ENJOY!

Pansy was glaring at Draco from across the table. Around them, their fellow Hogwarts classmates were conversing excitedly, whispering and pointing at the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students in their midst.

"What?"

"Your Beauxbatons girl couldn't make it?" Pansy asked in that simpering tone.

"She's the same age as us. Not eligible." And she's not my girlfriend.

He hadn't let himself try to contact her, whether it be with the pendant or through letters. He had felt so embarrassed their last day together. Jane didn't like him anymore, damn it.

He'd just have to get over it. He hated having to do so, but he didn't have a choice, right?

Days later, in Ancient Runes, Draco found his mind wandering. Looking at all of the symbols in his textbook made him think of Jane and her kanji. He wondered if he gave her some rune symbols, she would copy them onto her nails.

He didn't even notice he was holding the pendant until it started to expand. He dropped it like it was a burning coal, and it thumped against his chest.

Daphne Greengrass, who sat in front of him, turned around and gave him a queer look. Draco sneered until she turned around, and the minute she did, he had to stifle a smile.

Somewhere, miles away, Jane was probably dozing off in a classroom, thinking of him.

His spirits lifted considerably after that. That night, for the first time, he put the pendant to use. He lay in bed, the curtains drawn around him and sealed shut with spells, and waited.

The pendant expanded, and there was Jane, an amazed look on her face. "I was starting to think these things were broken! Ok, get ready, I have so much to tell you…"

And after that, things started to get back to normal.

(Christmas Eve)

"What are you wearing?" Jane asked, clearly miffed by what little of his outfit she was able to see through the little mirror. Draco found his face going a little warm at how unimpressed she sounded. He had felt quite proud picking out the dress robes…

There was a rustle of movement that seemed to be coming from the door to the dormitories, and Draco sat up straighter on the edge of his four-poster, ready to drop the little mirror. There wasn't another sound, so he went back to glaring at Jane. "They're dress robes."

"So that's what a wizard tux looks like."

"Yes." He held the mirror up to eye-level, and put on his most dazzling grin. "I look good, yes?"

Jane leaned in closer. She was in what Draco assumed were her pajamas - all he could see was her white t-shirt. When she shifted, the fabric seemed to reflect the lamp-light her room was illuminated by.

"Eh," was all Jane said after inspecting him.

"Hey!"

Jane sniffed nonchalantly, and Draco felt that stab of embarrassment, possibly shame, all over again.

"I look much better in person, I can assure you that."

"Yes, I'm sure you look dashing in person. But I'm not there, am I?"

Right.

"I'm sorry." She looked away. "I don't know why I'm being so mean."

"It's alright," Draco said, his heart racing. He had a hopeful theory for just exactly why she was acting so.

"Valentines Day," Jane said, breaking the moment. "My school is having a dance. Tell me how your night goes. If you can handle the dancing and everything. Because my friends want me to go with them, and… I might."

Friends. Plural. Because Jane had more than just Samuel and Suzanne now. He should be reassured - happy that she was making friends (and that maybe she was popular, if her stories were anything to go by). But these people weren't him. He didn't know them or what they meant to Jane…

"Alright," Draco agreed. He knew he should have told her to make the decision for herself, she was a free muggle and all that, but maybe he didn't want her to go. Maybe he just wanted her to pine after him, and not forget him, so he could come back in the summer and they could resume their… whatever it was.

"Draco! Hurry up!" It was Pansy, calling to him from outside the door. Both he and Jane jumped at her call. If he wasn't so used to being interrupted like this, he would have dropped the mirror. Instead, he gave Jane one last grin, to which she wiggled her fingers at him, then tucked the mirror into his dress robes.

"Coming, Pansy."

"God, this is such a bore," Draco exclaimed, watching the Triwizard Champions and their partners enter the Great Hall. Pansy was off powdering her nose, and all his other mates were paired off with their dates, so Draco felt strangely out of place. He was the only unpaired person in the crowd.

Nobody took notice of his remark. Not even Goyle, the bumbling idiot, who was standing at his side, smitten with the younger Slytherin he had taken as his date, Astoria Greengrass. Astoria herself paid Goyle no mind, eyes alight with wonder as the champions twirled around the dance floor.

"Is that Hermione Granger?!"

Thank Merlin Pansy was back. Draco was starting to get sick of being the only boy without a partner. He cleared his throat and tried to beckon her closer, for she was a few people away still, but she had stopped dead in her tracks to ogle the aforementioned Gryffindor.

He followed her line of sight, and could barely contain his surprise. He loathed to admit it, but Granger didn't look half bad. Everyone had their eyes on her.

"Look at the weasel," he said, elbowing Goyle roughly. "Granger danger!"

Goyle's laugh was a bit strained. Astoria poked her head around her date to glare at Draco. "Why are you being so mean?"

"I'm not," he said hotly. A few heads turned their way at Astoria's words. "I'm simply pointing out the obvious."

Astoria crossed her arms and turned back to watch the rest of the dance. Her final remark didn't go unheard by him. "Always trying to be the centre of attention. Even when he's all alone."

For the second time in his life, Draco had to resist the urge to punch a girl.

"Happy New Year!" Was the first thing Jane said when the pendant expanded big enough for him to see her. Then, softly, she added, "I miss you."

Draco found his throat closing up. "I miss you too."

A beat.

He cleared his throat, and just as quickly as it came, their sentimental moment evaporated into thin air. "Everyone's partying in the common room. It might get a little loud."

"And how have you been excused from all the festivities? Aren't you the crown prince?"

Draco felt his face go red, but he was determined to stay smiling, even if it was forced. He pulled at the Potter Stinks badge on his robe. "Remember these?"

Jane had foretold that they would get old; her friend Suzanne had been harassed with them in a student council election and promptly won it. But Draco hadn't listened, obviously. Jane had said it herself countless times before - their schools were so different. A student council election was miles different from a Triwizard Tournament.

Jane gave him an exasperated look. "What is it with you and Potter?"

Draco couldn't help his sneer. He always sneered when he thought of Potter. He knew Jane didn't like it (that's such an ugly face, reminds me of when you hated me) but he hadn't seen her properly in ages and it was hard to rein in his signature school look.

"Everything about him sickens me," Draco spat out. It was all stuff Jane had heard before. They had actually talked about him one night earlier in the school year, when Draco first explained to her about the badges he'd charmed.

He's an arrogant git, he had said.

Well, then he's like you in that sense.

No. It's audacious. That he'd join that tournament - and for what? He has everything he needs - his friends, his quidditch - why does he have to take this glory too?

And now, Jane said hollowly. You sound like me.

"Yes, and the way you talk about him sickens me too," Jane agreed.

In all honesty, that wasn't the main reason Draco wasn't down there celebrating. Ever since Christmas, Astoria's words had been playing over and over in his mind. She had said he was alone. Draco had tried to brush it off at first; he had loads of friends and was of such high status in Slytherin house, there was no way what she said had any truth to it…

But he had spent the rest of the Yule Ball bored out of his mind with nobody to talk to. Pansy had left him to talk with her girl friends, and he had awkwardly sat in with Crabbe and his date. And then on Christmas, nobody in Slytherin gave him any presents. He had even gotten something for Pansy, because she had been his date, but the girl hadn't even given him a thank you back yet.

There was a loud bang on Jane's end. She looked up, alarmed, before settling down again. "My parents are drunk as skunks. Kind of terrifying."

There was another sort of sound, this time more of a clattering. "Tell me about the ball. Should I go to mine?"

Draco swallowed. "The ball? Well. It was…" He forced a smile. "It was great."

"Really? Oh, that's great!" Jane said excitedly, failing to notice Draco's downtrodden expression. "Suzanne and I were thinking of doing matching outfits, but I'm not sure, you're better with fashion so do you think that'll be too cringy? And get this: Samuel wants me to paint his nails! Oh, it's going to be so great." She put her chin in her hands. "Tell me more about your dance!"

For the third time in his life, Draco wove Jane a lie.

(Valentine's Day)

"What are you wearing?" Draco asked, appalled. He was under his covers in his silk pajamas. After casting multiple silencing charms around his tightly shut bunk, he trusted that Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't try disturbing him.

Jane was in her room, trying to brush her hair with one hand and hold the mirror with the other. Her eyes were outlined with sharp, black eyeliner and a light, pink eyeshadow.

"It looks better in person," Jane bit back, dropping the hairbrush in exasperation. She reached out of view for something and then attempted to fasten it into her hair. It was a rather nice hair clip. "Like it? Samuel - no, Sami bought me it after we painted our nails." She smoothed out her hair. She was really pretty. Draco could see a little bit of her dress. It was black, off-the-shoulder. He'd seen Jane in tank tops, but the fact that she was putting so much effort into her appearance at the moment made this all the more prettier.

He wanted to crawl through the mirror.

"Samuel sure seems to be excited about you going to that dance."

"We're not going together, Draco." Draco had to swallow his hurt. He would hate this Samuel kid for the rest of his life.

"Ok."

"We're not," Jane insisted. "And Suzanne wants me to come too. How do I look?"

"You look fine. You always look fine." He didn't like that she'd given Samuel a nickname. She had never given him a nickname…

She frowned. "Is that all you have to say?"

"What? Do you want me to wax poetry about your dress? Your pretty hair?

"Draco, that's not fair." Jane made to touch her face, but she stopped, remembering her makeup. Draco could see that her nails were black, painted with white kanji characters. She wrung her hands and glared. "But it's the first ever dance I've ever been to, I just want to see what it's like, my friends are so excited-"

"What do your nails say?"

Jane stopped, and examined her nails, as if noticing them for the first time herself. Her cheeks started to colour. "Oh. Well, that one says… er, mizu ni nagasu. It's kind of like… let go?" she snapped her fingers. "Water under the bridge. It's just the shortest phrase I could find. My dad suggested I paint it."

Draco gave her his best stop messing with me look. "And the other hand?"

Jane looked like she wanted to disappear. "That's not kanji."

"Liar. Jane, show me your hand."

"It's katakana," she mumbled, but she relented. She must have repainted it, but Draco had gotten used to looking at those three, simple characters. He could still hear her pronouncing his name, so carefully, so fondly. Do-ra-ko. "Don't laugh."

Draco did laugh, but it was a laugh of pure joy, not to embarrass her. That was his name. "Jane, I miss you so much." It was the most genuine thing he had ever said to her. "If you hold hands with Samuel, please don't hold him with that hand."

And she laughed a little too. "Whatever. I'm going to go. Bye, Draco."

"No - promise me. Don't let him hold your left hand."

Jane looked at him like he was crazy. "Draco, it's not a big deal-"

"It's a big deal to me," he insisted.

"Ok, ok!" She sounded exasperated, but her grin was as wide as ever. "I promise, Draco Malfoy. Samuel Barnes will only hold my right hand. Samuel Barnes doesn't even exist."

"Good- Hey!"

Jane laughed and let go of her mirror. Blast!

He wondered about what Samuel Barnes looked like. He couldn't have been too… good looking, or something. Wasn't he just a nerdy boy? He was the one who had gotten Jane into cartoons and comics after all. At first he imagined an unathletic looking kid, but then he remembered that Jane had compared Draco's quidditch with Samuel's football. The image of this muggle boy in his mind changed from a chubby, sad looking kid to a muscled, dashing lad.

Draco gritted his teeth. Perhaps I should ask Jane to see photos of him.

He undid the silencing charms around his bunk and pushed the curtains open. To his surprise, Blaise Zabini was rummaging around his bunk. Blaise was usually out in the common room at this time. Draco hadn't expected to see him at all.

"What do you do in there all the time?" Blaise asked. He hadn't looked up from his trunk.

"None of your business," Draco snarled out.

Blaise faltered just a bit. "Ew. Never mind then." Then he barked out a laugh. "And I thought you had the best self-control out of the whole Slytherin lot."

It took a moment for Draco to realize what Blaise was implying. "No!" he yelled.

Blaise laughed maniacally. "Calm down, Malfoy." He gave a sly smirk. "Your secret's safe with me."

Draco knew it was a lost battle. With a dramatic huff and a flushed face, he stormed out.

"Tell me about your dance," Draco demanded the next time he got to talk to Jane.

He expected her to give him some downtrodden pout and a sob story about how she missed him - his ego was counting on it, truth be told - and that's why her wide grin crushed him.

"I have photos!" She reached for her desk and showed him a polaroid that had been taken at the dance. Draco was glad he didn't have to go out of his way to ask her for the photos. He had been dying with curiosity to see what Samuel Barnes looked like. He looked at the polaroid, praying that Samuel was some scrawny kid, the type Draco could take down in a brawl if needed.

He could make out a group of three posing in front of a white backdrop. Jane was in the middle, in that pretty black dress. Two people had their arms wrapped around her - a girl with dirty blond hair and a baby blue dress, and another girl with short, dark hair and a soft pink skirt and white blouse. "That's me, Suzanne and Sami!"

Draco furrowed his brow. "Sami?"

Jane pointed at the person on her right - the girl with the short dark hair and the pink skirt. "Sami."

"Don't you have a picture of Samuel?"

"Draco," Jane said, her bubbly tone hardening. "Samuel's her dead name. It's Sami now."

…

He didn't really understand what Jane meant, but she seemed serious about it so he just nodded and agreed. Also, if Sami was a girl that meant Jane couldn't like her, and he no longer had any bones to pick with her.

Jane tucked the photo away and began informing him of her fun night of dancing and joking and most surprisingly - drinking. She was chalk full of wild anecdotes about Suzanne doing this, and Sami doing that, of some song and how she would always remember it, of her sobering trip back home, and on and on and on.

The way Jane talked, it made his night at the Yule Ball pale in comparison. But he couldn't really understand why. He had had loads of fun at the Yule Ball. He had danced just as much as she did. Maybe he hadn't gotten to joke as much with Pansy, but he did get chummy with Blaise, and of course he had poked fun at Crabbe and Goyle-

But maybe that was his problem. He couldn't tell Jane stories about Blaise doing this or Pansy doing that. He couldn't recount funny jokes shared with Crabbe and Goyle. Or of laughing his arse off with anyone in Slytherin.

Draco found he was going through a minor, inner crisis as Jane droned on about her friends. Friends. She had friends - close, best friends outside of him. And Draco had… cronies. Acquaintances. Roommates.

Jane wasn't as lonely as she'd seemed all those years ago. And it should have made Draco happy. Seeing his friend flourishing in her new environment.

But it just made Draco feel lonely.

I totally didn't make Draco say Granger Danger because of AVPM. And I totally didn't name her Sami because of AVPM. Noooooo.