Chapter 7

Jessamine ignores it when she realizes that Severus is starting to block her out. It occurred to her that while he'd never really taken a liking to her he was even less fond of her now that he'd learned the she'd been exchanging letters with James. She knows that this means she has less time to spend with Lily, and sometimes that hurt a bit, but she decides that it's best that she spends the least amount of time possible with him so as to not make her distaste of him so clear. It's not that she hates him really, but that even now she knows that he is someone she can not get along with. They clashed and already she could see the hints of a bitter man. But he was also Lily's closest friend and she wanted her sister's to be happy. So she bore through each encounter with him, both knowing that they clashed and while they didn't hate each other they also weren't the best of friends.

This is why when Lily tells her that Severus and herself were going to go to the playground, and asks her if she'd like to come along she passes and instead makes her way to the swing set in the small backyard. She sits there that morning reading 'The Hobbit' as she picks at some of the stray flowers growing. By the time Lily and Severus arrive back at the house for a quick lunch she's read up to chapter 5 and has finished her flower crown. She places the crown of daisies on Lily's head as she heads inside to wash her hands before eating.

Her dad is at work and the train that's dropping Tuney off at the station doesn't arrive until 5 so Jessamine, Lily, their mum and Severus are the only ones at the table then.

Lily chatters enough for all four of them as they eat lunch.

Jessamine smiles.

Later she's gone back outside to read more of her book, but is distracted by a hoot. She sees Althea, a large messenger owl that she's learned belongs to the Potter family, just as the large bird lands on the fencing around the house. A soft smile overcomes her face as she looks at Althea, but soon the smile dissolves into giggles as she notices the owls ruffled feathers, and that said owl holding a letter looking as though bright blue dye had dripped onto it.

"Is this for me?" she asks.

Her giggles only double at the look the owl gives her.

"Okay, okay. I was just checking, no need to give me that look."

Crawling over a bit closer to the owl she gestures to her knee, as if to say 'Come here I'm not going to get up.'

She swears that Althea is rolling her eyes at her.

She finds that the letter is mostly just James rambling on about his family, the pranks he's been planning and his general excitement for the coming school year. Her responses are on around the same line, being excited with him, telling him about her summer, helping with the prank ideas and so on. Overall the letters are mostly full of nonsensical rambling but Jessamine enjoyed them.

"We're home!"

Petunia rolls her eyes when her father yells out as soon as he takes the first step into the house.

The house is quite for a solid two seconds when they enter and Petunia briefly wonders where everyone is, but then they hear the distinct sound of small feet pattering on wood floor and the next thing she knows she's stumbling backwards and her bags fall to the floor with a thump as a small force rams into her and wraps around her middle.

A slightly muffled but familiar exclamation of "Tuney!" reaches her ears and Petunia grins.

"Oh I see how it is. There aren't any hugs left for the old man now are there?"

Petunia couldn't help but snort at her father's petulant voice. Real mature, she thought, real mature.

"Dad!" Jessamine jumped up from where she had been hugging her sister and rushed over to him.

"Welcome home."

Petunia, Jessamine turned their heads over to the doorway leading into the family room and found their mother standing their, a smile on her face.

" Anyone up for fish and chips for dinner tonight?"

They grinned.