“All right,” Madam Hooch said briskly, “The rules of the game are simple: you have two hours in which to find a card. The card will have a number on it. There are three cards of each number, and the remainder of the games will be played in teams of three. The teams are completely random, so there is no telling which house and year your partners will be in. Got it?” Neville Longbottom whimpered slightly, dreading the games, “Go!”
I turned away from the woman
and took off at an easy jog. This was
going to be the easiest of all the games for me because it involved only speed
and finding something.
“Harry!” Ron called out,
waving at me, “Cross your fingers that we’ll be on the same team, yeah?”
I smiled and held up
crossed fingers as he passed me. He
laughed and moved on. I wasn’t worried
about the time limit; after all, I’d been the Gryffindor seeker since my first
year, almost seven full years. Well,
six and a half, as my fourth year had had the Tri Wizard tournament instead,
debacle that it had been, and my second year had had the Heir of Slytherin
scare.
As I’d thought, it was not
hard to find a card; within the first twenty minutes, I saw one and picked it
up.
“13,” I read aloud to
myself, suddenly thinking of Trewlany’s ominous predictions.
‘Ah, yes,
13, this means you will die a painful death during the games.’ I thought,
mentally mimicking the divination professor’s misty voice.
The games had been
Dumbledore’s idea, a method of raising morale among the students, and, though
they weren’t saying this, a method of mixing the houses to eliminate the
animosity. There were two different
sets, one for the older three years, and one for the younger four. I, being a seventh year, was in the first
set.
Once I had my card, I
walked back to the main field and sat down against a tree. There was only one other person there, a
Slytherin girl in my year, whom I knew only because she was friends with Draco
Malfoy and was occasionally spoken about when the topic of Slytherins came
up. Her name was Jade Latimer and I
thought she looked as though her health wasn’t very good. We didn’t acknowledge each other.
About five minutes later,
Draco Malfoy came sauntering up. He
went and sat with Latimer and they began talking in low tones. I sighed and leaned my head against the
tree. It was turning into a long two
hours.
Fortunately, everyone was
back on the field within the hour.
Hooch stood up in front again and addressed the group.
“Very good, you all made it
back in about an hour and a half. Well
done. Anyway, I will now call out the
numbers in order. When you hear yours,
step up and meet your team. One!”
Ginny Weasley, Terry Boot,
and Mandy Brocklehurst stepped up; Ginny looked relieved that she wasn’t with
any Slytherins.
“Two!”
This time, Lavender Brown,
a Hufflepuff sixth year I didn’t know, and Hannah Abbott walked up to the
front.
It went on. Hermione was part of group nine, along with
Padma Patil and Dean Thomas. She looked
almost as relieved as Ginny. Then, my
number was called.
“Thirteen!”
I stood and walked up to
the front, as did, to my horror, Draco Malfoy and Jade Latimer.
Damn it,
damn it, damn it. I
thought. I saw Ron in the crowd,
looking outraged; Hermione shot me a look of sympathy. I smiled at her reassuringly.
Again, it went on. Ron was part of group 27, as were Neville
Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan. All
three of them shot me sympathetic glances as they passed; I wanted to scream with
frustration, the pity thing was getting on my nerves.
Once every team was
together, Madam Hooch spoke again. “Now
that you’re in your teams, you need to know exactly what is required for the
team part of your score.”
There’s a
team part? I thought,
my heart sinking.
“It is required that the
teams spend no less than one hour a day in each others’ company. Class time doesn’t count. It must be the entire team, not just two
members. For today, you are required to
spend the remainder of the afternoon in your teams, getting to know each other
better. You may go off to your
respective friends at dinner if you so choose.
The next meeting is the day after tomorrow; Professor Snape and I will
be explaining the first game, which is in three weeks. And, do try to have fun.”
She walked off. Malfoy, Latimer, and I looked at each other
in silence for a moment.
“Well, we’re working
together this time, Potter.” Draco
said.
“I guess so, Malfoy.”
“Why don’t we try to start
again?” Latimer suggested. She held out
her hand to me. “I’m Jade Latimer.”
I shook her hand, “Harry
Potter,” I turned to Malfoy, extending my hand to him as well. “I’m Harry Potter.”
He looked at my hand for a
few seconds, remembering, I’m sure, a similar incident several years
before. The air was static as we all tensed.
“I’m Draco Malfoy, it’s a
pleasure to meet you.”
We shook hands.
* * *
We spent the next hour or
so getting to know each other. It
turned out that Jade and Draco were related, somewhat distantly, through their
mothers. Jade said that she had lived
in Malfoy Manner with her mother for a while after her father died when she was
four.
“We lived in Draco’s place
for five years. Mother simply couldn’t
bear the thought of going home, so Draco and I sort of grew up together.”
“Yes,” Draco said, “It was
simply awful, Harry, you have no idea.”
She hit him over the back
of the head.
“Don’t do that! You’ll mess up my hair!”
“Oh, shut up, you twit!”
I laughed, and couldn’t
help but feel as though that was how it should be, should have always
been. I felt that it really shouldn’t
have been Ron, Hermione, and I, but Draco, Jade, and I. With this came the feeling that I had really
missed out on a couple of wonderful friendships for all these years. They weren’t bad people at all, just different.
I also discovered that we
shared a rather dark, slightly twisted sense of humour. That was why I didn’t joke too often with
Ron and Hermione; they never found the things I found funny at all amusing. Draco and Jade did.
It was really a very nice
afternoon. Somewhere, we just connected
and all the barriers fell away. We
laughed, and told stories about our lives.
Jade sang a song she’d co-written with Draco for us. (Draco said that a banshee probably had a
nicer voice, which wasn’t true, Jade had a good voice). We mocked teachers and other students (even
I had to laugh at Draco’s Neville impersonation), and just got along. That was the most wonderful part - we got
along: There was no fighting, no
animosity, nothing.
After a little more than an
hour, however, we began to get bored just sitting there.
“I’m bored,” Jade and I
said in unison.
“Me too.” Draco agreed.
Jade sat up straight
suddenly, “Than, let’s do something! Go
somewhere!” Her grey eyes sparkled.
“Where, Jade?” Draco asked.
“Um, well,” she paused,
“Hogsmeade!”
“Hogsmeade?” I repeated.
“Yes! We can go to Hogsmeade and wander for a
while. Come on, it’ll be fun! We can sneak out.”
Draco smiled, “Ooh, good
idea,” he turned to me, “Harry, you’re head boy, as in you can get us out of
all the trouble we’re going to get into for doing this. After all, these little rules don’t apply to
you.”
I grinned, “I like this,
let’s go, but,” they looked at me, “I know a better way to get there. It’s in the castle, go to the statue of Boris
the Bewildered. You know where that
is?”
Jade nodded, clapped her
hands in delight, jumped up, and pulled us to our feet. Then, grinning wickedly, she took off at a
dead run in the direction of the castle.
Draco and I grinned at each other and took off after her.
I vaguely heard Ron shout
something at me, but didn’t really pay attention. It felt, for the first time since the first day I’d become
friends with Ron (and even that paled in comparison), that I was where I really
and truly belonged.
Hogwarts and my Gryffindor friends are wonderful, but they’re not enough. This, this friendship I’m forming with Draco and Jade is what I was missing. I just didn’t know it because I thought that I had enough.
We ran inside, there was no
one around. Jade turned and looked at
us, practically bouncing with anticipation.
“Hurry up! You two are the quidditch players here. Why am I the only one with any endurance?”
“Shut. Up.
Jade.” Draco said sharply, almost gasping for breath. I’d never seen him that dishevelled before,
it was rather endearing. “Haven’t you
noticed that you’re taller than us? You
have longer legs.”
“Yeah, sure,” she said, the
words dripped with sarcasm, “Still, hurry up, I want to go!”
After catching our breath,
we started off again, this time at a walk.
Not even two minutes later, we saw Professor Snape turn the corner.
“Damn it!” Jade hissed,
“Snape!”
She grabbed us and we
hurried to hide behind the statue to our right. There really wasn’t much room behind that statue, so Jade ended
up smashed against the side wall and I had to wrap my arms around Draco to
squeeze us both in next to her. It was rather uncomfortable, smashed between
Draco and the wall. Draco didn’t look
any better off, smashed between the statue and me. He had to put his hands flat against the wall behind me to keep
his balance. Jade wasn’t helping,
pressed against our sides, her back flat against the wall behind her, and
biting her lip to keep from laughing at the rather compromising position Draco
and I were in. Actually, the holding
Draco part wasn’t as bad as one would think.
It was kind of nice actually. I
didn’t really mind. He didn’t seem to,
either.
Finally, Snape turned the
next corner and we pushed our way out, stretching cramped muscles.
“Well, he certainly took
his goddamn time!” Jade said, straightening her robes.
“I thought he was never
going to leave the hallway.” I said, “That was a damned uncomfortable place to
hide. Remind me to never try that
again.”
“Oh, sure, we’ll just let
you get caught next time.” Draco said with a smirk.
“Thanks, love you, too.” I
said derisively.
The funniest thing happened
when I said that. Draco momentarily got
this almost pained look on his face, as though I’d really hurt him. But, it was gone virtually as soon as it
appeared. I brushed it off as my
imagination.
“Why are we just standing
here waiting to get caught?” Jade asked, sounding just as flippant as always,
but I saw her look at Draco with concern.
Maybe it
isn’t just my imagination. I thought.
“What? Isn’t it your dream to get a week of detention because we’re not playing their idiotic games?” I asked, going for the honest, innocent look.
“You know, Potter, if I didn’t know for a fact that you’re a Gryffindor, I’d think you were a Slytherin. How do you manage to survive them?”
“A lot of practice. So, are we going or not?”
“I want to. Draco?”
“Well, all that would have
been pretty pointless if we just turn back now.”
“Great!” Jade began walking
again.
The rest of the walk to
Hogsmeade went without incident.
Though, they were impressed that I knew that tunnel. When we got to Hogsmeade, it was three
o’clock.
“So, now that we’re free of
school, what do you want to do?” Jade asked as we leisurely walked down the
street.
“Let’s go get a drink in
The Three Broomsticks,” Draco suggested, “Ever had alcohol, Harry?”
“Yes,” I said, “Why?”
“Because I want a drink and
I want you two to have a drink with me.
Something stronger than butterbeer.”
I shrugged, “Sure, after
all, what better way to preach rebellion than to have a drink with my enemies?”
Jade grinned, “Ah, we’re
not your enemies, though, were I you, which, thank the gods I’m not, I would
watch out for the Gryffindors when I got back.
After spending the afternoon with the likes of us, they could be less
than friendly when you return. Just a
thought.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly,
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Don’t get upset with me,
Harry, please. I’m just pointing out a
very real possibility. But, look on the
bright side, if they do dump you, you’ve got us!”
“So, I don’t have you if
they don’t dump me?”
“If you really want us,
we’re yours. But, I’m warning you now,
become our friend and you’re in it for life, we don’t let go of friends
easily.”
“I think I can handle
that.”
We walked into The Three
Broomsticks and slid into a booth towards the back. When Madam Rosemerta came over, Draco ordered a gin and tonic; I
indicated that I’d take the same. Jade
ordered a glass of some blush wine or another.
“Honestly,” She said, “You
two have no taste.”
“Why do you say that?”
Draco asked.
“Gin and tonic? That’s, that’s…pretty low on the scale of
drinkable alcohol.”
I spoke up, “I happen to
like it now and again.”
“Humph, some people.”
I smiled slightly to myself
and shook my head. My two new friends
(for what else could I call them?) were so very amusing when they weren’t
trying to play the roles they played in class.
I took a moment to examine
them closely, Jade across from me and Draco to my right. They were physically so different, opposite
in colouring. Jade was tall and stick
thin, with really long legs; her hair was dark brown, almost black, her
skin was fair, but a little darker than mine, and the only thing she had in
common with Draco were her dove grey eyes.
Draco was shorter, no taller than I was, and had white blonde hair,
porcelain skin, and similar dove grey eyes.
They really looked nothing alike, right down to bone structure. Draco had a very delicate bone structure and
narrow features. Jade’s bone structure
was delicate, as well, but a little less so, and her face was softly oval with
kittenish features. Yes, nothing alike
at all.
Well, what does that matter? It’s in their personality that they find common ground.
“Harry? Harry?
Hello? Are you in there?” Draco
waved his hand in front of my face.
“Oh, sorry, what did I
miss?” they laughed at me; I had to laugh a little, too.
“The drinks came. Here.” Jade slid mine to me.
“Thanks,” I sipped the
drink; it was fair. “How’s the wine,
Jade?”
“Eh, I’ve had better. But, then again, this isn’t exactly a high
class place.”
“True,” Draco clinked his
drink against hers.
We sat in The Three
Broomsticks for about forty minutes that day, chatting and enjoying the sense
of freedom being there gave us.
Unfortunately, after those golden forty minutes were up, reality chose
to come crashing down upon our heads.
Jade glanced casually at
her watch, she blanched, “Uh, guys?”
“What?” Draco and I said at
the same time. We made a face at each
other.
“It’s getting late, dinner
starts in ten minutes.”
“Oh.” Draco said, his eyes
widening slightly.
“I think,” I said
carefully, “That it is time for us to take our leave.”
They nodded and Draco
tossed some money on the table, I tried to pay for my drink, but he waved my
hand away.
“Don’t worry about it, that
one’s on me,” he smirked, “You owe me a drink, Potter.”
I marvelled at Draco’s
ability to be so…Draco in a crisis.
“Sure, I’ll buy you three,
granted they don’t put us in detention for the rest of the year.”
With that, we hurried out
of the pub and into the darkening street.
“Run!” Jade whispered
urgently, grabbing our arms when we ran too slowly.
“Damn it, Jade, stop
pulling on my sleeve!” Draco hissed back.
“Well, if you didn’t run so
goddamned slowly, I wouldn’t have to!”
“Well, it’s your fault for
running so fast!”
“Shut up!” I snapped,
losing my patience, “Both of you!
Honestly, you’re acting like five year olds!”
They shut up. We ran all the way back to Hogwarts and
managed to get there in twenty minutes.
“Merciful death!” Jade
gasped, “That was hellish.”
I nodded my agreement and
we walked into the school. We were all
hoping that we’d be able to sneak in without being noticed. That didn’t happen.
“Mr. Potter, Ms. Latimer,
and Mr. Malfoy,” Snape said silkily, “The headmaster would like to see you in
his office. Now.”
