So this is the last chapter for tonight. I'm really busy most of the time but I upload only because I know that my story wants to be read and continued and this only happens through REVIEWS. I would REALLY appreciate to read a review, it really brightens up my day and encourages me to post as soon as I can. Of course I'm not saying no one reviews, I have wonderful people that are always reviewing and are always giving me the feedback I need to keep posting my stories up otherwise I wouldn't really bother so thank you!! Please, please, please review!!
"Please Hermione, you can't tell Ron, Harry or Ginny. You know how Ginny is. If you tell her, she'd tell Harry and Harry would definitely tell Ron and Ron would tell my parents and they'll kill me!" Jade whispered fiercely.
"I know! Now ssh, here they come." Hermione said. She hugged Ron and they all started to walk to the Great Hall for dinner.
"What happened Jade? You look worried?" Ron asked.
"I do? I'm not….worried." Jade said as they walked to their table. Jade quickly glanced towards the Slytherin table to see that Draco was watching her, smiling ever so pleasantly. Jade turned her face away, scowling to herself.
"Dumbledore's going to announce the Valentine's Ball today." Hermione told Jade and Ginny who started to ask a million questions about the Ball.
"When is it?" Jade asked.
"In two weeks of course. Listen." Hermione said as McGonagall started to grab everyone's attention. Dumbledore stood up and started to make the Ball's announcement. Everyone seemed excited about it and Jade wondered if Draco was going to ask her.
'Of course he will.' Jade thought to herself. The voice in her head seemed to become more pronounced and she easily allowed it to voice it.
Draco knew he couldn't ask Jade to the dance. She was going to say no to him flat out. He was walking around in the morning, listening to Dean and a couple of other Gryffindor's, talking to each other about the Ball.
"Who are you going to ask?" Seamus asked Neville who shrugged.
"I was thinking about asking Jade." Neville said as if he were taking their permission for it.
"Oh no mate, she's going with me. I asked her last night and she said yes." Dean smirked.
"You already have a date? What am I going to do? Who am I going to ask now?" Seamus asked.
Neville blushed and walked away from them and Draco felt a tad bit sorry for him, but not as sorry as he was for himself. Thomas got to Jade before he did. A group of Slytherin girls passed by him giggling and watching him flirtatiously. Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle appeared, looking at the flock of girls standing next to Draco.
"Hey Draco." Blaise greeted as Draco nodded.
"This is the worst part of Balls…asking them." Blaise said, trying to act smooth and unperturbed. Draco grunted and walked into the Great Hall, noting that Jade wasn't there yet. He sat down as the girls followed him along with Blaise, Goyle and Crabbe.
"So who are you planning to ask Draco?" Crabbe asked helping himself to a heap of pancakes.
"The one I wanted is taken." Draco said thinking that tailing behind Jade was becoming useless. She promised him a date, but it wasn't by her own will, it was out of courtesy. She didn't want to be with him in any way shape or form, especially after he had pushed her. Draco still couldn't forgive himself for that, of course she'd never go to the Ball with him.
"Oh you're not still caught up about Weasley are you? You have to forget her Draco. You're not her type and she doesn't seem interested at all by you. You should see the way she looks at you sometimes. I'd rather pursue Ron Weasley than her." Blaise said seeing Draco shoot him a cold look.
"Mind your own business Zabini." Draco snapped. He felt someone touch his shoulder and he looked up to see Pansy Parkinson sit down next to him, smiling a little too hard at him.
"Save yourself the embarrassment, I'll go with you." Draco said. They heard the hope of the group of girls deflate and they all crumbled to their seats, defeated. Pansy's smile dropped and she gave Draco a serious look.
"I've already got a date Draco." Pansy said.
The group of girls next to them were hopeful again and started to make their presence known by giggling, talking a little too loudly or by dropping something and slowly picking it up, sticking out parts of their body that Crabbe and Goyle loved to see.
"Who are you going with?" Blaise asked irritably.
"You of course; anyways Draco. My friend Daphne wants to go with you and I promised her I would try to convince you if Weasley rejected you, which was highly likely." Pansy said.
"She didn't reject me, Thomas got to her before I did." Draco said through his teeth angry that everyone now saw how obvious it was that he liked her.
"Right of course well-" Pansy said in a mocking tone that Draco had to smack out before she really got to him.
"Pansy if you're going to patronize me, it'll make your friend very unhappy." Draco said seeing her eyes flash in fear.
"All right, all right! Just ask her when she gets down will you?" Pansy asked.
"Will do." Draco said seeing Jade walk in with her friends and siblings. She looked in his direction and he looked away, annoyed with himself.
Jade looked away from Draco, wondering when he was going to ask her. Before she went to sit down, Dean Thomas was there, smiling at her and asking her how everything was going.
"Fine…I guess?" Jade asked sitting down. He started talking about things she had no idea about or where it was coming from. She looked at him, listening to him politely but instead thought about Draco and what crazy scheme he would use to ask her.
"Would you look at that? We have Potions; guess I'll see you in class Dean." Jade said going to leave but he caught her arm. She turned around seeing him smile at her again. What was wrong with this kid all of a sudden?
"Can I walk you to your class?" he asked. Jade looked at Hermione and Ginny who looked away quickly. Ron and Harry who knew what was going on, gave a long hard stare at Dean and looked away.
"Better than Malfoy I suppose." Ron said.
"What do you want Dean?" Jade asked bluntly. Dean looked innocently confused and started walking, offering his arm.
"I just want to walk you to class." Dean told her. Jade walked on with him as he kept talking. Sooner or later he'd spill if she became patient. When they finally reached the dungeons Jade said goodbye to Dean and sat next to Hermione, asking her if Dean's behavior had to do anything with the Valentine's Ball.
"Took you long enough." Hermione joked as Jade scowled and shrank in her seat.
As soon as class ended, Jade ran out of the classroom, not bothering to wait for anyone. She was going to avoid Dean as much as possible until the person that she wanted to be asked by would come along. The next day wasn't so lucky for Jade. She was immediately confronted by an impatient and flustered Dean as soon as she was leaving for breakfast from her dormitory.
"Will you go to the Ball with me?" Dean asked when she reached the stairs.
"What?" Jade asked rudely.
"Will you go to the Ball with me?" Dean asked slowly, as if he were talking to a mentally handicapped person.
"I'm sorry Dean, no." Jade said walking away from him.
"Why not? Did Malfoy ask you already?" Dean asked seeing her turn around.
"It isn't any of your bloody business Thomas." Jade snapped. Why was it taking so long for Draco to ask anyways? She'd be in places he was and places where he had asked her out for a date, why wasn't he coming now? Jade bulldozed through the hallways frustrated that it was taking him so long. That's when it struck Jade. He was probably going to ask her in Hogsmeade.
Jade sat in the common room with Neville in front of her. It was Friday night and Jade wanted to be finished with her homework before she went to see Draco. Throughout the whole week she bubbled in delight, declining all the invitations she had gotten from anyone else for the Valentine's Ball.
"What are you doing tomorrow for Hogsmeade?" Neville asked casually.
Jade wrinkled her forehead, re-reading the essay she wrote and answering Neville's question. "I'm going to buy a dress with the girls for the Ball. Then I'm going to a bookshop." Jade said vaguely.
"A bookshop? Where is that?" Neville asked.
"Just on the main street of Hogsmeade, between Zonko's and Honeydukes." Jade said seeing him nod.
"Can I come with you tomorrow?" Neville asked seeing Jade look up. "If it's all right with you." Neville said quickly.
Jade felt a bit embarrassed. She really liked Neville as a friend and found it hard to turn him down and disappoint him.
"Actually Neville, I'm going with someone but you're more than welcome to walk around with us." Jade said seeing Neville nervously look away from her.
"I don't want to sound like I'm being rude, but are you going with a guy?" he asked shyly.
Jade bit her lip and nodded feeling awkward that he was asking her this. She didn't feel offended at all but felt strange talking to Neville about herself with another man.
"Has he asked you to the Ball?" Neville asked seeing Jade blush and shake her head.
"Not yet…no." she said. He nodded and gathered up his papers.
"Well if he doesn't, will you go with me if I asked you?" Neville asked. If Draco didn't ask her to go to the Ball with him for some reason, the only person she'd agree to go to the Ball with would be Neville.
"Definitely." Jade answered.
