Jade was walking to the Quidditch Pitch after lunch, when Spirit came up to her, surprising her. Emily couldn't have replied so quickly…could she?
**'DEER JADE,
HI! MY TEECHER SED WE SHOD WRIT TO SOMON IN OUR FAMILY, AND THEN HAND IN THER REPLIE. WIL YOU REPLIE TO MY LETER, SO I CAN GET GOD MARKS? I'L BET NO ONE ELSE WIL THINK OF WRITING TO THER BIG SISTR WO'S AT HOGWARTS. PLEESE REPLIE. SUR, I'L PUT THE MM BAC FOR YU. I DON'T MIND. PLEESE GET ME SOM BUTTERBEER? I HAD A TAST OF MICKIE'S ONC, WITHOUT HIM KNOING, AND I REELY LIKD IT. AUNTIE 'MIONE IS PREGNANT, DID YU KNO? SHE'S REELY BIG, BIGER THAN MUMY. MUMY SAYS SHE THINKS AUNTIE 'MIONE MYHT BE HAVING TWINS. JUST LIKE MARC AND ANNIE! THAT WOOD BE COOL, RYHT? HAVE YOU SEEN BEAUTY AND THE BEEST? DADDY TOOK ME TO SEE IT AT THE MOOBIES WITH THE MUGGLES. IT WAS GRATE. I LIKE BELLE. SHE'S SO PRETY. SHE LOOKS LIKE MADELINE. DON'T YOU AGREE THAT MADELINE'S HAIR IS THE SAM COLER AS BELLE'S? MY TEECHER SAYS I'M VERY SMART. YU SAID SHE WOOD SAY THAT, HOW DID YU KNO? I LUV YU,
LUV, EMILY'
Jade chuckled as she read the letter, then she stroked Spirit gently, and handed her the two letters.
"Take these to Mum, and to Auntie 'Mione." She said. Spirit hooted, and flew off. She then walked towards the lake, Quidditch Pitch forgotten. She sat down on the emerald grass, and stared at the lake. There were no classes that afternoon, as the greenhouses were completely cut off. (Someone had locked them with a strange charm; everyone suspected Peeves and a first year's wand had something to do with it.) She heard someone sit down beside her. "Hi." She said.
"Hi." Replied the other person in a soft, strangely familiar voice, which she couldn't quite place.
"What do you think of Hogwarts so far?" Jade asked.
"It's a major disappointment." The girl sounded really sad.
"Oh? Why?"
"I figured I'd be accepted her, for who I was, y'know? But I'm not. If anything, I'm even more of an outcast. When I was at the Home, I was just 'that freak who made strange things happen.' Here, I'm 'that evil psycho-bitch', simply because my father was on the wrong side in the War. And I agree that he was on the wrong side. He was evil, no mistaking. But I'm not him. Not that anyone will listen to me. They all think I want to kill muggles and muggle-borns, simply because my father was a prick, who'd been brought up to hate muggles and muggle-borns." The girl's voice was very bitter.
"That must be hard." Jade said, still looking at the lake. She could tell from the girl's voice that she was crying, and she didn't want to embarrass her.
"It is. How am I supposed to prove myself, if no one will give me a chance? You'd do well to take what I've said in, Jade Potter, you're guilty of the crime I've just described to you." Jade turned around angrily,
"I would ne-you!" She glared at Malfoy. Malfoy smiled sadly.
"Yes, me. I'm not a Slytherin, nor do I wish to be one. I'm not a bad, evil bitch, nor do I wish to be one. But I might become one, if I feel that the evil witches and wizards are the only ones who will accept me for who I truly am. How do you think Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort?" Malfoy walked off, leaving Jade with a lot to think about.
***
'Dearest Emily,'
Jade stopped to think. What could she say to Emily, without alarming her? Emily knew as much about the horrors of what the Malfoys had inflicted upon other witches, wizards, and muggles as the rest of the Potter family. She was an extremely good listener.
'I'm well, how are you? How did I know the teacher would say you were smart? Emily, honey, I've shared a room with you since you were two; I know practically everything there is to know about you.
Sure, I'll get you some you-know-what. Here's the original MM, make sure to put it back, we don't want Dad missing it, do we.
I'll use my nicest cursive in this letter, seeing as your teacher is going to see it. I'm sending you back a duplicate of the letter you sent to me, so your teacher can read it.
What have you been up to, sweetie? Me? Not much, just, y'know, classes. Oh, and there's a Malfoy at Hogwarts. Don't freak. Boy, do I wish you were here right now, with your great judgement. I know you could tell me whether or not to trust her. I'm going to try to be nice. She shouldn't be blamed for the mistakes of her family, after all. Don't think I'm going all mature on you, she gave me a real scolding, and that was part of it. I'm afraid that I was a real bi-atch to her. I feel really bad about that now.
I love you, sweetie,
Love, Jade
Jade folded the note, and put it in her pocket. What should I do now? She wondered. She sighed, and decided to go find her new friends.
***
"Mandy!" Jade yelled, waving to her friend. Mandy was doing something strange with her wand, and smoke rings kept coming out of the end. For some reason, Mandy was annoyed by this, and was waving her wand in the air, causing it to make pretty patterns.
"Stupid wand!" Mandy shouted.
"What's the matter? Why is your wand smoking like that?" Jade asked.
"Because it's stupid!" She shook it again, and sparks came out, lighting the grass on fire. Jade quickly stamped them out.
"What's wrong with it?"
"The frickin' thing's temperamental. I should have known better than to get a wand made of oak, with a pinch of phoenix ash for its frickin' core." She snapped angrily.
"If you stopped shaking it like that, it might stop lighting things on fire." Malfoy said calmly, quenching the fire that had started up on her skirt.
"What would you know?" Mandy snapped. Malfoy rose one pale eyebrow.
"More than you, obviously. Oak is a well-known male wood, extremely temperamental. If it chose you, it means you have an affinity with fire. But you must be careful. Like I said, it's temperamental. It could blow something up. Aside from that, phoenix ash? Hello, major fire hazard. Be careful, you could do great things, and terrible things with that wand, if you don't learn to control it."
"You act as if the stupid thing's alive." Mandy sneered.
"Of course. Everyone knows that because of all the magic they retain, wands have a mind of their own. They respond best to you, and you alone. That's why the wand chooses the wizard, not the other way around. Ciao." She swept off, leaving both girls with open mouths.
Ooh, what's going to happen next? We'll have to wait and see…
**Translation for Emily's misspelt letter; 'Dear Jade,
Hi! My teacher said we should write to someone in our family, and then hand in their reply. Will you reply to my letter, so I can get good marks? I'll bet no one else will think of writing to their big sister who's at Hogwarts. Please reply. Sure, I'll put the MM back for you. I don't mind. Please get me some butterbeer? I had a taste of Mickie's once, without him knowing, and I really liked it. Auntie 'Mione is pregnant, did you know? She's really big, bigger than Mummy. Mummy says thinks Auntie 'Mione might be having twins. Just like Marc and Annie! That would be cool, right? Have you seen Beauty and the Beast? Daddy took me to see it and the movies with the muggles. It was great. I like Belle. She's so pretty. She looks like Madeline. Don't you agree that Madeline's hair is the same colour as Belle's? My teacher says I'm very smart. You said she would say that, how did you know? I love you,
Love, Emily.'
