Harry Potter and the Jade Heart
Chapter 9
"Spring Has Sprung"
Spring had finally arrived at Hogwarts. It was a beautiful and breezy day. Cho sat against a tree with her Transfiguration book in her lap. Harry sat to the side of her feet facing her. He was studying Transfiguration as well. The wind gently swept Cho's hair across her neck. Harry watched as she tucked the strand behind her ear. She looked up at him and smiled. They had many quiet moments like that. Words no longer could express how they felt for each other. Harry felt so peaceful. It had been a very uneventful year, unlike his previous four at Hogwarts. He liked excitement, but what he had now was so much better. Everyone had expected the year to be filled with surprises, good and bad, now that Voldemort was back. So far nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Ron and Dean were sitting by the lake watching the giant squid slosh around. Ron looked over at Dean casually smiling. He finally felt like a burden had been lifted. It seemed to happen over night; he no longer wanted Hermione. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something changed. It might have been he who had changed or Hermione. Either way Ron now accepted how things turned out. He had lost his wand a few weeks ago. Dean assured him his wand would turn up. Ron believed him. He was grateful to have Dean as a friend. He missed being best friends with Harry and Hermione, but he knew they would be together again some day. Until that day he would be happy for them, and he would be happy for himself. Who knows how long he would have to be happy with his life at Hogwarts?
Draco of course still had Ron's wand. He was in the dungeons working on a potion. Potions was Draco's best subject, so he thought it would be best to use his talents rather than just perform a regular spell. He mixed up various roots and herbs (no animals or animal parts, thank you very much!). The potion turned a horrible brown color. Draco stirred it with Ron's wand for about a minute. The wand slowly drank up the potion. Draco took the wand and pointed it at a window and said, "Frango vitrum!" A light shot out from the wand at an angle, and it shattered a different window.
Hermione was outside of the castle standing with her back against the wall a few feet away from where the window shattered. She ignored it. She stood there waiting for someone. He finally showed up five minutes after the window broke.
"You're late. I've been waiting for twenty minutes."
"It took me a while to get away from someone. Couldn't think of any excuses." He shrugged and kissed Hermione on the cheek.
She smiled. "All right. How are things going?"
"Excellent. Voldemort will be really pleased."
"Can you believe he asked for the help of students at Hogwarts? I'm not questioning his power, but..."
"They already know who most of the old death eaters are, and some of his best have died. Besides, we can do a lot more within these walls." He put his hand on the wall and leaned in. "No one would ever suspect us. Perfect little prefects."
"They might suspect you," said Hermione.
"Why? What have I done?" he asked, acting appalled to have been accused of such a thing.
Hermione looked at him through squinted eyes. Her face then seemed to say, 'I changed my mind.' She didn't say anything, just looked down at her feet.
He lifted her chin with his finger. "What's the matter?"
"Ron and Harry are my best friends." Before Hermione could continue, he grabbed her shoulders and shoved them against the wall and painfully held them there. Hermione had a mixture of fear and anger in her eyes.
"Are you backing out now?!" he demanded. "We made a promise to each other. You do not want to know what I do to people who break promises."
"I just--"
"You just what? Huh? You think Harry or Ron is gonna save you if you go back to them now? After all you've already done? Face it, Hermione." He put his mouth to her ear. "I'm you're only friend." He abruptly let go of her and, with his robes flying behind him, walked away. Hermione slid down the wall and sat down with her knees bent. He was right. She had already made her choice. She couldn't change that now.
Draco needed to find a way to give Ron back his wand. He decided to have an owl deliver it. On his way to the owlery, he bumped into Seamus.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Draco.
"None of your business," Seamus snapped. He started to continue on his way.
Draco stopped him. "Hey. I heard you're going out with that Hufflepuff prefect."
Seamus, who was a few inches taller, got up in Draco's face. "My personal life is none of your business."
Draco returned the threatening gesture. "It is if it interferes with Voldemort's plans."
"I have everything under control. Worry about yourself."
"I am. I don't need you or anyone else screwing anything up."
"No one's going to screw up, especially me."
"Are you involving that Hufflepuff? I would never expect a Hufflepuff to be loyal to Voldemort."
"She's not involved," said Seamus, half-heartedly.
Draco raised an eyebrow at this. "Good. Keep it that way." They continued on their own ways.
Seamus was stopped again on his way to the Gryffindor Common Room by Ron and Dean. "Hey, Seamus!" said Dean.
"Hey, guys."
"Is everything all right with you and your fellow prefect?" asked Ron. Seamus felt a sudden rush of worry. What did Ron mean by that? Then Seamus realized what he was talking about.
"Yeah. She's all right. I don't see her that often though."
"Really? You seem to be gone an awful lot. What else are you up to?"
Seamus got really angry with Ron's questions. "What does it matter?"
Ron and Dean backed up. "It's just a question, Seamus," said Dean, calmly. "Ron didn't mean anything by it. It was a harmless question."
"I have homework I need to finish." Seamus stormed passed them.
Dean and Ron looked at each other. "Remind me again why Seamus is a prefect," said Dean. "Even Neville would have been better." They continued to the common room after a good amount of distance was put between them and Seamus.
Harry was now in the common room polishing his Firebolt and talking with Neville. "I doubt Ravenclaw will win the House Cup," assured Neville. "They might win the Quidditch Cup but not the House Cup."
"You know, Neville," Harry said, smiling. "I actually don't care who wins either cup."
"Even if Slytherin wins?"
"Okay. Maybe I care a little."
On her bed, Cho read another letter that had come out of the fireplace. It was now the fifth one. This time it said, "People change. You can't always trust those around you." She opened her trunk and tossed the letter in there with the last two. The second one had been thrown into the fire like the first one, but the rest she decided to hold on to. She decided that maybe they were coming from a friend, not a foe.
Chapter 9
"Spring Has Sprung"
Spring had finally arrived at Hogwarts. It was a beautiful and breezy day. Cho sat against a tree with her Transfiguration book in her lap. Harry sat to the side of her feet facing her. He was studying Transfiguration as well. The wind gently swept Cho's hair across her neck. Harry watched as she tucked the strand behind her ear. She looked up at him and smiled. They had many quiet moments like that. Words no longer could express how they felt for each other. Harry felt so peaceful. It had been a very uneventful year, unlike his previous four at Hogwarts. He liked excitement, but what he had now was so much better. Everyone had expected the year to be filled with surprises, good and bad, now that Voldemort was back. So far nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Ron and Dean were sitting by the lake watching the giant squid slosh around. Ron looked over at Dean casually smiling. He finally felt like a burden had been lifted. It seemed to happen over night; he no longer wanted Hermione. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something changed. It might have been he who had changed or Hermione. Either way Ron now accepted how things turned out. He had lost his wand a few weeks ago. Dean assured him his wand would turn up. Ron believed him. He was grateful to have Dean as a friend. He missed being best friends with Harry and Hermione, but he knew they would be together again some day. Until that day he would be happy for them, and he would be happy for himself. Who knows how long he would have to be happy with his life at Hogwarts?
Draco of course still had Ron's wand. He was in the dungeons working on a potion. Potions was Draco's best subject, so he thought it would be best to use his talents rather than just perform a regular spell. He mixed up various roots and herbs (no animals or animal parts, thank you very much!). The potion turned a horrible brown color. Draco stirred it with Ron's wand for about a minute. The wand slowly drank up the potion. Draco took the wand and pointed it at a window and said, "Frango vitrum!" A light shot out from the wand at an angle, and it shattered a different window.
Hermione was outside of the castle standing with her back against the wall a few feet away from where the window shattered. She ignored it. She stood there waiting for someone. He finally showed up five minutes after the window broke.
"You're late. I've been waiting for twenty minutes."
"It took me a while to get away from someone. Couldn't think of any excuses." He shrugged and kissed Hermione on the cheek.
She smiled. "All right. How are things going?"
"Excellent. Voldemort will be really pleased."
"Can you believe he asked for the help of students at Hogwarts? I'm not questioning his power, but..."
"They already know who most of the old death eaters are, and some of his best have died. Besides, we can do a lot more within these walls." He put his hand on the wall and leaned in. "No one would ever suspect us. Perfect little prefects."
"They might suspect you," said Hermione.
"Why? What have I done?" he asked, acting appalled to have been accused of such a thing.
Hermione looked at him through squinted eyes. Her face then seemed to say, 'I changed my mind.' She didn't say anything, just looked down at her feet.
He lifted her chin with his finger. "What's the matter?"
"Ron and Harry are my best friends." Before Hermione could continue, he grabbed her shoulders and shoved them against the wall and painfully held them there. Hermione had a mixture of fear and anger in her eyes.
"Are you backing out now?!" he demanded. "We made a promise to each other. You do not want to know what I do to people who break promises."
"I just--"
"You just what? Huh? You think Harry or Ron is gonna save you if you go back to them now? After all you've already done? Face it, Hermione." He put his mouth to her ear. "I'm you're only friend." He abruptly let go of her and, with his robes flying behind him, walked away. Hermione slid down the wall and sat down with her knees bent. He was right. She had already made her choice. She couldn't change that now.
Draco needed to find a way to give Ron back his wand. He decided to have an owl deliver it. On his way to the owlery, he bumped into Seamus.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Draco.
"None of your business," Seamus snapped. He started to continue on his way.
Draco stopped him. "Hey. I heard you're going out with that Hufflepuff prefect."
Seamus, who was a few inches taller, got up in Draco's face. "My personal life is none of your business."
Draco returned the threatening gesture. "It is if it interferes with Voldemort's plans."
"I have everything under control. Worry about yourself."
"I am. I don't need you or anyone else screwing anything up."
"No one's going to screw up, especially me."
"Are you involving that Hufflepuff? I would never expect a Hufflepuff to be loyal to Voldemort."
"She's not involved," said Seamus, half-heartedly.
Draco raised an eyebrow at this. "Good. Keep it that way." They continued on their own ways.
Seamus was stopped again on his way to the Gryffindor Common Room by Ron and Dean. "Hey, Seamus!" said Dean.
"Hey, guys."
"Is everything all right with you and your fellow prefect?" asked Ron. Seamus felt a sudden rush of worry. What did Ron mean by that? Then Seamus realized what he was talking about.
"Yeah. She's all right. I don't see her that often though."
"Really? You seem to be gone an awful lot. What else are you up to?"
Seamus got really angry with Ron's questions. "What does it matter?"
Ron and Dean backed up. "It's just a question, Seamus," said Dean, calmly. "Ron didn't mean anything by it. It was a harmless question."
"I have homework I need to finish." Seamus stormed passed them.
Dean and Ron looked at each other. "Remind me again why Seamus is a prefect," said Dean. "Even Neville would have been better." They continued to the common room after a good amount of distance was put between them and Seamus.
Harry was now in the common room polishing his Firebolt and talking with Neville. "I doubt Ravenclaw will win the House Cup," assured Neville. "They might win the Quidditch Cup but not the House Cup."
"You know, Neville," Harry said, smiling. "I actually don't care who wins either cup."
"Even if Slytherin wins?"
"Okay. Maybe I care a little."
On her bed, Cho read another letter that had come out of the fireplace. It was now the fifth one. This time it said, "People change. You can't always trust those around you." She opened her trunk and tossed the letter in there with the last two. The second one had been thrown into the fire like the first one, but the rest she decided to hold on to. She decided that maybe they were coming from a friend, not a foe.