Partners in Crime || PJOxHP || Marauders' Era

Grim

Jessica wasn't sure she even wanted to be at Hogwarts anymore. Her mind was constantly on Camp Half-Blood. She wondered what Clarisse's bad news had been. Maybe Luke had gotten a new ship. Maybe he had found a new way to make Kronos rise from the grave. And here she was, running from one problem to another, switching from Kronos to Voldemort instead of sticking to the major problem. Kronos was a bigger problem than Voldemort. They needed her. She was one of the prophesized heroes.

And Jessica hated to feel free at Hogwarts. She felt like she should be doing something that was productive, not walking around corridors with her friends like she was not going to die in the next two years. Jessica had never felt that way before, but something was different now. She could feel a sense of doom everywhere she went. It was new, feeling like it was going to be the last time she'd be seeing or using something.

She still woke up earlier than everyone else, in fact, so early that sometimes it was just an hour or two after midnight. The dreams terrified her, so she lay awake half the night, trying her best not to fall asleep. She cancelled her 'anonymous' chess game with Sirius because she felt like she was overloading her brain too much. The death of Bianca di Angelo and Zoe Nightshade- two deaths in one week- it had left a dent in her brain that Jessica was sure she'd never be able to repair.

Every Astronomy class, she stared at the constellation of Zoe the Huntress, running through the sky with her bow and arrows. She whispered to it all the time, "I know the constellations are real. I know." She remembered Zoe's regal stature, her merciless eyes, her black hair- it made Jessica sick to the stomach. She usually left the class with glassy eyes, but no one seemed to notice it. Jessica felt like the Wizarding World was not made for her abilities. She had no place here. 

She did not belong here.

***

"So, did you figure out who Chess Girl is?" James asked Sirius a few weeks later during breakfast. "You know, since she stopped your game..."

"Mate, I'm not even sure she's a girl anymore," Sirius said, tight lipped. He had become very depressed ever since the game had stopped. He hated talking about chess. "I don't know, James."

"You need to find out, bro," Peter said. "You need to make sure that you find Chess Girl and tell her the truth."

"What truth?" Jessica butted into the conversation. Remus flinched at her words. 

"Well," James smiled, "I think Sirius has a slight crush on Chess Girl."

Remus nodded. "And this one's not like the other girls he has a crush on," he smiled. "This one's apparently 'different'."

Jessica felt her ears go so hot that they could've been used as stovetops. "Really? Are they serious, Black?"

Sirius' cheeks flushed. "No, no-"

"Of course we're serious," Peter said. "No one knows Sirius better than us." He grinned at Jessica.

"So you all know who Chess Girl is?" Jessica asked. 

"Not exactly," James said, but there was this way he looked at Jessica- he was smirking like he'd found a million bucks. So he knew, then. And he wanted Jessica to bargain- probably for a date with Lily. 

Jessica smiled. "Well, I hope you find out, boys." She turned on her heel and headed down the Great Hall towards Transfiguration. She could hear the disappointment on James' face, and she smiled. What was the worst that could happen with James telling Sirius that Jessica was Chess Girl? She wasn't going to give up on Lily. 

***

Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk, looking through a copy of Transfiguration Today and circling some things on the magazine as they entered the classroom. The first thing Jessica noticed was that they were not alone in the room. In the corner sat a brunette that Jessica recognized as the not so famous Divination instructor, Professor Cassandra, who was flipping through a book on 'Bohemian Desserts.'