Here's another chapter… I hope you like it.
I feel like summer can't come soon enough – witch is weird because I love winter and all the snow we have…but somehow, summer is in my mind all the time so that's why I'm planning to write few more chapters about Hogwarts and then we can look forward to summer holiday!
I hope you like this chapter, nothing much happens here but I have more action planned and some more family bonding sweetness :)
Enjoy!
Jade sat down on a chair close to the library window. Silver light was shining through the wet glass and rain drops were heavily drumming on the window sill.
She took out her essays and spread the parchments on the table to take as much place as she could.
Breakfast wasn't over yet, but there were already students coming in and Jade wanted to save the places for her roommates.
She took off her sweater and hang it on her chair, then stood up, putting her bag on the opposite chair. The table really looked occupied and Jade hoped no one was going to take the free chairs while she was gone.
She wandered through the corridors among the many bookshelves, occasionally stopping to pull out a book and read the summary on the back.
She still had one potion essay to finish, but it was almost done and she just had to write down the conclusion at the end.
Jade pulled out a newly looking book which caught her eye.
It had bright blue spine with title printed in bold black letters.
The Place of Werewolves in modern society.
Jade hesitated. It looked like the book was brand new, or at least no one opened it yet as the spine wasn't broken. She took it in her hands and marched down the central aisle to the desk of the librarian.
"Excuse me ma'am. May I borrow this book? It looks new as if no one read it yet and I was wondering if it's…" started Jade but the librarian pulled the book from her hands and looked at it through her glasses pulled down on her nose.
"Are you looking for a book for your homework? I would recommend the traditional textbook which you use with your professor during lessons… not many people agree with the ideas expressed in this book, you might want to look for a different one. I can help you find some additional literature if your textbook isn't enough." Said Madam Pince and walked out from behind the counter.
"It's not for school essay ma'am. I just wanted to read it." Said Jade quietly.
"Oh my, but you don't look like third year student, am I right dear?" asked the librarian looking at Jade standing there in her old jean overalls.
"I'm sure you didn't study werewolves yet."
"No, we didn't. I just read about them in an old textbook my brothers borrowed me and I wanted to read about the subject a little bit more, that's all." Said Jade seriously.
Her roommates walked into the library and stopped by Jade's side.
"We have the table at the back close to the window, my things are all around it, I'll be right there." Said Jade and looked back at Madam Pince.
"So, may I borrow the book and read it please?" she said politely, stretching out her hands to get back the small blue book.
"I'm not sure that young easily influenced minds like yours should read these books without supervision. There are many harsh and revolutional ideas which you might not completely understand dear." Answered librarian and walked back to her desk.
"Well, if I got a permission from a teacher?" asked Jade.
"I'm not sure dear." Madam Pince shook her head. "Why don't you go and choose some different and…more pleasant book to read?"
"And if I got a permission from the headmaster?" Jade wouldn't give up.
"Well, let's not bother headmaster with such silly ideas alright? Just go and choose a book for your age, this one is meant for adults darling." Said librarian sweetly but seriously and Jade knew it was the end of the conversation.
"Excuse me then, I'll be right back." Said Jade and walked out of the library.
She run through the corridors in the direction of headmaster's office, but just as she was turning to the left, professor McGonagall blocked her way.
"No running inside." Scolded professor, looking at Jade strictly.
"Yes professor, sorry professor." Apologized Jade, trying to catch her breath.
"I hope you're not in a hurry because of some mischief. You were in enough trouble for the fireworks." Said McGonagall.
"No…I was…ehm… is professor Dumbledore in his office ma'am?" Jade asked, looking at the gargoyle which was guarding the entrance.
"Yes he is, but he has very important work to finish this week-end so you can not bother him right now. Is there something you need?"
"Well, there's one book in the library and madam Pince said I can not read it unless I have permission …" started Jade but professor cut her off:
"I'm sure it can wait for later and unless it's a book from forbidden section which are not available for students of the first year anyways, I don't see why you couldn't read the book without permission from professors."
"It's a book about werewolves and apparently it has some 'revolutionary' ideas in it." Explained Jade.
"Well, we can discuss this later, but now you should concentrate on your studies, the exams are approaching and there will be enough time for reading extra books later." Said McGonagall and with a little nod she left Jade standing in the middle of the corridor.
"Agrh, I'm never going to finish all the essays." Complained Sue, massaging her wrist, after finishing a particularly long paragraph on Magical uses of lavender.
"How come you have already done all the homework?" asked Maggie, looking at Jade who was sitting by the window, browsing through the DADA textbook, revising for the exams.
"Well, I finished most of them during detention with McGonagall, she sometimes gives us lines to write and I finished quickly, hoping she'll let me go sooner, but she just told me to work on ma homework. I didn't feel my arm after that night." Remembered Jade, wincing at the memory.
They didn't go to lunch, because girls didn't finished their homework yet and they were starting to panic, so Jade stayed there and helped to look through the books, finding appropriate articles.
It was dark outside and dinner was almost over when they run down to the Great Hall to get dinner – all of them starving after whole day spent among the dusty books.
"We can finish the rest of the work tomorrow, I'd say we had enough for today." Yawned Jade, eating the last fork of mashed potatoes and gravy.
"Yeah, we'll have enough time before lunch, and it looks like it's going to rain again." Complained Sue, looking at the ceiling which was filled with heavy rain clouds.
"I should go up to McGonagall's office. Last night of detention. Yay!" cheered Jade with mock enthusiasm as they walked up the staircase.
"Alright, see you later." Girls mumbled and kept walking in the direction of the common room, tired from all the studying and dinner.
Jade knocked on the office door and slipped inside as McGonagall told her to come in.
Fred and George were already sitting at the desks, writing essays, their noses buried in books.
"Sorry, I'm late professor, but I …didn't realize it was so late." Apologized Jade and walked to stand in front of professor's desk to see what they were doing tonight at detention.
"I don't have anything special for you tonight, just work on your essay from transfiguration. I know it's almost mid-term exams period, so I thought I'd give you some time to catch up on your school work." Said professor simply, without even looking up from the tests she was correcting.
"Ahm, I've already finished the essay professor." Said Jade quietly.
"Is that so? In that case, may I see it, Miss Mraz?" asked McGonagall, finally looking at Jade, who searched through all the compartments of her school bag and pulled out neatly folded parchment.
"Alright then, you may work on your other homework." Said McGonagall, putting Jade's essay in an empty basket designed for mid-term essays which students would turn in during next week.
"Well, I finished all the essays today, we had a studying day with my roommates professor." Explained Jade, checking the imaginary list of essays in her head, making sure there ś nothing she forgot.
"Very well then, why don't you just sit down and study for the tests." Suggested McGonagall, watching Jade with a slightly surprised expression, as the girl sat down at one of the empty desks and pulled out her textbook from Potions.
"Jade! Wait!" called Fred and George at the same time, chasing after their sister as she was leaving from the office. She finished reading half of the chapters which she was supposed to know for potions and her head started to fall on the desk when professor McGonagall told her she's excused for the rest of the night.
Jade turned around and was surprised to see Fred pulling out a small brown envelope from his school bag.
"What is it?" she asked, rising her eyebrows when Fred handed her the small square of paper.
"Your letter from home of course." Explained George confused.
"It's been four weeks since the last one, don't you remember?" asked Fred looking confused as well. Jade was usually really excited on the mornings when they knew there'll be a letter coming from home.
"No, I just… I thought after the howler on Monday…" she started.
"Jade…" Fred sighed shaking his head, looking really sad.
George stood there, not knowing what to do, and then he pulled Jade down to sit on the stairs.
"That's really not how it works." He tried.
"Mom could be much angrier than this, and she would still find her time to write us." Continued Fred.
"She I missing us every single day Jade. All of us. And our pranks or detentions are not going to change that." Said Fred, placing an arm around Jade's shoulders shaking her lightly.
"She would still want us home, even if we decided to ditch school and join one of those muggle circus things…" smiled George, nudging her shoulder from his side.
"But what if they'll regret taking me in, what if they think it's not worth all the trouble?" whispered Jade, surprising herself. She had no idea where that came from.
None of the boys knew what to say to this.
"Jade,…" started Fred.
"Jade, they love us. We were nothing but trouble from the day we were born – mom often says so. And dad always agrees with her and then says that's why they love us so much. Because that's who we are and they wouldn't want us to be any other way.
Do you think they regret the decision of having another kid after Percy?"
"Of course they don't. We are fabulous, and at least they had some fun with us, after having a boring Perce for a baby." Added George after a while when Jade didn't say anything.
"And if you don't want to get in trouble, you don't have to do all the pranks with us." Said Fred, looking at the tiles on the floor.
"But I want to! I like spending time with you guys!" exclaimed Jade, panicking that they'll exclude her from their little group of mischief makers.
"Well, then it's set. No more worrying, just fun and building up reputation of epic pranksters." Announced George standing up.
Jade smiled, took the letter and they headed up to the common room as it was getting pretty late.
It was two weeks later, after the last mid-term exam.
The days before examination were filled with last-time studying, but Jade with the twins managed to sneak in a couple of minor pranks, fourth of which crossed the line in McGonagall's mind and she wrote another letter to Molly and Arthur. This time however, it didn't bother Jade – at least not as much as last time.
Exams passed quickly. One moment they were sitting down to take the first test and in a blink of an eye everything was over and they put down the quills after the History of Magic quiz which was the last one before Easter holidays (and Jade was 99% sure she didn't pass it).