Jade could barely wait for the brick wall in the dungeons to let her through to the Slytherin Common Room, she squeezed through as it began to let her in and then she found her friends sitting near the fire.

"How's Potter?" Draco smirked and Jade came up to him and Draco reflexively covered his face.

"What are you doing?" She asked and Draco glared at her as his hands slowly fell.

"Well, love, in the past, whenever you looked at me like that a swift slap came behind it." Theo chuckled behind her and Draco shot him a look.

"I'm not going to hit you," Jade told him but she also said it to remind herself. As long as Draco was cooperative she had no reason to be upset with him. "How's your arm?" She asked and Draco looked at it and then back at her.

"Fine, why?" Jade reached out for his arm and he hesitantly stood before holding it out to her. Jade took a step closer to him so she could get a better look as she rolled up his sleeve. The long gashes that Buckbeak had left were all healed and now a slight pink. She knew he had just told her his arm felt fine but she was careful as she trailed her finger over the raised scars. Draco stood still and watched her finger, it felt nice. He couldn't help the shiver that ran through his body and raised goosebumps along his arms. He pulled his arm away and let his sleeve fall back down. "What's going on with you?"

"Your father is calling for the death of the Hippogriff that did that to you."

"What?" Pansy asked at his side.

"Good. I'll have these horrid scars for the rest of my life." The girls both shot daggers at him and he scoffed. "That oaf shouldn't have brought them to class in the first place!"

"Draco!" Jade cut him off. "You messed up. Buckbeak shouldn't be killed for it." Draco looked like he was going to argue but then he let it go with a sigh instead and fell back onto the couch.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Tell your father to-"

"I don't tell my father to do anything." Draco cut her off. "I didn't want the bloody horse bird killed. But-" He took a look around at his friends and scoffed. "Whatever. I'm going to bed." Draco pushed past Jade and turned in for the night.

Classes started again the next day and a cold draft was wafting through the castle. Jade clutched her cloak tight to her body as she and the other third-year Slytherins begrudgingly made their way down to Hagrid's. Hagrid had a nice surprise waiting for them when they arrived, he provided a bonfire full of fire salamanders for their enjoyment. Unfortunately, their flobberworms had died while they were away on break so they spent the lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while Hagrid taught them about the small creatures. The one lesson on fire salamanders was more exciting than all of their flobberworm lessons put together, a good way to kick off their second term.

The fun took a dip after lunch when it was time for Divination class. Professor Trelawney was now teaching them palmistry, she used Harry as an example and pointed out how he had "the shortest lifeline" she'd ever seen. Every Divination class that passed Jade grew more jealous of Blaise for not having to sit through it. When it wasn't depressing, it was awkward. The thought of Divination was enticing but the way Professor Trelawney was going about it completely turned off her interest in it.

Harry had started his after-class lessons with Professor Lupin. He barely had any time to hang out anymore, if he wasn't in class he was practicing quidditch and if he wasn't practicing quidditch he was with Professor Lupin learning how to fight off dementors. "He still looks ill sometimes, doesn't he?" Ron mentioned one night, Harry just got back from one of his Lupin lessons and they were making their way to the Great Hall for dinner. "What do you reckon's the matter with him?" Harry opened his mouth to reply but a loud scoff sounded from behind them. Jade turned with the boys to find an annoyed Hermione. "And what are you tutting at us for?" Ron asked irritably.

"Nothing," Hermione adjusted her bag over her shoulder, she had her bag stuffed with books from all of the classes she was taking this year.

"Yes, you were," Ron continued, "I said, I wonder what's wrong with Lupin, and you-"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Hermione sighed,

"If you don't want to tell us, don't," Ron snapped back at her.

"Ron." Jade gave him a pointed look.

"Fine!" Hermione cried, pushing through the boys and marching off.

"Hermione!" Jade called after her.

"She doesn't know," Ron scoffed, glaring after Hermione as she disappeared around a corner.

"Who cares? The arguing between you two has got to stop." Jade told him.

"Oh, that was nothing. They fight constantly." Harry told her and Jade looked at Ron again who was avoiding her gaze. They stopped at the large open doors to the Great Hall.

"Right, I'll see you two later." Jade nodded a goodbye to the boys before walking to the Slytherin table and sitting down next to Pansy.

"Where've you been?" She asked.

"Where she always is," Theo answered for Jade and she turned to say something to him.

"Yeah, probably," Pansy mumbled and Jade looked back at her. "What? It's true, if you're not with us, you're with them."
"You know what's getting old?" Jade asked the table. "You lot always having a problem with it. Get over it."

"Are you okay?" Blaise asked.

"I'm fine. Tired." With that being said everyone left Jade alone for the rest of the night. She wasn't in an unpleasant mood, she just didn't want to hear their babble about her other friends. They studied that night in the Common Room and she helped Gretta with some of her work while she avoided doing her own. She enjoyed spending time with Gretta, she never had someone younger who looked up to her like Gretta did and it was stupid but it was a nice feeling. Jade knew if her parents had had another baby she would've been an amazing older sister, but then again she liked being the youngest… she got away with more things than Rodrick did growing up. She missed her brother, and she promised she'd write to him but she hadn't yet since she'd gotten back to Hogwarts. Going with the impulsiveness she was currently feeling, she excused herself from her friends and then spent the next hour writing to her brother about anything she could think of. Who she thought would win the next quidditch game, what her favorite class currently was, fill him in on what they were learning in Defense Against the Dark Arts, her theories on why Professor Lupin looks ill every now and then and misses class. By the time she was done, she could barely lift herself out of her desk's chair to fall into her awaiting bed.