Jade walked down the hall, bored and wondering if she should go hang out in the library to pass time. "Jade!"

She turned around to see two Gryffindors walking close behind her. "Oh hey, Emma. Hermione."

Hermione gave her a friendly nod, and Emma grinned widely. "What are you up to?"

Jade shrugged. "Nothing."

"Come with us!" Emma immediately suggested, running up to grab Jade's hand. "We're going to watch Ro- the Gryffindor Quidditch practice."

"Okay," Jade replied simply. It beat wandering the halls or sitting in the library under the close watch of Madam Pince.

She followed the Gryffindor girls to the Quidditch pitch, where she was hit by a small gust of wind. She shivered, her sweater thin and her body small and easily chilled. Emma looked down and frowned. "Do you not have your robes or anything?" Jade shook her head and smiled sheepishly. "Here." Emma handed her red and gold gloves and a scarf.

"Don't you need these?" Jade asked in concern.

Emma shook her head. "The scarf is an extra and I can put my hands in my robes. Its fine - plus you're so small I'm worried you'll freeze right through."

Jade laughed a little, and Emma raised an eyebrow. "What?" she questioned while putting on the Gryffindor accessories.

The other girl shrugged. "I've never heard you laugh before."

They made their way to the stands, and Jade watched eagerly as the Gryffindor team came out to the pitch - she saw who she was looking for, walking next to the boy with flaming hair.

"What's that Weasley's riding?" Jade stiffened when she heard the familiar sneering drawl. "Why would anyone put a Flying Charm on a moldy old log like that?" She looked up to see the Slytherin Quidditch team halfway up the stands, along with a few others Jade recognized vaguely. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson - one girl Jade absolutely detested - were laughing hysterically at Malfoy's jab.

"Great," she hissed under her breath as they walked up the steps.

Emma's face was scarlet as she screamed at Draco, "Shut it, *" with a foul name Jade didn't dare to repeat.

Malfoy only laughed at her insult. "Oh, the Mudbloods are getting more courageous the more we see them. Must be that nasty, Gryffindor charm." His eyes suddenly found Jade, who he must have overlooked because of the Gryffindor color on her neck and hands. They narrowed instantly, and he started towards them, flying down the stairs.

Emma's hand fluttered to her cloak, hovering over her wand but hesitating as Draco didn't have his drawn. "What's he doing?" she hissed.

"Baem," he said darkly, grabbing Jade's wrist as soon as he was in front of them.

"Hey," Emma snapped, grabbing Jade's shoulder. "Let go. And stop making fun of Ron!"

"Why are you so obsessed with Weaselby, Mudblood?"

Emma flashed him an obscene gesture, "Malfoy, I swear -"

Draco held up a hand. "Save your breath I don't pay attention to your meaningless words anyway. Come on, Baem."

He began dragging her away, and Jade mouthed an apology to her friends. Emma asked her if she wanted help through her eyes, but Jade just shook her head in defeat He'd only get worse if she struggled. He didn't let go even as they stood within the mass of jeering Slytherins, instead he swiveled her around to face him. "I almost took you for one of them," he growled, forcefully tearing the scarf from her neck and throwing it on the ground.

"Hey!" Jade protested. "Those are Emma's."

"She can pick them up later," he said briefly before taking off her scarlet gloves as well.

Jade turned away from him and tried to focus on the Gryffindor practice in front of her. She shivered involuntarily, and wrapped her arms around her chest. "Its not even that cold," Draco mumbled next to her.

She turned to stick her tongue out at him like a child, but she felt his hand brush hers and froze. He was putting emerald green Slytherin gloves on her, the fit a little big for her much smaller hands. She almost blushed as he removed a scarf from his own neck and gently rewrapped it around hers. "Thanks," she muttered.

The Slytherins erupted in loud, obnoxious laughter and Jade looked up to see that Ron had dropped the ball, and his face was the same shade as his hair. She frowned, feeling bad for him - he was nervous enough without the Slytherins here to make fun. She watched a minute continuation of the players passing around a huge red ball. Jade had never understood Quidditch very well - except for the job of the Seeker. The Seeker had to catch the snitch for one hundred fifty points. She pretended she didn't know why that was the only part she picked up on.

"Hey, Potter, how's your scar feeling?" called Draco. "Sure you don't need a lie-down? It must be, what, a whole week since you were in the hospital wing, that's a record for you, isn't it?"

Jade gritted her teeth. Just like that, Draco changed again, back into the annoying jerk everyone else saw. She moved up to the rail and called, "Whoo! Let's go Gryffindor! Great job guys! Go Harry! Whoo Ron!"

She gasped at how fast Draco got up and ripped her hands from the railing. "Are you asking to be killed?"

"Ow." She pushed against his chest. "Stop being an ass." And then she walked out of the pitch, leaving Draco and the other Slytherins dumbfounded.

Jade walked with Jessica to Potions, still looking at her newspaper in shock. "What even is a 'High Inquisitor'?"

Jessica shrugged. "Probably just something she made up to give her power."

Jade sighed, stuffing the paper into her bag. She groaned when they neared the dungeon doors. "I wish you were my station partner."

Jessica smiled sadly. "I wish I had seen you before Draco as well. I have to stand next to Pansy Parkinson - she is the most annoying creature I have ever had the displeasure to come in contact with."

As they got settled, Snape began to speak. "I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your O.W.L," he said as he passed back their moonstone essays. "This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect on your examination." Snape set her parchment in front of her, a spiky black O scrawled in the corner.

"The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. I expect to see a great deal more effort on this week's essay of the various varieties of venom antidotes, or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who get D's."

"Some people got D's?" Malfoy scoffed. "Ha!"

Jade peeked over to see Draco's essay, and her eyes widened at the inked A that rested there. She snorted.

Draco saw her line of sight and snatched up his paper. "An A is good."

"I know."

He glared at her. "Then why are you making fun of it?"

"Because the favoritism is evident. That was the worst essay I've ever read in my life."

"Why did you read it?"

Autumn sun flooded through the long windows of Hogwarts as Emma joined Harry and Ron on the dreaded walk to Divination. While Emma didn't necessarily mind the subject, Professor Trelawney drove her up a wall. Ron was grumbling his usual complaints as the trio climbed the ladder into the sickly sweet, stuffy room.

Emma took her seat on a fluffy pillow at her usual table, pulling out her dream diary. Today Ron joined her, Harry going to sit at the next table with Neville. Unlike the boys, Emma kept up with her dream diary. Harry's dreams were much too complicated and private to tell Professor Trelawney, and Ron's pure laziness was his excuse for making up dreams at the last minute.

"What should I write?" Ron hissed.

"Say you had a dream about Quidditch," Emma suggested.

"That's good," he muttered, scribbling in his journal. "Maybe if I say that I dreamt Trelawney fell out of the tower she'll be so worried that she'll stay out of our hair for a few days."

Emma and Ron were laughing at how Professor Trelawney would react to her own tragic demise being predicted that they almost didn't notice the creaking of the trap door in the center of the room. Emma's stomach turned when a toad like face emerged from the floor.

"What's she doing here?" Ron groaned.

"Inspecting, the High Inquisitor will be sitting in on each class to determine if the teachers are up to ministry standards," Emma whispered bitterly. She turned to Harry, a bit worried. Her friend was visibly upset by his conversation with Sirius the night before. Sirius was trapped at Grimmald Place, Harry was trapped at Hogwarts, no one was happy. Harry rolled his eyes at Emma, obviously annoyed by Umbridge's presence.

"You received my note, I trust?" Professor Umbridge asked sweetly.

Professor Trelawney looked as though she was about to snap, shaking with her eyes wide. Professor Umbridge took a seat near the front of the room, looking remarkably like a toad. Professor Trelawney tightened her shawls around her and informed the class that they would be continuing their study of prophetic dreams.

Ron muffled a groan and flipped open his copy of Dream Oracle. "Okay, Emma, your turn. Read me a dream."

"No way!" Emma scoffed. "I've done it every day this week."

"Fine," Ron sighed, flipping through his dream journal. "Okay... I'll do the Quidditch dream and hope she doesn't come over."

Emma looked in Ron's book to interpret his 'dream.' "Okay, I'll just look up 'game,'" Emma decided out loud. She was distracted, however, as Umbridge had began making a slow lap around the room. Professor Trelawney stood near Lavender and Pavarti, attempting to ignore the elephant in the room.

Emma felt her heart sink as Professor Umbridge began to interrogate Trelawney in front of the class. It began to look worse and worse, until Emma was sure Trelawney had failed the inspection. "I would like to to predict something for me," Umbridge requested with a smile.

Trelawney seemed flustered and offended before she managed to say, "You.. are in grave peril!"

"If that's the best you can do," Umbridge smirked before climbing delicately down the silver ladder.

Emma looked hopelessly to Ron as the class was dismissed. Even Ron, who despised Trelawney, looked sympathetic. Harry joined Emma and Ron on their trek to D.A.D.A., where Umbridge was waiting with the equally unpleasant Slytherins. Emma was absolutely infuriated by the way the House had tormented Ron during his practice.

Emma stuck close to Ron's side as they walked up the isle to their seats, shooting Draco Malfoy the nastiest look she could muster. "What's the matter, mudblood?"

And with that, Ron lunged for Draco, his face bright red. Harry grabbed the back of his robes just in time. Emma gasped, grabbing a fistful of Ron's robes as well. There were other shrieks, some of laughter from the Slytherins. "Dont worry, Weasley, your girlfriend doesn't mind the insults, she's more of a man than you are," Draco laughed, causing Ron to attempt the writhe from Harry's grip.

"I will have order!" a voice cried from the front of the room. Emma's stomach dropped. Umbridge's eyes shone with malevolence. "Mr. Wealsey, I will be seeing you tonight for detention- make that the rest of this week, doe disturbing my classroom and attempting to harm Mr. Malfoy."

Ron slammed his books down at the table he shared with Harry before taking his seat. Emma quietly sat next to Hermione, who looked shaken as well. Next to the smirking Draco sat Jade, who gave Emma such an apologetic look that she was touched. Emma smiled as best she could before turning back to Umbridge. "Wands away."

Emma heard Ron grumble, "I don't need my wand, I'll kill him with my bare hands." Her heart fluttered for a moment before Umbridge regained her attention.

"Turn to page nineteen," she said with a self satisfied smile.

Emma sighed and opened her textbook, wondering if Umbridge could make everyone's life any more miserable.