Forsaken

There's no real excuse for this. I've just suddenly felt an overwhelming need to update some of my older stories. I've got newer ones in prog that haven't been posted yet (you can see the titles on my profile; I may or may not add summaries there before they're posted.) but I wanted to write something with letters in it. Rather than starting another new wip, I just decided to update this one. I'll probably go back and reformat the first two chapters, maybe update them a little, after. For now, I apologise for the massive change in writing style/formatting.


-o0o-

Dear Harry,

I wanted to thank you for writing to me so honestly. It might come as a surprise to you, but I'm not completely ignorant of Wizarding community; my father and I are hiding out because of the war. My mother was actually killed by Voldemort.

Draco stopped there, and read over what he'd written. Jenne's hand was neat, if a little loopy and feminine. Better than his own stark scrawl, he decided; Potter would probably remember it from school. He still wasn't happy being a girl, but he'd gotten used to it, and also to fielding the compliments and catcalls he received when wandering around town on his days off.

I knew who you were, too, he admitted in the letter. I couldn't believe it though - the Harry Potter, here in my town? I wanted to ask where you were going, and why, but I couldn't. We're meant to be living completely like muggles now; my dad nearly had a fit when your first letter arrived. "Owls can be traced, Jenne, have you lost your mind?"

I think he's glad I've got someone to talk to, though. Especially someone so heroic, like you. Until we meet again,

yours,
Jenne

He tied the letter to the owl's foot, stroking it's neck. "Pretty bird," he cooed. "Take this back to Harry Potter, please," he requested. The fantastically beautiful white owl took off out the window, winging it's way to wherever Potter had ended up. Draco took a sip of the polyjuice he kept in the hip flask, and felt the now-familiar features of Jenne Madden overtake his own.

-

A few days later, the owl returned. Jenne raced to open the window, curious to see what Potter would write in return. Narcissa, as Jake, shook his head. Jenne beamed, bouncing, and fed the owl some more crackers. "Thank you," she said, and threw herself into the couch to tear into the letter.

"Really, Jenne," Jake muttered, taking a delicate sip of tea.

Dearest Jenne,

You and your father have an amazing disguise! I would never have guessed - you - Oh, you're a brat!

Jenne giggled, almost able to hear Potter's voice speaking to her through the words.

You knew about owls all along! You certainly played me for a fool. But even still, I don't want to stop writing to you. Waiting for your letter gave me something to actually look forward to besides just rainy, cold nights and a hopeless quest. I wish I could tell you more, but it's too dangerous. I think I'm close, though. I'll talk to you again soon.

Harry

Jenne pressed the letter against her chest, feeling an unmanly surge of glee. It's like having a boyfriend, she thought happily, and then blinked, the smile fading. Uh oh.

-o0o-

Harry crept into the cave on the edges of the tiny island. Damn Voldemort and his damn Horcruxes anyway, he thought bitterly. It was icy cold beneath the earth, and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks beneath his feet made him nervous.

He crept cautiously forward, writing a letter in his head to Jenne. Crawled through a wet, slimy cave today in search of something that'll help me destroy Voldemort. Thoughts of the beautiful redhead kept him going when he was afraid he wanted to just give it up altogether. She's a witch, he reminded himself. That means I've got to do this for her. He didn't know how - in the three weeks they'd been writing to one another - she'd become so important to him. But he did know that he couldn't let her remain in that tiny muggle town forever.

Briefly, he thought of Ginny, but thoughts of his ex-girlfriend brought no joy the way they used to; now it was all Jenne. A long white dress, a huge cake, all their friends... he could easily imagine these things with Jenne. There was something familiar about her he realised, thinking about it now. Nothing definite, and she'd displayed nothing overtly that would have given away her magical heritage - he hadn't had a clue until she told him - but there was just... something in the way she tilted her head and smiled. The quirky little smirk she'd given him on occasion, one eyebrow raised that brought back solid - if undefinable - memories of someone else.

And then he was knee deep in water, and stopped thinking about Jenne in order to focus on the task at hand.

-

Jenne,

I'm coming back to Weyvn. I need some place to stay for a few days while I heal. Will I see you there?

Harry

-o0o-

Draco - as Jenne - looked up from the letter as if Potter was going to appear in front of her eyes. Heal?

"Is something the matter, Jenne?" Narcissa-Jake was looking at her with concern, and Jenne schooled her features into something a little smoother.

"Harry's coming back," she said. "He said he needs someplace to stay while he heals."

Jake scowled. "You are not inviting him here," he commanded, reminding Jenne briefly of Lucius. For the first time in months, thoughts of Lucius didn't automatically bring with them a spike of pain or tears.

"No, of course not," she retorted. "I'm just worried. What should he need to heal from? What's he doing anyway?"

Jake shrugged negligently, and returned to the crossword puzzle he was doing in the paper. Jenne looked out the window, and waited to see if Harry would appear.

-

She was at work when she saw him at last; there was only one person in the restaurant beneath the inn, and Jenne had just come from making sure they had everything they needed when the door opened, and Harry Potter stumbled in.

"Harry!"

He looked up wearily, and a brilliant smile spread across his face. "Jenne." He waved briefly, and then winced in pain, one hand going to his shoulder. She weaved through the tables expertly, and hugged him with one arm.

"I'll take care of your room," she said. "Sit down, rest. Where've you been? What happened?" As he sat himself at one of the tables, she fetched him a cup of coffee, and alerted the cook/innkeeper that he would be taking a room again.

"Thanks," he mumbled, and downed half the mug in one gulp. "Needed that. I've been in Wales," he explained. "Looking for this." He withdrew a small circlet from his pack, and set it on the table. Jenne stared at it, frowning.

"Why? What is it?"

"It's -" He looked around suddenly, and lowered his voice. "It's an enchanted artefact that belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the founders of Hogwarts. Voldemort used it as part of an elaborate spell to keep himself immortal. I need to destroy it."

Jenne felt her heart leap up into her throat at the name, and the implied danger. "You really are going to kill him," she whispered quietly. Harry nodded.

"I'm the only one who can," he confided, and then changed the subject. "What have you been doing with yourself? You look brilliant."

She blushed, and went along with the subject change. "I do not," she denied. I'm wearing a ratty tee shirt and a pair of ripped jeans. How does that make me look anything but dingy?

"Maybe it's just been so long that my memory faded a bit," Harry answered coyly.

Jenne blinked. Is he flirting with me? "I'm insulted," she said, picking up his empty coffee mug and taking it to the pot to refill. When she returned to the table she added, "You didn't fade at all in my memory. It's the eyes..."

It was Harry's turn to blush, and he looked away. "Hm, well, yes. Okay."

"What happened to your glasses?" Without them, he looked nothing like himself. When he was wearing them, he looked like a nerdy kid. Without them, he looked dangerous; sexy. He clapped a hand to his face, as if only just realising he didn't have them on.

"Oh no," he whispered, and then hurriedly pawed through his pack looking for them. His face went white when he realised they weren't there.

"They're just glasses," Jenne offered, wondering why their loss made him look like the end of the world had just been announced. "You can get new ones."

"No I can't," he admitted. "I don't need them anyway, I just... sentimental reasons. But they were important. And they're probably still in that damn cave..."

Jenne paused briefly, then settled a hand on his shoulder. "I don't care why you're doing it," she said. "If you defeat him or not. As long as you're safe, okay? And speaking of which," she stood, and dusted her apron off. "Did you say you'd hurt yourself? I don't have anything that could help you, but you should get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow." She made her way to the other customer, feeling Harry's eyes on her back the whole time.

Harry left the next day.

-o0o-

I love you, Jenne

-o0o-


I apologise for the odd pronouns and names concerning Draco/Jenne and Narcissa/Jake. When someone's masquerading as someone else, or using another name, I want to keep it continual, so I'll leave a little explanation (although I'm sure none of you need it; it just makes me feel better knowing that I haven't accidentally left someone in the dark.) When Draco's off his potion, he'll be Draco with masculine pronouns. When he's Jenne, it'll be feminine pronouns. Same with Narcissa. When she's herself, it'll be she and her and so on and so forth, and when she's Jake, I'll refer to her that way.