It was the second week of February and the harsh, horrible weather made everyone even more discouraged from the lack of progress and inability of getting everyone on board with their own ideas and thoughts.

It had been three weeks since Jade had left and they had made zero progress. They still had no idea where the horcruxes were and Hermione kept thinking the Deathly Hallows were not real, while Harry tried hard to convince her and tell her how everything fit.

"What do you think she's doing?" Ron asked. "I'm actually jealous. She must be enjoying the food... and a warm, cosy bed... I mean, I'm happy here but if I could have at least one good meal I'd be satisfied."

"Knowing Jade, she might even be skipping some meals," Harry told him. "And not sleeping as much as she should."

They were currently on a beach in the south, it was nice being by the sea. Harry felt like going for a quick swim but he couldn't take that risk and the weather wasn't too good.

"Do you reckon she's safe though? That her parents didn't try to kidnap her again? That's pretty messed up!"

"Well, I hope not. She said she trusted Snape with this. I don't know. I hope she isn't being a fool," Harry said.

"Well, trying to make some logic... She's a Slytherin. Snapes loves his house. He is friends with those families."

"Families... not the students."

"Snape did save her from Umbridge's punishment when he could. She also trusted him with her mind problem... she didn't tell Dumbledore... She went to Snape. Maybe it's something that only Slytherins get."

"Maybe."

With Jade gone, the days were pretty quiet. Hermione hadn't forgiven Ron and would only communicate through glares, and if she needed to say something, it would be to Harry. Ron felt bad so he would keep quiet around her to not make things worse but talk a lot when it was just Harry and him.

"Has Jade talked to you? Through the coin?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, yesterday. Apparently she is good. Also said Firenze helped a bit with the prophecy, still hasn't found out who did it," Ron said. "But she's got a date."

"When?"

"Eighteen ninety-eight... that's one hundred years exactly," Ron exclaimed. "It's curious. Her prophecy was made when she was five years old, and yours... months before you were born but you sort of already existed, know what I mean? But this one... a hundred years ago. And it won't even happen."

"Yeah, we must have paid more attention in Divination class. We might have understood more about it."

The next day, they once again moved. This time to a sort of mountain, it was pretty cold out there and it had been raining a lot. The three of them preferred the beach but they had stayed there long enough.

Harry took the second watch, after Hermione. He was playing with the snitch, a new habit he had picked up. Every once in a while he tried new ways to open it but he had been unsuccessful.

Harry then looked right at the night sky above him and he thought of Jade. The very first time she played Quidditch came to his mind. Coincidentally, it was against Gryffindor.

It was during their third year, she looked excited and proud as she had her broom in her hand. It was brand new, just like her uniform. It was almost shining and Harry smirked, thinking she only got in because of her brother.

"Slytherin is going to lose. They really shouldn't have let the little Lias in," Oliver Wood had said. "But that's better for us."

"Weird though, I thought they didn't let girls join the team," Angelina commented. "And she's just so young as well."

"Well, that shows how important the Lias are, but to be honest I didn't know Lias had that much of an influence," Oliver said with a shrug. "Anyway, she got on the team. Little Lias. That's the point."

"Yeah, I bet she cried and begged to her brother to let her play and probably bribed the other players like Malfoy did last year," Harry said with a chuckle.

"I admit having an older brother in the team helps," Jade said, standing right behind Harry, making him freeze on the spot. He slowly turned around to face the brunette. Followed by the other people around him. Oliver Wood seemed to be ashamed that he had been heard. "But it doesn't guarantee a spot. I do have the influence and the money to buy a place in the team but that's not how I got in. I can be here listing all the reasons why I deserve to be on the team, even if I'm young, a girl and Lexion's sister, which for you means that I just got in because of my last name but instead of telling you I rather show you on the pitch what I'm capable of. And Potter, just because you are you, it doesn't give you the right to judge and think less of people. Anyway, I guess I'll see you later."

Harry remembered how Jade smirked at him before the match started when they shook hands. And he remembered she absolutely killed it. Harry and Oliver ate their words, even when they didn't admit it for a long time. She and her brother had scored almost four hundred points and that was against Oliver wood, who was fantastic. They lost but didn't end up as bad as Harry had caught the snitch.

"Next time, if you don't want to look like a fool, don't be so quick to talk without knowing a thing," Jade had said to him when the match ended, every player from both teams heard. "And a good captain should know better than to underestimate and gossip about a rival player they don't know anything about." She quickly glanced at Oliver but then turned to look at Harry again with a satisfying smirk.

Now Harry understood that Jade had to be brilliant in that match. She needed to prove to those Gryffindors she could play well and she also needed to prove Flint, who was her captain at the time, and her own teammates, each one of them, that she could be Lexion's little sister but that didn't mean she wasn't skillful and worthy of being on the team.

He remembered Slytherin didn't let girls play, and then Jade got to play. Many, as Harry had done, thought it had to do with Perseus and the older Lias being in the team and some thought that Malfoy having a father as Hogwarts governor also helped, as they were best friends. But truth was that she earned it.

And with the years she showed everyone how good she was. There was no doubt she was extraordinary. She broke record after record, Harry believed she was currently the player with the most records broken and she got to be Captain too, which she deserved to be.

Thinking of Jade made him miss her even more. He knew he was being ridiculous. He didn't like that his crush on her was that strong. So strong that he didn't want her to go, knowing that being with him was dangerous.

Harry grabbed the Marauders Map and after hesitating for a bit he opened it and started looking for her. He felt a bit awkward about it and even looked around him to make sure no one was looking at him, as if he was doing something wrong or shameful, but he was telling himself that it was only to make sure Jade was okay. Nothing more. It was late so he thought she would be in the dormitories or the Slytherin common room. He spotted Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, Channel and Chantel Lourdon but Jade wasn't there.

He started to flip through the pages of the map and he couldn't find her. She wasn't in the library, the Great Hall, Snape's office, or anywhere. He panicked. And then told himself that maybe it was good that he checked the map even when just the idea of it made him feel ashamed and awkward.

The next day Harry checked the map around noon when no one was close to him and he eventually found Jade in the library. But there was something that Harry saw that made him sick. He checked the map throughout the day thinking it must be a mistake but nothing changed.

"What happened when Jade got kidnapped?" Harry asked Ron later that night.

"Death Eaters took her to the countryside. They used the Imperius curse so she wouldn't escape or try anything. She doesn't remember much besides some blurry images but she knows she was locked up somewhere. The Deluminator took us to where she was and we saved her just in time."

"Who is we?"

"Already told you. Fred, George, Malfoy and me," Ron said with a raised eyebrow.

"What then? After you saved her?"

"Fred and George went back to the shop, Malfoy to his house, I suppose. Jade and I stayed in the Isle of Wight for one night and then her house-elf took us to a forest."

"And that's it? Nothing happened in between?"

"Why are you asking? I mean, it's not relevant, is it? We got her out and that's what's important," Ron said, sounding a bit defensive. "What happened in between is we talked, we ate, we slept or at least tried to. Nothing I particularly remember because it's not important."

"I think you are hiding something from me... And Jade... when I asked her if she liked me... she avoided the question and just looked guilty."

"Guilty? Why would she be? And if she avoided it, she probably does like you," Ron said, looking away.

"Does it matter?"

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter if she likes me or not."

"Of course it matters. You like her and if she does like you, that's brilliant. Isn't it? Why wouldn't that matter?" Ron exclaimed. "I know what we are doing it's dangerous but after everything is over you can ask her out."

"That's not even what I'm talking about," Harry said. "Like, yes, I wouldn't ask her out now, knowing I might die and I could put her in danger, but that's not it."

"What is it then?" Ron asked, feeling like he was going to regret asking that.

"I was checking the Marauders Map last night and guess what?" Harry said and Ron shrugged, shaking his head. "You can't think of anything?"

"No," Ron said, annoyed. "So, tell me, what did you find?"

"I couldn't find Jade Lias anywhere."

"What do you mean? Do you think her parents got her? Is she alright?"

"Let me finish… I didn't find Jade Lias…but instead I found Jade Malfoy… And as far as I know, there is no other girl named Jade at school and Malfoy has no relatives, no cousins, no sister, nothing."

When Ron heard, he looked extremely guilty and like he had been caught in something naughty. He looked down, ashamed. Harry looked angry at him. What made him angrier was that Ron didn't seem surprised, so he obviously knew and hid it from him.

"I offered her to marry me instead of Malfoy..."

"What?" Harry shouted, getting the attention of Hermione.

"I mean, I knew you liked her and I know that she has some feelings for you. It was rushed so I told her that I would only marry her so her parents wouldn't force her to marry Perseus and that she was free to be with you or Malfoy or whoever she wanted. I offered as a friend," Ron exclaimed. "But Malfoy had already proposed and she said something like 'I don't want to ruin your life, Ron', and she married Malfoy. She said she'd tell you when it was the right time."

"Well, she didn't!" Harry exclaimed angrily. "I was telling her that we could try to be together, maybe not now but after everything was over if we were still alive. I mean, we are supposed to be soulmates, aren't we? So, she probably thought I was a fool when I said it. Knowing she now is Malfoy's wife."

"I don't think she thought that, Harry. Malfoy was her boyfriend, remember that, Harry. They got back together when school started or at least that's what I think, she never really confirmed it. And she urgently needed to escape her family and Perseus... you weren't there to marry her."

"Oh, right. So now, that's my fault? You are saying it like she is a prize and I wasn't there to even compete. But you were and Malfoy was too and Malfoy won."

"I didn't mean it like that, Harry. I meant…"

"She could have chosen not to marry..." Harry exclaimed.

"Do you think she actually wanted to do it?" Ron said softly, he actually sounded very offended. For once, he stopped looking guilty and ashamed, and he looked accusingly at Harry, "She was sixteen! Do you really want to know what happened after we saved her? As soon as it got dark and it was only the two of us, she bursted out crying. She cried the whole night after it happened. She told me she loved Malfoy but didn't want to be married at such a young age! She wanted to marry out of love not out of urgency and wanted to marry when she chose to do it, not when she was forced to. She wanted to have the choice of when to do it but she didn't," Ron exclaimed, raising his tone. "She also said she was conflicted as she had feelings for Malfoy but also had feelings for you and she was afraid she made the wrong choice. And she also felt guilty because if things didn't work out, she would ruin Malfoy's life and hated that she put him in such an impossible position. All night she asked if she had made a mistake, telling me how much she hated how things turned out and what she did. But she had to, Harry. I was there. I saw it."

"If she feels like she made a mistake, maybe she shouldn't have."

"If she had told me, about she marrying Malfoy, I would think she was exaggerating and being ridiculous. If I hadn't been there to save her and know the truth, I would have thought she was being impulsive, but I was used Imperio on her, she had to do something even if it was as drastic as marrying Malfoy or even marry me if she had accepted. And if Malfoy asked Fred and George for help, then you can only imagine how desperate he was and how bad the situation was. Her own father kidnapped her… just think about that and let that sink in, like, how messed up is that? And using unforgivable curses on her… and we both know it wasn't the first time that happened."

"She could have told me, though."

"I agree with that. But think about how hurt and confused and even ashamed she is feeling right now. Not ashamed of marrying Malfoy… but of her father and her family. And there's one good thing... If they haven't consummated the marriage yet, which I think hasn't happened, then it's really easy to void the marriage if she wanted to. I even mentioned it to her. So, not everything is lost."

"Why couldn't she do that with Perseus?"

"Because both must be on board! And with the pressure of her parents I doubt she would have gotten far, especially with her mother working at the Ministry and pulling some strings and there's always the option to use Imperio or Crucio on her. She would have eventually given up and just given in."

"They would have broken her."

"Exactly."

Harry went to bed after that, he was angry that no one had told him a thing and he was disappointed but mostly, heartbroken. He had thought of different ways to get Jade to like him or to get her to admit she liked him back and eventually get together but she was married now. He couldn't even grasp the news yet. It was so bizarre, Jade…married.

Harry glanced at the map for like the fiftieth time and saw the small footprints of 'Jade Malfoy' around the Forbidden Forest, which was extremely odd and it seemed like she was moving way too fast, but Harry didn't pay attention to any of that. His eyes were focused on 'Malfoy' and nothing else.

For a moment he thought that Jade Potter sounded way better, but he even blushed when he realised what he was thinking, so he tried to think about something else. But wasn't of any help as he fell asleep and only had dreams about Jade.

Jade had been on that same spot several times already, sometimes hours at a time, just watching, being hidden by a Disillusionment charm, now that she didn't have Harry's Cloak she was resorting to spells to hide herself.

After several travels in time, after going forward and backwards, after even revealing herself to strangers at times to ask things, she finally found what she was looking for. And she couldn't help but go to that place, sometimes, even more than once per day, even if it meant exhaustion and sacrificing a few hours of sleep.

That specific time though, the charm went wrong, she was quite tired as she had barely eaten and slept the last two days and the Charm lost its effect. The only other person in the room finally managed to see her and gasped when he saw her. He was about to shout but Jade used the Muffiato charm just in time so they wouldn't be heard by anyone outside that room.

"Please, don't. I'm not here to harm you," Jade said quickly, taking a few steps towards him, who took a few steps backwards, never losing Jade from sight. "I'm here to protect you. To make sure you're alright."

"Who are you?" the boy asked.

"My name is Jade."

"Are you a ghost?" the boy asked, still not trusting her.

"No," Jade said with a smile. "Why would you think that?"

"No one can get in here," he told her and then his face showed sadness. "And you look a lot like someone... but she can't be here. You can't be her."

"Why not?"

"You are too young, I think."

"What are you doing?" Jade asked to change the subject. She had been in that room so many times that she knew no one was going to interrupt them for at least several hours.

"Reading. They want me to read this but I don't really understand."

Jade approached the table and grabbed the book. She felt sick to her stomach. It was a book of dark magic. She wanted to throw it out the window but she knew that would only get the boy in trouble.

"Who wants you to read this?"

"The people who look after me. They say I must be the best and I can be by learning this stuff."

"Who teaches you?"

"Two people, a woman and a man. They are siblings."

"Amycus and Alecto?"

"Yeah, do you know them?"

"They were my teachers too, but they were really bad."

"Yeah, I don't like them much."

"Uh, do you know that this isn't good? That what you must be learning is how to protect yourself from all of these curses, not how to do them?" Jade asked, concerned.

"They don't teach me that," the boy told her.

"I could teach you if you want, but it's important that you don't tell anyone about me. I wouldn't be able to get back here. And I'm sure we can be friends, right?" Jade asked with a smile.

"I'd like that. I don't have friends."

"Why not?"

"They don't let me out, ever. They don't even want me to go to Hogwarts!"

"Well, we can think of something. Maybe I can help you persuade them to let you go. Hogwarts is great and you'd have loads of friends."

"Did you go? What house were you in?"

Jade stayed quiet, not knowing how to reply. Should she say Slytherin or Gryffindor? She wasn't sure.

"Uh, what house would you like to be in, Leo?" Jade asked, hoping the boy didn't notice she avoided the question and that she knew his name even when he had never told her.

"They tell me I'd be a Slytherin but everyone here has been in Slytherin and I don't like many of them... so maybe Gryffindor would be nice. I'm not that smart to be in Ravenclaw, I think."

"Well, I know many cool people in Slytherin, but also from all the other houses, so all of them are okay."

Jade spent two hours talking to the redhead boy, she at times had to be very careful with the things she said, she didn't want to mess up. Jade had to fight the urge to hug him or show any affection to him, it was bad enough that he had seen her. She didn't know if there would be consequences from that. But once he did see her, Jade couldn't resist it. She wanted to spend some time with her son. Engage with him, not just watch him from a corner while he was oblivious of her presence.

Jade knew the boy was about to turn ten years old, they were a couple of months away from his birthday. But even then, Jade asked how old he was to not seem like a creep.

Jade smiled and kind of felt pride as she noticed that Leo had her green eyes. They didn't change as much as hers, but there were times they got a darker shade of green or lighter, but the difference was very subtle. When he was a baby, Jade and everyone else had thought he had gotten Harry's eyes as Harry always had a bit darker eyes than her.

Jade also noticed how soft his red hair looked. She wanted to brush it to the side as it was slightly covering his eyes but she didn't dare. That would probably cross the line that she didn't want to cross.

As she stared at him, Jade remembered people had mentioned that he looked like a mix of Jade herself and Harry's mother, with just a few features from Harry. Jade had never seen how Harry's mother looked like, so she couldn't be sure.

Jade was starting to feel quite tired so she remembered she had to go. She took some of the potion she had to take and told Leo it was just medicine.

"I've got to go now. My parents will worry," she said quickly.

"Can't you stay a bit longer?" Leo asked, getting sad.

"No but I'll be back, I can assure you it won't be long until we see each other again."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"You will be back right? You aren't abandoning me?" Jade's heart broke.

"No, of course not! I'd never abandon you," Jade said, fighting back tears. "I promise I'll be back. Goodbye Leo."

"Goodbye Jade."

Jade saw what time it was to make sure to go back to that time and not before, so there wouldn't be two Jades in the room and then pressed the button and within a second she was back in her bed in her dorm.