Sirius and Buckbeak were safe, now they had only themselves to worry about. They hurried behind the doorway near them and ran down a spiral set of stairs.
"We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us before Dumbledore locks the door..." Hermione told them as they began running through the corridors and then stairs and then another corridor and more stairs.
"It's okay." Jade panted. She desperately, desperately, wanted a minute to rest but they had to keep going. "We'll make it." She told her. As they reached the top of the last set of stairs they paused, they could hear voices somewhere not too far away, and they were coming closer. They flattened themselves against the wall to hide and Fudge's and Snape's voices grew louder.
"… only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties." Snape was saying. "The Kiss will be performed immediately?"
"As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last… I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape." Harry silently stuck out his tongue and made a disgusted face while Hermione rolled her eyes. "and once young Harry's back in his right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved him." Harry stopped making the funny expression and he narrowed his eyes at the comment. Snape and Fudge were at the bottom of the stairs now. Jade prayed they wouldn't begin climbing them. But after a few seconds, Snape nodded and they continued on in the opposite direction. Jade let out a breath she'd been holding to try and keep quiet.
"We've got three minutes!" Hermione hissed nervously and Jade nodded,
"It's fine, we're almost there." They took off again down the stairs and checked before making their way down the last corridor. "Okay, I can hear Dumbledore." Hermione relaxed slightly, they were halfway down the corridor, the Hospital Wing in sight. They slowed down as they got closer but paused when the door opened and Dumbledore's back was to them.
"I am going to lock you in." They heard him saying. "It is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck." Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door, and took out his wand to magically lock it. They panicked, they thought they had missed it, but as they walked up to Dumbledore he noticed them as he turned and he smiled. "Well?" He asked.
"We did it!" Harry smiled. "Sirius has gone… on Buckbeak…" Harry added, trying to catch his breath. Dumbledore's smile grew and he chuckled.
"Well done. I think..." He leaned back towards the door, "Yes, I think you've gone too. Get inside, I'll lock you in."
"Thank you, Professor." Hermione sighed gratefully, the three of them slid back inside the Hospital Wing and they all could relax then, the wing was empty, except for Ron who still laid unconscious on one of the beds further down. Hermione fumbled with the Time-Turner and hid it under her robe again. Madam Pomfrey came out of her office a minute later and they all turned to face her.
"Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?" She huffed, she was in a foul mood. They returned to their beds with no protest and took the chocolate from her gratefully. She didn't leave though, she stood over them to make sure they ate it. Jade loved sweets, but she couldn't really enjoy it, she was too nervous, they'd find out that Black was gone soon and the events from that night kept a strong level of adrenaline running through her. She chewed the chocolate and swallowed it but Madam Pomfrey then handed them another piece. They ate it, and as Madam Pomfrey handed them another piece, they heard a terrifying roar of fury echo from somewhere above them.
"What was that?" Madam Pomfrey asked, moving a little closer to the students in alarm. "Really, they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?" Jade knew exactly what they were doing, they were going to find Sirius Black gone, his room empty. Jade's heartbeat thudded quickly in her chest as she realized the loud voices were getting closer.
"He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out-" That was Fudge.
"He didn't disapparate!" Snape growled, he was just outside the Hospital Wing now. "You can't apparate or disapparate inside this castle! This has something to do with Potter!"
"Severus, be reasonable. Harry has been locked up-" The Hospital ward's doors flew open with a loud bang and Jade jumped in her bed. Eyes wide as Dumbledore, Fudge, and Professor Snape came striding in. Jade wasn't worried about Dumbledore, he knew what they'd done, he looked calm, almost bored. Fudge appeared angry but it was Snape, with that wild look in his eyes, that made Jade pull the blanket tighter around herself.
"Out with it, Potter!" He bellowed, his voice bouncing off the stone walls. "What did you do?"
"Professor Snape!" Madam Pomfrey barked, once again, coming to the aid of her patient. "Control yourself!"
"See here, Snape, be reasonable," Fudge added gently. "This door's been locked, we just saw-"
"They helped him escape, I know it!" Well, he was right about that. But now it was his turn for no one to believe him, no one to listen to his ramblings.
"Calm down, man!" Fudge spoke up, it was the first time he used a tone of authority that Jade had heard. "You're talking nonsense!"
"You don't know Potter!" Snape argued. "He did it! I know he did it-"
"That will do, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly. Snape turned his gaze from Harry to Jade, someone he had a little more control over since she was in Slytherin.
"You tell them, Maddex! You tell them what Potter did or you will be expelled from this school!" Snape coiled his fingers around the frame at the end of her bed and he glared at her. Professor Snape couldn't make that decision on his own, Professor Dumbledore would have to agree to it, and he would never do that.
"Think about what you are saying," Dumbledore called from behind him, not even bothering to address what they knew was an empty threat. "This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"
"Of course not!" Madam Pomfrey said, bristling. "I would have heard them!"
"Well, there you have it, Severus," Dumbledore held out his hands at his sides. "Unless you are suggesting that these students are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further." A little jab at what they knew and Jade would've smiled at it if Snape weren't still glaring at her. Finally, he looked away, he was seething, he looked from Harry to Fudge, who looked completely shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, who just looked tired and ready for bed. Without another word, Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.
"Fellow seems quite unbalanced." Fudge mumbled, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore."
"Oh, he's not unbalanced," Dumbledore waved the concern away. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment."
"He's not the only one!" Fudge turned to face Dumbledore. "The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that Hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughingstock! Well…" Fudge sighed. "I'd better go and notify the Ministry…"
"And the Dementors?" Dumbledore asked. "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?"
"Oh yes, they'll have to go," Fudge answered but he seemed distracted by all the new problems that waited for him back at work. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy…" He gave Harry an apologetic grin. "Completely out of control… no, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight… Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance…"
"Hagrid would like that," Dumbledore hummed with a smile and he gently turned Fudge towards the entrance of the ward. They continued talking until they were gone and their voices faded as they went further down the corridor. Madam Pomfrey locked the door behind them and retreated back to her office. It was silent for a moment until a low moan came from the other side of the room. They found Ron pulling himself into a sitting position and he rubbed his head gently.
"What happened?" He groaned. "Harry? Why are we in here? Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin? What's going on?" They all walked over to Ron and sat on the neighboring beds.
"You explain." Harry nodded towards Hermione as he popped another piece of chocolate in his mouth.
Madam Pomfrey didn't allow Jade and the others to leave the Hospital until noon the next day, once she was sure there were no lingering aches or pains, she sent them off to their Common Rooms. Jade got some much-needed sleep and really just wanted to see her friends. She walked briskly down into the dungeons and stroked a certain spot on the wall, the door opened and she practically ran into Pansy.
"Oh, my gods!" Pansy gasped and yanked Jade into a tight hug. "Where the bloody hell have you been?" She asked, shoving Jade away to look over her. Jade didn't know what she looked like but she insecurely shifted her robes. "You look like hell."
"Thank you, Pansy." Jade sighed.
"What happened to you?" Blaise asked from Pansy's side and Jade shook her head.
"That's not important." She dismissed his question. She peeked behind Blaise and spotted Draco jogging to catch up but he came to a halt when he saw Jade. "What's important is it's someone's birthday today!" Jade moved around her other friends and stood in front of Draco with a large smile. "Before you say anything about how I look, don't." She said immediately as Draco took a breath to say something. He let it out with a blow.
"Where were you?" He asked. "I thought you'd be missing all day. Pansy's been freaking out since last night." Jade looked back to see Pansy standing close to Blaise, her lips moving incredibly fast but she kept her voice hushed. Blaise shook his head and then they both looked back at Jade.
"I got here as fast as I could, I wouldn't miss your birthday." She blushed awkwardly and Draco smiled handsomely at her. "Let me just freshen up." Jade gestured towards the girls' dormitories. "I promise I'll be quick!" She called to them as she headed for the stairs.
"Well, hurry we're going to go down to-" Blaise called after her.
"Hogsmeade!" She began descending the stone steps. "I know!" Jade ran to her room and tore her dirty robes off. The day was beautiful, the sun was out and there was a kind breeze through the air. She carefully removed the wrapping around her midsection, she was still sore but breathing didn't hurt as much and Madam Pomfrey hadn't done anything other than bandage her so she considered herself lucky. Jade pulled out a plain black dress, she had brought it just in case they got a nice day like this, no school to worry about, a trip to Hogsmeade, it would be more comfortable than jeans. She turned and was startled by the girl that faced her in the mirror. She had dirt smeared everywhere, her hair a wild bush around her head, scrapes on her arms, her chest, and some on her face. Jade quickly went to her desk and opened her charms book. She landed on Scourgify. It was meant to clean objects but she didn't have time to run to the bathroom and take a shower. She quickly stripped and grabbed her wand from where she casually threw it on her bed. She pointed it at herself and prayed it would work. "Scourgify!" She chanted and a moment later she felt a gentle pressure all around her body, a rubbing sensation. It was soft but it moved quickly and it left her skin clean and dry. It was rather relaxing. She definitely smelled better. She checked herself over once in the mirror and then slipped her dress back on. Jade grabbed Pansy's brush off her nightstand and painfully brushed through the tangles in her hair. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and then glanced down at a green ribbon on Pansy's writing desk. She won't mind. Jade thought as she picked it up and tied a bow around her ponytail. She admired herself for a second, she had cleaned up nicely. She stepped into some shoes, grabbed her coin purse and her wand, and then made her way back up the stairs. "Where's Nott?" Jade asked and they all turned around at the sound of her voice.
"He went off with some of his Hufflepuff friends." Pansy told her, "Love the dress." She smirked.
"See? That wasn't too long was it?" Jade asked Draco as she walked up to them. She waited for his reply but he just stared at her.
"Yeah." Draco finally spoke. "I mean, no. I mean... we weren't waiting for long." He reassured her and Jade nodded,
"Okay, let's go." She smiled and Pansy looped her arm around Jade's and pulled her out of the Common Room.
"Come on, mate." Blaise nudged Draco's arm when he still hadn't moved and Draco quickly regained his composure and followed behind the girls with Blaise.
"I don't care if it's his birthday," Pansy told Jade as they walked out the castle doors. They were the only ones traveling down to Hogsmeade, everyone else had left earlier that morning. "He didn't stay up all night worried about where you were. I mean, he did, but only after I told them you were missing. I thought you'd been murdered by Sirius Black!"
"I'm fine." Jade chuckled nervously at the mention of Black.
"Okay, but seriously, where were you?" Pansy asked again but luckily Jade spotted someone off in the distance.
"Is that… Professor Lupin?" Jade could see him near the gates onto the property and it worked as a distraction for Pansy.
"Oh! You haven't heard!" Pansy gasped.
"Heard what?" Jade asked.
"Snape told all of us this morning about Professor Lupin," Blaise interjected, coming up to Jade's other side. "He's a werewolf."
"He's a what?" Jade asked with as much surprise as she could muster.
"And apparently, he was loose on the grounds last night!" Pansy added. "If you ask me, I'm happy he's leaving. Can't trust werewolves, they're a bad sort of people." Pansy told her as she glanced over in Professor Lupin's direction.
"But he's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've had yet." Jade objected.
"He's a werewolf," Pansy emphasized.
"So?" Jade asked. They were quiet for a moment, Jade was irritated by how very superior Pansy was acting.
"He resigned this morning, that's why Snape told us in the first place. Lupin says he doesn't want it to happen again." Jade was surprised Draco didn't have anything to say, he didn't like Professor Lupin either.
"Anything to add, Draco?" Jade asked, accusingly.
"Yeah." He sighed as they started their descent down the hill. "I'm rather hungry. Suppose we stop at the Hog's Head?" He looked at her with such an innocent look of inquiry. It was obvious he didn't want to argue on his birthday, and Jade would happily oblige. Even if Draco wanted to say something, who cares? He got what he wanted anyway. The town square was filled with students running from store to store, it was their last trip for the year and everyone was trying to get to their favorite shops one more time. As they made their way to Hog's Head, Crabbe and Goyle caught up with them.
"Draco, can you believe it?" Goyle panted as they reached his side.
"Believe what?" He asked, a hint of annoyance tinging his tone but the two idiots didn't notice. They didn't even wish him a happy birthday.
"Black escaped! And so did that ruddy hippogriff!" Crabbe told him in short bursts as he bent over to try and catch his breath. Jade's eyes nervously flicked over to Draco and he screwed up his face.
"What?" He spat angrily but then he let out a frustrated sigh. "Why am I surprised? Those fools at the Ministry can't do anything right." Without another word, he pushed open the door to Hog's Head and walked inside, Jade and the others followed silently. They sat down in a booth and Draco looked over the menu with a scowl.
"So," Jade began, trying to return him to his good mood. "Good thing we came to Hogsmeade because now you can just pick out what you want for your present." Draco turned to her with a cocked brow. "I was going to get it earlier but I've been a bit busy."
"Good, 'cause I know just what I want," Draco smirked, his bad mood easily swayed but Jade watched him carefully. "I want to know where you went last night," Draco concluded and Jade rolled her eyes. "That's the only thing I want, lost a night's sleep over it, after all."
"Ooh! Yes, good idea." Pansy smiled at him. Crabbe and Goyle exchanged a confused look. It was a simple request, to them at least, Jade was more hesitant. It wasn't just her secret to share, and what would Draco do if he knew the truth? Tell his father? Tell Snape? She couldn't risk that.
"You have to promise not to tell anyone," Jade told Draco and Pansy squirmed in the booth across from them anxiously. Draco nodded and Jade looked around the room, it was full but there was a small table off in the corner that was empty. "Alright, come on." She made Goyle get up so she and Draco could get out and Pansy groaned.
"No fair!"
"Plenty fair, Parkinson!" Draco chuckled as he stood. "You can ask for anything when it's your birthday."
"Yeah, well I wouldn't waste a perfectly good present just to hear how Jade spent her night." Pansy was annoyed but as they sat down away from the other tables, Jade looked back to find her looking at the menu, already uninterested about being in on Jade's secret.
"Okay, you have to promise you won't tell anyone," Jade repeated and Draco nodded. "Swear?"
"Yes, Jade, I swear." He chuckled at her, but he had no idea what he was in for.
"I mean like, Unbreakable Vow, swear." Jade reiterated and Draco's smile slowly fell.
"You can trust me." She could, she wanted to, and this was his chance to prove it. With an unsure start, Jade began at the beginning, when they first went down to Hagrid's before the execution. She told him of how they got into the fight with a large black dog and followed it under the Whomping Willow and into the Shrieking Shack. She told him about Sirius Black, she told him about Professor Lupin, and Snape, and Pettigrew. He listened closely, waving off the waitress when she came to take their order, by the time she got to the part where they were failing to fight off Dementors at the lake, Draco was leaning in and Jade was feeling a bit better about sharing. It felt good to tell someone all the crazy stuff she had been through, she wouldn't be able to tell her parents, or her brother, anyone else really, they'd think she'd gone crazy. Jade suspected he would interject with a rude comment or a laugh here and there but he didn't, he just stared at her and listened. She told him the other half of the story, how they'd woken up in the hospital and Hermione sent them back in time to save Buckbeak and Sirius, on and on until she got to this morning. When she was done she waited for Draco to say something but instead, he fell back into his chair.
"Remember you promised not to tell anyone," Jade said quietly, wishing he would say something.
"Yeah… I know, it's just… you did all that?" He asked and Jade smiled.
"I didn't do much, it was really mostly Harry and Hermione."
"No, Granger did nothing really but send you back." Instead of immediately jumping to Hermione's defense she relaxed back into her own seat.
"How so?"
"Well, Granger fainted at the lake." Draco's eyes flicked to hers before checking off a finger on his hand. "She hid from the werewolf." He checked off another finger. "And she barely could even get on the hippogriff without crying." A final check on his hand. "What else have you done with Potter?" He asked quietly, leaning in again.
"Personally? I don't do much, I'm more there for support." She joked.
"I doubt that. You said you were able to produce some light from the tip of your wand when performing the Patronus Charm?" He asked and Jade nodded, "Yeah, that's years beyond what we're learning. I can't do it, Pansy can't do it, Blaise can't do it." Jade laughed.
"Well, I'm sure if you guys had the chance you could." But Draco shook his head.
"You don't get it. You're extraordinary." Jade felt the blush rise to her cheeks quickly and it warmed her neck. Draco cleared his throat and looked back at their friends across the room. "Reckon we get back." They were eating their food and Jade felt bad for keeping Draco busy for so long.
"I'm sorry, I know you're hungry." Jade rose from her chair and Draco swiftly followed.
"No, I didn't mean it like that." He discreetly grabbed her hand and squeezed. "Thank you for telling me." He let it go and they returned to the booth. Draco ordered his food, and when they were all done they shopped around before returning to Hogwarts to celebrate Draco's birthday. Crabbe and Goyle stayed back in Honeydukes to get some last-minute sweets while Draco and Blaise quietly snuck Jade and Pansy down to their room. Even though there was no mystical barrier to keep them out, they still had to look out for the Slytherin Prefects. There, they opened Draco's remaining presents from his friends and family and Blaise enchanted his gramophone to play.
"This is awful." Pansy wrinkled her nose.
"It's just classical music, it's relaxing," Blaise told her as a soft piano played behind him.
"Yeah, awful for a party." Pansy flicked her wand at the gramophone and a song by the Weird Sisters began to play instead. Pansy's head was then covered in yellow sparks and when they died down her hair had been turned to a bright purple color. Pansy was speechless as she picked up the ends of her hair in her fists.
"Don't touch my gramophone," Blaise said simply, twirling his wand between his fingers.
"I didn't touch it!" Pansy cried as she hurled a jinx at Blaise who ducked off his bed just in time.
"You charmed it." Blaise chuckled back at her.
"It was already charmed!" Pansy snarled as she landed her next hit of Rictumsempra. Blaise doubled over laughing and Pansy kneeled down next to him. "Having fun now, Blaise?" She asked loudly over his laughs.
"Okay, okay, make it stop!" He cried, tears spilling out of the corners of his eyes.
"No, ride it out."
"I'll… I'll fix your… fix your…" Blaise tried to say but he collapsed into a fit of laughter each time.
"Fix my hair?" Pansy asked sweetly. "I would appreciate that, thank you." Pansy then waved her wand and Blaise took a deep, uninterrupted breath. He flicked his wand in Pansy's direction and fell back down onto the bed. Pansy sighed in contempt as she brushed her hair with her fingers as it returned to its original black color. A bang came at the door then with a faint shout to turn the music down and Blaise rolled his eyes as he turned the knob on the gramophone.
"Not in the end of the year spirit, are they?" Jade grumbled. It was getting late and they would be getting their exam results back tomorrow. "Maybe we should turn in?" Jade asked Pansy, who was against that idea.
"Come on! Our time is almost over at Hogwarts! Let's have a slumber party!" Pansy looked around the room for encouragement but the boys grimaced at that.
"A slumber party?" Draco asked.
"What? Want to braid each other's hair?" Blaise followed up and Draco laughed.
"A pillow fight sounds nice," Draco smirked and Pansy groaned.
"Ugh, never mind, you made it weird," Pansy told him and Jade smiled.
"We're already breaking the rules bringing you down here, what would happen if we got caught with two girls in our beds?" Blaise asked.
"In your beds?" Pansy gasped.
"Would you sleep on the floor?" Draco chimed in and Pansy looked to Jade for help.
"No… but… why wouldn't you sleep on the floor?" Pansy countered.
"We would," Blaise reassured her with a smile. "But still. Don't think our parents want a letter home about that on the last day of term." At the thought of her parents finding out she'd been in a boy's room, Pansy stood up.
"Alright, Jade, I think we should turn in." Jade rose after her.
"Good idea, Pansy." The boys walked them out of their room and snuck them back into the Common Room where people were still celebrating the end of the year. They went unnoticed. Pansy ducked down to the girls' dormitories right away but Jade lingered and turned to face Draco. "Happy birthday," Jade told him again and he smiled.
"Thank you."
"Was it a good one?"
"The best one."
"The best?" Jade feigned a surprised gasp. "Well, good, I'm happy you had a nice day."
"Good night, Jade."
"Good night." She glanced once at a group of older Slytherins dancing on the couches and retreated to the much quieter hall of the girls' dormitories before finding her room and going in. Pansy was changing for bed and Jade began to do the same.
"I have a feeling." Pansy hummed.
"A feeling about what?"
"Nothing." She hummed again as she climbed into bed.
"Well, why say anything if you're not going to share?" Jade asked in a playful tone as she did the same.
"Not yet, I want to make sure I'm right."
"Sure." Jade sighed as she felt the tension leave her body.
"Now that we're alone, are you going to tell me what the secret about last night is?" Pansy asked and Jade reached onto the bedside table between the two of their beds and blew out the lantern.
"Nope."
"Figures," Pansy grumbled. "No matter, it's just more evidence to my theory."
"The feeling is a theory now?" Jade asked and Pansy gave her a weak 'uh-huh'. "Good night, Pans."
"Good night, J." It was the first time Pansy had called her that, only her brother called her that really, she didn't know if she should say something about it. After a moment of reflective silence, she decided it was alright if other people called her that. It was a nickname given by people she loved, no matter which one. She didn't know why people felt the need to shorten her already short name but to each their own.
The highly anticipated exam results came out at breakfast and Jade was relieved to see she had passed all her exams, she was worried about Divination, but she didn't just pass her exams, she did very well. She was sure Snape would punish her for helping Harry and Hermione but her grade didn't reflect that, she wondered if Dumbledore had anything to do with it. She needed to work on her confidence, clearly she was a more than capable student, and she knew she would do well but she always had her doubts. She'd work on pushing those down a bit. With the good news of her grades came the bad news of the loss of the House Cup. She wasn't really surprised, Gryffindor won for the third time in a row. This meant that the end of the year feast was decorated in scarlet and gold. Personally, Jade thought the Entrance Hall would look better in emerald and silver like it had momentarily her first year. Even though the Gryffindor table was obnoxiously loud during the feast, they still had fun, remembering the good times throughout the year.
"And when Nott screamed at the Red Capp!" Pansy laughed and Theo glared at her. "You sounded like a girl!"
"I didn't scream, I shouted, there's a difference." He argued.
"What was your Boggart, Zabini? A stack of unfinished homework?" Pansy turned her attention to Blaise now but he sipped his pumpkin juice casually.
"Getting brave there, Parkinson. Better hope no bees are buzzing around your head again."
"It was a bee?" Pansy asked seriously and the rest of them laughed. Jade looked down the table to see her old friend Gretta Montgomery talking with other second years. Jade felt guilty for not spending more time with her this year.
"Be back in a minute," Jade told them and then excused herself. She tapped Gretta gently on the shoulder and Gretta spun around and smiled widely.
"Jade!" She greeted and hit the boy next to her and signaled for him to scoot down. Jade took a seat and the younger students looked at her as if they had never seen her before. She recognized their faces but she'd never spoken to any of them.
"Hi, Gretta. I just wanted to… I wanted to apologize."
"Apologize for what?" Gretta asked.
"I've been busy, and I'm not using that as an excuse, but I just wish I'd spent more time with you." Gretta rolled her eyes and ignored Jade's concern.
"It's alright. Honestly, I understand." Gretta shifted to show her a girl who sat opposite her. "This is my friend, Astoria Greengrass. She was Sorted into Slytherin this year." A shy girl with dark hair smiled at Jade.
"Nice to meet you," Jade told her but she really didn't care about the first year, she wanted to talk to Gretta. "I'd like to hang out more next year." Jade turned back to Gretta and Gretta nodded.
"Yeah, I'd like that, and I'll write to you this summer, of course."
"You'd better." Jade teased her as she got up from her seat. "Don't let him know I told you this but Ezekiel could use the exercise." She winked and Gretta waved her goodbye as Jade retreated back to her original spot. She didn't know how someone as sweet as Gretta was put into Slytherin but they say the Sorting Hat has never made a mistake.
"Least my Boggart wasn't a hippogriff." Jade caught Theo say.
"Mine wasn't a hippogriff." Draco sighed.
"Yeah, alright, mate. I saw the way you went down that day. Thought you were bloody dying."
"I could have!" Draco argued.
"You could've lost your arm, maybe, but not your life." Theo sipped, it was a nice feast, just like all the rest, and Dumbledore let them stay as long as they liked, but around midnight they turned in to try and get some sleep before the mass packing and boarding of the train the next morning.
Jade wished she'd gone to sleep sooner, she and Pansy woke up at six to pack up their things but it wasn't till nine that they journeyed down to Hogsmeade station and hurried to find a nice compartment. The fatigue was felt by them all, the first burst of energy about leaving Hogwarts was gone an hour into the ride, and one by one they fell asleep. Jade awoke sometime later, it was the one time she'd wished to be in her robes other than her 'muggle clothes'. Her robes were comfortable and kept her warm, but the train was cold and her t-shirt left her arms bare and gooseflesh spread up her skin. She was the second to last one to wake up, Pansy was still sleeping. She lifted her head off of Blaise's shoulder and apologized.
"Next time just shove me over," Jade mumbled and Blaise laughed.
"Really, it's not an issue. As I was saying, there's no way the Ballycastle Bats would beat the Appleby Arrows." Jade thought he was talking gibberish for a second.
"What?" She asked.
"The Quidditch Cup!" Draco exclaimed. "We're seeing who could be in the finals this summer."
"Oh, right." Jade wasn't a Quidditch freak like the boys were, it took her a second to remember that those names were Quidditch teams.
"You going?" Draco asked her,
"Yeah, probably. Rodrick is a big fan."
"Of who?"
"Of… Quidditch in general. He wouldn't miss it." Ezekiel hooted loudly and Jade reached a finger in to pet his beak. "Almost home." She promised him, she looked out the window but all the scenery looked the same for most of the journey. She didn't know if they actually were or not.
"Well, if you don't want to go with your brother you're welcome to join me and my parents," Draco told her.
"Your mother will be there?" She asked.
"Yes." He grinned.
"Intriguing." In the three years she'd been Draco's friend, she had never seen Mrs. Malfoy. She still hadn't met Pansy's parents either, but caught a glimpse of them at the train station. They'd apparently missed the lunch cart and by the time they pulled into King's Cross station, Jade was starving. "Finally." She not so patiently waited for children to pour out of the doors until it was her turn and then gave her friends each a goodbye. "I'll write to you about the World Cup!" She called after Draco as she found her parents and began walking to them. "See you soon!" She waved to them all madly until she backed into her father. "Sorry, father." She smiled up at him.
"Jade, are you alright?" Her father asked, looking over her face and arms. "What happened?"
"Oh, nothing," Jade remembered she was scraped up from head to toe and quickly thought of a reasonable excuse. "I was running down the hill to Hogsmeade and tripped."
"You've always been a clutz." Her brother said. "No love for your favorite brother?" Rodrick asked at her father's side, his arms open wide.
"You're my only brother," Jade told him and then embraced him in a hug. "Did you know there's a Quidditch World Cup this summer?" She asked, pulling back and Rodrick laughed at her. "What?"
"There's a World Cup every year."
"I haven't heard of any."
"There's more buzz about this one because it's going to be held in England."
"Oh." Jade blushed slightly.
"Come on." Rodrick turned her around with a gentle push of his hand. "Let's teach you about Quidditch." They made their way to the barrier that separated 9 and three quarters from the rest of the station.
"I know about Quidditch." She grumbled.
"Barely." Rodrick shoved her playfully to the side and she bumped into her mother.
"Aye, watch it!" Jade shoved back.
"Kids." Her father said in that warning tone.
"Sorry, father." The both of them recited in unison, just as they had when they were younger. After the crazy adventure she'd just had, she was glad to be heading home for a long summer break to rest. Who knew what next year would bring?
