The Green Man and the Goddess

Harry looked at the gathered crowd of his friends and school mates, trailing his gaze slowly over each one of us before a smirk developed on his face and he laughed. "Why did the room suddenly get so quiet?" he asked snidely. "Don't stop talking on my account." All eyes turned to Harry with regret, despair or anger reflecting in them.

Hermione bravely told him what was on her mind. "Harry, we're worried about you," she started. "You didn't come to the Burrow this summer, and you were spotted in Knockturn Alley, and now you're hanging out with the blackest of the Slytherin. Blaise Zabini and Blake and Devin Leofric are evil people, Harry! They practice the Dark Arts and I bet they already have the Dark Mark," Hermione told Harry angrily.

Harry just looked at Hermione, then Ron, then me and each of the other Gryffindors in turn before bursting out laughing. "So you want to save me from the evil Slytherins, do you? Why aren't you off saving Ginny from Malfoy then, Ron?" he asked, staring straight into Ron's eyes. "Oh, that's right. You're a fucking hypocrite. You never really wanted to be my friend, you just loved leeching off my fame. It's sick, Ron!" Harry told my brother and Ron paled quickly. "So, I've decided I refuse to be friends with a leech like you, and I won't let you influence how I live my life," Harry added coldly and turned around and mounted the stairs. Halfway up he turned around and looked down at us. "Once we might have been friends, but now we're not. Don't talk to me, because I definitely won't be talking to you." With that said he disappeared.

For maybe half a minute everyone was silent until Hermione sniffed loudly and Ron turned around and swept her up in his arms, sniffling himself. "That was horrible," Hermione gasped, "what have they done to him?"

Nobody denied that Harry had changed now. The old Harry would have never attacked his best friend the way he did. Everything was changing now and people were switching sides. Darkness was approaching and it had just hit a bunch of kids in the face. None of them were ready for it but they would have to deal with it regardless.

Everyone slowly got to their feet and began to leave the Common Room. Any celebrations that might have taken place on the first night of the new school year were forgotten. I stood quietly and watched as my friends and housemates slowly dragged themselves up the stairs, bereft of spirit and lacking in hope.

Ron, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, and Neville were the last to go. They sat there sadly, unwilling to go back to the dorm where Harry would now be sleeping or doing his homework, all without the companionship of the other boys he had once called friends.

Sadly I sprawled on the couch next to Neville and patted his shoulder reassuringly. He had always been a good friend to me when I had been all by myself and it was upsetting to see my friends so hurt. "He'll come around," I whispered the lie without even thinking.

Neville turned his face to face mine, blinking back a tear. "No, no he won't. He meant every word he said. It's as if some person has polluted him, turned him black. It's hard to accept, but I don't think he'll ever be the same person he once was."

The other boys nodded in agreement and Hermione looked sadly at the floor. I heard her sniff and I imagined the streaks that ran down her face. "Once, when we were still in third year, he told me that the Hat had wanted him in Slytherin," she whispered and everyone gasped. "I told him that it didn't matter. That the Hat would never have put him Gryffindor if he was a true Slytherin, but I guess I was wrong."

Ron moved to comfort her. "Herm, it's okay. How were you to know? You can't predict the future and you can't change the past. What happened to Harry isn't our fault," he told her firmly.

"Isn't it?" a girl's voice interrupted.

We all turned around to see Jade standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her cheeks were still red from crying. We all glared up at her with hatred, but no one said anything. "Well, aren't you going to answer my question?" she asked after a considerable silence.

"No," I told her, standing up and approaching her. "Because you're new here. You don't know the first thing about us. Everything you know comes from what people like Lucius Malfoy told you. From what your rich daddy told you. Good luck keeping up those relationships, by the way, since you're obviously not Slytherin material," I told her, holding back a smirk.

She glared at me but the tears no longer ran down her face. "Think what you want Weasley. I still know what's happening and I still get to sit here and laugh as your champion becomes your enemy. An enemy of Gryffindor. An enemy of the Goddess. Brilliant, isn't it?"

I wished she had never entered my life.

"You know what, Jade?" Seamus Finnigan interrupted. "I think you're jealous. I think you want what Ginny has but you'll never be able to get it. Even when you were betrothed to Malfoy he never liked you, let alone loved you. Doesn't it hurt? Doesn't it make you feel sick to your stomach and make you wish she was dead?"

Jade looked at Seamus and slowly surveyed the other people in the room. Perhaps she had forgotten they were there when she had been fighting with me but now she was certainly aware. She looked Seamus up and down like someone inspecting a painting, taking in every detail. Her gaze then flew to Dean and did the same before passing over Neville and Hermione to look Ron over. Finally she returned to Seamus.

"No, I was never jealous. My family never did believe in love and I've never expected to find it... and I don't want it. Love is a thing that would weaken one beyond belief. It alters your judgment and I've never wanted that. No, Draco would have been my possession. I would have ruled him like a servant or a slave. One rich man is like another, I'd say, except that Draco was handsome and his family had a good name. As for wishing Weasley was dead," Jade turned to me and looked me over, "you could be right. She's a bitch. I'll give her that much and she would always be in my way. But I could eliminate that problem if I wished to." Everyone in the room glared at Jade and she laughed. "Yes, if I wished it, you would be gone.

Seamus glared at Jade before stomping up the stairs towards his dorm. We heard the slam of a door and waited several seconds but it did not open again.

Dean stood up, looking towards Neville. "I'm going back to the dorm, to see if Seamus needs to be saved from our roommate who may or may not want us dead. You coming Nev?" he asked. Neville quickly stood up and the two boys went upstairs.

Jade stood there and watched the boys leave before turning back to Ron, Hermione and myself. "Well, well. It's just the four of us now," she murmured.

"Try three," Ron answered. "You're leaving."

Jade glared at him and was about to fight back when she seemed to change her mind. "Fine, I'll leave and let you three sort out this little dilemma by yourselves. Just remember, three's a crowd Weasley," she said and ran up the stairs to our dorm.

With Jade gone I turned to Ron and Hermione. Ron looked at me worriedly and said, "I'm glad she's gone. I've been wanting to talk to you about Draco." I frowned, why would Ron care about Draco and me?

"I talked to him while everyone was supposed to be getting settled in. He came looking for you but I didn't think it would be wise for him to talk to you at that point. It's best to give you time to calm down, eh?" he said laughing and I gave a little laugh in return.

"Get to the point Ron," Hermione suddenly interrupted.

Ron looked slightly annoyed at Hermione but carried on, "Anyway, Draco seemed pretty down and it's apparent that he really misses you. He said he needed to talk to you urgently too, so I think," Hermione nudged him in the stomach with her elbow, "we think you should talk to him. We're not saying forgive him but hear him out."

"I'll do it tomorrow," I told them quietly.

Hermione shook her head. "Please do it tonight, Gin. He's really not well. He misses you."

"Yes, but I'm still mad at him. I will have probably cooled down by the morning."

Hermione looked at me and said, "I think what he tells you will probably make you angry, I'm not sure. He didn't tell me what it was but he said he was worried about how you might react."

"Fine, I'll talk to him tonight," I muttered and dragged myself out of my chair.

Hermione and Ron both smiled and Ron stood up and draped a robe over my shoulders.

"In case you're cold," he told me.

I smiled and thanked him before leaving Gryffindor Tower in search of Draco.