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The next morning Jayce was quietly listening to her friends chatter aimlessly in the Great Hall as she was buttering her toast. She glanced down the Slytherin table and noticed two first year boys were missing. She hadn't seen Draco or Blaise since Draco's detention and was starting to worry. It wasn't that she particularly fond of Blaise, ever since the Sorting ceremony at the beginning of the year she hadn't heard anything come out of his mouth that wasn't crude or rude but the nonetheless she still felt sorry that he was going to feel the wrath of a Malfoy. Draco and his family never could stand to be around people of lesser blood and they had a grand history of violence toward muggleborns, half bloods and blood traitors. Jayce remembered exploring Malfoy Manor dungeons as a little girl. She remembered the blood stained walls of years past, luckily Narcissa had caught them before they could see anything more terrifying. It wasn't just Draco's family legacy that worried her, it was that she knew Draco as a cruel person that would do anything to get his way. Although they had always been friends, she had witnessed and at one point fell victim to his tantrums. Usually it was towards the house elves which by pureblood standards was normal but there was that one time when they were eight. It was a sunny day and they were playing outside. Draco and Jayce had decided to race each other to the end of the garden. Just as Jayce was about to beat him, he had managed to purposely trip her up, causing her to roll down a hill and sprain her wrist. When asked about it later, he just shrugged and said it was an accident. Jayce still loved him and she enjoyed the fact she knew what he was really like even if it was a little dark. Just as she was about to check in the Hospital Wing to see if Blaise was still alive and had all of his limbs intact, Blaise and Draco walked into the Great Hall like they were the best of friends. "Good morning Jayce, looking lovely as always I see!" said Draco smoothly. Jayce raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What? I can't compliment you?"

"Not that! Last night you wanted to pound Blaise's face in and this morning you're acting like Potter and Weasley? What gives?" She was utterly confused at his sudden change of heart. It was very un-Draco like to do such a thing. "Well if you must know, me and Blaise—"

"Blaise and I" Nott interrupted. "No, it's me and Blaise. I always come first and stop eavesdropping you stupid prick." Malfoy sneered. "Now as I was saying, me and Blaise had a nice little chat and after some not so nice words he finally admitted who his dad was."

"Well who was it?"

"Oh, I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Jayce said while pouting her lip. "Because." He said sternly. Jayce knew that she wouldn't be able to get the answer out of him. She figured that Blaise must have something on him because Draco usually was not one to avoid to publicly humiliate someone. Pansy then loudly started to explain about how wonderful her summer vacation was going to be, something about going to New York for a month. Jayce let her eyes wonder over to the Ravenclaw table where she caught sight of Anthony. He winked at her once they had caught each other's gazes. Over the year they had become closer with each other and he really was a sweet guy. They had kept their friendship as secretive as possible but unfortunately it eventually got out that Death Eater girl was co-mingling with a half-blood. If Jayce's friends knew anything they sure didn't say anything, they probably thought it was some phase. The whole blood purity was becoming increasingly confusing to her, especially since she had met such smart, kind and beautiful people that weren't of pure blood. It was hard to accept that even that Gryfinndor mudblood that hung around Harry Potter was beneath her when she made better marks than Jayce in just about every class. Her mother wasn't helping the confusion at all. At the Christmas holidays she tried to get advice from her about having to keep her friendships a secret but Alanna decided to make it into a lecture about how she shouldn't even be associating with mudbloods much less having friendships with them. She then grounded Jayce for the rest of the holiday. "So what do you think Jayce?" asked Pansy. "I'm sorry, what did you say? I wasn't listening."

"I said that my family is having a party this summer after we get back from the States and I was wondering if you and your mother wanted to attend." She said with annoyance. "Oh sure," Jayce answered quickly. "You're still coming to France with me, mum and dad right?" asked Draco. "Draco, I've gone every year with you since we were five. Of course I'm coming!"

"You know Draco, I've never been to France!" gushed Pansy while batting her eyelashes. "That sucks," answered Draco flatly. Jayce then proceeded to giggle into her pancakes for the rest of the meal.

The end of the year was finally here and Jayce was slowly packing up the remainder of her things into her navy blue trunk that was adorned with silvery letters that read her initials "JER". After she put the last of her hair care products that she had received from Daphne, she grabbed a photograph of her mom that they had taken before she came to Hogwarts. She couldn't believe how much she changed over the year. She was a little taller, her hair was a little longer and not up in a ponytail or in braids as it had been before. Now she actually put a little effort how her hair looked, she even was hoping she could convince her mother to let her start wearing makeup like the other girls. All of sudden she heard at tapping at the window, it was her tawny owl Brutus. He swooped in and she took the dingy letter that the animal held in its claws. She immediately recognized it as a letter from Azkaban and wondered why her annual letter had come earlier than expected. She opened it and began reading.

Dearest Jayce,

I was pleased to hear that you received E's and A's in your classes this year but do try harder. You are, after all, a Rookwood and should be making nothing less than O's. The past year will be your only excuse since you're not used to being around people lesser than you, thus dumbing you down a bit. I hope you'll meet these standards next year. Also, please try and make yourself more pleasing to the opposite sex. Twelve is a great time to start marketing yourself to respectable young males. I knew the moment I returned to Hogwarts my second year that your mother was the one I wanted to marry. Please take my advice, it is important that you keep the bloodline going. Now I won't force you to marry someone, but I hope that you can make the right choice if I remember correctly the Malfoys have a son your age, now that would be an excellent marriage. Anyways, I wanted to tell you I love you. I know I'm not able to tell you that face to face but every day I wish I could hold you in my arms and listen to you speak. This past year really got me thinking about how such a horrible father I've been and all that I've missed in your life. I hope that one day we will meet again someday. Have a great time this summer!

With love,

Augustus Rookwood

Jayce re-read the letter over and over again, it was definitely the most heartfelt letter she had received from her father but also was the most alarming. She didn't expect them to make her find a husband so early. She decided that when it came down to it, she would like to be with Malfoy or Nott. They were after all her closest Slytherin friends and were friends of the family. Nott was probably the safest choice considering not a lot of girls went for him on account of his shyness on the other hand, Malfoy was rich and she had known him all her life but the thought of being married to him terrified her. Actually being married to anyone terrified her, she wasn't ready to think about what she would do on her wedding night. That part freaked her out. Alanna once tried to explain it to her but was interrupted when Jayce started gagging uncontrollably. Marriage was on everybody's mind now that their second year was coming up. It was normal for purebloods to start courting each other around their second year. It was always best to start early so a young bride could snatch the best husband but she figured her parents didn't care that much about the old ways. Then again, it was important for her to bring back honor to the noble Rookwood line. Jayce put the letter away and pushed the marriage thoughts out of her brain. She had plenty of time to find a husband. Once she finished packing, she had made her way down to the grounds. There she met Anthony and his friends Terry and Michael Corner. They were laughing and joking around but once they spotted Jayce the trio had stopped. "Ah, the Slytherin Princess has graced us with her presence once again. I see that your usual court is not serving you at the moment. What would they say if you were mingling with blood traitors and half bloods?" joked Michael. "Leave her alone Mike, she can't help it if her whole house is filled with prejudiced gits," said Terry Jayce rolled her eyes and said, "Oh please, I'm not the Slytherin princess. That title goes to the lovely Pansy." The boys grimaced at the girl's name. It was no secret that Pansy wasn't the most liked at Hogwarts. She was mean and vicious, especially to the female population of the school. "Why don't you dump those wretched girls you call friends? They are all bully's." suggested Anthony. Jayce sighed, she really wished she could dump them but the thing was it was nice to have girlfriends. Sure they weren't exactly the nicest girls around but they were friendly towards her. They held power over people and it was extremely attractive to Jayce, after all she was a Slytherin and she knew how to get to the top. Anthony then added. "So we're going to still meet up in Diagon Alley this summer right?"

"If I can…" Jayce said unsurely. Anthony frowned. "Why wouldn't you be able to?"

"Because I usually go with my mother."

"Well, surely she'll let you hang out with your friends a little while."

"Maybe, so how did you guys do on your finals?" Jayce made a quick change of subject before they made her say the real reason she couldn't meet up with them. Jayce was supposed to go with her mother to Diagon Alley but she seriously doubted Alanna would let her wander off with some half bloods. The Ravenclaws then proceeded to boast about how easy the exams seemed to be. Terry seemed really upset that they didn't have to take a Defense Against the Dark Arts final ("I studied for two months!"). Everyone had heard the rumors involving the famous Harry Potter and how he supposedly saw the Dark Lord on the back of Proffesor Quirrel's head. Tonight was the final meal where they would find out who won the House Cup and if the rumors were true. The rumors were starting to get way out of hand. She had heard that Harry Potter and his friends had faced a three-headed dog. Which was ridiculous, Dumbledore would never let a thing like that near students, it was too dangerous. Jayce then saw Draco with Crabbe and Goyle strutting around the grounds. He had spotter her and waved but once he saw her company he had a scowl across his face. As he walked over to her and her friends, Jayce suddenly became extremely nervous. "Um, hello Draco."

"Jayce, please tell me why you are in such horrid company?" Draco sneered. The Ravenclaw boys scowled. "Malfoy why don't you just go away, Jayce obviously doesn't mind our prescence," said Anthony as he stepped up to the blond headed boy. Draco smirked, "Goldstein, if I didn't know better I would say you have a little crush on her." Anthony blushed a deep red, "What do you know Malfoy?" he mumbled.

"Actually I know a lot, half breed. I've seen the way you stare at her and follow her around like a lovesick puppy. It's actually quite sad, seeing how she will never see you as more than a friend." Jayce didn't like how this conversation was going. She was sure Anthony was going to punch Draco if she didn't say anything. "Draco, leave him alone." The pure blood quirked an eyebrow, "Are you defending him Jayce?"

"And what if she is?" Anthony interjected indignantly. "Well then I would simply have to inform her father," Malfoy said dangerously. Anthony smirked, "Yeah, too bad he's in Azkaban, but nice try though." He, Michael, and Terry all laughed loudly causing Draco to turn a slight shade of pink. He quickly regained his composure and quipped, "Or I could just tell my father. Maybe he and some old friends could teach you a lesson." Anthony suddenly looked extremely panicked. Even Jayce thought that Draco's comment was a little over the line. Draco then turned to Jayce and offered his arm, "Are you coming with us or not?" Jayce chewed her lip and begrudgingly took his arm. Draco smiled smugly and started towards the castle. Jayce looked back at Anthony and saw that he had been hurt by her choice. She turned her head back around, she didn't want to go with Draco but she had too. It was better to be miserable than considered a blood traitor. This was her life, this was her choice and there was nothing she could do about it.

Author's Note: So if you haven't noticed I made some revisions to Chapters 1-3 and if you haven't read them then you should def check them out :) also I'm sorry that this chapter has been long overdue. I hope you've enjoyed it!