Author's Note: This chapter has been edited as of 2/11/12! Please read and review!


The next morning, I wake up, take a bath and get dressed. I go down to breakfast by myself, thankful that I don't feel that awkward, someone's-staring-at-me sensation this time. I finish my breakfast before most of the other students have even gotten downstairs, and head off to the first class on my list for Monday, Potions.

I arrive at the classroom early and take out my textbook, deciding to read through it in case there's something my companions at Hogwarts have already learned that I haven't. By the time the first of the other students arrives at the classroom, I'm already halfway through Chapter 2, and I decide to just keep reading until Professor Snape arrives. A few moments later, however, that plan is completely ruined. As I continue reading I hear the scraping of a wooden chair's leg against the floor to my immediate left and realize that someone's sitting down beside me. I don't even have to turn my head; all it takes is a sideways glance for me to realize exactly who is taking a seat beside me. It's the gorgeous, blonde-haired Slytherin boy from yesterday, the one Ron, Ginny and Hermione referred to as Draco Malfoy.

I turn my eyes back to my book immediately, trying to pretend I haven't noticed his presence. Malfoy, however, has other plans. "Do you mind if I sit beside you?" he asks as he sets his bag of books down on the table. My heart flutters when he speaks to me, and the sound of his voice is like music to my ears. Though I know it's rude, I force myself to keep looking down at my book instead of looking up at him as I say no quietly, hoping he won't be able to hear how nervous I am when I speak.

I seriously hope he doesn't speak again; just his presence is making my heart rate increase, and I promptly get very angry with myself for still being attracted to him after everything I've heard about him. Not to mention I'm still embarrassed that I ran off crying yesterday like a three year-old. My hopes are short-lived, however, because as Malfoy takes his things from his knapsack, he accidently bumps against my elbow, causing me to feel even more nervous than I already did. "Oh, sorry," he says quickly as I slide my elbow away from him in what I hope is a conspicuous manner.

I sit on the edge of my seat, as far away from him as I possibly can, and hope to somehow manage to get through the entire class without him speaking another word to me. But of course Professor Snape wants us to brew a potion today - a potion he says Draco Malfoy and I will now have to share ingredients for, as he places a few vials of ingredients on our table. Damn! I think to myself when he makes this announcement. Why didn't I just walk up here with Hermione so I could sit with her?

My nerves are so bad as I stand and light a flame under my cauldron that I seriously consider informing the professor that I've already brewed this potion at Dunamase and asking if I can leave class. I decide that this particular plan of action, however, would be rude, and I don't want to be rude to one of my teachers in my first day of classes. So I decide to just ignore Malfoy and open my potions book to the page Snape indicated. I stare down at the page, allowing my work to engross me; I can always count on schoolwork to get my mind off things.

I begin adding the first few ingredients and then stir my potion the suggested number of times. I reach out for the next ingredient on the list without looking up from my book, and quickly find that Draco is also currently reaching for the same ingredient. Our hands collide and some sort of electric energy shoots through my arm once more, starting from where our skin made contact. I quickly jerk my hand away and apologize nervously, refusing to look up into his face. With my peripheral vision I see Malfoy pick up the ingredient, put a bit of it into his cauldron, and then extend his arm out to the side, offering me the vial containing the ingredient.

"Here you are," he says quietly. I slowly glance to the side and carefully take the vial from him, making sure not to touch him as I do so. I hope to just continue my work as though nothing's happened, but Draco apparently has a question. "I hate to ask this," he begins, "but are you doing that on purpose? Shocking me, I mean."

"No!" I reply, horrified that he'd actually think this. I turn my head to the side and look up at him. "It was an accident," I continue, "and I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he says in response. There's an awkward silence for a few moments as I return my concentration to my potion, and then he speaks again. "Do you think it could have something to do with your powers?" he asks randomly. I stop to think about this for a moment, but honestly can't come up with an answer.

"I… I don't know," I reply. "It's never happened before."

"Oh," is his only response.

Thankfully, Professor Snape returns to his seat at the front of the desk a few moments later, preventing Draco from talking to me anymore. We finish our potions in an awed silence, the air between us seemingly full of the same electricity that coursed through our bodies earlier. As soon as my potion is cleared away I grab my books and race out of the classroom, ready to get away from Malfoy.

To be honest, I'm afraid of Malfoy… well, afraid of the way he makes me feel. Since finding out I'm a Nimbimagus, I've been a bit more in tune with my emotions, trying (rather unsuccessfully, I might add) to learn how to control them on my own. This experience, however, is wholly new to me. I've never felt like this before; there's a fluttering in my stomach and my heart is beating rapidly. I don't know what this feeling is, but I'm sure I don't like it, probably because I don't know how to deal with it. I race down the hallways and away from the situation - away from my feelings.

I catch up with Hermione on the way to our next class and ask if I can sit with her, to which she agrees. I simply tell her that it's because I don't know anyone else in my classes, though I know it's really to avoid any more uncomfortable scenes like the one in Potions class. I sit with Hermione during all the rest of my classes that day, and again on Tuesday.

The next few days pass in a blur; I hardly have time to breathe between classes and homework. I'm happy to find, however, that I'm not behind the other students in any of my subjects. Though I'm starting to like all my classes and teachers, the classes Gryffindor takes with Slytherin are proving to be a bit difficult; I accidentally catch Draco Malfoy's eye at least once in each class, and my heart starts beating faster each time. I quickly look away, of course, but that doesn't make it any less awkward.

I still find him very attractive, but after what Hermione and Ginny told me about him, I've decided I'm not going to have anything do to with him, I don't owe him anything; he's just like Corey…now if I could just get the dreams I've been having about him to stop. In one of the dreams, I was standing in front of a mirror and he walked up behind me, wrapping his arms around my middle before kissing me on the cheek; every time I've seen him since then my heart starts racing as I remember that dream. I press on through the awkwardness for days, however, and just before dinner on Thursday night I go to Professor Snape's office for our first lesson.

I'm very anxious to begin learning how to use my powers. The first thing the Professor does is take out a large glass ball and ask me to concentrate on it for a moment. Then he tells me to think of a happy thought while still focusing on the glass ball. He then tells me to try to use my happy feeling to cause some sort of weather event inside the ball. I don't think this will work, but I do as I'm told, and within seconds, as if the glass ball were a small planet, it starts snowing inside it. "Very good, Miss Newsome," he says before telling me I can stop. Then he tells me to focus on that same happy thought again, but this time he wants me to try to use it to make it snow in his office.

This task proves to be much more difficult. He keeps telling me to make it snow inside the ball for practice, which I complete on the first try every time, but when he tells me to try making it snow in the office again, nothing happens, no matter how hard I try. I'm still trying to complete his request, completely unsuccessfully, I might add, when he tells me that our session is over and it's time for us to go to dinner. Then he tells me for homework I am to work on trying to make it snow inside the room I'm in, and he gives me a smaller glass ball to practice with, which I tuck away inside my robes. I follow him out of his office, a little disappointed in myself, but also very curious.

"Sir," I say as we walk down the corridors towards the Great Hall, "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"As long as it's pertaining to your classes, no" he says firmly.

"I was wondering how I was able to affect the weather inside the ball without… you know… losing it, like I have every other time I've affected the weather."

"The potion," he says quickly, "Dumbledore told you it affects the magnitude with which you affect the weather. It keeps you from affecting the weather without trying to. Unless, of course, you do get too upset and lose control."

"So what's the difference between 'upset' and 'too upset'?" I ask.

"It's not an exact science," he says, "It all depends on how powerful the emotion you're feeling is."

"Sir", I continue cautiously, "Did Mrs. McGreggor tell Professor Dumbledore about the time I passed out?"

"Yes, she did, and I'm assuming you want to know why you passed out," he says.

"Yes, sir", I say timidly, "Is that normal?"

"It is rare" he responds, "But not unheard of. It's what happens when you can tell you're getting too upset and try to stop it. Your emotion is trying its best to take over you, and you're trying your best to regain control of your emotion. This sort of internal battle is very draining, your body doesn't know what to do, so it basically 'puts itself to sleep' until you regain your strength."

"Oh," I say quietly.

At this point we've reached the Great Hall, which is already packed. I join Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny at the table and immediately start eating; I'm starved. They ask how my first lesson with Professor Snape was, and I tell them what we worked on. They're all amazed. When we get back to the common room, Hermione insists that I show her how I made it snow inside the glass ball. I do so, and she stares in awe at my home-made snow globe. Before going to bed, I lay the glass ball on top of my dresser and try to make it snow inside my dorm room, to no avail. Friday's classes fly by, and that evening is the first Quidditch match of the season: Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff.

As I've never played or seen a Quidditch match before since Dunamase didn't have Quidditch teams, I have to keep asking Hermione what the announcer means every time he says something. Gryffindor wins the match on Friday, and I spend most of my weekend either doing homework, studying, or on the castle grounds alone with my glass ball, practicing. When the next Thursday rolls around, I still haven't managed to make it snow inside any room yet, but Professor Snape says he can tell I've been trying. He tells me to stop trying to make it snow in the room and focus on the large glass ball again.

This time, he wants me to think of a sad thought, and try to use that to cause a weather change in the ball. Immediately the ball becomes overcast and torrents of rain start pouring down. Once I've successfully completed that task, he tells me to think of something that makes me angry, and to use that feeling to change the weather inside the ball. The ball becomes overcast again, but this time with the rain comes thunder and lightning. We continue to work through all the emotions to see what affect they'll make me have on the ball. When I feel nervous, the ball becomes one giant hurricane; when I'm scared several tornadoes form inside the ball, and when I feel lonely a giant tidal wave consumes it. After we've gone through all the emotions, Professor Snape gives me my potion and my homework, and we walk down to dinner.

Over the following weeks, we continue working with the glass ball to discover which type of weather event each of my emotions causes. When I'm shocked, hail descends upon the glass ball, when I'm ashamed, a dust storm overtakes it, and finally, when I feel betrayed the ball is once again engulfed by a thunderstorm; the same thing that happens when I feel angry. As October draws to a close, Professor Snape tells me to try to cause a weather event in his office again, and all progress stops. For some reason, I can't seem to get this part right, no matter which particular emotion I'm working with at the time.

Whenever I have spare time; between classes, after finishing my homework, and even while I'm bathing, I keep practicing, but to no avail. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny try to help me whenever they can; even Seamus and Neville, another boy I've started talking to in Gryffindor, offer their help. Although I'm doing well in all my other classes, the fact that I can't get this right bothers me very much. Finally, one Thursday night in the middle of November, Professor Snape has had enough. "Miss Newsome," he says, "What good is it doing me to waste my time trying to teach you how to control your powers if you obviously don't want to learn?"

"I do want to learn, Professor, I'm trying," I say pleadingly. I can't help but feel a bit depressed that my teacher is now at his wit's end with me. I try to focus on a happy thought and make it snow, but all I can think about is what he's just said to me. I can feel his eyes on me, but then I feel something else fall on my arm; water. Just as I look up at the ceiling, torrents of rain begin to pour down inside the office. I've done it! My clothes are getting soaked, but I don't care, I've done it! I look at the Professor, who is staring at me with a smirk on his face.

"I thought that might motivate you," he says. And suddenly, just as quickly as it had started, the rain stops, and is replaced by a heavy downfall of snow. After a few moments, the Professor tells me that if I don't mind, he'd appreciate it if I'd stop burying his office in snow, so I close my eyes and rid myself of all emotion, and the snow stops. The Professor clears all the snow away before drying out his office and clothes, and then gives me my potion and tells me I can go ahead down to dinner. I reach the Great Hall triumphant and tell Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who congratulate me on a job well done. I spend the next few weeks working on causing weather events inside, both with Professor Snape and by myself in my dorm. It's still hard to get started every time, but once I've used one emotion to cause weather in the room; it's easy to do the same with the others.

As the first term rapidly draws to a close, both my class work and homework loads lighten significantly. I keep finding myself with a lot of free time on my hands, and though Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Seamus ask if I'd like to tag along to do whatever they've got planned, I spend most of my free time in the common room fine-tuning my indoor weather abilities. All my fellow Gryffindors find this amusing; they like to sit around and watch me and then yell out requests like, "Make a tornado again, Jayde!"

The free time that I don't spend practicing, I spend writing to Mrs. McGreggor and Ms. Fitzpatrick, as promised. I've been writing as often as possible the entire term, but as I've got more free time on my hands now, I write more frequently. I tell them about my new-found abilities, and they tell me how proud they are of me in their responses. I also tell them when Christmas break begins, and Mrs. McGreggor, as promised, says she'll meet me at the train station in London and take me back to the orphanage, because even though I took my apparition lessons at Dunamase, I still can't legally apparate alone until I'm 17.

On the night before Christmas break begins, a grand feast is held in the Great Hall. Before the feast I go to Professor Snape's office and he gives me a huge bottle of my potion to take home with me, so I don't miss my potion while on Christmas break. I leave his office and head straight for the Great Hall, and I'm amazed by what I see. There are Christmas trees and Christmas decorations everywhere; the Great Hall is hardly recognizable. My fellow Gryffindors and I have a great time at the feast, but I begin to feel that something's missing. Unsure of whether or not I'll be able to pull off what I've got in mind, I close my eyes and think of the happiest thought I can. It takes a few moments, but a downfall of snow begins to fall upon the Great Hall.

When the Gryffindors notice the snow, they all immediately turn to look at me and say things like, "Brilliant!" or "Excellent!" and begin sticking their tongues out to catch the snow. Everyone at the Gryffindor table is smiling and laughing. The students in the other houses, however, look a bit confused. They start whispering things like, "Is she doing that?" And once again, the feeling of being watched that has come and gone all term, is back. I pay it no mind; however, I'm having too much fun.

"Jayde," Seamus says, laughing hysterically, "Look at the high table!" I turn and see Professor Snape looking straight at me, his eyes wide in shock. He sees me looking at him, and then furrows his eyebrows as if to ask whether or not it's me causing all this. I nod my head, smiling, and he looks around at all the precipitation I'm causing. To his left, Professor Dumbledore is staring up at the snowfall and smiling. After a few moments all the other houses, except Slytherin of course, are also laughing and enjoying the snow. The chatter and laughter become almost deafening.

Finally, Professor Dumbledore stands and walks around the high table and to the podium, and says, "Everyone, let's all thank Miss Newsome of Gryffindor house for that wonderful display of holiday spirit." He starts clapping, and everyone else follows suit, though many of the students at the other tables seem to have just realized I was causing it; they turn around in their seats and stare at me after Dumbledore's finished speaking. My cheeks redden. "Now, Miss Newsome, if you could please stop the snow, at least until I've finished talking," he says politely. I close my eyes and think of nothing, and the snow stops.

"Now," Dumbledore continues, "I have an announcement to make. Professor Trelawney recently made a discovery in her crystal ball. She has predicted, with utmost sincerity I might add, that there will soon be a grand party at Hogwarts that will change the fate of the universe." Several students start laughing at this, but I remain silent, wondering where all this is going. "I am not one to stand in the way of fate," Dumbledore says, "Therefore, I have decided that there will be another grand Ball at Hogwarts this year." Nearly all the girls in the Great Hall gasp, turn to their friends, and start whispering excitedly, Ginny and Hermione included.

I, however, am not too excited by this news. I've never been to a Ball, and I certainly don't know how to dance. And doesn't a Ball mean you have to have a date? Not only will I be expected to dance, I'll be expected to dance with a boy. I can already tell this is going to be a disaster, but I listen intently as Dumbledore continues. "The Ball will be held on February 14th, it will be a Valentine's Day Ball. Therefore, over your Christmas break you will all need to locate those old dress robes and nice shoes in the bottoms of your closets and dust them off," he says cheerily. I hear the boys at the Gryffindor table moan, Ron being the loudest complainer of all.

"What're you on about?" Harry asks him quietly, "You've got new dress robes, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Ron replies, perking up a bit.

"That is all I have to announce," Professor Dumbledore says, "Now, you'd all best get off to bed and get prepared for the long train ride home, and I wish you all a very Happy Christmas." Once he has finished speaking, everyone stands up and starts making their way towards the double doors, causing yet another traffic jam. I finally make my way through the crowd and up the staircase to the Gryffindor common room, which is full of people all talking excitedly about the upcoming Ball. I head straight for the stairs to the girls dorms, not wanting to talk about it. On my way, I hear the conversation Harry and Ron are having to my immediate left.

"Bloody hell, Harry, you mean we've got to go through the torture of asking someone out again?" Ron asks.

"It looks that way," Harry answers, "But this time we know not to wait until the last minute. We'll think about who we want to ask over Christmas break, and we'll ask them as soon as we get back, agreed?"

"Agreed", Ron says quietly. I reach the stairs and start climbing them, sincerely hoping that nobody asks me to the Ball and I can just avoid it all together. When I reach my room, I immediately change into my pajamas and lay down in my bed, pulling the covers up around me. I hope that sleep comes quickly so I won't have to lay here thinking about the upcoming Ball for long.

The next morning is a blur; books, clothes and trunks are scattered everywhere. Having packed the night before, I dress and go downstairs for breakfast as soon as I wake up. Then I spend the rest of the morning helping all the other Gryffindor girls find things they've misplaced. Just before noon, we all head downstairs and onto the snow-covered castle grounds and wait for the carriages to take us to the train. I ride to the train with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Seamus, and Neville. Hermione and Ginny are still talking excitedly about the Ball; I think I might vomit.

When we reach the train, Hermione and Ron have to go to the front of the to ride in a compartment with the other school prefects, but Harry, Ginny, Seamus, Neville, and I share a compartment near the middle of the train. The ride to London is a little frustrating; all Ginny seems to want to talk about is the Ball. When we reach London I say goodbye to them all and quickly make my way through the crowds of people, looking for Mrs. McGreggor. I finally realize that moving around probably isn't the brightest idea, so I pick a spot to stand and wait for Mrs. McGreggor to find me. It only takes a moment for her to find me, and she runs up and wraps me in a suffocating hug. We walk through the crowded train station and into a stall in the girl's bathroom before disapparating.

When we land on the road in front of the orphanage I start running, I can't wait to see Ms. Fitzpatrick. I run across the yard and straight in the front door, abandoning my trunk on the snow-covered lawn. I find Ms. Fitzpatrick in the living room watching television with many of the other children, and when she sees me her entire face lights up and she jumps up and runs to pull me in yet another suffocating hug. "Jayde," she says, "I swear you get more and more beautiful every time I see you!"

"I said the same thing, Caroline," Mrs. McGreggor says, walking through the front door with my trunk in tow. Ms. Fitzpatrick takes me by the hand and pulls me into the kitchen.

"Come on, dear" she says, "You must tell us everything about your first term at Hogwarts." So she, Mrs. McGreggor and I sit down at the kitchen table and I tell them everything. I tell them about my new-found friends, my classes, and my private lessons with Professor Snape. They ask me to give them a demonstration of my abilities, and I turn an empty cup upside down on the table and make it snow inside the cup.

"My goodness!" they both say enthusiastically.

"See, Jayde" Mrs. McGreggor says, "We told you Hogwarts would be a better school for you. Just look at you! You're happy, you have friends now, and you're learning to control your powers. You love it there, don't you?"

"Well, I did," respond quietly, "Until Professor Dumbledore announced that there's going to be a ball on Valentine's Day. Now I'm not sure I want to go back."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Ms. Fitzpatrick says, "You'll have a great time. I'm sure lots of boys will ask you to go with them."

"I hope not," I say, "I won't know who to go with and I won't want to hurt anyone's feelings. I might just stay in my dorm the whole time; I don't know how to dance anyway."

"That can be fixed!" Ms. Fitzpatrick says, "I'll teach you to dance over Christmas break!", she says excitedly.

"And I'll come this weekend and take you dress shopping" Mrs. McGreggor says.

"Really?" I ask timidly. They both nod their heads in agreement. "Great!" I say happily, and we continue talking about my first term at Hogwarts. Mrs. McGreggor stays and eats dinner with us and then leaves with the promise of returning over the weekend to take me dress shopping. Ms. Fitzpatrick and I get started on my dancing lessons the next day. We have a wonderful Christmas, and the dancing lessons go smoothly. The day after Christmas, Mrs. McGreggor arrives to take me shopping.

We apparate to Clonminam and find the perfect dress in the last clothing shop in the village after four hours of searching. It's purple, my favorite color. It's a full-length dress with a halter top. A sash sits around the waist, clasped by a large diamond pendant, and the top of the dress is lined with smaller diamonds. Lavender lace spans across the fabric from the neck area to the waist, and small white flowers are stitched here and there throughout the lace. I absolutely adore it, and it fits me perfectly. Mrs. McGreggor and I find lovely white sandals with small heels to wear with the dress, with diamonds lining the top of the bands. It's a rather expensive ensemble, but its well worth the price paid.

When we've finished our shopping, we go back to the orphanage and I try the dress on for Ms. Fitzpatrick, who starts crying into Mrs. McGreggor's shoulder about how beautiful and grown-up I look, and how I'm not a little girl anymore; I'm practically a grown woman. Mrs. McGreggor leaves a little later and tells me that she'll be back to take me to the train station when Christmas break is over. The rest of the break flies by, and before I know it I'm saying goodbye to Ms. Fitzpatrick again. And just a few hours later, after apparating back to London, I say goodbye to Mrs. McGreggor on platform 9 ¾ and board the Hogwarts Express.

I don't see any of my friends, so I find a compartment by myself. After a few moments, Neville and Seamus find me and ask if they can sit with me. I tell them they can, and a few moments later Seamus' friend Dean joins us. We spend the ride back to Hogwarts talking about how our holidays had been and what we'd gotten. When we reach Hogsmeade station, we catch a carriage together, along with a couple of other students I don't know, and ride back up to the castle. And, just as if it had never ended, the school year starts back up, full force. The teachers pile homework on us and, once again, I'm so busy between that and my Nimbimagus lessons that I barely have time to breathe.

On the first Thursday after Christmas break, Professor Snape says I need to start trying to create weather changes outside, and this proves to be even harder than creating changes inside had been. The following Sunday, exactly one week after I arrived back at Hogwarts, is my 17th birthday. I don't tell anyone, not wanting to draw attention to myself. I'm amazed by the thought that as of now, I'm considered an adult in the wizarding world, and I can apparate by myself.

I'm sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast when I get a howler from Mrs. McGreggor. I open it to hear Mrs. McGreggor and Ms. Fitzpatrick singing "Happy Birthday" to me loudly. I quickly try to bury it in my pocket to quiet the noise, but it's too late; everyone in the Great Hall now knows it's my birthday. Everyone at the Gryffindor table begins telling me Happy Birthday; a few of the younger students ask me what it feels like to be an adult. I finish eating as quickly as humanly possible, trying to hurry up and get out of the Great Hall. I head straight up to my room and bury the howler in the top drawer of my dresser. Then I decide to go down to the common room and catch up on the reading for one of my classes.

After I've been sitting on the sofa reading for about an hour, I hear a loud tapping at the nearby window. I turn to see a large brown owl with a letter tucked in his beak. I put my book down, walk over to the window and open it. My name is written on the letter in a neat, slanted handwriting I don't recognize. I take the letter from the owl and open it, wondering who it could be from. Once I open it, I realize it isn't a letter at all; it's a drawing. Someone has drawn a vase of flowers on the paper, and as I stand and watch, the flowers grow larger and larger until they take up most of the page. Just below the drawing, in the same neat, slanted handwriting are the words 'Happy Birthday Beautiful'. There isn't a signature.

I sit back down on the sofa and examine the front and back of the letter, but there are absolutely no clues as to who it's from. I'm completely perplexed; Who thinks I'm beautiful? I think to myself. I spend the rest of my day avoiding large crowds of people in the hopes nobody else randomly bursts into a chorus of the Birthday Song, and wondering who could have sent me the anonymous birthday message.