Jade woke up the next morning when the sunlight hit her eyes. When she opened them, they were completely green, a very light green.
Jade had slept with a ring on her finger but it wasn't the ring that Cass had given her, which was still inside her pocket of the skirt she had worn the night before that now lay on the floor.
The ring she was wearing was made of three rings of white gold, joined by tiny green gemstones, Jades. That was inside the little box she found last night. It was from Draco, it was her Christmas present.
As she looked at the beautiful ring in her finger, she suddenly had a flashlight. She saw a blonde little boy, probably six, with a missing tooth, and a brunette girl. She had her hair as short as Jade's current hairstyle, but it was slightly lighter.
Narcissa was giving them some biscuits and even allowed herself to grab one and that's when five-year-old Jade saw it. That ring. Narcissa was wearing it. The little girl told Narcissa how beautiful it was.
"It's been in the Malfoy's family for generations," Narcissa told her with a smile. "Draco's father gave it to me after we got married. I will give it to Draco when the time is right, so he can gift it to the person he loves. Do you know what these green gemstones are called?"
"No," both Draco and Jade said.
"It's a Jade," Narcissa said as she took off the ring to show it to Jade.
"Like my name?" the little girl asked with excitement and a bright big smile and Narcissa nodded.
"Like your name, which is such a pretty name."
"Then, Jade should have the ring, right?" Draco said and Narcissa chuckled.
"Is Jade the girl you love, Draco?"
"She could be," Draco said with determination. "I mean why not? The ring has Jades and her name is Jade and she is my best friend. She should have it when she grows up."
"Okay," Narcissa said with a smile as she put it back on. "She will have it when she grows up."
"There's no one else I'd want to give it to," Draco said with a smile.
"Alright," Narcissa said with a kind smile. "But only if she's the one you truly love."
Jade blinked, she didn't remember about that until now, it seemed like Draco never forgot. And maybe Narcissa didn't either. It was unlikely that Draco had stolen it from his mother.
"Ilvie?"
"Yes, Miss Jade?"
"Go to the Malfoy Manor, find out if You-Know-Who is there," Jade told her.
Jade was putting her hair in a ponytail when Ilvie appeared in her room once again. Her big blue eyes looking at her, Jade let her hair fall.
"Ilvie's been told that the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has been away for several days and he is away."
"Thanks. Ilvie, that backpack is everything to me. If I need to run without it, get it for me. My life depends on it. Now please help me with my hair."
Ilvie put half of the brown hair in the ponytail and the other half down as it was too short. Ilvie chose her outfit, including a pair of blue earrings that she had received a few years ago from her grandmother.
Ever since she was a toddler, Ilvie had been in charge of her outfits. It wasn't that she couldn't dress herself, it was just that she didn't care about how fancy the clothes were and how extravagant she would look with them. If it was up to her, she would dress the comfiest and plainest she could choose. But since that wasn't an option, Ilvie chose the clothes, the jewellery and the hairstyles. She was relieved that make-up was compulsory unless it was an important gathering or a party.
Jade took off the ring but kept it in her hand as she walked to the Malfoy Manor. She rang the bell and a house-elf opened the door, letting her was just walking inside when she heard hurried and heavy footsteps.
Draco practically ran down the stairs. He was still in his pyjamas and his hair was all over the place. Jade was about to hug him when he shook his head.
"Aunt Bella is here... and awake," Draco said quickly.
"Thanks," Jade said and her lips broke into a smile. Draco immediately knew why. "Does your mother know, right?"
Draco chuckled and nodded. "She was the one who gave it to me. Told me the time had come," Draco told her. "And yes, I told her that that ring wasn't supposed to be given to my future wife but to you. So she knows that it is now yours. She was happy about it."
Jade opened her fist and showed him the ring. They both smiled. Both remembering the time when they were just kids and first saw it on Narcissa's finger and how they planned to give it to Jade, if she was the girl Draco loved.
"Draco, if we separate, remember that you must do the thing four nights after we return to Hogwarts," Jade said and passed him a small paper. "That's the name of the book with the instructions. I'll make sure Ilvie gives you part of the potion."
Draco took the small piece of paper in his hands and glanced at it but then put it inside his pocket. His mood had dropped as he had just realised something.
"You are not going back, right?" Draco said, concerned.
"I don't know," Jade admitted. "If I decide to not go, you'll know. I'll send you the green ribbon from the little box you gave me and a few days later Ilvie will give you something. She has instructions if I have to abandon plan A and do plan B or even plan C."
"Okay," Draco said, nodding. "What's plan B? C?"
"I can't tell you when your Auntie is awake," Jade whispered and he nodded again. "Just so you know, Draco, I felt absolutely nothing. Last night. I didn't want to..."
"I know, don't think about it," Draco said quickly, interrupting her. "It's over now."
"Is it really though?" Jade muttered. "This is just the beginning and we both know it."
"Yes but we have four months, don't we? If your father really meant things to happen in May."
"He said 'or April,'" Jade said quickly. "Still, four months sound like not enough time."
"We'll have to stretch the time then, somehow."
"We?"
"Yes, we, Jade. You and I."
"Alright," Jade said, smiling. "Well, I better go. I just wanted to see you and thank you. It fits perfect," Jade said with an even bigger smile as she put it on and showed Draco that in fact, it was perfect, as if it had been made for only her.
"I'm really happy," Draco said and then kissed her forehead. "Be safe, okay?"
"Okay."
Finley Lias had been away for two whole days on a mission but he was back on the third day. Lexion and Olisca had joined them for lunch that day and Rabastan was also there.
"Where's your ring?" Finley asked.
"Oh," Jade said with fake surprise. "Must have taken it off when I washed my hands. Must be on the sink."
"This is not a game, Jade. Accio engagement ring!" Finley said and the ring that had been on her night stand flew to his hand. He passed it to her. "Put it on."
Jade did as her father said. Everyone was watching her. She resumed eating as nothing was wrong but everything was wrong. She was so tense and her body language probably was giving her away, lately Jade had found it extremely hard to hide her feelings and pretend.
"Why aren't you married?" Jade asked Rabastan later that day. Her parents and brother were gone. Olisca had gone outside to the garden with Raven, chatting about girl stuff.
"Because I ended up in Azkaban but I did have a fiance," Rabastan told her. "When I was given life in Azkaban her parents found someone else. Let me tell you, that was the only good thing about going to Azkaban, just like you, I didn't want to get married."
"How do you...?"
"I wasn't born yesterday and it's all written on your face, Jadie," Rabastan said.
"I'm against being married so young," Jade said, voicing her feelings. She knew she could trust Rabastan to some extent.
"I heard you were taken away the privilege of choosing when to marry as a punishment for something you did."
"We have all had our rebel phase," Jade said with a shrug. "I don't regret what I did, though. But I wish my father wouldn't make me do this, not now."
"It's part of life though, I guess, you have to do it sooner or later," he said with a long shrug. "Some fit together, some not so much. Your mother did well, I suppose. Lexion, well… they act really well but when I stayed with them two nights I could see how things truly were." Jade looked up at her uncle in surprise, they did seem to get along decently enough. "You know, sometimes, I do wonder how my brother is still alive after ending up with someone as crazy as Bellatrix... don't tell them I said that. But yeah, sometimes you do end up with who you should be. Shockingly, my brother and Bella work perfectly together."
"Why are you trying to tell me? That I shouldn't be so gloomy because I might end up with the person I should be?"
"I mean, it might happen and you should of course try to make it work, it requires effort. But you can be as gloomy as you want, being forced to marry is not joyful. It's dreadful."
"So, you rather be single than...?"
"Of course. Being tied to someone I don't love can be worse than the Dementors if you are unlucky enough. I can get lonely sometimes but now that I'm out it's not hard to find some night company when I want."
"That's gross," Jade exclaimed.
"What else can I do?" Rabastan said with a chuckle. "You get to a point in life where you just don't care about anything anymore."
Draco was accompanied to King's Cross despite being seventeen already. His mother was walking next to him with a proud look, while Draco just looked a bit distracted.
"Did Jade like the ring?"
"Yes," Draco said with a smile. "She loved it."
"I'm sorry," she said suddenly, putting a hand over his shoulder. "I know you really like her, Draco. Must have been so hard being there for New Year."
Draco didn't say anything, what was the point in denying he liked her? It wouldn't change anything and Narcissa had already suspected it. That's why she gave him the ring in the first place.
"Not as hard as it was for Jade," Draco whispered, but Narcissa heard him.
They crossed the barrier of 9 3/4 and Draco instantly looked all around, hoping to spot Jade but so far nothing. They were there a bit early, so Narcissa stopped to chat with the mother of Channel and Chantel. She looked exactly like the twins, just older. Draco stayed next to his mother for a bit and so far there was no sign of Jade.
"You haven't seen Jade, have you?" Draco suddenly asked the twins. The biggest gossipers of the entire school should know if she was there or not.
"She hasn't come yet," Channel confirmed without a doubt.
Draco anxiously looked around as the minutes continued to pass. Something was wrong and he could feel it. He woke up with a funny feeling and he didn't know why, he even mentioned it to his aunt Bella as they ate breakfast together. And since then, he hadn't been able to shake that feeling off, actually, the feeling had just gotten stronger.
Besides, he hadn't received the green ribbon from Jade meaning she would run away so something else had happened. The bad feeling was just intensifying with every second passing by and Jade not showing up.
"Draco, calm down. I'm sure she's just running a bit late," Narcissa said, sensing how anxious he was getting. "Why don't you go in and find a compartment? And if I see Jade I will tell her to look for you."
"Something's not right," Draco whispered to his mother. The twins had already left by then.
"She still has five minutes to get here," Narcissa told her.
"She won't get here," Draco assured her. "Something's happened."
Only one minute to go and still there was no sign of Jade. There were a few students running to the Hogwarts Express, waving to their parents in the process, while the parents looked relieved they did make it just on time. Narcissa got nervous, urged her son to get inside the train and that she would try to find her but Draco didn't. He stayed. He waited until the last warning and then he apparated away, leaving Narcissa there.
She tried to stop him, but he was gone before she could do anything. The train left and Narcissa did see that Jade didn't show up. She then apparated to Malfoy Manor where Draco was waiting for her.
"Mother, please try to find out where she is, maybe ask Auntie Bella," Draco said as soon as he saw her. "Rabastan might know. He likes her, if he knows anything, he will tell you."
"Try not to worry too much, I'm sure there's a simple explanation for everything. I'm sure she's okay."
"Maybe you can go to her house with some excuse and maybe see if she's there?"
"Draco, yes, I will do all that but you need to go to school. We can arrange something to get you back on time."
"I'm not going back, not now."
"What are you going to do?"
"I need to go somewhere."
Draco apparated to Diagon Alley and headed to the busiest store there, he stopped just outside, looking with awe at the store but then remembered why he was there, so he walked inside quickly. Two tall young men instantly approached him with frowns on their faces.
"No Slytherins allowed," the one on the left said.
"This is about Jade," Draco said. "I might need your help."
"Jade? Is she alright?" the other twin asked, concerned. At the moment Draco didn't know who was who.
"I don't know but she didn't get on the Hogwarts Express today."
"Maybe she stayed with her fiance," the first twin suggested with a shrug.
"What?" Draco asked, shocked. "What are you talking about?"
"Here."
The first twin threw the Daily Prophet to him. There, on the eleventh page, Draco saw a little article about Cass and Jade getting engaged. There was a picture when Cass knelt and proposed to her and then when they kissed with the fireworks in the background.
'Cassius Perseus, son of Talbott Perseus, the coach of the Puddlemere United Quidditch Team, and Jade Lias, daughter of the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Raven Lias, have gotten engaged on New Year. After dating for several years they finally decided to make it official.
The Lias family, who has had a couple of rough events in the last few years, with the older son being sent to Azkaban along with his uncle Rodolphus Lestrange, seems that finally they have something happy to share.
Jade Lias, soon to be Perseus, is going to graduate this year from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and currently holds eight Quidditch records with the possibility of breaking even more.
Seems like it will be very handy and full of opportunities to have a father-in-law that is coaching one of the most successful Quidditch teams in the British and Irish Quidditch league. We are sure we will be hearing more of Jade and her abilities in the near future.
Jade has told our sources it was a complete surprise but she's extremely happy to be marrying her best friend.'
"You know this is all bullshit, right?" Draco exclaimed, infuriated, making the article a wrinkled little ball and set it on fire. "They don't even mention she is still underage!"
"What? We thought she was seventeen!"
"Yeah! She's in Seventh year, isn't she? She is seventeen, if not eighteen already!"
"She is still sixteen! Anyway, I know something's happened. I can feel it!" Draco exclaimed. "Even if it was true that she was with Cassius, it's not okay and it doesn't mean anything good. She had to go back to school today and she didn't. It's not normal, okay? I need your help, please!"
"Our help, how?"
"Finding her, rescuing her?" Draco said in a soft tone. It almost sounded like he was pleading, which he actually was. "Anything. I need to know what happened to her and help her!"
"This will cost you, Malfoy, and we are only doing this for Jade, are we clear?" Draco nodded, he didn't care about the price. "George, go to the office, see if you can find anything that can be helpful."
"Tell me a number and I'll go to Gringotts now to get the money," Draco told Fred, finally knowing who was who.
"Not so quick. We are fair people. We'll see first if we can actually help and then tell you a number. Why is it bullshit, though? What the Daily Prophet said? Isn't she engaged?"
"Basically, yes, but she has been since she was a baby. It's an arranged marriage. If she had been really dating Cassius for years, I assume you would have known about it."
"Fair point... Arranged marriage you say?"
Draco sighed and explained to Fred and then to George, Jade's situation. They were overwhelmed with the information. They had no idea what some families did and how horrible some things were.
"So, who are you engaged to?"
"Just some random Slytherin girl," Draco said, annoyed. "She's a no one. I'm pretty sure you would have no idea who she is even if I tell you her name and show you a picture of her."
"Fair enough," George said. "And you can't get out of the engagement?"
"You can… But you lose everything."
"Where does Perseus live?"
"Somewhere in London, in the south."
"Could she be there?" Fred asked.
"My mother was supposed to go down there," Draco told him. "I have no idea is she is there or not."
"Where else could she be?" George asked.
"Jade's brother lives in Liverpool, his In-Laws live in America. Her relatives from her father's side live in Greece, I'm not sure where and the Lestranges… well, they live at The Lias Manor and mine. Can't think of another place where she could be."
"Could she have run away?" Fred asked. "After everything you've told us, I'd run away."
"No."
"Why are you so sure?" George asked him, glancing at him.
"Because… well, because she would have told me." The twins just glanced at each other with sceptical looks. "She warned me, okay? She told me I'd know if she left. There was no sign, no nothing. I saw her yesterday, she had no plan yet. She'd have told me somehow."
"Okay, if you say so," George muttered.
"Any other place you can think of?"
"No."
"Is there a possibility that she was just late and it's now on her way to Hogwarts?"
"No."
"You sure?"
"If there is a chance, it's minimal. But I'll ask, to start narrowing the search."
Three hours later, Draco went back to the Malfoy Manor. His mother rushed to him as soon as she knew he was back. She didn't look good and that made Draco anxious again. Back with the twins, he was anxious but mostly he was just frustrated as all they did was ask so many questions. He understood why they were doing it but all he wanted was to go out there and find her.
"You were right, Draco. Something wasn't right," she said and his heart skipped a beat.
"What? What's happened? Is she okay?"
His mother didn't answer right away so that only made him feel even more worried. The look on her face wasn't helping either.
"She's okay but her father sort of kidnapped her. She's getting married to Cassius in two days. It seems like Finley has gone mad! Rabastan told me that two Death Eaters took her away this morning, he doesn't know more. He's invited to the wedding so he'll let me know where it's going to be."
"What do you mean? Couldn't he tell you now?" Draco loudly exclaimed in just one breath.
"He doesn't know, they'll be notified of the location only an hour before the wedding."
"What about Cassius?" Draco exclaimed desperately.
"I talked to him. He said he couldn't talk much and that he didn't know where she was. He said he was being watched," Narcissa said. "He looked terrified and he was truly concerned for Jade, I'm pretty confident he didn't lie to me, but Draco we can't..."
"What do you mean we can't? Can't what? Love her or not, mother, we've got to do something! This is wrong! She is sixteen years old and you know it! Marrying someone when they are still underage is just wrong! Not having a choice is bad enough but what Mr. Lias is doing is just mad! We've got to save her. I'm helping her with or without your help!"
"Love?" Narcissa asked softly, she was a bit overwhelmed by the word. Narcissa knew her son had feelings for Jade, it was obvious, but she believed it was just a very strong crush. He took a very deep breath as he looked down at the floor and then nodded as he looked back at her.
"Yes," Draco said defeated. "Love, mother. I love Jade, okay? Now that we've cleared that up, can we help her?"
"Draco..." she started as she shook her head.
"This is not about how I feel, mother!" Draco shouted, he was desperate. "This is about injustice. Didn't you hear Rabastan? She was kidnapped! She is sixteen and forced to get married. We've got to save her!"
"I know," Narcissa whispered, and looked at her son with pride. He was so brave and she admired that. She was scared but she was going to help him.
"We need to find out the location as soon as possible, we need to find her before she gets married."
"I'll keep in touch with Rabastan and talk to people that can have more information," Narcissa said and then walked away. "Cassius is being watched but maybe I can send a House-Elf, they can be very sneaky."
"Very well," Draco said, nodding. "Mother?"
"Yes?"
"Weren't you invited? Or my father?" Draco questioned. "Father is her God-father, isn't he?"
"As far as I know we haven't been invited, I'll ask your father when he gets home."
"Mother?"
"Yes, Draco?"
Thank you."
