Jade struggled to fit all her books in her arms as she made her way from History of Magic to Potions. "Need some help?"

There was no mistaking the voice -

she had struggled to avoid him in their previous class. "Nope." Her cheeks flushed crimson as she felt him following her down to Snape's room.

The classroom was dark, and Snape stood ominously at the head of it. Jade made her way to an empty station, happening to stand next to a table with Hermione Granger and the Emma girl. Next to them stood Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. She set her stuff down, and saw a tall boy standing at her station. "Malfoy, what do you think you're doing?" she asked warily.

"Just helping out the loner," Draco drawled with a smirk.

"Isn't there anyone else you can annoy?"

His stare was intense, but ruined by the infuriating smirk on his face. "But I like to annoy you, J."

"Only Irene calls me that. You can call me Jade."

"I don't like that as much."

Jade gritted her teeth and began to follow the directions for the Draught of Peace potion they were supposed to be making. This class had always been simple for her, and she was completing the task with ease. The same couldn't be said for the rest of the class. Hermione and Emma were intelligent, so they were doing well, they just lacked a certain knack for potion making. Ron and Harry were in dire need of help. "Is it supposed to look like this?" Ron asked.

Harry's eyes were full of complete confusion. "I have no idea what's going on."

"How are you doing that?" Draco asked, his potion bubbling and fizzing.

Jade sighed. "I follow the directions, Malfoy. "

Snape walked around the room skeptically, throwing nasty rebukes at Neville Longbottom as he went. He stopped at Jade's station and looked at her potion with a mix of surprise and approval. "Good job, Miss Baem. You two pass."

Jade almost snorted at Snape's obvious favoritism as he ignored Draco's complete failure of the assignment. He completely ignored Hermione and Emma, and went straight to Harry and Ron. "Potter, what is this supposed to be?"

"The Draught of Peace," Harry answered.

"Please read the third line of directions for me." Snape's voice was calm and dark, as usual, but it was making Jade uneasy. Harry read it off, and Jade saw his face gloom over. Jade's stomach turned. "Did you complete all of these directions, Potter?"

"No...I forgot the hellebore."

"I know." Snape flicked his wand across the cauldron and Harry's potion disappeared. "For those who have managed to follow the instructions, get a sample of your potion, label it with your name, and set it on my desk for testing."

Jade scooped her potion into her vile and corked it. She saw Draco go to steal some of hers, and she slapped his hand away. "Don't take credit for other's work. Besides, you know Snape's going to pass you anyway."

"True."

Jade went up and set her vile on Snape's desk, turning just in time to see Draco push Hermione aside. "Watch it, Mudbloods," he hissed at her and Emma on her side.

"Back off Malfoy," Ron Weasley snapped, moving closer to Emma.

Draco sneered, and then his eyes met Jade's. "Well you understand, don't you Baem?"

Jade blinked. Malfoy and a few other Slytherins were looking at her expectantly - while Harry, Ron, Hermione and Emma stood watching her curiously. Instead of answering (which would either make her an enemy of her fellow Housemates or a typical Slytherin to the Gryffindors she envied and looked up to) she decided to just walk out.

Luckily this time, Malfoy didn't follow her. She had a free period this hour, so she went down to the Slytherin dungeons. At the door, she whispered their password, "The Dark Lord."

Upon entering, she ignored all the people lounging in the common room and went to the dorms. On her bed sat Ginger, curled up in the middle of her pillow as usual. And in the five bed room, Jessica the Ice Princess had claimed the one next to Jade's for the fifth year in a row.

Jade pulled her trunk from under her bed and set it down, opening it to take out her clothes she hadn't bothered with the night before. She folded them and put them in the trunk at the foot of her bed, setting her robes and House accessories on the side.

Jessica came in very quiet, she seemingly had a free hour as well. Jade was nervous, but decided to speak to the girl for the first time in her life. "Uh, Jessica?" The girl's light brown eyes looked up in surprise. "Do you have Defense Against the Dark Arts next?"

"Yeah." She'd never heard Jessica's voice before - it was quiet and cool, but Jade found it soothing.

"Would you want to walk together?"

Jade and Jessica ended up late, walking in while Dolores Umbridge talked about defensive theory. The professor's eyes looked them over, saw their Slytherin robes, and turned back to the board. They walked up the rows, and a pale hand shot out and grabbed Jade's wrist. She turned and came face to face with Malfoy, who moved his legs from the chair next to him. "Saved you a seat."

"Pass." The two girls sat diagonally from Ron and Harry and across from Hermione and Emma. Jade made eye contact with Emma, who gave her a friendly but apparently exasperated smile.

"Yes, Miss Granger? You would like to ask something else?" Umbridge was saying.

"Yes. Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?"

"No, but -"

"Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way -"

"What use is that?" Jade's eyes shot to Harry Potter as he questioned their new professor loudly. "If we're going to be attacked it won't be in a -"

"Hand, Mr. Potter!"

Jade watched Harry raise his hand angrily and Umbridge turn her back on him. By now, many other Gryffindors had their hands in the air now, and were all questioning her in the same manner. She felt something hit her head, and she looked down to see a crumpled up piece of paper. Opening it up, a poorly scrawled note read, enjoying the show? your gryffindor buddies are gonna get you in trouble

Jade looked back at Malfoy's smirking face and threw the paper right at it. When she tuned back in, Umbridge had focused back on Harry. "Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" she inquired.

"Hmm, let's think..." said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice, "maybe Lord Voldemort?"

The students gasped, at the name as well as Harry's nerve. Jade was oggling at him when Jessica touched her shoulder. "Is he insane?" she whispered.

"That was really bold," Jade murmered back.

"But..." Jessica bit her lip. "Does he actually think he's back?" The girl's eyes were filled with fear.

"I...think so."

Jessica's forehead creased with worry. "That's so scary...I didn't want to believe..."

Jade was surprised by this side of Jessica being shown to her - it seemed the Ice Princess was just a little puppy who hid her emotions.

"Harry, no!" Hermione's whisper brought Jade back to the crisis at hand.

Harry stood, facing Umbridge at her desk. "So according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?"

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," Umbridge answered coldly.

Jade saw Harry shaking. "It was murder."

Emma's eyes followed Harry as he stormed from the classroom. She was impressed and shocked by his bravery. Ron seemed just as in awe as well, the two of them shared a glance before turning back to the front of the room.

Umbridge seemed frazzled. "Now if you would all get back to reading chapter one."

Hermione led the way through the portrait hole later that night. Emma let her bag fall off of her shoulder on an empty table and sunk into one of the chairs near the fire place. Ron and Harry plopped down on either side of her while Hermione paced agitatedly.

"How can Dumbledore let this happen?" she cried, running a hand through her thick hair.

"Hagrid's always said the job's jinxed," Harry noted solemnly.

"I hope she has the same fate as Quirrel, honestly," Ron snapped. "She told us that if we hear anyone say You-Know-Who's back to tell her."

"Of course she's here to spy," Hermione snarled.

"Don't start arguing," Harry sighed. "Lets just do some homework."

Ron and Emma joined Harry in pulling out their books, Potions first.

"The properties... Of moonstone... And it's uses... In potion-making..." Ron read slowly as he scribbled the words on his parchment. "There."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"Well what are the uses of moonstone in potion-making?"

Emma was no Hermione, but she was still very intelligent. She leaned closer to Ron, who smiled and raised his quill. "Well, for properties just put-"

Ron's rushed and grateful scribbling was cut off by Hermione's hiss. "They have got to be stopped!"

Emma followed Hermione's glare to see Fred and George handing a few first years something from a paper bag across the common room.

"I- what?" Ron stuttered. "They aren't doing anything-" He stood halfway from his chair, looking torn between being on Hermione's bad side or his brothers'.

"We're prefects, Ronald," Hermione snarled. And with that, she stalked across the room to the twins.

"I think she's got it handled," Ron decided, dropping his lanky frame back into the chair. "Now where were we?" he asked, leaning in to Emma.

"Where do you think Hagrid's gone?" Emma asked Hermione as they walked down a grassy hill to Care of Magical Creatures.

"I have no idea," Hermione answered, quickening her pace. Then, sounding slightly worried she said, "I'm sure Umbridge has an investigation underway."

The girls joined the group of Gryffindors and Slytherins gathering near Hagrid's hut. Jade was standing a bit isolated, so Emma smiled brightly at the girl.

There was a pounding of footsteps, and Ron and Harry came to a halt, out of breath. "Oh no," Ron groaned. "Not the Slytherins."

Emma saw Jade narrow her eyes at Ron from across the grass. Draco Malfoy piped up from next to Jade. "What's the matter, Weasley? Don't you at least want to be around people with money?"

Ron's face flushed deep purple. Emma felt her face grow hot as well for her friend. "Shut up, Malfoy," Emma snapped, folding her arms. "Just ignore him, Ron."

"What a perfect pair, a poor son of a muggle-lover, and a mudblood."

Ron lunged for Malfoy, stopped by Harry grabbing the back of his tee shirt. The fight was broken up when Professor Grubbly-Plank came from behind Hagrid's hut, holding a box. Emma's chest burned as she glared at Malfoy and the snickering Slytherins.

As Professor Grubbly-Plank introduced the small creatures in the box to the class, Emma felt something brush against her arm. She turned her head to see the small Slytherin girl, Jade, standing next to her.

"I'm sorry about him," Jade whispered, just as Malfoy did a cruel impression of Hermione raising her hand.

"Are you telling me you're a muggle-lover, too?" Emma whispered back.

Jade smiled. "Let's not go that far- I am a Slytherin, you know."

"Ladies," Grubbly-Plank warned.

Emma turned from Jade and couldn't help but to smile. In all her years at Hogwarts she had never met a Slytherin she could remotely stand, and now she considered one her friend.

"What d'you reckon are the odds of Umbridge letting you off on Friday?" Ron asked hopelessly as the four Gryffindors sat down in the Great Hall for dinner.

"Less than zero," Harry answered sadly.

"I'm going watch the tryouts, Harry, so I'll let you know how it goes, from an outsiders perspective," Emma offered.

"Thanks," Harry sighed.

"You are going to fall behind on your homework," Hermione scolded as the teens served themselves piles of food.

"You act like I asked for this," Harry snapped. Emma raised an eyebrow at Harry, and he seemed to get the message that she would let him copy hers later.

Ron's groan broke up the beginning of the quarrel. "And it looks like it's going to rain."

"What's that got to do with homework?" Hermione questioned.

Ron flushed. "Nothing."

Emma looked to Ron curiously. He had been acting odd lately, coming in late after long walks alone, and being awfully secretive. She didn't question him, though, he seemed sensitive.

"I'd better be off," Harry decided a few minutes later. The others bid him good luck as he strode off to serve his detention with Umbridge.

"Well, Ron, you have homework to do and Emma and I have knitting. Why don't we get going?" Hermione suggested.

Ron shoved a roll in his pocket and took one last bite of potatoes before allowing the trio to head up to Gryffindor tower. Emma was glad that she could relax for the night, having finished her homework. Ron decided to go on a walk again, much to Hermione's distaste. "I'll do it tomorrow morning," he groaned, before climbing out of the portrait hole.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Boys."