Disclaimer: I do not own any locations or characters, they all belong our beloved J.K. (except for Jade Ackerley, Hannah Gallagher and James Meniker!). Please do not use my characters for anything without asking me first (I'll let you use them, but you've got to ask me first!)

Author's Note: Wooow... -pulls this story out and dusts it off- Good lord I suck. So um... here... have a chapter... and don't kill me? Please?

-ducking from tomatoes-

I'm sorry. Soooo, sooo sorry. I suck I suck I SUCK!!!!!

I'll try to post more often. I will.

-shakes head-

If it helps while I was waiting for to stop sucking, I pulled major overhaul on my previous chapters in an attempt to make them not suck so much. I dunno if it worked. But you can go check that stuff out. There's a few plot elements that might not be explained to you if you don't! muahaha forces you to go check Seriously though. You really want to go back and take another look. You may not NOTICE what new information you're absorbing, but it will make a difference. Pweeeez. You don't have to review again or anything stupid like that... just go back and look. Trust me on this one.

Okay I'm done. Please don't hate me!!!

Enjoy!

First Try

Jade paced the dormitory nervously.

"C'mon Jade, he's waiting!" pestered Hannah, giving her a little nudge on the shoulder.

"I know, I know..." replied Jade, looking anxious. "It's just..."

"It's just nothing! Now go on out there and get that boy!"

Hannah gave her a slight push towards the door.

Jade sighed and gave in, making her way down to the common room. Her footsteps rang loudly against the stone floor. Finally, the common room came in sight. A large, dark blue carpet covered the floor, and soft cushy pillows in every shade of blue were strewn across it and piled in corners. A few medium blue sofas littered the area, as well as a few hardwood desks and chairs, which sat off to the sides against the walls. Candles from every part of the room filled the air with a warm, clean fragrance. A few of the stone hearths crackled with bright blue flame, while several others remained dormant. A large tapestry hung on the wall, proudly displaying the emblem of Ravenclaw.

Students were splayed out, some on sofas but most across the floor on pillows, studying, reading, or playing games of Wizard chess and Exploding Snap. A few had gathered pillows near one of the fires and were relaxing and socializing with one another. The air was filled with the crackle of fires, the scratch-scratch of quills, and the chatter of classmates. Most of all, however, the room was filled with the bustle of students getting ready for their visit to Hogsmeade. Friends greeted one another and helped each other into their warm cloaks. Still others waited for their companions to come down to the common room. One student in particular stood to the side of the stairs, waiting for her.

He was staring at his feet, leaning against the wall and flicking his thumb against his forefinger. His ear-length brown hair hung down and covered his eyes. Jade guessed that he might not even have noticed her if she hadn't just tapped him on the shoulder.

Her jade eyes met his crystal blue. For a moment, they just looked at each other, forgetting what they were supposed to be doing. Finally, Jade braved a smile, which was returned.

"Best be getting on then, shouldn't we?" she asked.

"Right, right," he replied, a blush forming on his face. "Come on then, let's go."

James led the way out of the common room. They emerged from behind the statue of a picturesque young knight, his sword held high, and made their way down the twisting stairwell towards the main hall. Characters in paintings went about their business and, for the most part, paid the two of them little heed, although a few greeted them or waved as they passed by. When they had nearly reached the bottom of the stairs, a friendly man's voice rang out from beside them.

"James?! Is tha' you there, old boy? And who's tha' there you got wiv' ya?"

They both turned to find the source of the voice; a portly man with red cheeks and an overflowing mug in his hand was waving at them from inside a painting. Jade read a sign below the picture, which gave the title "Marcus the Dipsomaniac".

"Oh... hello there, Marcus," James replied somewhat nervously. "I can't stop to chat just now-"

"Who's this lovely young lady ya got there wiv ya, James? Ya never told me you had a lady friend!"

James' face was beginning to turn crimson as he hung his head, looking for an answer. Jade inconspicuously took a hold of his hand and answered herself.

"Name's Lisa Ackerley. People call me Jade."

Marcus snorted. "Jade, eh? Funny sort of name... but yeh pretty 'nuff."

Marcus gave a loud belch, and Jade resisted the urge to burst out in a fit of giggles.

"Well, thank you, Marcus. We'd best be on our way now."

Marcus nodded fervently and raised his mug.

"O' course... off you go then. Have a good time, you two!"

Jade tugged on James' hand and pulled him the rest of the way down the stairs. Once there, they both broke out into fits of hysterical laughter, leaning on each other and on the walls to stay standing. Holding on to his shoulder for support, Jade managed to get a few words out between her laughs.

"Where... in the name of all that is magic... did that painting come from?! I've never... seen... it before...!"

James' laughs slowly came to a halt as he composed himself, a grin still wide on his face.

"That painting... well..." he paused, looking rather sheepish. "That painting used to be in the 4th floor boy's bathroom."

Jade grinned and shook her head.

"Just one more question," she said.

"What's that?"

"...What on earth is a dipsomaniac?"

"Oh..." James laughed a bit at that. "That's a drunkard."

"Ah...got'cha" Jade replied. "...And they couldn't just call him Marcus the Drunkard?"

James burst into sniggers and Jade joined him.

"I dunno," he replied at last. "I never understood that much...but hey, why not?"

Jade grinned and shook her head again.

"Whatever works I suppose," she said, smiling at him.

"Right, then," James replied, pausing for a moment. "Well... I suppose we should get going."

Jade nodded. After an awkward pause, James timidly offered her his arm. Jade took it with a smile, and they walked out of Hogwarts and down the hill towards the town.

--

Down in Hogsmeade, they had a good time of it. They stopped by all the favorites - Zonkos, Honeydukes, even a quick pass by the Shrieking Shack just for fun, even though the shrieking had long ceased. With both their pockets weighted down with goodies, they at last made their way towards the Three Broomsticks.

James held open the heavy wooden door for Jade, and she smiled, walking into the wall of heat that seethed out through the open doorway. James followed close behind, and soon the door was closed and the heat surrounded them both. They made their way through the people towards the bar.

"Tell ya what," James said. "You go grab us a table, I'll get us some butterbeer."

Jade smiled and went up on her tiptoes, searching around the smoky inn for an empty table. Finally, she spotted one way back in a corner, and made her way over to it. She watched from the table as James took the two tankards from Madam Rosmerta and handed her a few coins. He looked around, searching for her, and Jade put up her hand and waved. He caught sight of her, held up the tankards with a beaming smile, and began making his way over through the noisy crowd. Jade smiled to herself and shook her head.

--

Jade felt every part of her body warm and she took a long swig of her butterbeer. She and James had been there for almost an hour, talking and drinking. He was on his third tankard, she on her second. The smoky, warm interior of the tavern lent a sort of intimacy to their table in the corner. Jade thought she might just stay where she was for the rest of her life.

James, who had been swirling the contents of his mug, looked up at her, smiling.

"All right, I've got a question for ya."

"Go for it," Jade replied indulgently, leaning over her mug.

"Okay, okay, so you're Keeper on our team. So you tell me, cause nobody seems to know... Whatever happened with Davies anyway? Why isn't he Captain this year? Come to think of it, I haven't seen him around at all..."

He trailed off, lost in thought. The slight trace of a frown danced on his forehead.

"Oh..." Jade said quietly. She didn't want to answer. Roger was the last thing she wanted on her mind. Not now. James was looking at her... waiting for an answer... she had to think of something...

She gestured vaguely at nothing. "I dunno... they never told us. Nobody really knows about that. I guess they finally kicked him out for his grades or somethin'."

James frowned slightly.

"I heard something... something like 'Immoral Conduct'. I dunno, just rumors I guess."

Jade shrugged and gave no answer. She struggled to keep her feelings from her demeanor and she studied the butterbeer now swirling within her mug. She didn't like lying, but now was not the time to be thinking about Roger. The conversation lulled for a moment, and Jade attempted to bring it back to normal, as well as lighten her own mood.

"But hey, it means I get to be Captain!" she offered, keeping her tone as cheerful as she could.

A smile returned to James' face and he nodded.

"That's right. And you deserve it too!"

He raised his mug.

"To your Captaincy!"

She smiled, a blush forming on her face, and lifted her own mug. They both took a long swig and then clanked their tankards down on the table, sighing with satisfied smiles.

Jade glanced out the window and noticed with dismay that the sky was beginning to darken.

"We should be getting back, I suppose," she said, gesturing towards the window.

James peered out for a moment and then nodded.

"I suppose you're right."

They finished up their drinks, wrapped themselves back up in their cloaks, and started out into the quickly fading sunlight. Most of the students had already made their way back, and they, along with just a few other stragglers, were the last ones to start the long walk up the hill, gravel and dried leaves crunching beneath their feet.

--

About halfway up, Jade stopped and turned toward the horizon. The sun was just setting above the lake, and its rays lanced over the surface in glorious beams. The sky was tinted in a panoply of color, from orange to red to even purple out in the fringes of the clouds. Jade felt him take her hand.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said softly.

Jade nodded silently, and sat down on the grass beside the road to watch the sun set. She heard James sit down next to her... felt the warmth of his body next to hers. It felt so right, just sitting there. The two of them remain silent, watching the sun slowly disappear below the surface of the water.

A biting breeze snaked along the back of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Cold?" came his voice beside her.

Jade paused and thought for a moment.

"Just a little."

His arm reached around her and held her to his side, warming her. Jade's memories of another person began to rise up. This situation was all too familiar. Jade shook herself mentally. He's not like that... she insisted to herself. He's not... She pushed the thoughts from her mind and relaxed again, staring off into the distance, enjoying the feel of him near her.

The very last sliver of sun dipped below the horizon. Jade turned to James to suggest that they should go, only to find that he was already looking at her.

"Jade... I..."

She put a finger up to his lips. They were soft and warm.

"Forget words," she said simply.

Looking into his eyes, she suddenly realized just how very close his face was to hers. She watched his eyes, such clear crystal blue, as they looked back and forth between her own. She could feel the warmth of his breath against hers. She wanted so much just to lean forward... but something was holding her back. Something roiled in the very pit of her stomach, and as he moved in to kiss her, she turned ever so slightly and felt his lips touch her cheek.

He pulled back, looking almost apologetic. Jade felt feelings of regret rising within her. What an idiot! she thought to herself. Why couldn't I just kiss him? He was looking away, having removed his arm from around her. She could see he felt awkward, and she felt even stupider.

"James... I..." she began, but he waved his hand and she stopped.

"No, it's okay. It's my fault... really... I didn't mean to push-"

"You didn't."

Awkward silence held them both still, as the last few birds of the day chirped their goodnight calls. Shadow had fallen over them, but even in the darkness, the uneasiness of the two students was clear as day.

Trying to ease the moment, Jade placed her hand over his. At the feel of her touch, he turned back to face her, a questioning look on his face. She smiled and stroked his cheek.

"I had fun today, James. I really did. We should do this again some time."

She smiled at him as warmly as she could, and stood up. He stood with her, smiling as well, and took her hand. Connected in the shadow, they made their way back to the castle.

Note: Pleeeeease forgive the lateness of this chapter. I'm sooooo, sooo sorry. I really am. It's been far too long. And I'm sure you're wondering about aaaall this Roger Davies business (that is, you are if you went back and reread my previous chapters.....well, then again, you're probably wondering anyway). All will be explained in the next chapter.... which you can go right ahead and read now since it's up... That is... after you review... please?