"I told you it'd be easy to trick her. She fell for my plan and if my assumptions are right she was probably a nervous wreck when she gave this to Hermione," Ron told Harry.
Harry was surprised. "Can I see it?" He asked.
Ron nodded and handed him the letter. Harry would have read it, but the ink disappeared as soon as he touched it.
"The ink disappeared."
"She must have charmed it so only I can see what she wrote," Ron said before saying aloud what she wrote:
Dear Ron,
I would have written you sooner, but I was really surprised, to say the least, to get an owl from you. However, if you want to know my answer then meet me at the Black Lake at midnight tomorrow.
Jade Green.
Just before they both headed to bed for the night, Harry told Ron he thought it was odd and he shouldn't do it.
Ron, however, brushed him off ignoring him all-the-while thinking, 'She's probably just so nervous thinking about how to confess to me.'
He then rolled over and fell asleep with a smile on his freckled face.
~With Jade~ The next morning
Jade had changed into a fresh set of Slytherin robes and as she was doing her make-up an idea struck her. "Hey, Pansy?"
"Hm?" asked Pansy sleepily.
"Do you think you could do my makeup today?" Pansy was now wide awake.
She'd been wanting to do Jade's make-up since she met her, but Jade didn't like the colors she wanted to use on her.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Pansy said excitedly as she searched for her makeup bag.
"Is this part of your plan for the Weasle?" She asked as she sat next to her in front of a mirror.
Jade smirked. "Yes, I want him to think I'm a blushing mess so he won't suspect anything when I embarrass him tonight."
"Smart" Pansy said smirking as she did Jade's make-up. "Finished," Pansy said proudly moments later.
Jade looked at herself in the mirror and was amazed. Pansey gave her eyes a smokey look and added just a touch of color to her cheeks to give off the blush Jade wanted. She also painted her lips ruby red.
"Hey, Pansy have you ever thought of doing this as a career?"
Pansy laughed in response. "No. I'll marry a rich man. Why would I need a career?"
Jade shrugged. "Even if you marry for money, don't you want to do something for yourself so you have something to be proud of?" She asked leaving Pansy stunned as she headed to the great hall.
The four long house tables were covered with tureens of porridge, plates of trout, mountains of toast, and dishes of eggs and bacon. Today, the enchanted ceiling looked dull and cloudy. Jade watched as Harry and Ron sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Hermione, who had her copy of Voyages with Vampires propped open against a milk jug and smirked. A second later, something large and gray fell into Hermione's jug, spraying all the nearby Gryffindors with milk and feathers.
"Errol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet.
The tiny owl slumped, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air, and a damp red envelope in his beak.
"What is that?" Jade whispered to Draco, pointing at the smoking envelope Ron was now holding.
"That's a howler." He laughed at Ron's horror.
"What's a howler?" She asked.
"You'll find out when he opens it," Daphne laughed.
Jade then looked back at the Gryffindor table. "What's a howler?" She heard Harry ask Ron and Neville.
But Neville and Ron's attention was fixed on the letter, which smoked in the corners.
"Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes..."
Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. Neville stuffed his fingers into his ears. A split second later, Jade knew why and covered hers in turn. She may not be sitting next to him, but with her sensitive hearing, she may as well have been. She thought for a moment it had exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking the dust from the ceiling.
"...STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE..." Mrs. Weasley's yell, was a hundred times louder than usual, making the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls.
People throughout the hall swiveled around to see who received the Howler. Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen. Jade couldn't hold it anymore and laughed at his embarrassed-looking face.
'If he looks like this now, it's going to be more amusing later.' She thought to herself.
"...LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED...ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED... YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME." A ringing silence fell.
The red envelope, which dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Harry and Ron sat stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over them. A few people laughed, mainly at the Slytherin table. Gradually, however, a babble of talk broke out again.
Jade watched as Hermione closed her book, Voyages with Vampires, and looked down at Ron's head. "Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you..."
"Don't tell me I deserve it," snapped Ron harshly.
Jade pushed her porridge away. She was excited about Ron's downfall later that night. But she had no time to sit and think about her next step; Professor Snape was moving along the Slytherin table, handing out course schedules. She had almost no classes with the Gryffindors this year.
'Good. Maybe I won't meet anyone quite as dangerous as I had last year?' She thought to herself as she remembered Voldemort's glowing red eyes from last year.
As Jade, Draco, and Pansy neared the greenhouses for herbology, they saw the rest of their housemates and some Ravenclaws standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout. They had just arrived when she strode across the lawn, accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart.
"Why's he here? Isn't he the DADA professor?" Jade whispered to both her friends, who shrugged.
Professor Sprout's arms were full of bandages. Jade spotted the Whomping Willow in the distance, several branches now in slings.
'Poor tree.' Jade sympathized.
Professor Sprout was a chubby little witch who wore a patched hat over her flyaway hair; there was usually a lot of earth on her clothes and fingernails which would have made Mrs. Green faint. Gilderoy Lockhart, however, was immaculate in sweeping turquoise robes, his golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise hat with gold trimming.
"Oh, hello there!" he called, looking around at the assembled students. "Just showed Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you to assume I'm better at herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels..." He continued, cocky as ever.
Jade's lips curled into a sneer and she rolled her eyes at him not believing a word of what he said.
"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who looked disgruntled, not her usual cheerful self.
There was a murmur of interest. They had only worked in greenhouse one before... greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Jade caught a whiff of damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling and smiled as she thought about learning something new about magical plants. Professor Lockheart talked on and on about how Harry and Ron got to the school by flying a car and Harry's fame.
"Just shut up, won't you?" Jade muttered so only her friends could hear her.
After he finished his speech, he'd lead them further into the greenhouse, where Professor Sprout stood behind a trestle bench. About twenty pairs of different-colored earmuffs were lying on the bench.
When Jade took her place between Draco and Daphnee, she said, "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" To everybody's surprise, Daphne's hand was first in the air.
"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," said Daphne, sounding like she had swallowed a textbook. "It returns transfigured or cursed people to their original state."
"Excellent. Ten points to Slytherin," said Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also dangerous. Who can tell me why?"
This time Pansy's hand shot up, almost smacking Jade in the back of the head.
"The Mandrake's cry is fatal to anyone who hears it," she answered promptly.
"Precisely. Another ten points for Slytherin," said Professor Sprout. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young." She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look.
A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish-green in color, were growing in rows. They looked quite unremarkable to Jade, who didn't know what Pansy meant by the Mandrake's "cry".
"Everyone should take a pair of earmuffs," said Professor Sprout.
There was a scramble as everyone tried to grab a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy.
"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered," said Professor Sprout. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. All right... earmuffs on."
Jade hurriedly snapped the earmuffs over her ears. They shut out the sound completely. Professor Sprout put the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears. She then rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled it hard. Jade gasped in surprise that no one could hear. Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the earth. The leaves grew out of his head. He had pale green, dappled skin, and was clearly screaming at the top of his lungs. Professor Sprout took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Professor Sprout dusted off her hands, gave them all the thumbs-up, and removed her own earmuffs.
"As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill you yet," she said calmly as though she'd just done nothing more exciting than water a begonia.
"However, they will knock you out for several hours, and I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back. Make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while working. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up. Four to a tray... there is a large supply of pots here... compost in the sacks over there... and be careful of the Venemous Tentacula, it's teething." She slapped a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder.
At the end of class, Jade, like everyone else, was sweaty and covered in dirt. Everyone walked back to the castle for a quick wash and then to the great hall for lunch.
Jade who was walking with Daphne and Pansy, just barely heard and saw Draco say loudly, "Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos, Potter?" His voice echoed around the room.
He had stopped right behind Colin, who had apparently asked Harry for a picture. Standing behind him, as usual, were Crabbe and Goyle.
"Everyone line up!" Draco roared into the crowd. "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!"
"No, I'm not," said Harry angrily, his fists clenching.
"Shut up, Malfoy." Shouted Ron, who Jade just noticed was standing to the left of Harry.
"You're just jealous," replied Colin, whose entire body was about as thick as Crabbe's neck.
"Jealous?" said Draco, who stopped shouting after half the room heard. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar on my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."
Crabbe and Goyle laughed. Jade and Pansy couldn't help but laugh.
"Eat slugs, Malfoy," said Ron angrily.
Crabbe stopped laughing and rubbed his knuckles menacingly.
"Be careful, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. "You don't want to start any trouble or your Mummy'll have to come and take you away from school." He said with a shrill, piercing voice. "If you put another toe out of line..."
A few nearby Slytherin fifth-years chuckled loudly.
"Weasley wants a signed photo, Potter," smirked Draco. "It'd be worth more than his family's whole house..."
Ron whipped out his Spell-o-taped wand, but Hermione shut Voyages with Vampires with a snap and whispered something to Harry and Ron as Lockhart suddenly stood past her and up to them.
"What's all this, what's all this?" Lockhart asked. "Who's giving out signed photos?" Harry started to speak but was cut short as Lockhart flung an arm around his shoulders and thundered, "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Harry!"
Jade rolled her eyes as she thought; 'Should've known he doesn't really care what's going on, just wants more photos with Mr. Famous Potter.'
She chuckled lightly at her nickname for Harry just before continuing on her way to her next class.
~~Tiny time skip~~
Upon arriving at her DADA class, Jade yanked her robes straight and sat at the back of the room, so that she wouldn't be forced to look at Lockhart's smiling face all the time so that she could learn something from him without feeling the urge to hex him out of existence. The rest of the class clattered in. Ron and Hermione sat down on either side of Harry, who was seated near the back of the other half of the room meant for the Gryffindors. He looked extremely mad about something, but it wasn't her business so she didn't pay much attention to it. When the whole class was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell upon the room. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of Travels with Trolls, and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front.
"Me," he said, pointing at it and winking too.
'Duh,' Draco, Jade, and practically all the other Slytherins thought loudly as they rolled their eyes at him.
"Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!" He waited for them to laugh.
Some smiled weakly.
"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books... well done. I thought we'd start today with a short quiz. Nothing to worry about... just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in..."
'What? Right off the bat?' Jade thought in astonishment.
When he handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes... start... now!"
Jade looked down at her paper and read:
1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?
2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?
3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?
On and on it went, over three pieces of paper, down to:
54. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?
'What the hell kind of test is this?' She thought as she wrote the answers she could remember from his books. 'Oh yeah, I forgot he's worse than Potter with his fame.'
Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class.
"Tut, tut... hardly anyone remembers my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year with the Yeti. And a few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves more carefully... I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic people... though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky!" He gave them another roguish wink.
Jade saw that Ron stared at Lockhart in disbelief. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting in front, laughed silently. Hermione, on the other hand, listened to Lockhart with rapt attention and was startled when he mentioned her name.
"But Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions... good girl! In fact..." He flipped her paper over. "Full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"
Hermione raised a trembling hand.
"Excellent!" Beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Gryffindor gets ten points! And so... to business..." He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it.