I'm Still Standing!~ Book 3

HALLOWEEN!!

"How's Scabbers?" She heard Hermione ask timidly as they stripped fat pink pods from the plants. "He's hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking," said Ron angrily, missing the pail and scattering beans over the greenhouse floor. "Careful, Weasley, careful!" cried Professor Sprout as the beans burst into bloom before their very eyes. Next, they had Transfiguration. Jade, who had resolved to ask Professor Snape after the lesson whether She could go into Hogsmeade with the rest, joined the line outside the class trying to decide how she was going to argue her case. 

She was distracted, however, by a disturbance at the front of the line. Lavender Brown seemed to be crying. Parvati had her arm around her and was explaining something to Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who was looking very serious. "What's the matter, Lavender?" said Hermione anxiously as she, Harry, Jade, and Ron went to join the group. "She got a letter from home this morning," Parvati whispered. "It's her rabbit, Binky. He's been killed by a fox." 

"Oh," said Hermione, "I'm sorry, Lavender." "I should have known!" said Lavender tragically. "You know what day it is?" "Er..." "The sixteenth of October! 'That thing you're dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October!' Remember? She was right, she was right!" The whole class was gathered around Lavender now. Seamus shook his head seriously. Hermione hesitated, then she said, "You... you were dreading Binky being killed by a fox?" 

"Well, not necessarily by a fox," said Lavender, looking up at Hermione with streaming eyes, "but I was obviously dreading him dying, wasn't I?" "Oh," said Hermione pausing again. "Then... was Binky an old rabbit?" "N... no!" sobbed Lavender. "H... he was only a baby!" Parvati tightened her arm around Lavender's shoulders. "But then, why would you dread him dying?" said Hermione. Parvati glared at her. "Well, look at it logically," said Jade, who saw Hermione's point and turned to the rest of the group. 

"I mean, Binky didn't even die today, did he? Lavender just got the news today..." Lavender wailed loudly. "and she can't have been dreading it, because it's come as a real shock..." "Don't mind Hermione and Jade, Lavender," said Ron loudly, "they don't think other people's pets matter very much." Professor McGonagall opened the classroom door at that moment, which was perhaps lucky. Hermione and Ron were looking daggers at each other, and when they got into class, they seated themselves on either side of Harry and didn't talk to each other for the whole class. 

Jade however sat in her usual spot next to Draco and was amused at their behavior. She still hadn't decided what she was going to say to Snape when the bell rang at the end of the lesson, but it was he who brought up the subject of Hogsmeade first when she literally bumped into him in the hall. "One moment, Miss Evans!" He called as other students passed them in the hall. "Since you're in my house I wanted to personally inform you, you should hand your Hogsmeade permission forms to me before Halloween. No form, no visiting the village, so don't forget!" 

"Ask him now," Draco hissed in Jade's ear as he passed them in the hall. She hesitated briefly but when he turned to leave she pushed forward-thinking; 'It's now or never!' She'd run to catch up to him but he must have heard her footsteps cause he spun on his heel to face her. "Yes, Miss Evans?" Jade took a deep breath. "Professor, I'm sure you know I'm staying with Mr Malfoy and his son," He nodded and waited for her to get to the point. "... er... he... forgot to sign my form," she said pausing cause she knew she was lying and it was a bitter pill for her to do so.