Finder's Keeper || Oliver Wood [1]

Chapter 26: Falling

A/N: Thank you all for your comments in the previous chapter! I was really surprised and overwhelmed to see that you guys actually like this book ahhh I'll do my best to make this fanfic worth the read ❤️

The summer of 1993 flew by for Jessica. She spent a good chunk of her break taking remedial classes since she had missed a lot from the period she was petrified, and then she had to take her O.W.L.s way after everyone else did because nobody else in their fifth year had been attacked by the basilisk.

One thing that kept her sane during all of this was writing to her friends. Of course, Oliver was one of the people she wrote to consistently, and she found herself looking forward to his letters all the time. She tried to convince herself that she was just excited to talk to a friend to get her mind off of her delayed O.W.L. exams, but her racing heart and flushed face whenever she received a letter from him made her start to believe otherwise. It was completely different from whenever Terence sent her letters — back then, though it was nice getting to know him, she never really actively waited for him to send her a reply.

Before she knew it, Jessica was on Platform 9 3/4 for her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It felt like it was just yesterday she had left the school for the summer, and now she was going back again. This year, she had chosen to take as many N.E.W.T. level subjects as possible since her career path was still unclear to her. She could only hope that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this time around would be someone worth learning from.

"Don't forget to write to us more often," Katherine Hawthorne said. "We want you to update us regularly, alright? We do not want another letter from McGonagall saying you got petrified. You have no idea how terrified we were!"

"Don't worry, mum, the basilisk's dead," Jessica reassured her parents, trying to escape their clutches.

"Not so fast," said Ian, pulling his daughter back by the sleeve of her shirt. "You be extra careful this year — we mean it. You already know that Sirius Black escaped Azkaban. My team and I are searching for him every single day, but that does not mean you should be careless, especially when you and your friends go out to Hogsmeade."

"Okay, okay, I promise I'll be careful. I'll leave you to your Auror duties now," Jessica said with a hint of humor. Ian and Katherine hugged their daughter goodbye before ushering her to the bright red steam train.

"Have fun! We love you!"

The first thing Jessica did once she boarded the Hogwarts Express was to head to the prefect's carriage. Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater, who had made Head Boy and Head Girl, gave them their lists of duties and responsibilities as well as enumerated the usual rules and reminders that Jessica was already aware of. When that was over with, she made her way down the train to look for Bethany and Alista. She had barely searched a third of the train when a pair of hands landed on her shoulders and spun her around.