Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Jade and Emma's Story

Chapter 10

Jade and Jessica walked down the grass towards Hagrid's Hut arm in arm. They were running a little late, and just happened to fall in step with a certain foursome. "J!"

Jade glanced over. "I asked you to refer to me as Jade, Draco."

"I took that as a request, not a demand."

Jade grimaced, her eyes raking across Pansy Parkinson's hand clinging to Draco's shoulder. She suddenly stopped, and Jessica untangled them with a curious expression. "Malfoy, I'm sick of this."

His eyes widened, feigning obliviousness. "Sick of what, J?"

Jade wanted to say "You." The quidditch game had been the last straw. Not only had he joined in the "Weasley is Our King" gag -or more likely the instigator of it - but his cruel and taunting words had cost Fred, George, and Harry their spots on the team. But she felt that she couldn't keep up her spot on the Inquisitorial Squad if she told Draco off.

"Our banter," she said instead. "Sorry, I'm just not in the mood today."

Draco frowned, prying himself from Pansy's claws and following a little behind them. As Jade and Jessica got closer, they saw Ron and Emma walking together, in the midst of arguing under their breaths. Jade picked up on the conversation as they neared the couple. "...be around Zacharias."

Emma frowned. "I've known him since first year, Ron. Besides," she added a little hesitantly. "We're just friends."

Ron shrugged. "Yeah. And so are we."

Emma went to touch his shoulder, but Ron not-so-subtly cringed away from her. "Ron, why are you being like this?" Emma asked. Jade noted her voice had shot up an octave.
"Like what?" Ron snapped. "I think Zacharias is a bad guy, but you don't care. So go and hang out with him. See if I care."

"But -"

"See you," Ron hissed, sauntering off towards where Harry and Hermione stood.

Emma stood there for a moment, her face full of several emotions. "Friends," she echoed.

"Emma?" Jade called cautiously.

The girl gave an unconvincing smile and walked with them to their friends. When they made it, Hermione hissed something about being late, and Hagrid was already talking. "...person in Britain able ter train 'em."

"And you have trained them, right?" Malfoy yelled out. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"

There was a low mumbling of agreement, even somewhat reluctantly from the Gryffindors. "'Course they're trained," Hagrid said with a scowl, lifting a dead cow - which Jade just noticed with a fright - farther up his shoulder.

"Then what happened to your face?"

Jade blinked, looking up and down the bruises covering Hagrid. "Mind yer own business! Now if yeh've finished asking stupid questions, follow me."

Jade bit her lip as they ventured deep into the forest, to a spot where the trees were so close the atmosphere was dark and there was no snow. "Gather round, gather round," Hagrid said gruffly. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat, but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, they'll like ter know its me..." He gave a couple shrieking cries - no one laughed, for they were too afraid.

Jade blinked as she saw the creature slip through the shadows. It was familiar - the same creature that had pulled the carriages at the beginning of term. Though Jade had heard the carriages pulled themselves, she knew what she saw. And she wasn't one to argue, so she never asked about them. It was the skeletal body of a large, black, winged horse. She stared at it - not in disgust as the boy standing behind Goyle was, but in awe. She found the thing beautiful.