Nothing eventful happened for the rest of the weekend. When Jade went to go visit Harry in the Hospital Wing on Sunday, Madam Pomfrey had told her Harry was already up and gone. On Monday, the students had learned that Colin Creevey, the annoying Gryffindor who kept taking pictures of Harry, had been petrified just like Filch's cat. Students would whisper about it in the halls and gather outside the Hospital Wing hoping to get a peek at the boy. The first-year students all traveled in large groups, afraid that they may be attacked by the unknown monster. Gretta had been finding Jade more and more often, asking her to walk with her to meals and her classes. Jade didn't mind, it hadn't interfered with her class schedule, she had to hurry between third and fourth period but she'd never been late. The growing concern throughout the school was starting to get to Jade, even the teachers would whisper together as they monitored the students in the corridors. If they were worried she'd be foolish to not be too. Students were trading protective talismans and amulets in the Common Rooms. Gretta had acquired a purple crystal on a chain and wore it around her neck at all times.

"You're not a muggle-born witch are you?" Jade asked in a hushed voice one night during a snowstorm. Students stayed up later than usual recently, they felt safer when they weren't alone.

"No, but I'm only half." Gretta whimpered as she stroked her cat comfortingly. The little thing finally decided to come out of hiding.

"Don't worry, Gretta. You'll be fine." Jade and Gretta were sitting by the warm fire, Pansy didn't like to come close when Jade was with Gretta. She found the younger girl annoying and Jade would often argue with Pansy about it, they were currently on the outs.

The next Thursday, Professor Snape came around during breakfast and had all of the students that were staying at school for winter break sign a piece of parchment. Jade was excited because she would be going home for the holidays this year but she was surprised to learn that Draco was not.

"What's that about?" Jade asked as he signed his name on the parchment,

"My parents are going to be off doing something for my father's job."

"Your father actually works?" Jade gasped and Draco gave her a side glance, "I'm kidding."

"It should be alright, Crabbe and Goyle are staying too."

"Why are they-" Jade began asking but Draco just rolled his eyes, he didn't seem too thrilled about the idea.

"Come on," Draco rose from the Slytherin table, "Potions starts soon." Jade followed him back down to the dungeons.

"It's not that bad, staying here for Christmas." Jade told him, "Blaise and I mainly studied the whole time, got our work done."

"Sounds riveting." He mumbled and she slapped his arm, "It does!" He sighed and then slipped into a grin that made her laugh.

"Enough." Snape drawled as they entered his classroom and the two quickly sobered up and took their seats. Twenty cauldrons sat steaming between the wooden desks which all had ingredients on them. "Begin," Snape announced and the students got to work,

"Begin? Begin what?" Jade whispered as she watched Draco count out pufferfish eyes. "Oh, pufferfish eyes… okay, I remember." She spoke, mainly to herself as she also began grabbing dried nettles. They were to make a Swelling Solution today. As Jade and Draco continued to prepare their potion perfectly, Snape made his way around the classroom observing each pair of students and their potions. He made not so subtle remarks about the progress of Seamus' and Dean's potion. The two friends exchanged looks and then scanned their books to try and find what they had done incorrectly. Out of the corner of Jade's eye, she saw Draco flick a puffer-fish eye towards Ron and Harry. She rubbed her hands together to try and get the residue from the dried nettles off of her hands. Draco snorted as he flicked another eye and it hit Ron and landed on his sleeve. Ron glared at Draco as he brushed it off.

"Would you quit?" Jade whispered and motioned towards their cauldron to try and refocus his attention. Draco grinned as he shifted in his stool and glanced at his book before stirring the potion. An explosion caught the class's attention and Jade looked over to Seamus because he was the one usually making things explode but she furrowed her eyebrows when he and Dean were completely clean and looking over towards them. Jade looked behind her to see Crabbe and Goyle doused in Swelling Solution and then Draco barked in pain and she looked him over. Crabbe and Goyle had begun flailing around as different parts of them started to grow and they got some on Draco's face because he was grabbing at it and groaning. Jade looked over herself but thankfully nothing had splashed on her. The room slowly descended into chaos. Goyle was running around with his hands over his eyes and Crabbe was sitting there yelling, Draco was groaning as his nose started growing, students were bumping into each other as they tried to avoid touching Goyle and getting any potion on them. Professor Snape swiftly looked from one side of the room to the other,

"Silence! SILENCE!" He roared over the cries of his students and Jade slowly turned from Goyle who had stopped moving and was now groaning quietly to Snape who took a long deep breath. "Anyone who has been splashed, come here for the Deflating Draft…" Crabbe, Goyle, Draco, and Neville made their way to the front of the class to Snape's desk. Neville's foot was growing and starting to rip his shoes as it tried to break through. "When I find out who did this," Jade looked around the classroom, she thought Goyle or Crabbe was just being an idiot and made their potion wrong but Snape thought otherwise. Jade caught sight of Harry and Ron trying to stop themselves from smiling as Draco groaned and covered his nose. The class had come to a halt as the four of them each took a swig of the antidote to the sound of bubbling cauldrons, Jade looked back at Pansy and Blaise and Pansy shrugged. Snape looked over them as their swellings soon began to shrink and then he made his way to Crabbe and Goyle's station and delicately picked out a twisted black burnt-out firework and held it up to show the class. "If I ever find out who threw this…" Snape was now whispering as he scanned the Gryffindor side of his classroom. "I shall make sure that person is expelled." Snape's gaze fell on Harry and didn't waver. Harry's eyes flicked to the left when they met Snape's, Jade was afraid Snape would blame it on Harry and curious if he actually did do it. Jade couldn't tell if Harry's expression was out of fear for being blamed for something he didn't do or for fear he'd been caught. As Snape swept towards Harry the bell rang and students quickly grabbed their things to leave the tense room, Jade wanted to follow them but she stayed back and waited for Draco to gather his things.

"How does it look?" He asked her as he kept touching his nose and then looking at his hands as they made their way out of the class.

"I don't think the antidote worked on you." Jade grimaced as she looked at him from different angles and his eyes widened. Jade laughed at him, "I'm kidding!" She sighed as he glared at her, "You went," Jade mimicked his face and he walked faster to get away from her, "Draco! Come on, I'm kidding!" She called after him as she hurried to catch up.