A faint clattering and clanking could be heard from inside the Great Hall as Jade set her foot on the landing of the marble staircase. A few of Hogwarts' students and professors were already up for an early breakfast, but Jade didn't really recognize the sleepy faces, she came across on her way up to the Tower; her mind was somewhere entirely else.
A smile played along her lips and she bit down upon them to hide it. She turned a corner and passed an open window; the cold breeze blew around her face and carried a faint trace of his scent to her nose. It had lingered on her cloak.
She had reached the corridor that led to the Gryffindor Common Room now and just before she entered, she leaned against the cold stone wall for a moment and enjoyed this last moment she had in solitude. Her eyes were closed as she took a deep breath.
Nothing had ever felt so great than being in his arms again. The way he had taken her inside his own cloak as he had realized that she was cold, the way he had held her face in his hands as he had kissed her skin and even the way he looked at her had already shown Jade what he really felt for her, before he had even said it out loud. It had been different from all the other times they had met before. He had always been very gentle with her, but not like this. And then he had really told her that he loved her. His words still echoed in her ear and brought a swooning sensation to her stomach as she replayed them once again. It meant a lot to her and even though she hadn't said it back, she did feel the same way.
The portrait next to her swung open and quickly Jade pushed herself away from the wall and her eyes snapped open as a group of loudly chattering fourth-year boys climbed through the hole. She took the opportunity and entered right behind them. As the Common Room came into view Jade saw to her surprise that Harry and Hermione were already awake and apparently waiting for her to come down the stairs leading to her dormitory. The looks on their faces were quite surprised as they caught sight of her entering the Common Room through the portrait hole.
"Morning, Jade. Were you down at breakfast already?" Hermione asked her with a suspicious look on her face. Well, this girl was much too sharp-witted to keep a secret from her for too long anyway. So Jade just smiled "No, actually I was just out for a small walk. I couldn't sleep."
At those words Harry's green eyes shot up from behind his messy black hair. "You didn't happen to run into Malfoy, did you?" Involuntarily, Jade's eyes grew a little wider as Harry went on. "I started checking the Marauder's Map for him." He explained. "He was wandering around by the lake on his own this morning. Wonder what he's up to... Maybe he was meeting with someone."
"Well, I didn't see anything... suspicious." Jade said, expecting Harry to realize that it was her, who Draco had been meeting with. But the raven-haired boy only looked a little disappointed and then led the way out of the Common Room. As Jade turned towards Hermione, the girl was wearing a smug smile on her face. She cocked one eyebrow at Jade and then took a step forward, linking her arm with Jade's as she dragged her through the portrait hole.
"You met him, didn't you?" Hermione asked just silent enough so Harry, who was walking a few feet ahead of them, couldn't hear. Jade smiled at her friend in a way that made Hermione jump to a conclusion pretty quickly. "You're back together with him?" Her voice was a little louder now and more excited.
"No, I.." Jade started, but then she grinned and shrugged. "I don't really know. I tell you everything after breakfast, alright?"
And then Hermione nodded, even though she probably wanted to know what had happened right now, she understood that these things couldn't be discussed in a random corridor in the middle of the school. And so they followed Harry down to the Great Hall, chattering excitedly about exams and today's Apparition class, making Harry wonder why on earth girls could be so enthusiastic about these things.
Down at breakfast Draco was nowhere to be seen and Jade only caught sight of Blaise over at the Slytherin table as he was shooting daggers out of his eyes at a certain Ravenclaw, who was just giving a bunch of flowers to his beautiful blonde girlfriend. Of course, today was Valentine's Day. And Michael Corner and Chloé weren't the only couple that was parading its 'love' around the school. Throughout the Hall, students were holding hands and exchanging gifts and just as Jade reached their usual place at the end of the Gryffindor table, she heard a weird strangled noise. It was Hermione. She had just caught sight of Ron and Lavender and her nose wrinkled in disgust as they sat down next to Harry.
As Hermione continued to stare viciously at the couple, Jade simply started chatting with Ginny and loading up her plate. This was the first time in a long time that she really felt like eating again. And just as Harry joined their conversation about their next Quidditch training, Jade heard Hermione snicker silently right next to her. And as she turned to look, Jade saw that Lavender had jumped up and was storming away through the Great Hall. Ron looked a little guilty.
"Couldn't anyone of you warn me that today was Valentine's Day? How am I supposed to know this?" he groaned as he looked after Lavender's retreating figure. "Now she's mad because I didn't get her a present."
"Well," Hermione started, still smirking evilly. "If you had looked inside your calendar once.. "
"Really, Ronald!" Ginny joined in. "Men only need to remember a few dates throughout the year. And count on you to forget it!"
For a moment Ron opened his mouth as if he wanted to defend himself, but then he apparently changed his strategy and said "Yeah, Ginny. We all know you love Valentine's Day. What did you write again about Harry back when we were in second grade?" He shot a look at the boy in question. "'His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad.. His hair'" Ron recited, but then stopped as Harry choked heavily on his breakfast. He clapped his best mate on the back as he sneered at his little sister. Ginny had indeed gotten a faint blush on her face that matched perfectly with her red hair.
"Oh, stuff it, Ron." She grumbled. "You are a lost cause anyway.. Worst boyfriend ever.."
"Can't be me." Ron said, while shovelling a little more of the scrambled eggs into his mouth. "Dean already does that job quite nicely."
Ginny's eyes turned into slits now. A Weasley showdown always was a real spectacle and a few heads at the Gryffindor table had already turned into their direction. Her pretty face looked very much like her mother's as she hissed. "At least Dean doesn't forget about Valentine's Day! He'll show up in a minute and he'll have a real present for me! And you know why? Because he cares about me, Ron!"
Ron only snickered. "Sure, we'll see about that!" And then he continued with his breakfast with a content look on his face. Apparently he had already forgotten about the fight with his girlfriend. Or was he happy that she wasn't around for a second?
Ginny was still fuming as Hermione and Jade had finished their meal. The redhead wanted to stay and wait for her boyfriend and as Harry was currently enjoying spending time with his best friend without Lavender clinging to their side, Jade and Hermione had the perfect excuse to leave the table on their own. Quickly and without really talking to each other they raced up to the Common Room. Jade was simply bursting from keeping quiet the entire time and just as they had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, it flew open on its own.
A voice with an Irish accent shouted "Come on, mate! What are you waiting for? I'm starving!" And then Seamus stepped into the corridor, closely followed by Dean, who mumbled "I just have the feeling that I forgot something."
Both of them still looked a little sleepy; their shirts weren't tucked in and Dean's hair was still wet from his morning shower. Seamus, who apparently couldn't wait to stomach some breakfast, rushed down the corridor as Hermione stepped inside the Common Room.
As Dean smiled at Jade and wished her a Good Morning, the girl realized that something was certainly missing about him. She took out her wand and as she stepped closer to the boy, she waved it in the air. A bouquet of the prettiest, velvety dark-red roses appeared in mid-air, quickly joined by a box of her aunt's favourite chocolates. Jade caught them in her hands and offered them to Dean. For a second he simply looked surprised and a little bewildered.
"Well, that wouldn't have been necessary." He joked, still not really getting what Jade was playing at.
"It's Valentine's Day." She smiled at his current lack of brain power. He still didn't seem to get it and for the weirdest moment it appeared as if he thought that those were for him. Now Jade had to laugh. "Those are for Ginny. Thank me later, Dean."
And just as revelation drew upon his face and he slapped his hand against his forehead, she stepped around him and quickly followed Hermione, who had already led the way up to her dormitory.
The moment Jade entered, Hermione's face turned towards her and her look was clearly saying 'Spill it!'. And so Jade let herself sink down onto Hermione's soft bed and started telling her the entire story. Hermione listened intently and Jade could see the emotions flicker across her friends' face as she went on. At the beginning her forehead had lain in creases and more than once one of her eyebrows had shot up; but then her face softened and as Jade's narration reached the last part at the lake, Hermione was smiling faintly. And at one point in particular, she drew in her breath.
"He told you he loved you?" she whispered, her eyes wide. "He never said that before, did he?"
Jade shook her head. They both had never said it before; she had felt like it a few times, but it had never really left her lips. She knew that it meant much to Draco. They weren't the type of people who played around with those words. If Jade ever told someone that she loved them, then she would really go to the end of the world for this person. And she was certain that Draco felt the same way.
"Did you say it back?" Hermione asked now and Jade shook her head again. "It's too early for me to say that. I can't just jump into this again.." she said and Hermione nodded.
The next hours until the start of their Apparition lesson were spent lying side by side in Hermione's bed and talking about what this morning really meant for Jade. It wasn't as if she and Draco could just go back and resume their relationship where they had ended it in autumn. Both of them had changed and everything felt so new now. Jade had no idea how it would be the next time they met. Even though he somehow still was the boy she knew so well, he had also become a young man she didn't know at all. As she saw him this morning he seemed so independent in a way, he had really become his own person and being close to him had felt more special than it used to. She didn't even know why.
Suddenly Hermione let out a little laugh and Jade turned her face towards her. "It's just such an absurd notion.. Draco Malfoy being in love with someone... besides himself." Hermione looked slightly amused at this thought, but as she saw Jade's rather blank-faced expression she understood that of course it wasn't that absurd for Jade, who had never really gotten to know Malfoy in the way Hermione had.
Suddenly Hermione's face became a little more thoughtful and she turned to look back at the ceiling of her bed again. "It is kind of sad, isn't it?" she said to Jade "I mean the two of us are really good friends, but I never got to know the boy you are in love with. And I never saw this side of him. But then again, I really do think that he can only be like this when he's around you. When he's in class he's still the same old.. ferret. I guess he simply has a Jade-specific behavioural disorder."
Jade laughed at that. You could probably see it that way. After all Blaise hated Draco, too, and he knew him a lot better than Hermione did. But even if it was a disorder, if it made him love her, everything was fine. She just wanted to keep him this time and not lose him again. And so Jade decided to take things slow; she wouldn't give it all up to him so quickly this time. If he left her again, she knew she wouldn't be able to take it.
Soon enough it was time to get back down to the Great Hall for their Apparition class and as they walked down the spiral staircase and into the Common Room again, Jade caught sight of Ginny and Dean, who were all over each other in one of those armchairs. Harry and Ron were both sitting close-by and were wearing two identical disgruntled expressions on their faces. Ron was apparently still sulking about his lost fight with Ginny and Harry.. Well, why was Harry in a bad mood?
As the boys saw the girls approaching they both stood up and quickly joined them on their way out into the corridors of the castle. Soon enough Ron and Hermione started bickering about this and that again, but even though their voices sounded annoyed Jade could see that both of them wore little smiles on their faces. She shook her head as she followed them down to the Great Hall.
Just like last Saturday, trying to apparate was a rather dreary and tedious task. The swishing of cloaks and clicking of heels could be heard throughout the Hall as the students simultaneously turned on the spot over and over again. Again Draco had taken his place right behind Jade and even though they exchanged furtive glances and small smiles with each other, there was no real chance for any further interaction. Jade still hadn't gotten the hang of Apparition, but at least she hadn't splinched herself yet like Parvati today, who had left her right arm a few feet behind.
An hour later class was over and as the students got in line to leave the Great Hall, Jade felt a body get closer behind her in the middle of the throng. She turned her face up as Draco put his hand on the small of her back. His eyes met hers, her stomach flipped and as soon as they had passed the large door, he turned and followed his fellow Slytherin classmates into the dungeons. And even this small encounter made Jade smile all the way up to her Common Room.
The largest part of Sunday was spent in bed, as Jade really had to catch up on her sleep. As she joined her friends down in the Common Room to do some of her homework during the late afternoon, she found Harry and Ron staring moodily at their notes while Hermione was scribbling furiously on a three-foot long scroll of parchment.
Jade sat down next to Harry and for a moment she thought about how she was going to approach this. She knew she had to tell him about Draco. He'd sooner or later find out on his own while studying the Marauder's Map and she wanted to tell him herself before that happened.
"Harry?" she whispered and the boy turned his face towards her. "Could I talk to you for a moment? In private?"
"Sure." He answered and clapped his book shut with enough enthusiasm to earn a disapproving look from Hermione. "Let's go up into my dormitory. It's empty right now."
Jade was a bit surprised by this suggestion; she had never been in a boys' dormitory before. But it was Harry, so she shouldn't really think too much of it. And so she followed him up the spiral staircase and into the dormitory. And before she could even start talking to him, Harry had knelt down in front of his trunk and was beginning rummaging inside it, pulling out various items and throwing them carelessly on the floor.
"Just a second, Jade." He mumbled. Then he finally found what he was looking for and pulled out the Marauder's Map. He unfurled it and spread it out on the surface of his bed, before tapping it with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Then he climbed onto his bed and watched how the castle and all its inhabitants slowly appeared on the old piece of parchment. "Come here, Jade, and help me find Malfoy."
Jade did as she was told and climbed onto the bed next to Harry, who pulled the curtains close behind her.
"In case anyone enters." He explained and Jade nodded as she took out her wand, thinking 'Lumos!'. In the light of her wand the two of them searched the map for the tiny dot that would be labelled 'Draco Malfoy'; but he wasn't there. He wasn't down in the Slytherin Common Room, neither in the library nor in their study room. After minutes of searching for him in every corridor of the school, Harry groaned. "He's been lost from view the entire day. I kept checking...Mischief Managed." He muttered disappointedly while tapping the Map again.
"So Jade," he turned his face towards her "what did you want to talk about?"
"Actually.. I wanted to talk about him." She said as she thought 'Nox!' to extinguish the light of her wand again.
"Did you find something out about Malfoy?" Harry asked her excitedly.
"No.. not yet.. But we are.. friends.. again. I just thought I'd tell you before you'd find out yourself. I just met him two times and we didn't talk about what he's up to."
"But you think you can get something out of him?" Harry pressed on.
"Harry, I have to be honest with you. If I had information that put him into danger if I passed them on, I would keep them to myself. I know he's on the wrong side, but he's important to me and I wouldn't betray his trust. Just as I would never betray yours."
Harry nodded, but he seemed a little sulky nonetheless. "Just tell me one thing, Jade. Is he a Death Eater?"
Jade let out a deep breath and looked Harry in the eye. She thought she could tell him this; he practically knew already anyway. And so she nodded almost imperceptibly. "Did you see his Mark?" he asked.
She lowered her head; then nodded again. "I did. But don't tell anyone."
Harry let out a low growling noise. "I won't. Well, I keep telling Dumbledore about it, but he won't listen anyway. In fact he doesn't even seem to be interested at all. After I told him how Snape offered Malfoy his help, he simply told me that he didn't think that it was of any importance! Of course, he trusts Snape to keep an eye on Malfoy.. But I don't trust that git!"
Agitatedly, Harry folded up the Map again and just wanted to pull the curtains of the bed open as the two of them heard the door to the dormitory open.
"Ah.. See, it's empty!" Jade recognized Dean's voice and turned to look at Harry. She might have imagined it, but she thought she caught a glimpse of horror on his face. Quickly he ripped the curtains to the side and instantly Jade heard Dean's voice again. "Oh, Harry!" he said, sounding a little sheepish, yet amused. "Sorry, mate. I thought nobody was in here... Wait, is there someone with you?" he added curiously.
Jade peered out from behind the bedpost and waved unenthusiastically over at Dean and Ginny, who were still standing in front of the door in an intimate embrace.
"Jade? !" Ginny's face didn't just look surprised, she looked shocked. It was clear that she didn't understand the situation.
"We were just... checking something." Harry spluttered out without really thinking about his words. To Jade and Dean this whole situation wasn't a big deal. Clearly they had just sat next to each other on the same bed. But the way Ginny was looking at Harry and Harry was trying to explain this situation somehow seemed awkward.
"Checking something?" Ginny's voice sounded a little higher than usual. "Yeah." Harry climbed out of bed now and Jade watched the two of them with a rather bewildered look on her face. It looked as if Harry was defending himself in the same way a boy would after he had cheated on his girlfriend..
"No worries.." Dean was still grinning. "Come on, Gin. We'll find another place." And then he took her hand and opened the door again. And just before Ginny followed her boyfriend out of the room, she gave Jade a look that was so full of hurt that Jade immediately felt guilty. She stood up from Harry's bed and followed the couple out of the door.
"You're coming, Harry?" she asked. But the boy had fallen backwards onto his bed again, staring expressionlessly at its ceiling. "I'll follow in a second." Jade heard him say before she closed the door behind her.
As she walked back to Ron and Hermione, who were surprisingly still sitting at the same table together, she realized that Harry had developed feelings for Ginny. She had never noticed that before and was almost certain that Harry hadn't either.
Until dinner time she sat next to Hermione and, after telling her shortly about the incident in the boys' dormitory, she studied the entire time. They were just packing up their things when a girl appeared to Jade's side.
"Oh, hey Chloé!" Jade smiled, wondering what the girl wanted from her.
"Hi Jade! Do you have a second?" she asked and Jade nodded in return. "I just wanted to ask you something. Professor Slughorn told me that if I wanted to take my O.W.L.s next year, I'd better start with some private tutoring. He told me that you were one of his best students, so I thought I'd just ask if you were interested in coaching me once a week. I would pay you, of course!" she added
"Do you have any specific problems or is it Potions in general?" Jade asked.
"In general, I guess. All those years with Snape I really hated it and never listened. I feel as if I haven't learned anything. So now with Slughorn I realize that it is a fascinating subject, I just have this huge gap in my knowledge."
Jade thought about it for a second. Even though her time was rather limited with Quidditch training, her N.E.W.T. preparation and the Apparition classes, she would find time to squeeze Chloé in once a week... And if she didn't ... Well, she knew someone else who was rather adept at the subject. .. Maybe this was a chance to get Blaise and Chloé to spend some time together.
"Actually, Chloé, I think I could do this. But you don't need to pay me..." And before the blonde could protest, she quickly added "Wednesday afternoon?" The other girl nodded and smiled "Fine with me!"
"See you then!" Jade said and pulled her bag over her shoulder to follow Hermione down to dinner.
The next morning during her free period Jade sat inside the Common Room and stared out of the window. Before Christmas break she had always spent her free periods with Roger and the Ravenclaws, but now she mostly spent them alone or with Leanne. Today the Common Room was almost completely empty and as Jade watched the grounds of Hogwarts through the glass, her thoughts started getting lost. Her Potions class would begin in thirty minutes. She knew that the sixth-years had class right before her. That meant she might run into Draco if she got there a little early...She smiled to herself.
And so, twenty minutes later, Jade had just turned into the corridor of the Potions classroom down in the dungeons as she saw the door fly open. The students streamed out of the room, closely followed by Slughorn himself, who vanished down the corridor. Jade greeted her Gryffindor friends as they passed each other; Blaise was walking a short distance behind them. He approached her in the dimly-lit corridor and muttered "I wouldn't go in there just yet. He's still in the classroom."
Jade nodded. "Thanks for the warning."
"See you after lunch?"
Smiling, Jade nodded again and Blaise turned to walk down the corridor. She knew she had to tell him about Draco, but she was afraid to do it. Telling Hermione was something different; the girl wouldn't judge her. But Blaise would probably be angry.. and disappointed. Jade felt sad, thinking about it. They would probably fight again and she didn't want to fight with him.
After the last sixth-year had left the Potions classroom and Draco still wasn't in sight, Jade approached the open door. As she peered through it, she saw Draco standing motionlessly in the middle of the room. His back was turned towards her and he seemed to be in thought. He jumped in surprise as he heard her and turned. As soon as he recognized her, an impish grin spread onto his face. He was planning something, wasn't he?
"Why are you still hanging around here?" she asked as she stepped into the room.
For a second Draco didn't answer. It seemed as if he was contemplating the situation. His eyes swept over her face, then quickly around the room. He nodded and then looked back at the girl again.
"You need to help me with something." He stated as he took a few steps towards her. Jade's eyebrows rose. What did he need her help with?
"I need to get something from Slughorn's private storage room. He'll return in a minute. I need you to distract him for me. I thought about using these." He pulled out a few of Fred and George's joke shop items from his pockets. Jade recognized the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and a few Decoy Detonators. "But I think you'll be a much better distraction. I just need a few minutes."
For a second Jade contemplated her options; of course, she wanted to help him, but he would have to do something for her as well. She smiled up at him as he was watching her expectantly. Trailing her fingers over the edge of the teacher's desk, she approached him slowly and cocked her head to one side.
"So, if I do this for you… what's in it for me?" She asked, her voice sounding smooth as an uncharacteristic smile played along her lips. This was a very Slytherin-is behaviour for her, but she kind of liked playing like that for once.
For a second Draco looked mildly surprised as if he hadn't expected her to answer this way, but then he smirked and something glistened inside his grey eyes. "I see my little Gryffindor Princess has learned how to speak to snakes."
"What can I say?" Jade spoke silently. "I learned from the best."
Draco let out a deep chuckle that made him look devilishly handsome; they looked in each other's eyes and Jade felt this strong chemistry between them again.
"So..." he drawled "Let's negotiate.. What do you demand?" he asked her as the smirk still didn't leave his face.
"I want to know what you are searching for in his storage room and why you need it. And I want to know where you keep disappearing to.."
Draco thought about it for a second; then he nodded. "I guess that's only fair... "
And then he got closer; his hand trailed up her neck, slowly taking hold of the back of her head. "Tonight?" he whispered against her lips and she nodded slowly as goosebumps erupted on her skin. She could feel his lips upon hers and her eyes fluttered close for the fraction of a moment, before they heard someone at the door.
As if he had disapparated on the spot, Draco moved so fast that he was standing a few feet away from Jade as Professor Slughorn entered.
"Mr Malfoy!" he sounded surprised. "Still here? Did you have any questions left about your test?"
"No, sir. I just.." whenever speaking to a person of authority, Draco got this distinct Malfoy-ish quality to his voice, Jade thought, as Slughorn quickly interrupted him.
"... enjoyed the company." He chortled good-humouredly. "Yes, yes. Miss Heywood is indeed one of the rising stars of the school." He made a quick little bow in Jade's direction. "It's always a pleasure to have her around. But I'm afraid, Mr Malfoy, it's time for your next class." He ended with a pointed glance at the blond boy.
"Of course, sir." Draco said and pulled the strap of his bag over his shoulder; then he left for the door. Jade knew that this was her call to jump into action. Slughorn's private store room was connected to the classroom through a door right behind the teacher's desk. So Draco couldn't really leave the room.
The professor was happily waving his wand through the air and making instructions appear on the blackboard as Draco reached the door and Jade opened her mouth to speak.
"Professor, I came a little earlier today, because Chloé Van Buren approached me.."
"Oh, yes, yes. About the private tutoring? I thought she would be in good hands with you, Miss Heywood." Slughorn looked positively delighted and Jade smiled back at him. Out of the corners of her eyes she saw how Draco opened the door, let it fall shut again and then take out his wand to do a spell on his shoes. As he turned to walk back into the room, his feet didn't make any sound anymore. This guy had nerves...
"So I wondered" Jade said quickly "if you could advise me a way to approach this. Where should I set the main focus? Which books should we use and what potions should I choose as study material?"
Slughorn beamed as Jade posed all those questions and manoeuvred his big belly around his desk.
"Sit down, my dear. Sit down. We should go through this quickly before your classmates arrive."
Jade smiled at the old man and sat down, facing the door to the store room so Slughorn would sit with his back to it. She saw Draco's cloak vanish behind the door as she bent down to pull some parchment and her quill from her bag to make notes as Slughorn started making enthusiastic suggestions about how she should structure her lessons with Chloé.
A few minutes later Jade was slowly getting nervous. Draco still hadn't left the storage room and even though Slughorn still was completely absorbed in their conversation, she was worried that her other classmates might arrive any moment. But finally Draco stepped out of the little room again and as he crossed the classroom noiselessly, the door to it opened. A few Slytherins stepped in and Draco swiftly pushed his way out and vanished in the throng of students before Slughorn had even turned around.
Jade exhaled a breath of relief and as she stood up to get out her potions kit and her scales, she felt something hard against her thigh. Reaching into the pocket of her robes, her fingers curled around something that felt like a large key... Then she realized that Draco must have dropped it in there. She hadn't even noticed..
After lunch Jade sat outside in one of the courtyards and waited; it was completely empty except for her, but it was their usual spot. Her body was trembling slightly and she didn't know whether it was from the cold or from her own nervousness. Finally a tall figure made its way over and sat down onto the bench right next to her.
"Are you alright?" Blaise asked her; he always knew instantly when something was bothering her.
"Blaise, I need to tell you something." She looked at him as his dark eyes found hers. Her shoulders dropped; she already felt sad when imagining his reaction in a second. He would be so angry.. and so she chickened out of it.
"I promised Chloé to coach her in Potions."
Blaise looked surprised for a second, but then he composed his face again. "That's alright. I don't mind.. Was that what you wanted to tell me?"
Jade felt as if his eyes pierced her own as she opened her mouth. She couldn't lie to him. "Blaise, please promise me you won't be angry."
And with those simple words, Blaise's eyes turned into slits. He knew. Quickly, Jade tried to explain "I just gave him a chance to hear him out. I.."
"Did you forget.." Blaise hissed silently "..the thing he wears on his arm?" Jade saw the tension in his body, his nostrils flaring. He really was angry.
"Blaise, please." She whimpered and reached out to take hold of his arm. He yanked it away from her.
"No, Jade! What do you think your uncle would say to this? After he tried so hard to protect you all these years! And you just throw yourself into the arms of a Death Eater! A Death Eater, Jade! What do you think your parents would say?"
Jade's lower lip quivered; she had known he'd drag her parents into this. It always was his last resort if he thought she was making a mistake. "That's not fair." She whispered.
But Blaise only shook his head. "I can't let you do this! It's too dangerous."
"It's not your decision to make, Blaise." Jade finally started standing up for herself.
"No, it's not. But it's me who has to pick up the pieces afterwards. Seriously.. If you do this, I won't be there if you fall again."
Jade knew he was trying to blackmail her and his words were harsh to her soul. But she bit her hurt down. "Then I won't fall." she said defiantly.
Blaise stood up now and ran his fingers through his short hair. "I can't believe this! How can somebody be this stupid?"
And Jade stood up now, too. He couldn't 'third-person' her right in front of her face.. 'Stupid' had he called her? Anger flared up inside her.
"Of course you wouldn't understand, Blaise!" she said venomously as her small figure faced his tall one. "You never were in love. How could you understand what Draco and I have if you're so cold, you could extinguish Fiendfyre? !"
"So you think he loves you?" Blaise sneered at her. He had never sneered at her before. "Of course! And that's why he broke up with you and slept with Parkinson, isn't it?"
"He didn't do it!"
"Yes, Miss Naive. That's what he'd tell you.."
And that was the point where Jade saw red. Before she was aware of her own movement, her wand was in the air, pointing at Blaise.
"You want to hex me now? Please, go on!" his hands beckoned her to do it as his eyes looked at her with something inside them, Jade had never seen before.
"Stop this, Blaise!" her voice sounded as if she was pleading.
"Why? Because you can't take the truth? Just look at you! I say one thing against him and you point your wand at my face!"
"I don't do this because of him!" she cried. "You hurt me, Blaise! Stupid? Naive? That's what you think of me?" she let her hand drop as the tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"I can't.. " she gasped for air. "I can't do this if I know you'll leave me."
Blaise face softened; for a moment he looked torn. Then he said "You'd better not do it then." and turned on the spot to leave the courtyard.
Jade stared after him. What? No! He couldn't just do this! He couldn't force her to make this choice!
"I won't choose you, Blaise!" she shouted after him in her anger.
"So be it then." He said and left the courtyard.
Instantly Jade broke together on the stone bench and buried her face in her hands. Angry tears spilled from her eyes. Had she really just lost Blaise? Or was he just trying to make her see his way in a radical fashion? Of course she knew why he didn't want her to be with Draco. But still he hadn't the right to rule over her life like this. Jade knew that Blaise would probably never see that. He could just be so bloody stubborn. He obviously thought he was doing this for her, so she wouldn't be hurt again.
What was she supposed to do now? She didn't want to fight with Blaise, but he left her no other choice. For half an hour Jade sat on that stone bench and thought about everything, snuffling at times. Finally she stood up and left the courtyard through the same door Blaise had left through. She had only taken a few steps down the corridor when she heard movements behind her.
She turned and saw her best friend leaning against the stone wall of the hallway. Even in the darkness of the corridor Jade could see that his face wore a pained expression. She was surprised; she had never expected him to stay here for the entire time. Usually he would persevere until she came back to him eventually. This meant that he really saw that he had gone too far this time.
"I'm sorry." His deep voice carried over to her and Jade took a few steps towards him. Then he held out his arms for her and only an instant later Jade was in his embrace.
"I'm sorry, kid." He repeated. His arms were around her shoulders as she hugged him back around the waist. Jade noticed that his breathing wasn't as calm as it usually was. He probably felt just as emotional as she did in that moment. The thought of losing each other simply scared them both immensely.
"I'm sorry, too." She mumbled after a long moment, trying to control her sobs a little. "You're not that cold. Maybe just cold enough to put out a candle."
She smiled up at him, but the corners of Blaise's mouth didn't lift. He still looked sad.
"He's dangerous, Jade. He's working for the Dark Lord. Potter is one thing.. But hanging around with a Death Eater? I know I can't make you stop this, but I don't trust him."
"You don't trust anyone, Blaise."
"True. It's hard for me. But I trust you, Jade."
"So trust me when I say that Draco would never do anything to me. Tonight he'll tell me the whole story. I'll know more then. I promise you I'm not going into this blinded by my feelings. I'm not as naive as you think. Not anymore."
Blaise nodded and slowly let go of her again. "I think I should talk to him" he said after a moment.
"Talk in talk? Or in fight?" Jade asked, looking sceptical.
"Talk. If he isn't honest with you, I promise I'll scare him away. But if he really cares that much about you, I'll know. Tomorrow." He said solemnly.
And then he put an arm around her shoulder and the two of them left the corridor side by side.
A/N: I'm sorry it took longer than usual this time. Life is incredibly busy at the moment.. Next chapter we'll have a little more Draco&Jade again.. It just would have gotten too long if I squeezed it into this one..