2. Denial

The gothic atmosphere of 12 Grimmauld place appeared to have been overcome by an onslaught of Christmas spirit. Jade thought for a moment that she had arrived at the wrong grate, as she emerged from the fireplace into the kitchen. The low ceiling was festooned with silver and gold streamers, from which tiny fairies that had escaped from the Christmas tree were swinging gleefully. The Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, Lupin, Mundungus and Tonks were already seated at the table, laughing and talking cheerfully. Sirius was grinning as he moved around the table, pouring wine, his dark hair falling over his grey eyes. Ginny giggled as he surreptitiously filled her glass while her mother's attention was diverted to the new arrival. 'Poor girl! Working late on Christmas Eve!' Mrs Weasley exclaimed, hugging her. Jade smiled at her and slipped into a chair between Ginny and Hermione. She was wearing jeans and a black sweater, having disapparated back home to change before travelling by Floo Powder to 12 Grimmauld Place. It had made her late, but...my work robes aren't very Christmassy, she convinced herself, dismissing the possibility that black wasn't necessarily Christmassy anyway.

'Jade! How's work?' Hermione greeted her enthusiastically, always eager to learn of any new developments in text books Jade had uncovered in the course of her work in the publishing industry.

'Fascinating,' Jade declared ironically. 'You dropped Divination, didn't you?'

Hermione nodded, smirking at Ron and Harry in a superior manner.

'Good decision.' Jade rolled her eyes in exasperation. 'I spent the last week editing just one chapter of Definitive Divination. Honestly, you'd have to be a Seer to know what the author was on about. As far as I can work out, he has decided that the art of reading tea leaves is exclusive of coffee drinkers, and therefore discriminatory. So he decided to investigate reading coffee grounds. Turns out that coffee grounds don't really form images like tea leaves do, so you just have to sort of discern what the different shaped blobs represent...'

Hermione was staring at Jade in shocked disbelief, muttering something about 'woolly branches of magic'. Jade heard Sirius laughing behind her as he came to fill her wineglass. 'Thanks,' she murmured, her face curtained by her long hair. Tonight was the first time she had seen Sirius since their intense conversation a few days previously. Jade hesitated to admit it, even to herself, yet she knew there was something that drew her to Sirius. At the same time she felt vulnerable, almost naked under his gaze. It was extremely rare for her to reveal anything about herself and her past, and the sense of exposure was alien to her. It had seemed natural and almost inevitable to be so open in the moment of that surreal grey afternoon, but now she wondered if she had said too much, misread the connection she had sensed between them.

Sirius sat down at the opposite end of the table, talking animatedly with Harry and Lupin. 'How's school?' Jade asked Ginny. She had barely seen Ginny since leaving Hogwarts and beginning work in Diagon Alley, but during the summers she had spent at The Burrow, Ginny had become like a little sister to her. The intervening years had transformed Ginevra from a small girl into a young woman, her shyness as a child developing into a quiet confidence. Ginny began regaling Jade with an enthusiastic account of the activities of the DA, all related in an undertone, out of earshot of her ever-disapproving mother. For a moment, as Jade sipped her wine, her glance met Sirius's grey eyes across the table. She didn't register exactly what had happened when Michael had attempted to stun Ginny.

'So Harry's teaching you?' she asked distractedly, a moment later.

'Yeah, he's really good at it,' observed Ginny, dropping her voice to a low whisper as Mrs Weasley looked suspiciously in their direction. 'Everyone's learnt so much already, he's a great teacher.'

Once the meal was over and everyone had helped clear the table, Harry, Ron and Sirius sidled towards the kitchen door, looking mischievous. 'Come up to the drawing room when Mum's not looking,' hissed Ron to the girls as they passed. Ginny glanced at Mrs Weasley, who was swooping down on Fred and George, plotting in hushed voices with Mundungus in the corner.

'C'mon,' whispered Ginny, tugging Hermione and Jade by their sleeves. In the drawing room, Ron was proudly extracting a bottle of Firewhisky he was clearly not supposed to have in his possession. Sirius gave his wand a lazy flick, and conjured six glasses.

'We should play a game,' suggested Ron.

'Sounds fun,' said Sirius, grinning. 'What game?'

'Er...actually, I don't know any,' admitted Ron, crestfallen.

Hermione's eyes gleamed with the formulation of a dastardly plan. 'There's a game Muggles play...but I think we could make it more fun.' She reached for the bottle. Sirius raised an eyebrow curiously as he handed it to her. Hermione frowned in concentration as she opened it, then gave her wand a complicated twirl and tapped the bottle twice. The Firewhisky smoked slightly. She passed the bottle back to Sirius, who poured out six measures.

'Explain yourself, Miss,' he ordered mischievously.

'The game is called I Have Never. We take it in turns to make a statement beginning I have never...Everyone who can't deny the statement has to drink. The spell I did will turn anyone's drink into a Babbling Beverage if they don't drink when they're supposed to, so we'll all know soon enough.'

The group regarded Hermione with a mixture of anticipation and dismay.

'I'll go first,' offered Sirius. 'Let's see...I have never hexed Professor Snivellus – I mean, Snape.' Smirking, he took a sip of Firewhisky, as did Hermione. 'What?' exclaimed Sirius. 'I don't believe you!'

'First year. I set his robes on fire. We thought he was jinxing Harry's broom during a Quidditch match. Turned out it was Quirrell though,' Hermione explained.

'Still...' said Sirius cheerfully.

'My turn,' said Hermione. 'I have never,' she smirked, 'kissed anyone from Ravenclaw.'

Blushing furiously, Harry and Ginny both sipped their drinks, as did Sirius, unblushingly. Ron wasn't paying him any attention. 'Ginny!' he spluttered.

Ginny seized her glass from the table. 'I have never,' she snapped, glaring at Hermione, 'wished I hadn't told someone a secret!' She downed half her Firewhisky in one gulp, by way of emphasis, ending up slightly cross-eyed. Everyone laughed at her, and no one noticed Sirius and Jade's eyes meeting. Biting her lip, she raised her eyebrows questioningly. Sirius smiled gently and shook his head. She set her glass down again.

'I'm next,' said Harry, also glaring at Hermione. 'I have never kissed any famous Quidditch players.' He smirked as Hermione squirmed in her chair and took a sip of Firewhisky. Ron was fuming.

Jade tried to think of a distraction. 'I have never,' she said quickly, 'spent a night out of bed at Hogwarts.' With a wicked smile, she took a sip. Sirius, grinning approvingly, reached for his drink at the same time as Harry.

'Harry, I'm impressed,' he smirked proudly. 'Do tell.'

'Only in the library,' Harry confessed.

'Oh well.' Sirius looked rather disappointed. 'There's still time. What about you, Jade?'

'Definitely not telling. Your turn, Ron,' she said firmly.

Ron appeared to be deep in thought. 'I have never,' he said slowly, 'had feelings for someone in this room.'

There was a very uncomfortable silence. Blushing even more furiously, Ginny drained her glass, while Harry stared awkwardly at his shoes. It seemed to Jade that she, Hermione, Ron and Sirius had all moved to reach for their glasses, but she couldn't be sure, because at that moment Mrs Weasley burst into the room, brandishing her wand.

'Evanesco!' she shrieked, vanishing the Firewhisky. 'Sirius! How could you encourage them!? Ginny, Ron, Harry, Hermione! Bed! Now! This instant!' The four teenagers scampered for the door, dodging the sparks flying angrily from the tip of Mrs Weasley's wand. Glaring at Sirius and pointedly ignoring Jade, she flounced from the room.

Jade grimaced. 'I'd better go,' she said, reaching for the canister of Floo Powder on the mantelpiece.

Sirius took her hand to help her into the fireplace. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he kissed her lightly on the cheek. 'Happy Christmas, Jade.'