Jade, releasing her anger, threw six pillows, a candlestick (unlit), two of her books, and her quilt into a pile on the floor. Then, she found everything that Jack had given her and flung it onto her bed. Flowers she had preserved, little poems and romantic notes he had slipped her, even a box of Chocolate Frogs that she hadn't eaten because she was waiting to share them with Alana and West at their next all-nighter.

It was surprisingly satisfying to rip them into shreds and fling them out of her dormitory window, where the rain dissolved them.

How dare Jack insinuate that she had entered the tournament on purpose! And of having a relationship with Draco Malfoy, of all people? She punched her pillow again and tried not to make too much noise. Alana, as well as Hannah Abbott and a friendly girl named Mallory, their Hufflepuff room mates, was asleep. It was far past the time when she should have been asleep, but Jack's words were echoing in her head.

I can't believe you.

You could get killed.

I thought we were dating.

I don't know if I can trust you, Jade.

She buried her head under her pillow and pulled the unfamiliar Hogwarts blankets around herself. More than anything, Jade wished that this trip had never happened, wished that she was back at Eaglesclaw. She would be eating breakfast, or even lunch, the time zone being different. She would be laughing with Alana and West, stealing Alana's sandwich or watching West start a food fight. Jack wouldn't be mad at her. She wouldn't have been chosen for a set of challenges that could possibly kill her.

It was all that Fleur girl's fault. If she hadn't continued to belittle Jade and make her feel incompetent, she never would have agreed to compete. She sighed and closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep-

Rap.

Something had hit her window. Probably just a stray bit of dirt blowing in the wind.

Rap.

There it was again! Jade leaped to her feet and tiptoed to the window. She peered out and saw through the rain the shadow of a boy, holding a broomstick. A third rap came, and she watched as a stone flew up and hit the window. Only this time, it was followed by another. And another, and one more.

Exhausted, overtired, Jade went to her wardrobe and pulled out her thickest cloak with the gorgeous lining and huge hood. She tucked her wand in her sleeve and grabbed Alana's broom (could she?), then jimmied open the window and climbed down the ivy to the wet ground.

It was Draco. Again. She sighed, but was too tired to start an argument. "How did you figure out where I'm sleeping?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I have my ways."

"Now, why did you employ about sixty pebbles to bring me out here? What's so important that it couldn't wait until breakfast tomorrow?"

He lifted his broomstick over his shoulder. "Have you ever gone on a broom ride at night before?"

"I can't say that I have. I don't even have my own broom."

Draco laughed and pointed to the one she was supporting herself with. "What about that one, then?"

Jade laughed too, realizing how silly she most likely looked. "It belongs to my best friend. She lets me borrow it."

"Well, a midnight ride is exactly what you need to take your mind off of...things."

She lowered her eyes. "You saw what happened yesterday?"

"I didn't mean to, but you weren't exactly quiet." He slung an arm around her shoulder. Jade leaned into him a little, the rain pouring down around them.

"So, are we going to ride, or what?" She pulled away from him and mounted Alana's broom, her cloak already soaking wet.

"After you!" He laughed and mounted his broom.

Jade kicked off of the ground and shot up into the sky like a cork from a bottle of Butterbeer. She did a quick spin, pale light from the moon catching the silver hem and making her sparkle. Draco followed, laughing at her antics and pulling his hood around his face.

"Look," she breathed, staring up at the sky, its midnight blue shade intoxicating.

He did. The stars were so clear here, millions visible, even ones so far away. "That's...beautiful."

Jade pointed at a section of stars. "You see that constellation? That's called Draco. It's a dragon. The Guardian of the Skies."

A meteor soared across the night, a streak of luminescent blue. It was followed by three more. Jade's hood fell back, exposing her face and hair to the torrents of icy rain. She didn't care how wet she got. It looked like all of the stars were falling down.

Draco stared at her. She looked shocked by the very idea that so much beauty could possibly exist anywhere. The starlight dappled her face and made her shimmer, silvery and brilliant. Her strange, intriguing golden eyes looked opalescent now, filled with pinpricks of light, reflecting the sky. Her smile was soft and enchanted, and she reached out her hand, as if to catch one of the meteors.

"It's so beautiful," Jade gasped, her heart pounding. This was amazing, maybe what real, pure happiness felt like. "I wish I could carry one of these stars with me forever." Draco took her hand, and everything was perfectly, elementally still.

A crack of lightning shattered the sky, and she screamed. She flew to the ground, faster and faster, until her boots touched wet grass. She clambered up the ivy on the side of her tower and in through the window. Draco was about to leave when she called out to him.

"Thank you, Draco. That was amazing."

She shut her window, and he watched until she was out of sight.