Jade laughed.
'Ha! That's what you get for aiming your filthy wand at my best friend. Too bad I'd get in trouble if I told anyone that your wand didn't malfunction but rather was the result of my spell.' Jade thought triumphantly as a smirk spread across her face.
"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.
Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he belched and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap. The Slytherins were paralyzed with laughter. Flint doubled up, hanging onto his new broomstick for support. Draco was on all fours, banging on the ground with his fist. The Gryffindors were gathered around Ron, who belched large, glistening slugs. Nobody wanted to touch him.
"We'd better get him to Hagrid's, it's nearest," said Harry to Hermione, who nodded and pulled Ron up by the arms.
After Ron, Harry, and Hermione left, most of the laughter died with their departure. The Slytherins and Gryffindors played together on the field without much argument until noon, when everyone left for lunch. However, instead of heading straight to the great hall for lunch, Jade wrote a quick letter to Lucius:
Dear Mr. Malfoy,
I hope you don't mind me writing to you... I just couldn't think of who else to ask, without looking incredibly stupid... but anyway, I heard Draco talking with Hermione during his quidditch practice today and he called her a mudbood... I was wondering if you could tell me what that means?
Sincerely,
Jade Green
She then rolled up the paper and headed to the owlery to send her owl out. After Jade's owl disappeared from the owlery with her letter, she headed to the Great Hall to eat lunch with her friends.
Once there, Draco whispered to her: 'Looks like Weasley lied to you about his detention last week.'
Jade narrowed her eyes as she looked over at Harry and Ron who slouched into their seats.
'Did he? How do you know?' She asked whispering back but not looking at him.
'I overheard Professor McGonagall talking about Ron cleaning the trophy room without magic.' Draco said trying not to laugh.
Jade scoffed.
'He got off easy with that. Cleaning trophies without magic is a slap on the wrist compared to your detention last year.' Jade whispered bitterly.
Draco flinched at the reminder.
"Filch'll have me there all night," she heard Ron complain.
"Well, at least he's got Filch in charge of his detention." Jade smiled evilly in Ron's direction.
"How do you- oh," Draco chuckled realizing after she gave him a smirk that told him she'd just eavesdropped on the Gryffindors.
"No magic! There must be a hundred cups in that room. I'm no good at Muggle cleaning." Ron shouted causing his voice to be heard by everyone in the room.
"I'd swap anytime," Jade barely heard Harry say. "I've had loads of practice with the Dursleys. Answering Lockhart's fan mail... he'll be a nightmare..."
Jade pitied Harry since she would hate being forced to spend any amount of time with Lockhart beyond absolutely necessary.
~Time Skip~
Later that night just before she drifted off to sleep, she received a response from Lucius.
Dear Jade,
I do not mind in the slightest that you write me-
At this Jade smiled. She was glad she finally had someone to communicate with, which would allow her owl to stretch its wings sometimes.
I'm terribly sorry it took me so long to respond, however, I had other matters to attend to.
Mudblood... though I'm certain you know I dislike them... I'd never call a muggle-born this, as it is a trashy way to insult them... It means bad blood... My dear, I hope you are smarter than my son and don't insult muggle-borns with that word.
Lucius Malfoy
P.S.
I will talk to my son about his actions later. I hope I haven't disturbed your sleep by the time this reaches you.
Jade's smile faltered slightly.
'Maybe I shouldn't have asked him... 'cause now Draco's gonna be in trouble with his father...' She thought before taking her sleep potion and heading to bed.
~timeskip~her birthday
It was Saturday night, and Jade didn't have any classes till Monday so she decided to roam the halls. She wouldn't get into trouble because weekends have no curfew. It was almost midnight when she heard something strange.
This was a voice with an ice-cold sound. "Come... come to me... Let me rip you... Let me tear you down... Let me kill you..."
Jade jumped in surprise and almost screamed but covered her mouth with her hands. It took her a while to realize the voice was coming from within the walls.
'Oh, such an exciting birthday...' She thought sarcastically to herself as she tried to hear the voice again.
When she finally gave up, it was three in the morning and she yawned.
'Well whatever I heard I doubt I'll hear it again... at least not tonight.' She thought as she returned to the Slytherin common room.
~Anouther much larger time skip~
October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among staff and students. Her Pepper Up potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley, who looked pale, was bullied into taking some by her brothers. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire. As a result, Jade and her friends laughed at her. Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, and the flower beds turned into muddy streams. One Saturday afternoon, Draco found Jade in their common room. He asked her if she'd want to sing for the school before each Slytherin game to distract the crowd before they played.
"Would Dumbledor approve of it?" she wondered.
He smirked and nodded. "I asked Snape to ask for permission because I knew you'd ask that, Miss Goodie Goodie." He teased good-naturedly and chuckled.
"Then I suppose I don't see why not," Jade said with a smile as he left.
A few days later, Jade watched Draco and his team practice Quidditch. She discovered Fred and George, who had been spying on the Slytherins. Jade frowned as she thought about how to warn them about the Gryffindor spies. All she could come up with was to send a beam of red light into the air. However, she decided against it as she didn't want to tip off the Gryffindors themselves. After a few seconds, she cast a weak Hot-Air Charm in Draco's direction. It wasn't powerful enough to knock him off his broom, just enough to lose his balance for a moment. When Draco stopped moving in midair and looked at her with a questioning glance she pointed out the Gryffindors who were now fleeing as they'd been caught. Draco and Jade smirked as they watched the Gryffindors leave, planning on ratting them out to Professor Snape. By the time they'd finished training, the rain was still lashing harshly against the windows, which now appeared inky black, but inside all looked bright and cheerful.
The firelight in their common room glowed over the countless armchairs where people sat reading, talking, or doing homework. By this time, her mind had traveled far away to think about what song she wanted to sing at the Quidditch game against the Gryffindor's and she'd long since forgotten about telling Snape about Fred and George Weasley. By Halloween, Jade had anticipated the Halloween feast with excitement. The Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Hagrid's pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three grown men to sit in, and there were rumors that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for entertainment. Jade couldn't wait. She'd always wanted to see real moving skeletons, and today seemed to be her chance it seemed. But as it became time to go to the Great Hall, she'd been disappointed.
Instead of hiring the dancing skeleton troupe, Dumbledore hired the Weird Sisters. Jade groaned in disappointment and left the great hall right after eating. Shortly after leaving and walking into the Dungeon's, Jade saw Moaning Myrtle. She was running... er... floating away from Peeves, who tossed moldy old peanuts at her while calling her 'pimply' repeatedly. Jade felt sorry for her but didn't know how to help her so she ignored it as though she'd not seen anything and headed to the rarely-used music room to think about a song again. After several hours of aimlessly playing the piano and not coming up with anything, she gave up and headed upstairs to look for Draco or Daphne to get some ideas. On her way, she walked into Harry and fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I wasn't paying attention." She apologized.
He offered her his hand to help her up with a smile. "It's alright." He said.
"Where were you off to that distracted you?" Hermione asked from behind Harry.
"I was planning to ask Draco something but I think he may still be in the great hall."
"Why aren't you there with them?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"The Weird Sisters." Jade spat as though it was a terrible thing to say. "I absolutely can't stand their music."
"Hmm, I see, come with us then. We were heading there anyway," Harry said.
"Okay..." She said seeing no harm in it.
Ron was leading the way toward the dungeon entrance steps when Jade heard "... rip... tear... kill..."
It was the same voice she'd heard on her birthday. However, she realized Harry could also hear the voice when he stopped to listen. He'd told them all he'd first heard this voice in Lockhart's office. He stumbled to a halt, clutching at the stone wall, desperately listening with all his might. He looked around, squinting up and down the dimly lit passageway.
"Harry, what're you-?" Jade began not sure what he was doing.
He looked like he had gone mad. "It's that voice again... shut up a minute..."
"... soo hungry... for so long..."
"Listen!" said Harry urgently, and Ron and Hermione froze, watching him.
Jade however did the same as him and placed an ear on the wall and her eyes widened considerably.
"... kill... time to kill..." The voice was faint.
They were sure it was moving away... moving upwards. A mixture of curiosity and excitement gripped her as she stared at the dark ceiling.
'How could it move upward? Was it a ghost, to whom stone ceilings didn't matter?' Totally forgetting she was around people who weren't Slytherins, she let her curiosity show on her face.
Jade was startled by Harry who suddenly shouted; "This way!"
He ran up the stairs, to the entrance Hall. It was no good hoping to hear anything here. The Halloween feast babble echoed out of the Great Hall. Harry sprinted up the marble staircase to the first floor, Ron and Hermione clattering behind him. Jade calmly followed them at a slight run but not as fast. She didn't want anyone to hear or see her with them this year if she could help it.
"Harry, what're we..." Ron began to ask.
"SHH!" Harry strained his ears against the wall.
Jade followed suit.
Distantly, from the floor above, and growing fainter still, she heard the voice: "... I smell blood... I SMELL BLOOD!"
Jade watched as Harry's face changed into one of pure fear.
"It's going to kill someone!" he shouted and ignored Ron's and Hermione's bewildered faces.
He ran up the next flight of steps three at a time, trying to listen hurtling around the second floor, Ron, Jade, and Hermione panting behind him, not stopping until they turned a corner into the last, deserted passage.
"Harry, what was that all about?" said Ron, wiping sweat off his face.
Jade instantly looked away from the trio, not wanting to tell them she could hear it as well.
"I couldn't hear anything..." But Hermione gasped suddenly, pointing down the corridor. "Look!"
Something reflected on the wall ahead. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Five-foot-high words were daubed on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches.
'THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN
OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE'
"What's that thing... hanging underneath?" said Ron, a slight quiver in his voice.
As they edged nearer, Harry almost slipped... there was a large puddle of water on the floor; Ron and Hermione grabbed him, and they inched toward the message, eyes fixed on a dark shadow beneath it. All of them realized what it was at once, and leapt backward with a splash. Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, hung by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring. Jade gasped in horror thinking she was dead. She didn't like the cat, but she wouldn't say she wished her dead either... mainly because she loved animals more than people. Jade not wanting to be caught here left before anyone noticed. Jade walked back to the first floor and found Draco and Daphne, who knew something was wrong as soon as they saw her.
"What happened?" asked Draco worriedly.
She told them about hearing voices and seeing the cat. After Jade told them, Draco left to tell the rest of the school. Daphne tried to calm her down a bit. Eventually, Jade calmed down and they followed Draco.
~tiny time skip~
From either end of the corridor where the trio stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students crashed into the passage from both ends. The chatter, the bustle, and the noise faded away as the people in front spotted the hanging cat. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood alone, in the middle of the corridor. Silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see what was transpiring.
Someone shouted through the quiet.
"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudblo-uh... er... Muggle-borns!" Draco said remembering his father lecturing him about his image and how trashy it made him look to have his son publicly using the word.
He had pushed himself to the front of the crowd, his eyes alive and beaming with glee, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat. He couldn't care less about whether the cat lived or died. What he cared about was that it looked like Potter had killed it. Meaning if he was kept here long enough he'd get in trouble for 'obviously' killing it when her owner found her.
"What's going on here? What's going on?" Attracted by Draco's shout, Argus Filch forged his way through the crowd.
Jade then looked sympathetic as he passed her. When he saw Mrs. Norris he fell back, clutching his face in horror.
"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked.
His gaze fell on Harry. Jade smirked as she knew what he'd do... or... say next.
"You!" He screeched. "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-"
"Argus!" Dumbledore arrived, followed by several other teachers.
In seconds, he swept past Harry, Ron, and Hermione and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.
"Come with me, Argus," he told Filch. "You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger."
Lockhart stepped forward eagerly. "My office is nearest, Headmaster... just upstairs. Please feel free..."
"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore.
The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and significant, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape. After they left, all the students fled to their classes.
~With Harry, Ron, and Hermione~
As they entered Lockhart's office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; Harry saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and examined her. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching. The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He looked at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed.
Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile. And Lockhart hovered around them, making suggestions.
"It was definitely a curse that killed her... probably the Transmogrifian Torture. I've seen it used many times, but unfortunately, I wasn't there. I know the very countercurse that would have saved her..." Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry, raging sobs.
He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. Harry couldn't help feeling sorry for him, though not nearly as sorry as he'd feel for himself If Dumbledore believed Filch. Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand but nothing happened. She continued to look like she had just been stuffed.