25th December, 1991

Over the Christmas holidays, I shared my time equally between going to the library and the Slytherin Common Room. I occasionally talked to Alex, but since he was a Ravenclaw, we didn’t see each other all that much.

I mostly talked to Blaise and Anja, who were the only first-year Slytherins who’d stayed behind.

On Christmas Day, because there were so few of us, we all had to sit at the same table to eat dinner. I sat next to Blaise, who was next to Anja, who was next to Alex.

Since there was a space on my other side, one of the more intelligent teachers, Professor Sprout, decided to put Harry Potter next to me.

He ignored me for the whole meal, which was just fine by me, because I didn’t particularly want a reason to get detention with Professor Sprout.

I had the feeling it would have something to do with plants.

And Herbology.

And Professor Sprout.

And boredom.

Ugh.

After the meal, on the way out of the Hall, I ‘accidentally’ bumped into Harry, who was just in front of me.

He turned around angrily.

“Edwards,” he said angrily. I shook my head.

“No, Evans, actually,” I replied coolly.

He shrugged. “Whatever. What matters is that you bumped into me. And you shouldn’t do that, trust me. I beat Voldemort, I don’t think you should be much of a problem.”

I glanced over to the staff table. My father was watching our conversation with a small smirk on his face.

I jerked my attention back to Harry.

It was very hard, trust me.

“Yeah, I’ve beaten the greatest wizard of all time!” Harry boasted.

“Really?” I asked sarcastically. He didn’t pick up on the sarcasm.

“Yep, really. He’s dead, never to return, all thanks to me!”

“You killed the greatest wizard of all time? But I could have sworn that Professor Dumbledore was sitting alive at the staff table just a minute ago!” I looked back at the staff table. “Yep, definitely alive.”

Harry glared. “I meant the greatest Dark wizard of all time!”

“Well maybe you should have said that then, Mr Brains!” I suggested.

Harry pulled his wand from his robe pocket and did some serious thinking.

It looked like very difficult work.

I guessed he was trying to figure out which spell to use. Finally, he came to a decision.

“Wingardium Leviosa!” he exclaimed, waving his wand in a somewhat squiggly pattern.

My wand, which I had just taken from my pocket, jerked to the right. I shook my head, laughing.

“No, you don’t do it like that! This is what you do to make my wand fly away! Expelliarmus!” I motioned with my wand.

We’d learnt the Disarming Charm in History of Magic – or rather, Hermione and I had. We were the only ones in our year who actually took in any information, so when Professor Binns demonstrated the Charm, we were the only ones who noticed.

Harry’s wand flew through the air and landed at my feet.

I looked at it in mock surprise. “Oh, how did this get here?”

I picked it up. “End of duel. Goodbye.”

I threw his wand at him and walked away, smirking.

“Oh, andmerry Christmas, Harry Potter,” I called to him.

Entering the Common Room, mistletoe brushed up against me. I saw that it was hung just above the doorway.

“Aaaah!” I shouted, and jumped out of the way. Then I turned to glare at the room. “Who put this here?” I demanded.

Everyone laughed. On the other side of the room, Blaise looked up, smirking.

“Your reaction is so funny!” he exclaimed, now grinning.

I blushed.

Kaz, who was watching the conversation, turned to Blaise and asked him what his name was. Looking confused, Blaise told him.

Kaz stood in the middle of the room and yelled, “JADE AND BLA-AISE, SITTING IN A –No?” Okay then.” He stopped when he realised everyone was either staring at him in bewilderment or glaring at him, Blaise and I being part of the latter group.

“Shut up, Kaz,” I grumbled, but I was smiling.

“What’re you going to do about it? Tell the world my greatest secrets?”

“Yeah. I’ll tell everyone that you once stayed up all night at a Disney-themed party, that you once made yourself throw up and that you once couldn’t walk straight from eating too much food,” I said threateningly.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Kaz gasped in mock horror.

“Oh, I would!”

“Come on, guys, break it off,” Anja ordered, laughing. “Don’t you have work to do or anything?”

Kaz nodded, but I shook my head. “Finished it,” I told her.

“Oh, just you wait until you’re a second-year,” Kaz said. “It’s horrible!”

Sirius, who had been sitting there, trying to work, spoke up. “Well I’m a fifth-year! What do you think it’s like for me?”

“I don’t know. Bad?” I guessed.

“Couldn’t have put it better myself,” Sirius answered.

I turned back to Kaz. “But where’s Cat?”

She wasn’t anywhere in the Common Room.

“Well, she went back home, like most people did,” he explained.

That was understandable.

I nodded and went back to my dormitory with Anja to open my Christmas presents. Anja had opened hers this morning, but I preferred to wait.

I had presents from the rest of our group, as well as Anja. Unsurprisingly, Pansy and Millicent hadn’t given me anything.

They were only roommates, after all.

Anyway, back to the point.

Blaise gave me a copy of Quidditch Through The Ages. Alex got me a moving picture of me in my latest Quidditch game. Dean got me a Broomstick Servicing Kit without the manual and Seamus got me a Broomstick Servicing Manual without the Kit. Padma and Pavarti gave me a bunch of Chocolate Frog Cards. Lavender got me a necklace. Anja gave me a small model of an owl.

Then the two of us went back into the Common Room. I thanked both Blaise and Anja for their presents and then we left to go down to the lake where we were meeting Alex – the rest of our group had gone home over Christmas break.

When we got there, Alex was already there.

“I thought you had forgotten! I thought you weren’t going to come!” I checked my watch.

“We’re early! When did you arrive? What, half an hour ago?”

He grinned sheepishly. “Something like that, yeah.”

Something you should know about Alex – he is extremely punctual.

“What are we going to do now? Have a special Christmas celebration?” Anja asked the three of us.

Blaise shrugged. “No idea. Any preferences? Alex? Jade?”

I shook my head, but Alex nodded.

I knew what he was about to say.

“Truth or Dare.”

“No!” I exclaimed instantly.

Blaise said, “Okay, whatever. I’ll give it a go.”

Anja turned to me. “Honestly, Jade. How bad can it be?”

“Very bad,” I muttered.

Alex pretended to ignore me. “So, Anja, do you want to go first?”

She shrugged, then nodded.

“I’ll go…umm…”

I warned her, “Don’t say –”

“Truth.”

I knew what this question was going to be, from playing Truth or Dare back home with Theo and Mimi.

“Who do you like?”

Anja sighed in relief, smiling at Alex. “Phew, an easy one. Nobody.”

Blaise furtively threw a mistletoe wreath at me.

I threw it at Anja and Alex, grinning. “Go make out, you two.”

The wreath missed slightly. It fell completely onto Anja except for about one leaf, which landed on Alex.

“Aww…” Blaise added.

Anja, mostly covered by the huge wreath, pulled another off a tree behind her. She threw it at Blaise and me.

“Oh, go make out yourself,” she retorted.

We spent the rest of the afternoon messing around in this manner.