Chapter 18

By the end of November, Ravenclaw had beat Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match, which made Harry's mood take a noticeable turn for the better. This meant that Gryffindor was not out of the running after all, but they weren't allowed to lose another match. Oliver Wood picked himself up out of his moping and repossessed the drive to win the Quidditch Cup. Wood had increased the duration of their practices, so unless Jade saw Harry in class, she never had the chance to talk to him. Although the team now did a quick practice during lunch and it seemed they were always on the pitch whenever they could grab a free moment, none of them complained. The chilly rain that had followed into December didn't shake their resolve. The awful weather continued halfway through December until one morning when Jade had woken up and found that the rain was gone and in its place, a layer of sparkling white covered the grounds. Finally, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real fluttering fairies by the time they had arrived for class that day. The students were beginning to buzz about their holiday plans. Most of them were going home, but Ron and Hermione had decided to remain at Hogwarts with Harry. To make things even better, another trip to Hogsmeade was planned for the last weekend of the term. Jade already had an idea of what she wanted to get her friends and family for Christmas so her next trip to Hogsmeade would be a busy one.

When that Saturday morning came, Jade ate breakfast and then followed the other students visiting Hogsmeade to the Entrance Hall where they all checked in with Filch. Jade pulled on her gloves and tightened the scarf around her neck as they ventured outside and made their way down to the village. Snow had begun to fall and it clung to Jade's hair.

"Where to?" Theo asked as they stood on the main street where all of the shops were.

"I have to get some Christmas presents," Jade told them, looking down the road to see which shop she would go to first.

"Me too." Pansy chimed in.

"I'll come with you," Blaise told the girls.

"No, you can't." Jade said quickly, "I have to get yours."

"So?"

"So, I don't want you to know what it is."

"I don't care if I see it."

"Well, I do. It'll ruin the surprise." Jade told him and Blaise grinned a little.

"Fine, I'll go with Draco."

"We'll meet you by the Shrieking Shack," Draco said as he began walking over to the Three Broomsticks. Blaise and Theo took off after him and the girls stood there for a second.

"Where do you have to go?" Pansy asked.

"Blaise mentioned he'd be joining the quidditch team next year, I want to grab something for him. Draco, too."

"Blaise playing quidditch?" Pansy asked as they started towards Spintwitches Sporting Needs.

"I was surprised. He doesn't seem the type, does he?"

"No, not to me."

"Well, if he didn't want to do it he would've said something to Draco." A light ringing sound filled the store as they entered it. Jade had never been in this shop before but she knew once she looked around that the boys would've loved it. Quidditch robes and armor were displayed on mannequins. Quaffles, bludgers, and golden snitches were grouped together in large bins. The girls spent a while just looking around but by the time they left Jade was positive she had gotten the right gifts. For Blaise, she had gotten a Quidditch starter kit and a large book called Quidditch Through The Ages. Draco didn't talk about quidditch often like Harry did but she knew it was important to him so she got him a broomstick servicing kit.

"What do you think Theo would like?" Pansy asked as they carried their bags a few stores down to Zonko's Joke shop.

"I don't know, he doesn't really talk about himself much." Jade realized. Jade checked off most of her shopping list at Zonko's, she had taken care of the Weasleys, her brother, and something corny for her father that she thought he'd get a kick out of. "I think… I have something." Jade spoke as they exited back out onto the street and she looked over at Gladrags Wizardwear. "You can't come with me," Jade told her and Pansy smiled as she looked over at the store and then back at Jade.

"Okay, find me something cute." Pansy bounced on her feet. "I'll go find the boys." The store had more than Jade thought it would, there were some elegant dresses and dress robes inside along with a wide winter selection. It didn't take long for Jade to find a fur hat that she thought Pansy would like. Even though Jade had been friends with Theo for about a year now, she didn't know much about what he liked. She thought a shirt would be a safe bet. She found a nice button-up she thought he would look good in. Theo had a handsome face, strong features, and light blue eyes. She felt it wasn't enough, the other boys were getting more than just a lousy shirt.

She might've overcompensated but she ended up getting Theo a nice winter robe, there was nothing wrong with the one he had now but this would definitely be an upgrade. For Pansy, she settled on the hat and a pair of diamond earrings. She had taken care of everyone except Harry and Hermione but she quickly finished her shopping with a trip to Dervish and Banges. It was a long walk to the Shrieking Shack as she dragged her bags along and she was starting to break a sweat under her warm clothes.

"Jade!" She heard a voice call and she turned to see her friends standing under a large tree. Draco and Theo came towards her,

"Do you need help with those?" Theo asked, grabbing a few bags from her.

"Yes, please. Wait, not that one!" She grabbed a bag back from Theo and he looked at her expectantly. "It's your present." She told him and Theo broke out into a charming smile.

"A present? Let me see." He moved towards her again and she hid it behind her.

"Back off, Nott." She warned him with a pointed finger.

"Right, if you two are done." Draco rolled his eyes and took out his wand. "Wingardium Leviosa." The bags at Jade's feet floated off the ground.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Jade sighed and Draco settled them down by the tree. "Alright, no peeking, please." She told them all but she didn't know how she was going to stop them all from looking as they looked down at the bags with hungry eyes. Jade picked up snow in her hands and rolled it into a ball before throwing it at Draco, who was the closest to her. Draco took a second before a wicked smile spread across his face and he leaned down,

"Do you know what you just started?" He asked and everyone quickly fled away from him. "Run, Maddex!" He yelled after her. "I'll catch you, trust me!" Jade was distracted by finding a place to hide that she didn't realize Pansy was next to her before it was too late. A sudden cold and wet sensation blast her on the cheek and she snapped her head to the left.

"Pansy!" She called.

"You started it!" She heard her voice trail off as she ran away from her.

"What happened to girls against boys!" She yelled after her as she scooped up some more snow and started shaping it. She could hear her footsteps coming back towards her.

"Wait, is that what we're doing?" She asked and Jade threw the snowball point-blank at her chest.

"No." She laughed and ran from her friend, her frustrated growl fading to nothing as she ducked behind a bush covered in snow. She could hear the soft thuds of snowballs hitting their marks and her other friends laughing. Jade peeked up and saw Blaise a few feet in front of her and she quickly ducked down, prepared her next ball, and launched it over the bush. She peeked over again to see the splat on Blaise's back before he turned around and locked eyes with her. "Blaise! I'm sorry!" She pleaded as she fumbled to get to her feet and run but snow landed on the back of her neck. She tried to brush it away as snow fell down her shirt and she hid behind a tree. She could feel the icy water sliding down her back and it was impossible to get at it with all the layers she was wearing.

"Got you!" She heard someone say and then she was headed for the ground. It took her a second to realize that Draco had tackled her and was now grinning down victoriously at her. "I told you I would catch you."

"Call a truce?" She asked, trying to catch her breath. "I didn't expect to get this wet." Draco considered it, she watched their breath meet in between them before fading away.

"Fine." Draco lifted himself off of her and extended a hand down, "Don't start things you can't finish."

"Noted." She grunted as she took his offered hand.