.

“Oi, Hermione, what’s up? Why are you so scared?” Ron asked concerned. He went around behind her and saw the same thing Hermione did, though his reaction wasn’t quite as shocked. “Crikey, didn’t know that, eh? Ah well, leave ‘em be,” he suggested.

Ron pulled Hermione away from Harry and Joss and went upstairs to go to bed along with his brothers. Hermione slowly walked up the steps to her bed. She heard a snore from Harry, and she decided she would leave the matter alone.

Thanks Dayna!!!


Chapter Three


Jocelyn awoke with a start, and noticed Harry holding her securely. Dazed, she tried to remember just how they got that way. She looked at the clock on the wall, 8:30. ‘How did I wind up here?’ Surely it couldn’t be right, for she thought she had just eaten breakfast, right? She could remember talking to Malfoy, the twins, and fighting with Hermione almost in exact detail. With a second glance at Harry’s calm face, she realized that there was only half an hour until classes would start.

“Harry! Wake up, you louse! Harry!” Joss whispered forcefully, giving Harry a gentle yet firm smack on the cheek. All he did was snort. ‘Great.’

Jocelyn tried to get off of the couch, but there was much difficulty. First, she was wrapped in a blanket and second, Harry was pretty strong. He still had an arm around her, so she tried to push him off. With all the struggling and fidgeting, she finally managed to get away. However, that resulted her falling to the floor, which was pretty hard, much to Joss’s surprise.

“Now will you just get up?” she begged to him, even if he couldn’t hear her. “Fine, I’ll go then,” Joss snapped, while heading to her room to try to look more decent.

Hermione was lying on her four-poster, reading a book; a very thick volume actually. Hermione raised her head slightly, and looked at Joss. Joss, however, was still rather cool with her, so she went about her business. With a subtle glance over her shoulder, she noticed Hermione had a pained expression on her face, and was biting her lips. It made Joss want to go and hug her and make her feel better, but she resisted. She was reaching for her robes when she heard Hermione clear her throat.

“Erm, listen Jocelyn, I’m sorry. I know that I shouldn’t have listened to them and jumped to conclusions, but it was a bit suspicious. It’s none of my business and I’ll, um, well I’m just really sorry.” Hermione said firmly.

“You really don’t have to be sorry,” Joss said back. “As for it not being your business, are you out of your mind? You say it like I don’t care about your opinion! Geesh woman, have a little sense!”

Hermione looked shocked until she saw the smirk on Joss’s face. It was impossible for them to stay mad at each other.

~Hermione~

So she’s not mad at me anymore. Joss never could stay upset at someone, but when she was angry, she was angry. Hermione sighed for relief. She opened her mouth to say something, she really wanted to ask Jocelyn about Harry, but that would probably tip her off again. Hermione bit her lip and decided to shut up for awhile, but she had to find out something about it sometime. She decided that if Joss trusted her enough, she might say something. You certainly didn’t gain trust when you go poking about someone else’s business, that was for sure.

~Jocelyn~

The two girls went downstairs into the Common Room, laughing and chatting. Joss noticed that Harry looked up from the couch, hair sticking out at odd angles, with a strange expression on his face. It looked as though he were confused but didn’t want to show it because he was trying to be polite. It also looked accepting and, well, just different.

“Thanks for waking me Jossie, really appreciate it,” Harry said sarcastically.

“Oh well, excuse me for thinking that hitting, slapping, and yelling in someone’s ear was going to get them up and about. But oh no, boy was I wrong.” Jocelyn smirked.

Hermione and Jocelyn walked out of the room through the portrait hole to their morning classes. At lunch, they gathered around with Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny. It was a fairly quiet lunch, for they all were a bit tender about the fight. Jocelyn noticed Harry had an almost sick expression on his face, sick and concentrative.

~Harry~

Harry really hoped nobody had gotten the wrong impression about he and Joss earlier that day. He’s always thought of Jocelyn as a sister, nothing more. Of course the morning cuddle might have some people saying otherwise.

~Draco~

Draco Malfoy’s eyes swept the Great Hall, while he picked at his lunch. He started to stare down the Gryffindor table. His eyes reached the red-haired Weasley’s. The filthy weasels. He saw Harry, and felt poison rushing to his head at the sight of the boy. He moved onto Hermione Granger, the mudblood. Sure, she was a slight sight for sore eyes, but a suck up. He saw that Jocelyn Stewart was sitting next to her. Her back was faced towards him, but he could tell she had a blank face. Everyone else she was sitting with was sad for some reason.

Draco remembered how Jocelyn had teased him earlier that day. No one usually dared smart-mouth him, but she didn’t care. She probably thought that Draco was just another student, not one of the well-respected Malfoy’s. She certainly wasn’t a random girl; she was in fact just the opposite, beautiful, with her long brown cascading hair and bright green eyes. She looked soft, and he suddenly felt the urge to jump up from the table and hold her. Draco shook his head free of his impure thoughts, and thought about the day ahead of him. But without his permission, his mind drifted back to the images of the small, green-eyed girl.

~Feedback!~

THANK YOU DAYNA!!!!! (zwillo) Sorry it took me so long, but this chapter is pretty darn revealing!!!!!


~Ron~

Even though curiosity was gnawing at his insides, Ron put on a good show. He knew Hermione was dying to know, not for gossip, but for the "welfare of her friends". Ron thought of a dozen explanations as to why he saw Harry and Joss like that. Some of his reasons were plausible, others not so much. 'Oh well,' thought Ron, 'at least it wasn't Hermione with Harry.' Now that would have infuriated Ron. Anger boiled in his stomach at the thought of Harry cuddling with his girl. 'Not quite my girl,' Ron though bitterly. Looking around the Great Hall, Ron saw Malfoy glaring at the Gryffindor table. It was more a look of deep concentration rather than a scornful glare, but the slimy git seemed to have been looking precisely in the area they had been sitting. Suddenly, Malfoy looked away, shaking his head. 'Well that filthy little ferret...'


~General~

"So Jocelyn, why did you go to Beauxbatons?" asked Parvati Patil.

"Well, my mother got a nice job there in France, so my parents and I all went to live there. It was simpler to go to school there in France than to be here in Britain, so I went to the snooty little Beauxbatons." Jocelyn said as she sipped her pumpkin juice.

"Why only a year though? Why'd you come back?" Lavender Brown asked. It was apparent Jocelyn didn't want to answer this.

"Well, er... my father moved here and I wanted to go with him," she snapped after a small pause.

The rest of the table looked around awkwardly, baffled by her hesitation and quick answer.

"So at Beauxbatons did you learn simpler or more difficult things than we would have?" Hermione asked, trying to keep the subject light.

"Well it was slightly more challenging, but we learned much of the same stuff that I expected all of us as fifth years to learn," Jocelyn replied, her heart not into talking anymore.

The rest of lunch passed in silence, with a few occasional comments thrown in, trying without success to break the awkwardness.


~Jocelyn~

'Well I'm just off to a brilliant start, aren't I?' Jocelyn thought, annoyed. 'At least not everyone I see is high-maintenance or stinking catty.' Something was just wrong. Not really wrong, per se, just different. Actually something that is different could be wrong... things just weren't the way they used to be. It was almost like a warped personality was shot into everyone. Joss looked up and saw that George and Angelina were still together. That little piece of information was comforting. Joss also realized that she had missed out on an entire year at Hogwarts. Granted, she did get letters from her friends, so she didn't really miss out on everything. Still, it was difficult to sense a different person through letters.

Jocelyn felt like she was missing out on even more when she realized Ron and Hermione had not bickered even once yet. Ginny didn't reserve a look of longing for Harry anymore. Feeling too upset, Joss looked around to see if there were more changes, though that would make her feel worse. She spotted Pansy Parkinson, and was relieved that she was still worshipping the very ground Malfoy walked on.

Thinking of Malfoy, Joss looked at him. Another pang of sadness hit her when she saw how different he was. He was obviously taller, you could tell that when he was sitting. His usually sleek white-blond hair was no more. It was ruffled and seemed a little darker. He, like all the rest of the boys she saw, had filled out. His smooth, pale face was slightly interrupted by small, discreet, dark circles below his eyes. The thing that had changed about him though, was how he appeared. He wasn't sneering. He had a blank expression that showed a small sign of disappointment. He also didn't have Crabbe or Goyle flanking him. Looking down the table Joss saw that they, too, had grown larger, but not in muscles. Pansy was actually sitting with them, not Malfoy. Looking back at him, she noticed that he seemed quite alone, though he was surrounded by people. Jocelyn didn't realize she was staring at him until he looked up and caught her eyes. Immediately, she looked away. Before she thought or did anything else though, a picture of Draco Malfoy's handsome face flashed in her mind's eye, and lingered there.

Jocelyn was crying. However, she was not alone. Someone was holding her, soothing her. She could not see the tall person holding her, but she knew it was a strong man. Jocelyn did not know why she was crying or who was embracing her, all she knew was the following;

1. She was rather upset.
2. This gentleman was pretty tall.
3. Maybe she was actually really short.
4. She had no clue on the height situation.
5. The scene was in black and white.
6. This guy was wearing a beautifully carved light ring, with a dark stone embedded in it.

Jocelyn woke up, startled. It took a moment before she realized she was dreaming. Shaking her head and then rubbing her temples, she heard a voice.

"Joss? What's wrong?" asked Ginny.

"Oh, Ginny, uh, morning... sorry, weird dream," Joss stuttered.

Ginny chuckled. "I had one myself; some handsome Irish lad was in it."

"Handsome Irish lad, you say? And all this time we thought you had a thing for dear ol' Harry," Joss teased, she knew Ginny was sweet on Seamus.

"A woman moves on, Joss." Ginny laughed with Joss at the remark.

Jocelyn and Ginny made their way to the Gryffindor Common Room. As they entered, they saw a group of people there as usual. In fact, Joss knew there were exactly nine people, including herself. In the loveseat, George was sitting upright with Angelina Johnson's head on his lap. Her long legs extended over the couch edge. They were talking quietly, playing with each other's hands. Ron's lanky body was laying across an entire couch, talking to Harry, Seamus, and Fred. Harry was sitting on the floor, leaning against Ron's couch while Fred was sitting in a poofy red chair. Seamus was also sitting on the ground, leaning against Fred's shins. Ginny and Jocelyn joined Hermione on a golden sofa. This is what an early Saturday morning would be like for them. Nearly every Saturday you could count on them to be there, varying in the places where they sat. Call it a tradition or a habit, but whatever it was, it was a great time for them to spend together.

Hermione shut her thick book and turned to Jocelyn, holding a letter. Jocelyn took one look at the letter and felt her face turn red, though she also felt as though she had frozen.

"Joss, there was a horribly annoying owl right outside my window last night, he all but shattered it while attempting to get into our room. I finally gave up and let the pest in, and he was holding this letter. I didn't want to wake you right then, so I held onto it for you. Here you are," Hermione said casually, holding the letter out for Jocelyn.

Joss took it slowly form Hermione's hand and stared at it. Ginny was on the right of Joss, talking to the boys while Hermione buried her nose back in her book. Good, no one was watching her. She was actually rather confused, shouldn't she be happy, elated, excited even for receiving this letter? Instead, she felt nothing but dread. She stared at the envelope.

Jocelyn M. Stewart

Without thinking, Joss stood up and started to her room. She felt many heads turning in her direction, brimming with curiosity. However, she felt Hermione's worrying stare the most. It was strange how Hermione could give the most powerful looks, making you crumble or shy away from her. Even now, Joss felt herself speed up, even knowing she wouldn't be followed. After what seemed like a ten mile hike, Joss went to her bed and opened her letter.

An oddly welcoming scent of vanilla and mint seemed to pour from the envelope and remained on the parchment. She instantly knew the letter had been purposely scented to Jocelyn's favor. The letter read:

Dearest Marie,

It is strange to think that months have gone by without you in my arms. I hope to see you soon, whether you should expect it so or not.

Yours truly,
Andy


Jocelyn felt odd. Not happy, not upset, just odd. Unsure of what to think, Joss put the note back in the scented envelope, and put it in her cloak pocket. Such an uncommon feeling overwhelmed her. She had waited months to hear from Andy, and then, when she did receive a letter, she felt that she really didn't care. Why didn't she feel relieved? She felt trapped, when she should have felt she would be released by the months of anticipation.

Looking back, she realized she hadn’t thought of Andy until the letter showed up. She hadn't thought of him since she came back to Hogwarts. Why? Did she not care for him anymore? For a wild moment, Ginny's voice came to her head. "A woman moves on, Joss." Had this been the case? Jocelyn suddenly felt angry. Angry because she couldn't figure this out! She wanted to hit something, so she hit her bedpost. “Well now, that certainly hurt. What a brilliant idea...” she thought bitterly, “let's hit something really hard! That's just brilliant!” Instead of feeling better, she was just as mad with a bit of pain. In fact, she was even madder that she thought to hit the stationary, solid object.

"Joss? Are you okay up there?" Hermione's curious voice rang from the bottom of the stairs.

"Uh yea, sorry. Be right down!" she said hastily.

She tied the cloak tightly around her waist, and rushed to see Hermione, Ginny, and Seamus waiting in the Common Room. Ginny and Seamus smiled at Joss, but Hermione's face was straight with her eyes glued on Joss's right fist. She could feel it throbbing, and immediately wished she knew some sort of spell that would make it go away. Looking down at it, Joss was shocked to see that she had hit her fist hard enough to split the skin over one of her knuckles. A small stream of blood surrounded the area. She shoved her fist into her right cloak pocket. As they walked down to the Great Hall, Joss heard Hermione murmur something very quietly, and suddenly, a cold sensation took over her fist. Yanking it out of her pocket, she saw that it wasn't red and she was no longer in pain. Wiping away the blood, she also saw that there was no cut. She glanced at Hermione, and noticed her hand slip in her pocket, grasping a wooden wand. With one look, she thanked Hermione.

Breakfast was the same as ever, but it passed slowly. The boys and Ginny were all laughing, getting jazzed up for Quidditch. Hermione was just as stone silent as Joss was. Great. Just peachy. Now Hermione is going to be freaking out. Great.

~Draco~

No matter what happened, no matter what he did, he always found himself looking at her. Even if all he could see was her back and her long brown hair. Today, however, she was facing him. He was surprised to see that she was still, quiet, and serious. Usually she was laughing, with color in her cheeks. Sometimes he thought of her. He imagined her hair would smell like lilacs. He remembered when he was younger how his mother had lilacs surrounding their house. He loved the scent. Now they were all wilted, brown, and jutted all over the place due to the fact no one had been home for a very long time. He also wanted to hold her warm hands. How soft...

Draco shook his head. Rarely did he allow himself such visions. He looked at the people that were around him, all gloomy. He felt nauseated. Looking at the Gryffindor table where nearly the whole lot were smiling and having fun, he felt a sharp stab of jealousy. Everyone so far as he could tell, was having a good time, but Jocelyn.

Draco rose from the table and started back to his dormitory. Keeping his head low, he went up the marble staircase instead of down. Out of habit, he positioned himself to turn left to follow the curve of the steps. Instead, the steps went to the right. He froze. He noticed the handrails were golden, with a red border. He realized he was instead heading up to Gryffindor Tower. Strange… Right when he turned around, someone walked into him. She tripped and grabbed onto him for support. Instinctively, he caught the girl. After they were standing and balanced, the girl looked up at him. Draco gasped as the confused green eyes were looking at him. He never knew that Jocelyn had green eyes. They were exceptionally beautiful. They had a little bit of gray in them, he noticed. He realized that he was still holding her shoulders, and he dropped his hands.

"Draco, what exactly are you doing?" Jocelyn asked. Even though she was clearly confused, there was a bit of humor in her voice.

"I, er... um, well I uh... not paying attention," he managed to say.

"I'd say," she laughed "A lot on your mind?" she asked, smiling.

Nice smile she had, and her voice was really very soft.

"Yeah, you could say that. Sort of." He noticed he was staring at her.

"Same here. Don't worry. I didn't run into you because I felt like it." As she said this, he saw her put a piece of parchment with partial words. All he could read was – "not. Yours truly, An". He just knew that this letter was the reason for her sadness.

"You okay, Jocelyn?" he blurted out.

"Um, alright. I mean, I've been better, y'know?" she said sadly.

"I know. Just hang in there, okay?" He was surprised at how concerned he was.

Jocelyn smiled and looked directly at him. Draco hadn't realized how close they were, no more than six inches apart. They were standing on the same step, of course, Draco towered over her. He had a strange urge to embrace her. They stood in silence, and he was dying to know what was on her mind. Footsteps in the distance startled him. As he descended the steps, she walked up them. The hall was starting to fill with other students, and he was glad no one saw him and Jocelyn so close together. Of course they would have the wrong idea. For a moment, he wished that they were so close for that very reason.

Draco stepped on something, a piece of parchment. He bent over to pick it up, and noticed it smelled strongly of vanilla and mint. He scrunched his nose, flipped the letter over and read it. He realized that the letter was the one he saw Jocelyn put in her pocket. He stared at one particular part, Dearest Marie. Had this been why she was upset? Did she know this Andy person, did she love him? Did she believe he loved her? Did he really love another girl named Marie, and simply put the wrong letter in the wrong envelope? Fury boiled inside of him. Whoever the hell this Andy person was, he wanted to hurt him. He hoped he ran into him, just so he could cause him pain. For the next few days, Draco's number one priority was to find this guy and make him regret hurting Jocelyn. It shouldn't be too hard to find one idiot in Hogwarts, should it?

~Jocelyn~
The rest of the day drug on, all of the classes seemed to put her to sleep, for Hermione was repeatedly shaking her and taking notes for her. What would she do without her? Lunch and dinner seemed to be the highlights of the day, and for some reason she kept thinking about the encounter with Draco. She shook that off, and it annoyed her that all through the meals, she felt as though someone was watching her. She looked around but saw no one. How strange...



Lengthly chapter if I do say so myself... FEEDBACK is much appreciated!

~Jocelyn~
Joss walked up the steps, still grinning about her encounter with Draco. Poor boy probably had a lot on his mind to accidently go up the steps instead of down. She had actually felt as though she were in a much better mood now, no more punching things that won't give in. She immediately squeezed her fist, expecting pain. Thanks to Hermione, the pain didn't appear. She was also deeply thankful that he didn't specifically ask why she was upset. Joss knew that his eyes caught her shoving the letter into her pocket, not even bothering to put it in the envelope. Ugh, that cursed letter! She couldn't believe what it said, especially the last part, saying that she will see him whether she expected him or not. That was almost like saying that she would see him if she wanted to or not. She hated surprises, unless she was presenting the surprise. She especially hated that she was informed that a surprise would show up, that just increased the intensity of the whole thing. She just couldn't believe it. Maybe that's not what the letter said at all, maybe there was some hidden meaning to it, maybe she just couldn't read today. Jocelyn put her hand in her pocket, felt the parchment, and pulled it out. Instead of the letter, she had retrieved the envelope in which it came in. She checked again, it wasn't there. Joss shook off her cloak and dug through both the pockets. Both were absolutely empty. Clutching the envelope in her right hand, she looked in it. Nothing. Now she felt herself going into major freak-out mode. Oh boy, oh boy ohboyohboy oh no. No. Great, perfect, just lovely. Now someone was going to find it who knows where and show it to who knows who, and they are going to who knows what? She had to go look for it, she had to. Would someone link the letter back to her? She knew that the letter was addressed to a Marie, but would someone somehow guess it was Jocelyn's? Crap.
Jocelyn changed into her favorite pajamas, she didn't even bother to put on the school's. The school provided sweat pants, a shirt, and a robe to each and everyone one of it's students. The Gryffindors' had red pants, a red shirt with "GRYFFINDOR" in gold on the front, and a striped red and gold robe. Waiting until people were either preoccupied or asleep, Joss left the Gryffindor tower.

~Draco~
Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. Just plain stupid. Why did he allow himself to talk to her on the steps? Why? Now that just increased the time he thought of her. Where was the irony in this? He was thinking about her, so he walked away, only to find he was taking the path he would take to her tower. Funny enough, when he turned around, who was there? Ding ding ding, we have a winner! Jocelyn Stewart please stand up! It took him about three minutes to realize he was pacing back and forth on the same spot. He needed space, people were staring at him. Didn't anyone sleep around here? He guessed that nearly fifteen people were watching him pace like a madman. Draco grew sick of it. Without even realizing it, without planning it, he walked straight out the door. About five minutes passed before he noticed he was alone in the dungeon, no longer in the Slytherin House. Why was it taking him so long to figure out what he was doing? The dungeons were freezing, so he went up a level so he wouldn't be in the cold underground. He heard someone walking, so he stood in one spot, not moving a muscle. He prayed he wouldn't get caught. The soft footfalls stopped, moved again, then stopped once more. The stranger let out a heavy sigh of irritation, and... did this person just growl? Draco peeked around the corner, and nearly feel. Honestly? Jocelyn again? Why was it that every time he tried to get away because of her, she showed up? Why? Not that he had a problem with her or anything...

~Jocelyn~
Where is the bloody letter? This was starting to tick her off. She didn't think, at least she hoped, that anyone saw it. She didn't know exactly what she was so worried about to be perfectly honest... Joss stopped, tried to think, where was I? Where could I have lost it? Funny how she could never remember stuff. She closed her eyes and relaxed, before she got too mad again. Oh maybe I'll just go punch a wall, release my anger. Brilliant. Jocelyn was still annoyed that she punched the bed post. A bed post? Really? Let's add brilliance to the day! So peeved... Joss stood in total silence for a minute, well not total silence. She heard someone breathing nearby, but other than that, it was pretty quiet. Wait, what? Someone breathing?! Panic was the first reaction that came to mind, but her anger seemed to overpower that with calm. Complete calm. She would handle this situation rationally and calmly.

"Hello? Who's there?" She asked, voice shaking. So much for that idea.

Nothing.

"C'mon, I hear you! Who is it?" She said a little louder. Answer me!

~Draco~
Should I stay or should I go? How about go? No, bad idea, stay away from her, go back to the Common Room. Yeah, that's the best idea to this situation, just leave. Taking a slow, steady, deep breath, Draco turned around.

~Jocelyn~
"Get out here already! Argh!" Jocelyn growled, walking around. Why was this stranger bothering her so much?

~Draco~
Keep walking, just keep going... Wait a minute...

~Jocelyn~
"Fine, just leave! You know? What's point of even coming out here? Why are you even here?" Oh, how she wished she could see this idiot!

~Draco~
Hey, you made my come out here. It's your fault I'm here.

~Jocelyn~
She sneaked around a dark corner, and would have screamed if the person in the shadows hadn't put a hand over her mouth. When she seemed to have calmed down, the stranger put down his hand. As soon as he did, she raised her hand and slapped him. The whip-like sound echoed down the corridor.

"Ow!" The man exclaimed, trying to be quiet.
"Why didn't you answer?" She demanded.
"I don't know! Geesh, you always slap people if your don't get your way? Honestly, Jocelyn!" He said, rubbing his cheek. It was too dark to see him, but he was tall. How did he know it was me?
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I have a temper issue." She said matter-of-factly.
"I'll say! Take some classes for that!" Why was his voice so familar?!
"Maybe I like being angry. Ever think of that?" She said, feeling stupid.

There was a brief silence, then the guy snorted and started laughing. At first Jocelyn was mad, he was laughing! Then she realized just how ridiculous she sounded, and she started laughing too, the anger dissolved. Laughter was somewhat contagious.

"Ok, I'll believe you enjoy being angry, but please don't slap me again, it rather hurt." The guy continued laughing.
"Deal." Joss agreed.

Both of them shook with laughter until their sides hurt. Even though it was a goofy statement, for some reason it was remarkably funny.

"Hey, who is this?" Joss asked, reaching for her wand. Whispering the spell for light, she looked up into the grinning face of Draco Malfoy.

Joss laughed and saw that he glanced past her face, and looked confused. She turned around and yelped. Less than two inches away from her face was a statue, a sadly misshaped one by the looks of it. She walked all the way around it, and she still couldn't figure out what it was.

"What is this?" She asked, curiously, extending her hand towards some small design on the front of it.

"Well, I might be mistaken, so don't take it to heart. However, I believe it's a statue." Draco smiled.

Joss turned around and saw Draco was about and inch behind her, but for some reason she didn't mind. He smiled widely at his sarcastic remark, and she couldn't help smiling back.

"Seriously though, it's so beautiful, in a weird kinda way. See this?" She pointed to the pattern she was admiring earlier.

Suddenly, there was a crack. A large chunk of the statue fell off when Jocelyn's hand touched it. She jumped back and said a few choice cuss words, and reached for the piece on the ground. She saw where it broke off, and came up with a great idea. She grabbed the piece of gum that was in her mouth, stuck it to the piece, and put it back where it came from. She felt proud at her quick thinking. She beamed at Draco, but instead of looking impressed, he raised one eyebrow and smirked.

"Muggle much?" He asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, did you forget that you were a witch?"

Joss's proud dissolved and was replaced with embarrassment. She'd made a fool of herself in front of Draco. Brilliant.

"No, I was just using the non-lazy approach to this situation." She replied.

He shook his head, smiling and hugged her. He didn't want her to feel bad. Jocelyn hugged back. She didn't really know why, maybe because he felt warm or protective. Whatever the reason was, she forgot about everything that was bothering her, including the reason why she came down here. Then she suddenly remembered. Without even thinking about it, she suddenly burst in tears.

"Hey, hey now. Joss, what's wrong? Jossie?" He asked kindly, looking down into her face.
"I don't know, Draco, I don't know! I just wish some people disappeared, you know?" She cried.
"Yea, I know what you mean. I get rid of that person okay?" He comforted.
"How would you even know who it is?"

~Draco~
Andy, that's who. I'm going to beat that boy to a pulp, that idiot, that lowly...

~Jocelyn~
"Well, then, I'll just have to start getting rid of people until you are happy, then I'll know who it is." Draco said as though it were a simple logic.
"Thanks Draco."
"For what?"
For being there, for making me smile.
"Well, just... thank you."

Draco reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek. Together they started to walk along the corridor in silence. Joss took one look at Draco's face and gasped in surprise.

"Oh my goodness, Draco!"
"What?" He was worried.
"I can't believe how hard I slapped you! Your face is absolutely red! I'm sorry!" She squealed.
Draco laughed out loud, "Don't worry about me, silly!"
"Fine then, get shot in the leg or something. I don't care. Fine." She snapped.
"Oh don't get mad, I might get upset now." He stated.
"Go get mad all you want, just don't hit your bedpost or a wall or anything." Joss was slightly annoyed.
"What? Hit a bedpost? Where is this coming from?"
"Never mind, sort of talking to myself I guess. Just forget it."

Draco looked at Jocelyn as though he wanted to ask a question, but let it go. Suddenly they heard a voice.

"Who is it? Students are not to be out of bed after curfew! Detention!" Professor McGonagall called, from some distant corridor. They heard the patters of feet running off to their Houses, trying to stifle their giggles. Without a word or a look, Jocelyn and Draco both went running off to their Houses. The end of the night came for Draco, but not for Jocelyn. As soon as she walked into the Common Room, an angry face was looking at her. She prepared for a long night of explaining that she really didn't want to do. She stared at the person, and the person stared right back. Oh boy, this is just brilliant.


Dun dun dun dunnnnn..... what do you think about feedback?