"Hermione!" She called after them, Hermione and Ron both turned to see who had called her.
"Jade! Did you see him?" She beamed. "I expect they're taking him to the first aid tent." She went on as they continued together to the tent.
"Hi, Ron." Jade tried greeting him and he gave her a small smile. Hermione burst through the two flaps of the tent and quickly found Harry, rushing towards him and embracing him in a tight hug that made him wince slightly.
"Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione told him. "You were amazing! You really were!" Jade followed lamely after Hermione and gave him a congratulatory hug but he only responded on instinct, his attention was focused on Ron, who was standing back and looking uncomfortable.
"Harry," Ron said seriously, "whoever put your name in that goblet, I, I reckon they're trying to do you in!" He finished and they all let out a breath of relief.
"Caught on, have you? Took you long enough." He told him coldly and Jade hit her hand out to tap him in the side. Hermione stood nervously between them, looking from one to the other. Ron opened his mouth uncertainly. "It's okay," Harry said quickly after. "Forget it."
"No," Ron shook his head, "I shouldn't've-"
"Forget it," Harry said again. Ron grinned nervously at him, and Harry grinned back.
"Jade…" Ron had turned his attention away from his best friend.
"It's fine, Ron. Me too." She said reassuringly and Ron sighed before finally breaking into a relaxed smile. Hermione burst into tears.
"There's nothing to cry about!" Harry watched her, bewildered.
"You two are so stupid!" Hermione cried, both boys not knowing what to do but Jade watched with a smile. Hermione wiped her face and then launched at the boys and drew them into a hug. She dashed away a moment later, stifling her cries.
"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Ron asked and they both looked to Jade for an explanation but she only shrugged. "Barking mad," He shook his head but then looked to where Hermione had gone. "Harry, c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores." Picking up the golden egg and his Firebolt, Harry ducked out of the tent, Jade and Ron by his side, talking fast and letting him know about the other champions. "You were the best, you know, no competition. Cedric did this weird thing where he Transfigured a rock on the ground, turned it into a dog, he was trying to make the dragon go for the dog instead of him. Well, it was a pretty cool bit of Transfiguration, and it sort of worked, because he did get the egg, but he got burned as well, he only just got away. And that Fleur girl tried this sort of charm, I think she was trying to put it into a trance, well, that kind of worked too, it went all sleepy, but then it yawned, and this great jet of flame shot out, and her skirt caught fire, she put it out with a bit of water out of her wand. And Krum, you won't believe this, but he didn't even think of flying! He was probably the best after you, though. Hit it with some sort of spell right in the eye! Only thing is, it went trampling around in agony and squashed half the real eggs, they took marks off for that, he wasn't supposed to do any damage to them." Ron drew a breath as they reached the edge of the enclosure. They stood in front of the judges with the rest of the champions. "It marks out of ten from each one," Ron told him quietly as they watched the judges, waiting for their scores. Madam Maxime had given him an eight. "That's not bad, Harry!" Ron smiled. "I suppose she took marks off for your shoulder." Mr. Crouch and Dumbledore both gave him a nine. The crowd cheered loudly behind them. Ludo Bagman had given Harry a ten.
"Ten?" Harry asked in disbelief. "But, I got hurt. What's he playing at?"
"Harry, don't complain!" Jade practically shrieked in excitement. Karkaroff was last and his score… was a four.
"What?" Ron bellowed furiously. "Four? You lousy, biased scumbag, you gave Krum ten!" Even though Ron was furious with the four, Harry didn't seem to mind, he watched as Ron yelled at Karkaroff. After the scores were given, the students were directed to return to the castle.
"You're tied in first place, Harry! You and Krum!" Charlie hurried to meet them as they set off back toward the school. "Jade, Hermione, nice to see you again." He smiled charmingly. "Listen, I've got to run, I've got to go and send Mum an owl, I swore I'd tell her what happened, but that was unbelievable! Oh yeah, and they told me to tell you you've got to hang around for a few more minutes. Bagman wants a word, back in the champions' tent." Harry stopped for a moment, looking from the tent to his friends.
"Go ahead," Jade told him. "We'll catch up with you later." Harry looked at Hermione who nodded in agreement.
"I'll go with you," Ron said and the two boys followed Charlie back to the tent.
"Maddex!" She spun back to face the castle to find the Weasley twins approaching her.
"How would you ladies like to help us set up Harry's surprise party?" Fred asked, throwing an arm over Jade's shoulder as George did the same to Hermione.
"For completing the first task?" Hermione asked.
"Tying first is a grand accomplishment, isn't that right, George?"
"Right you are, Fred."
"I suppose." Jade narrowed her eyes at Fred in suspicion. "What would you have us do?"
"Well, George and I got food covered. Lee needs help decorating the Common Room."
"Simple enough." Jade agreed. The girls allowed the twins to drag them up the Grand Staircase and through the Common Room where Seamus and Dean were already working on a new banner to hang up. Lavender and Parvati were working in a corner, blowing and setting up luminous balloons.
"Here you go, Jordan!" Fred smiled. "Two more for the cause."
"Hey." Lee Jordan greeted them, "Just ask around, there's plenty to do and I don't know how much time we've got before Harry comes."
"We'll get going." Fred and George turned back to the portrait.
"Back in a jif!" George waved bye as they left, the portrait swinging closed behind them. Jade didn't really want to converse with Lavender and Parvati if she didn't have to so she scanned the room and found Neville picking up spare parchments and quills and setting them off to a table he'd pushed to the back of the Common Room.
"Longbottom?" Jade asked and he looked up, startled. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, hi. Just picking up so we have room for everything." He told her and Jade looked to her side but Hermione wasn't there, she was still standing where Fred and George had left her.
"Coming, Granger?" She called her.
"Would it be alright if I go find Ron and Harry?" Hermione asked, coming up to her. "I can keep them away for a bit." She offered and Jade nodded.
"Fine. Don't think I don't see what you're doing." She wiggled a finger at her friend. "You're trying to get out of decorating duty."
"Oh! No, that's not-"
"It's fine, Hermione. Go. I'll be fine." She told her reassuringly and Hermione paused for a minute, deciding if she should go or not, before nodding and leaving to find the boys. "Alright, Longbottom. Let's do this a bit quicker, yeah?" Neville watched as she waved her wand and muttered a spell, the clutter from the tables in the Common Room lifted into the air and then set themselves down on the table Neville had pushed aside.
"Yeah, that works too." Neville blushed slightly.
She didn't know what Hermione was doing but it had given them over an hour to prepare. Jade wasn't sure how the Gryffindors would act with her in their Common Room but her friendship with five Gryffindors must've kept away the nasty looks and rude comments. She worked well with Neville and Lee as they got the room ready for Harry. Balloons were floating all around, banners were pinned up, and Fred and George had returned with loads of food and sweets from the kitchens. Hermione came in first, noticing them all standing around and waiting eagerly for Harry, she chuckled lightly and then looked back to Harry and Ron who were just now stepping through the portrait. Harry only had a moment to look around the room before it exploded with cheers again. Lee Jordan set off some Filibuster Fireworks causing the air to quickly fill with sparks and smoke. Harry smiled in amazement, taking in everything.
"Do you like it?" Jade asked, noticing how Ron's eyes went wide when he saw all of the food.
"It's brilliant."
"Blimey, this is heavy," Lee Jordan said, picking up the golden egg, which Harry had sat on the table, and weighing it in his hands. "Open it, Harry, go on! Let's just see what's inside it!"
"He's supposed to work out the clue on his own," Hermione told everyone who had gathered around. "It's in the tournament rules."
"I was supposed to work out how to get past the dragon on my own too," Harry mumbled so only the girls and Ron could hear him, and Hermione grinned rather guiltily.
"Yeah, go on, Harry, open it!" Fred added, coming around the crowd to get a better look with George at his side. Lee passed Harry the egg, and Harry dug his fingernails into the groove that ran around it and cracked it open. Jade only saw what was inside for a moment before she became distracted by the sound it let out. The egg itself was empty but the most horrible screeching wail came from it, causing everyone to cover their ears. "Shut it!" Fred bellowed. Harry slammed it shut and they all lifted their hands slowly, making sure it had stopped.
"What was that?" Seamus asked. "Sounded like a banshee... maybe you've got to get past one of those next, Harry!"
"It was someone being tortured!" Neville said, turning very white. "You're going to have to fight the Cruciatus Curse!"
"Don't be a prat, Neville, that's illegal," George told him. "They wouldn't use the Cruciatus Curse on the champions. I thought it sounded a bit like Percy singing, maybe you've got to attack him while he's in the shower, Harry." Fred grabbed a silver platter from behind him and presented it to Jade.
"Want a jam tart, Maddex?" He had a wicked grin on his face and Jade recoiled her reached out hand. "It's all right," He said. "I haven't done anything to them. It's the custard creams you've got to watch." Neville, who had just bitten into a custard cream, choked and spat it out. Fred laughed. "Just my little joke, Neville." Hermione came around and took a jam tart.
"Did you get all this from the kitchens, Fred?" She asked.
"Yep," He grinned again. "'Anything we can get you, sir, anything at all!'" Fred raised his voice to imitate a house-elf. "They're dead helpful, get me a roast ox if I said I was peckish." His voice returned to normal.
"How do you get in there?" Hermione asked innocently enough but Jade watched her closely, she expected the first thing out of Hermione's mouth to be something about how it was wrong to make the house-elves do things for them when they're already doing so much for the castle.
"Easy, concealed door behind a painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it giggles and-" He stopped and caught on to her act. "Why?"
"Nothing," Hermione said quickly.
"Going to try and lead the house-elves out on strike now, are you?" George asked. "Going to give up all the leaflet stuff and try and stir them up into rebellion?" Several people chuckled and Hermione didn't answer.
"Don't you go upsetting them and telling them they've got to take clothes and salaries!" Fred warned. "You'll put them off their cooking!" Before Hermione could respond, Neville had turned into a large yellow canary. "Oh, sorry, Neville!" Fred shouted over all the laughter. "I forgot, it was the custard creams we hexed." It only lasted a minute and then Neville turned back to normal and began losing the last few stubborn feathers. "Canary Creams!" Fred shouted to the excitable crowd, and right in Jade's ear. "George and I invented them, seven Sickles each, a bargain!" They ate and drank and talked for hours but when the large clock chimed one in the morning, Jade called it a night. It wasn't hard to sneak back down to the dungeons, there was a scare when she thought she heard Mrs. Norris nearby but she just slid behind a corner and continued quietly to the Slytherin Common Room. She thought she had made it by unnoticed but there was someone sitting on the couch near the fire that was dying in the fireplace. She only saw the person's shadow but she had a good idea of who it was and she rolled her eyes.
"Going to lecture me about House loyalty, Malfoy?" Jade sighed but as she made her way over to the couch she realized it wasn't Draco sitting there. "Oh, sorry, Theo." She said, slightly embarrassed.
"It's okay." He chuckled. "But do you need to be lectured about House loyalty?" He joked.
"No. What are you doing up?"
"Didn't see you after the first task, wanted to make sure you got back alright."
"Oh, that's… sweet," Jade said awkwardly. Theo rose from the couch with a sigh.
"Well, now that you're back I can finally get some sleep." He left towards the boys' dormitories without another word.
"Goodnight, Nott." She told him.
"Goodnight, Maddex."