Jade sighed, and opened her eyes. The minute she did, she saw quite a few people, all of them asleep. There was her mother, her father, her younger siblings, her friends, Parker, and White. She pushed herself up, and pretended not to notice how skinny, and pale her arms were, and how they shook, trying to support her weight. There was a soft gasp, and Jade grimaced, obviously not everyone was asleep. A girl had just banished a card underneath her pillow, which, now that she thought about it, was quite bulky. She felt underneath, and took out about a dozen cards, all written in the same, loopy hand. She glanced at the signature. Lucy. They all said. Jade recognised the girl now, she was thinner, and her eyes were bloodshot, but it was Lucy Malfoy. Never had she seen the girl so badly groomed, though, her hair was all over the place, and her robes were wrinkled badly.

"J-Jade?" Malfoy stammered, moving closer, "Is it really you? Are you awake?" Jade nodded silently, never looking away from Malfoy's face. Malfoy turned away for a moment, closed the curtains, and performed a silencing charm, which Jade only recognised because of her parents, then her face crumpled. "Oh, thank goodness." She whispered, beginning to cry. At that moment, Lucy Malfoy stopped being Malfoy, and became Lucy.

***

"I don't understand!" Mel whispered furiously. She was having her 10-minute visit for the day, Jade still being too weak to see more than one person at a time. Jade looked up from her Potions essay, which Emily was watching her write. Emily hadn't left her side since she'd woken up, literally.

"I am telling you, Mel, she's not like her father." Jade replied.

"She's a Malfoy! You might as well have announced that you're having You-Know-Who's baby!"

"Voldemort is dead. And Lucy is nothing like her father. She's told us that many a time, I just finally decided to listen."

"What made you change your mind?" Mel asked curiously.

"When I was in that coma, I met my grandmother." Jade said quietly. Emily's head shot up. "Lily Potter. She told me things aren't always what they seem, that best friends can betray, and worst enemies heal. She said you should never judge anyone on name and/or appearance only, and that was a form of prejudice. We were being prejudiced, by judging her that way." Mel nodded slowly.

"Okay," She said, "I'll give her a chance. One chance." Mel said. Jade grinned.

"Thank you." She said.

***

"When can I leave?" Jade asked for the fifth time that day. Saffron Pomfrey looked up from the pillow she was plumping.

"You may leave this afternoon, I suppose." She sighed. "But be careful. No-"

"I know, I know. No ingesting potions, turning myself into anything, or late-night escapades for two weeks." Jade sighed. Saff, as everyone called her, smiled.

"I wouldn't have added the last one, but yes." Jade blushed. "So, what are you waiting for? Your sister's here, I'm sure she'll be glad to escort you back to your dormitory. Just in time for the Halloween Dance, too."

"Halloween Dance?" Jade looked quizzical. "What Halloween Dance?"

"Professor McGonagall decided that everyone needed a bit of a break, so on Halloween night, there's to be a Dance, from 7-10. It's a Costume Dance, so you'd best start searching." Saff answered

"You're right." Jade replied, and she got up.

***

"Jade! C'mon!" Mandy yelled up the stairs.

"Ok, ok." Jade said, running down them two at a time. She was wearing a short red velvet dress, which reached her mid-thigh, and had white lace on the high bodice. In her hair, which she had shortened, and put into tight ringlets was a thin white bow. One her feet were black shiny mary janes, with short white socks.

"Nice, who're you?" Mandy asked.

"I'm Annie, from the Disney musical Annie." Jade grinned. "Who're you?"

"I'm the Fire Fairy from the movie Elementals." Mandy replied.

"Suits you, you seem to have a thing with fire." Jade commented, which caused Mandy's smile to falter for a minute.

"I know." She muttered. Trying to diffuse the difficult pause, Jade whistled.

"How'd you do your costume?" She asked.

"I used one of me Ma's old tutus from when she was a dancer, and put layers of red, orange, yellow and gold tulle over it. Then I used some red tulle for the wings, and put lots of glitter on them. Then, I got some gold tinsel for my ankle. Oh, and a handy charm on me frosted glass globes turned them red, gold, orange, and yellow, and Wingardium Leviosa is what's making them float around me head like that."

"Pretty." Jade said in approval.

"C'mon then, give us a song." Mandy said. Jade blushed,

"No way." She replied. Madeline came down, dressed as a wood elf.

"What're you?" She asked Jade. Jade sighed, resigning herself to her fate.

"I'll give you a clue." She said, and began to sing. "The sun'll come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar, that tomorrow, there'll be sun! Just thinkin' about tomorrow
clears away the cobwebs, and the sorrow, 'til there's none! Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow, you're always a day away
!"

"Annie. You're Annie." Michael said from his vantage point on the ceiling. The twins had been trying out an experimental WWW (Weasley Wizard Wheezes) product, and he still hadn't managed to get down. They hadn't told Professor Brown, she was rather strict about those things.

"You've got a pretty voice, Green-Eyes, how come you never use it?" Osiris White asked, walking down the stairs.

"Don't call me Green-Eyes, White." Jade snapped.

"But it suits you so well." Luke Parker teased, throwing a frog down White's back, then jumping from the top step to the bottom.

"Shut up, Parker." Jade snapped, and she used her wand to turn his curly black hair pink.

"Hmm, a nice look." White said, clawing at his shirt. "I like it."

"Then you'll like this even more." Madeline said sweetly, turning his purple, and giving him shoulder-length ringlets. Parker laughed.

"You're right, I do." He said.

"What about you, Mikey dear, do you want a new 'do?" Mandy asked, craning her head back, and almost falling onto the couch.

"No thanks, shorty." Michael shot back.

"Why, you." Mandy growled. She sent a jet of fiery sparks up at him, and his hair caught alight. Jade doused him with a bucket of water, which she then let drop on his head. Then she waved her wand lazily.

"Finite Incantatem." She said, and he fell to the ground with a thump.

"Thanks, dear cousin of mine." Michael said sarcastically. Jade smiled.

"You're welcome." She said. "Let's go, the dance'll be starting soon."

~*~

Emily tightened her dress carefully.

"Mummy, what do you think?" She asked. Her mother looked up from the paper she was writing on Photosynthesis.

"I think you look fantastic, sweetheart." She said warmly. "How did you ever get that idea?"

"Mummy! Everyone knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood!" There came a knock at the door, and Emily went over to open it.

"Hi," Lucy Malfoy said. Emily grinned, and opened the door wider.

"Hi, Luce." She said, "Wow, you look gorgeous. How'd you manage it?" She was dressed up as Tinker bell, and she looked great in the dress.

"'Twas easy, I asked Brown to help me transfigure my robes. She didn't want to at first, but she soon gave in."

"You really do look great. Mum, I'd like you to meet Lucy, Lucy, Mum." Her mother smiled, and Lucy held out her small white hand politely.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Potter." She said.

"You too, Lucy-er, is there a last name?"

"Of course, Malfoy." Emily's mother dropped her hand immediately.

"Oh, I hadn't realised." She said coldly.

"Not many people do." Lucy said sadly. "I'll be seeing you, Emily, oh, by the way, Happy Birthday." She dropped a small, gift-wrapped package on the table, and ran out.

Yay! A long chapter at last! I feel totally re-energised!