“How dare she! How dare she take my Jace!” Calira slammed her hands against her legs, tears flowing down her bony cheeks. She lowered her head, wiping her eyes and smearing makeup all over her face. Cali had been in the bathroom all night, ever since she left that small room a few floors down. Where she had tried to brainwash Zelie. 

The tears began to pour down Cali’s lovely face once again. She shouldn’t have tried to do that to her little sister. She should’ve waited until midnight, when no one is ever out. 

Cali wiped the tears from her face once again, calming herself. She would have to do this another way. Cali got up and cleaned herself up, redoing her hair and makeup. She strode out of the bathroom, humming to herself softly. Her chocolate brown hair was shining in the light, hazel eyes offsetting her porcelain skin. 

Suddenly, Cali stopped. A grin began to spread across her lovely face as an invisible light bulb lit up above her head. Cali practically bolted down to the Great Hall, heels clicking against the marble floor. Her sharp eyes searched the large space, looking for a certain someone. Cali grinned when she found the person she sought and strutted towards the Slytherin table, right towards the queen herself. Cali raised her head and straightened her posture as she approached the girl. 

A mane of red-gold hair flowed down her back in corkscrew curls, with striking pine green eyes. The girl from the library. Jinx. A black ripped t-shirt worn over a green one gave the girl a definite bad-girl look, and her ripped jeans completed the look. She wasn’t wearing any robes, but her shirt had a Slytherin crest on it, which made up for it, Cali supposed. The girl turned to Cali, a smirk on her face. The smirk grew as she took in Cali’s uniform, Hufflepuff crest standing out like a brand. 

“Well well well, look at this. We have a goody-two-shoes on our hands.” That got a laugh from the surrounding students. The girl leaned forward, striking green eyes full of amusement. “So, what do you want from me, girl?” Cali raised her chin slightly. So she’s the Slytherin Queen.

“I need a favor.” Cali flashed a smile, earning another laugh from the table. 

The girl’s lips quirked upward. “Oh, really? And what favor could a goody-two-shoes like you want from the Slytherin Queen herself?” The girl smirked, glee written all over her face. However, something about it seemed inauthentic.

Cali swallowed. “I’d prefer to speak to you discreetly, if you don’t mind.” 

The girl let out a howl of laughter. She covered her mouth, still laughing. “Jinx, are you really gonna deal with this joker?” a Slytherin called. 

The girl smirked at the boy. “You know what, Kurt?” Jinx moved her face close enough to Kurt’s they were sharing breath. “I am.” Jinx leaned back and smacked the poor kid, who’s head jerked to the side. Jeering erupted from the others, making Cali want to vomit. But she had to do this. 

Jinx stood up and Cali noticed a dead look in her eyes that hadn’t been there that day in the library. Did something happen? Cali simply ducked her head and they walked over to a corner of the Great Hall. Jinx leaned up against the wall, crossing her arms. “What.” Why is she so snappy? She didn’t act like this with that Gryffindor girl.

Cali swallowed. She explained her situation, and her idea. Jinx just nodded throughout the explanation, her facial expression vacant. When Cali finished, Jinx simply studied her, looking her up and down. “Well, you’ve got a long way to go, girl.” Jinx pushed off the wall, grabbing Cali’s arm in her firm grasp. “Let’s get to work.”

Jinx lead Cali up to the Slytherin girls’ dormitories, where there was a large door near the back. The girls walked over to it, and Jinx pulled out her wand to unlock it. Cali studied it. It was long and lean, made with relish wood and a simple handle with runes engraved in it. 

Jinx walked into the room, and Cali almost gasped. The room was huge! 

The walls were black with beautiful snake renderings on them, and the floor and ceiling were bright green. Jinx smirked at Cali’s shocked expression. “This is my private “beauty room”, if you will. And for the time being,” Jinx gestured to the expanse before them, “it will be yours as well.” Cali wandered around the room, taking everything in. It looked like a hair salon, a fashion designer studio, and a makeup artist workplace all rolled into one. 

“Wow. This is amazing.” Cali felt slightly uncomfortable, but she needed Jinx’s help. 

The girl nodded. “Damn straight it is.” Cali laughed. Jinx tossed her a glance. “By the way, if you tell a soul about what you saw in the library that day, I will cut you to shreds.” Jinx smirked without any joy, walking over to the enormous closet and flinging open the doors. 

“Now, first thing’s first, you’re gonna need a brand new wardrobe. This” she waved lazily at Cali’s perfectly presented school uniform, “isn’t gonna work.” Cali walked up beside Jinx and almost fainted. There were hundreds of outfits, all expertly made. Jinx quickly looked through a few outfits, placing them on top of Cali, then shaking her head and putting them back. After what felt like six hours, Jinx closed the closet doors.

“You look like a wannabe in all of my clothes.” Cali nodded at that. She wasn’t wrong. 

Jinx walked over to a large table, on which a large sewing machine sat. She grabbed basket from behind it, which held enough fabric to clothe the entire school, plus leftovers. Jinx rummaged through it for a moment, looking for something in particular. 

She pulled out an obnoxious amount of black denim, handing it to Calira. Cali took it, trying to calculate what Jinx was doing. The girl then pulled out a bundle of deep purple cotton fabric. She grabbed the black denim from Cali’s arms and put it on the large sewing table, along with the purple cotton. She held pieces of them up to Cali, nodding. “Alright. Come get me tomorrow at dinner. By then, I’ll have your new wardrobe ready to go, as well as makeup. Of course, I expect your promised payment,” she added with another vacant smirk. Cali blinked. Jinx grabbed her and pushed her out of the room. “Now get out.” She slammed the door. 

Cali frowned. Jinx had not acted like this when they were in the library. She was more spirited and fiery, not this dead, soulless person she just encountered. Cali walked out of the dorms, earning lots of suspicious glances from the other Slytherins. She strutted back to the Great Hall, feeling lighter then she had all day. Jinx would help her with her mission. And despite the high price, Cali knew it would be worth it.

Jace would love her. She’d make him.