Hidden Wings - Part I

Panic spreading

Somehow, Harry managed to get caught by Mr. Filch, when he found Nearly-Headless Nick and Justin, the latter petrified and the ghost somehow all grey.

Jessamine had warned him about walking around the castle alone.

And now the fat was in the fire.

Students were whispering that Harry was the heir of Slytherin.
One evening, Pansy and Millicent Bullstrode came to Jessamine and asked her rather rudely, if it was true that Harry had petrified the four victims.

Even though Jessamine denied it vehemently, most Slytherins didn't believe her. And she never thought she'd say this, but Draco was sharing her opinion in this matter.

"Potter is in no way the heir", he had said loftily, "he would disgrace the House of Slytherin."

Hermione and Jessamine were in the library, again, when Hermione said out of the blue: "Ron and Harry think that Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin."

Jessamine snorted.
"No way, I heard him talking to Vincent and Gregory that his father wants him to find out who it is."

Hermione nodded, confirmed.
"I thought so, but the boys want to sneak into the Slytherin dorms to ask Malfoy himself."

"How?", Jessamine wondered and opened another book. A cloud of dust made her sneeze.

"Gesundheit", Hermione replied and added: "They want me to brew the Polyjuice potions so they can disguise themselves as Crabbe and Goyle."

Jessamine shook her head.
"Don't do it, it's just a waste of time. And you'll need some ingredients only Professor Snape has."

Hermione looked up.

And grinned.

"Oh no", Jessamine said and closed her book with a thud.
"No way. No, no, no."

"Please", Hermione begged, "Harry will keep on bugging me and I've had it up to here!"

She stretched her hand out over her head.
Jessamine sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"And how do you think I'm supposed to do it? 'Good evening, Professor Snape, before we start with our lesson, could you hand over some ingredients so that Hermione and I can brew a Polyjuice Potion, and three Gryffindors can sneak into the Slytherin dorms, to find out if Draco Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin?'
I'll have detention for the rest of the year."

Hermione put her chin on her hands and mumbled defeatedly: "We'll just have to convince them, that Draco isn't the heir."

Easier said than done.

Ron's head had turned red, after several minutes of arguing.

"He has to be it!", he declared and glared at Jessamine, "why don't you want to help us?"

"Some friend you are", Harry mumbled angrily.

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry", Jessamine protested.

"Are you perhaps on Malfoy's side then? Do you want to help him set the monster on the loose?", demanded Ron hotly.

Jessamine stiffened and fisted her hands.
She knew Harry had only said that because he was cracking from all the whispering about him.
And Ron had an awful temper-

But it still hurt.

'I'm a Slytherin, I should know whether Draco is the heir or not', she wanted to say.

Instead, she just pressed her lips together, turned around and walked away.

"Jess!", Hermione called after her, but Jessamine ignored her.