A/N: Did you guys see the reunion yet? It was so nice to see everyone back together!

Jade fled into the Entrance Hall, students were flooding the area to get into the Great Hall for lunch and Jade was trying to catch a glimpse of Pansy. She needed to talk to her, tell her what Blaise had said, get her opinion on it. She thought he was joking at first, but the severity and frustration he talked to her with convinced her that it was true. Draco had feelings for her, for years, apparently. Sure, she knew he'd made little jokes in the past but that's what she thought they were, jokes, just jokes. She was rethinking everything now. Her mind tried filtering through their interactions but there were so many through the years. She wanted her mind to slow down, she wanted to think about her feelings, how this would affect their friendship, but every time she tried she just got stuck back to what Blaise had said. He's totally into you, has been for years! You haven't noticed? At all? No, she did. She did notice, more so recently. The one moment burning brightest in her head was when they were in the woods at the World Cup. She had realized how handsome he was, how close he was standing to her, how he calmed her down. She had thought about his lips. She had thought about the silver shade of his eyes.

"You alright?" She felt someone bump into her shoulder and she turned to see Ron standing next to her and Hermione looked at her worriedly behind him.

"I need to talk," Jade said.

"Okay, about what?" Ron asked, a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

"Um, not here." She said, looking around the sea of students and noticing the white-blonde head popping up from the stairs that lead to the dungeons. Her heart hammered in her chest at the sight of his hair and she quickly turned around and dragged Ron and Hermione into the Great Hall. She sat down at the Gryffindor table, but at the very end of it, where no one could hear them talk.

"Jade, are you okay? Hermione asked.

"Where's Harry?" Jade asked and they shrugged. "Okay, maybe that's better for now."

"Better? What are you going on about?" Ron asked, popping a piece of chocolate into his mouth.

"Blaise said Draco has feelings for me," Jade said carefully, her eyes flickering towards Ron. Harry and Draco didn't get along but Ron and Draco were worse, she remembered back to when Ron tackled him in the stands during their first year at a quidditch game. How his hands clenched into fists every time Draco mentioned his family. But Ron's reaction was much different than what she was expecting, she expected him to be angry but instead, he began laughing. "I'm not joking." She told him but he shook his head.

"Oh, I hope not. It's funnier if it's true."

"Ron!" Hermione hissed and gave Jade an apologetic look.

"I just… I never thought Malfoy was capable of liking anyone, didn't know he had that in him is all. What has he said to you?"

"Nothing," Jade told him. "I don't even know if it's true or not."
"So ask him." Hermione offered.

"I don't want to bring it up." Jade's cheeks got warm just thinking about it and Hermione hit Ron on the arm to calm him down but Ron's laugh couldn't be subsided completely and instead turned down to a chuckle.

"Doesn't matter anyway, it's not like you've got a crush on him, right?" Ron asked. Hermione's eyes flicked from Ron's face to Jade's.

"No!" Jade said immediately.

"Alright then." Ron nodded once, signaling that was the end of the discussion.

"Well, I don't know!" Jade went on, "I've never thought about it really… I feel comfortable with him…" Jade felt the heat rise up to her face again and she hated how awkward it was for her to talk like this with her friends. It would be much worse if she talked to Draco, she wouldn't be surprised if she turned as red as a tomato.

"Comfortable? With Malfoy?" Ron scoffed and Hermione shot him another warning look. "I'm sorry." Ron raised his hands, showing he wasn't trying to mean harm. "Do you find him attractive?" Ron asked and then grimaced and Jade rolled her eyes. Ron and Hermione were looking past her and she braved a glance behind her, already knowing what she was going to see. Pansy and Draco were glaring at them, but just because Ron and Hermione noticed them, didn't mean they would stop.

"I don't want to talk boys with you, Ronald Weasley." Jade sighed, turning back.

"Aye! Why not?" He asked innocently.

"Because… what if… what if I wanted to talk to you about you? What if I had a crush on you and wanted to talk about how attractive you were?" Jade used it as an example but Ron's smile fell immediately and his face burned red, so hot in fact that Hermione sitting next to him must've felt it because she had a similar color going on in her cheeks. "Exactly, it's weird isn't it?" Jade concluded her point and Ron nodded quickly.

"Well, then… I'll just leave you girls to it." He got up from his seat and escaped quickly. Jade smiled as they watched Ron get as far away as possible but once she turned back to Hermione her smile fell.

"Seriously, what do you think I should do?"

"What does Pansy think?" Hermione asked, going along with the quick change back in their conversation.

"I don't know, I haven't told her yet. She'd probably just tell me to talk to him."

"Then I'd probably agree with her."

"Right, like it's so easy."

"I mean, he's your friend, you should be able to talk to him about stuff."

"I can. I do. It's just… this is different."

"I understand." Hermione reached across the table and squeezed Jade's hand.

"But you agree that the next step might be to talk to him about his feelings, or what I was told his feelings were?"

"Just ask him. Like… okay, do you think you could have feelings for him?" Hermione asked and Jade paused and then shrugged.

"I mean… yes, I think he's attractive, but so is Theo, so is Blaise, so is Harry…" Hermione waited for her to continue but Jade gave her a wicked smile. "And we all know you think Ron is cute." Hermione looked around quickly, making sure no one overheard her, and then her wide eyes turned back to Jade. "Oh, come on, Hermione. It's obvious."

"Do you think he knows?" She asked, barely keeping her voice above a whisper.

"No." Jade scoffed. "Absolutely not." Hermione relaxed significantly and rested her head on the table briefly before sitting back up with a sigh.

"I don't want to lose him as a friend," Hermione told her and Jade nodded,

"It's the same for me-"

"It's not the same!" Hermione hissed and then looked around again. "I'm not like you. You're… beautiful and funny and you get along with everyone and I'm…" Hermione trailed off and Jade's heart ached in her chest. Jade grabbed onto Hermione's hand again.

"Hermione… you are a genius, you're kind, and ambitious, and just as beautiful. Ron could never get any luckier." Hermione squeezed once more and smiled at her friend.

"Thank you…" Hermione said quietly and just then, two loud voices came into the Great Hall.

"Sorry!" Fred said loudly with a large smile on his face when he spotted the two girls. "Don't mind us, go on and kiss." George laughed behind him and the girls pulled their hands back and rolled their eyes.

"See you later?" Jade asked, rising from her seat.

"Don't go!" Fred cried and fell onto the seat next to Hermione. Hermione nodded her goodbye and Jade turned to come face to face, well, face to chest, with George.

"We were only kidding," George told her.

"I know, but I've got to go." She felt tiny as she stared up at him.

"You always have to go when we come around," Fred argued.

"Maybe there's a reason for that!" Jade gasped and the boys' mouths fell open, offended. "See, I can make jokes too." She told them as she backed away.

"That just hurt." George shook his head and Jade turned around with a giggle trying to pass through her lips. It soon died in her throat as she sat down with her other friends. Blaise was back now and he avoided her eyes.

"What did they want?" Draco asked, still glaring over her shoulder.

"Nothing, I just… needed to talk," Jade said vaguely and Blaise looked up at her for that.

"Talk about what?" Draco asked, his eyes falling on her and immediately softening. She watched him, how his hardened expression melted the second she became his focus. "Maddex."

"Nothing, stuff."

"Well, which is it? Nothing or stuff?" He kept asking.

"Just stuff, Draco." She sighed, fidgeting with the necklace he got for her around her neck.

"Stuff you couldn't tell us?" Pansy chirped up.

"Asked them if McGonagall taught them the dance yet." Jade thought up a reason quickly and this seemed to satisfy them, but not Blaise, he knew that was a lie by the way she still avoided looking up from the table.

"Oh, forgot about that." Pansy sighed. "Have they yet?"

"No," Jade answered, she didn't know if they learned yet or not.

"Rather have McGonagall teach us than Snape." Pansy groaned.

"At least it gets us out of our afternoon lessons." Draco offered, trying to look on the bright side of what their afternoon would be. He didn't mind. Professor Snape would be teaching every Slytherin student fourth year and up the waltz that afternoon for the ball. He'd dance with Jade, grab her as his partner before anyone else could.

"I'd rather go to class," Blaise grumbled.

"Of course, you would." Jade smiled and he finally let his posture relax. She wouldn't bring up what he told her in front of everyone, if she brought it up at all.

Jade didn't eat lunch, her stomach had been rolling since the library, and now that she would be learning to dance, adding an extra layer of nerves, she didn't want to chance anything in her stomach. Professor Snape looked more miserable than any of his students. He made it clear he didn't want to be here, he flicked his wands and sent the tables to the sides of the Great Hall, leaving a huge open area for them.

"Silence!" Snape's voice echoed and the few whispers in the Great Hall ceased. Jade looked at the large gramophone Filch had brought in curiously, she didn't understand why Snape made the boys stand on one side of the room and the girls on the other. "Now I want to make one thing abundantly clear." He drawled on. "This is a complete waste of time. But the Headmaster instructed me with the task of teaching you all the useless movements of the waltz." Snape looked extremely irritated as he waited a few seconds before he spoke again. "I need a volunteer." He announced, and at first, no one moved. But Jade shoved Pansy forward from behind and she stumbled before regaining her footing. "Thank you, Miss. Parkinson." Pansy shot Jade an evil glare before reluctantly joining Snape in the middle of the Great Hall. Jade shared a smirk with Draco and Blaise from across the room. "Now, ladies, at some point in the night, you will inevitably be approached by one of these ticking testosterone time bombs." There was a short whoop of agreement on the boys' side followed by laughter. "Quiet." Snape's voice rose and he waited until the room went silent again. "In which case, he should have the etiquette…" Snape held out a hand towards Pansy and nodded when she cautiously accepted it. "You will accept, thank you." He told the room and then he stepped towards Pansy and put a hand on her waist while his other hand held Pansy's out to their side. "Hand on my shoulder, Miss Parkinson, not my waist." He told her and Pansy quickly corrected herself. "I swear… if I hear a single snicker… you will join me in detention every night for the next month." His threat wiped the smile off of many students' faces. "And we begin." Filch played the music and Snape and Pansy began dancing, Pansy was a natural dancer so she made it look easy. Snape seemed pleased as well, he called out the correct choreography so everyone could see, and then he bowed to Pansy when the song finished. Jade was nervous, she didn't catch everything and there was even a lift in the dance. What if her partner couldn't lift her? Snape did explain that it was more of a hold, the girl was supposed to start the jump and the boy would hold her in the air and spin her around. "Now, everyone pair up. No inappropriate touching." He called throughout the room and Jade walked towards her friends on the other side.

"I should hex you." Pansy hissed as she quickly came to join her side but Jade just laughed.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist."

"Well, boys, who are you going to ask to dance?" Pansy rose a single eyebrow and Blaise held out his hand towards her,

"You seemed to know what you were doing out there." He smirked. Pansy was surprised at how quickly he offered to dance with her but accepted his hand and pulled him towards the middle of the room where pairs were beginning to dance. Jade turned back to Draco and Theo to find them simultaneously reaching out their hands and Jade felt torn.

"Jade can't dance with you." Draco scoffed.

"Why not?" Theo asked.

"I'm handsome, she's beautiful, we would look better together. You on the other hand…" He said jokingly and dodged the hit Theo sent his way. She thought Draco was being mean and she didn't want to hurt Theo's feelings but she was hoping Draco would ask her to dance. She noticed that comment, she's beautiful. So casual, so factual. She would pay more attention to him now. She looked between the two of them and then gently slipped her hand into Draco's.

"Alright, you win this time, mate." Theo joked with a smile but he looked away quickly, not wanting Jade to see how it had hurt him for choosing Draco. "I'm going to find a partner so I don't get stuck with the girl no one wants." Draco led her to the middle of the crowded floor and pulled her flush against him and wrapped his arm around her waist with a playful smirk. Snape had been looking for something like what Draco had done and he immediately called him out on it.

"Too close, Mr. Malfoy." He said and Draco properly set his hand on her waist and allowed her to take a step back so there was some space between them.

"You're not funny," Jade told him as she raised her other hand to his shoulder while her cheeks burned, the couples near them looked at them when Snape yelled and were now watching as they clumsily took their first steps.

"Wasn't trying to be funny." He chuckled. "I was just trying to get that to happen." He looked down at her cheeks and the nervous butterflies in her stomach fluttered.

"I'm warning you now, I didn't really catch all the moves." She told him as she watched their feet as they began.

"That's fine, that's why we're practicing." They practiced for two hours before Snape dismissed them. Jade and Draco both apologized to each other when they messed up, which was frequent. She would admit that she had a nice time, she would laugh whenever Draco got flustered and then he'd raise his arm and twirl her which gave her such a girlish fluttery feeling before he pulled her back into formation. Even though they had the two hours, they didn't even get to the lift that Jade was worried about. For the last ten minutes, they made no progress at all, they were a laughing mess as they failed to pick up where they left off.

"I think we should practice more," Draco told her as they traveled down to the Common Room.

"We definitely need to." Jade agreed. "I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of the whole school."

"I'll be there to make you look good." He smirked and she glanced up at him quickly before following him inside.

"Jade! Jade!" She heard Pansy's voice from the dungeon corridor but before she could step back out to meet her, Pansy ran into the room.

"What's wrong?" Jade asked as Pansy took a moment to catch her breath.

"Blaise just asked me to be his date to the ball!" Pansy shrieked.

"What?" Jade beamed back at her friend and Pansy grabbed her hands and squeezed.

"What?" Draco echoed. "Zabini." Blaise had just stepped into the Common Room and he froze.

"Yeah?"

"You asked Parkinson to the ball?" Draco hissed as he walked over to him. "What happened to going as a group?"

"Sorry, mate. She won me over with her dancing." He smirked over Draco's shoulder to see the two girls now talking in hushed whispers on the couch.

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do now?" Draco hit Blaise on the arm, a little harder than necessary.

"Guess you'll have to pluck up the courage and just ask Jade to be your date." Blaise smiled but Draco glared darkly at him. He was forcing his hand and Blaise knew it. "Chop chop, mate." Blaise slapped him lightly on his bicep.

"Don't touch me." Draco yanked away too slow. "Let's go, then." He nodded his head towards the boys' dormitories. "You're gonna help me think up a plan."

"Hi, Draco." Ava smiled at him as he passed her.

"Hi." He mumbled back unenthusiastically but then he stopped. "Oh, Lane, can I talk to you tomorrow? It'll be quick, at breakfast." Ava nodded her head up and down so quickly it looked like someone had just flicked a bobblehead. Without another word, he and Blaise disappeared down the steps to their room.

"Hear that, Maddex?" Ava bent down over the back of the couch.

"I don't remember inviting you into our conversation." Jade sighed.

"Hear what Malfoy said?" Ava continued, unphased by Jade's attitude. "He wants to talk to me tomorrow. Probably wants to ask me to the dance."

"He looked nervous." Daphne popped up next to Ava. "What if he does?" She gasped.

"I know he will!" Ava confirmed, forgetting the two girls on the couch. Pansy glanced at Jade, who moments ago, had a smile on her face but was now looking pale.

"Jade?" Pansy laid a hand on Jade's and she immediately rose from the couch.

"I'm gonna take a shower before dinner." She told Pansy.

"Okay… but-" Jade didn't let her finish, she ran down the stone steps and hurried into the large bathroom, a tightening lump forming in the middle of her throat.