Everything Goes

Everything Goes

Chapter Three

Time went on. Sometimes it ran; sometimes it crawled. But, far too soon, announcements were made about the first game.

I was with Draco and Jade when they called us all to the field to learn what we needed to do.

"Now that we're all here," Hooch said, eyeing the crowd, "I can tell you what needs to be done for the first game. I'm not going to tell you what the game is yet, though, so don't bother asking."

"Get on with it, I have things to do," Draco muttered; I smirked.

"For this, you will need to draw straws, short straw is the first person competing."

"Draw straws?" Jade asked, raising an eyebrow, "Can we get any more childish?"

"Oh, I'm sure of it, just give them time," I said.

"This is so cliché," Draco drawled, "I think we need to refuse to participate until they find a better means of determining who goes first."

"Agreed."

We clinked imaginary glasses together and laughed. Theatrics with imaginary objects had become a sort of inside joke with the three of us.

"Harry!" Hermione called, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"We're worried about you, Harry," she began, "You've been spending so much time with them, you hardly seem like yourself."

I let my breath out in a frustrated hiss, "I'm fine, Hermione, I told you, I'm not unhappy, I'm not trying to be something I'm not. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" she looked very concerned.

"Yes, I'm quite sure. Listen, both of you. They're not bad people, they're not death eaters. Maybe they're not really good people, either, but they are not evil. So, stop accusing them of it. Please, can't you just accept that they are my friends now, too?"

"Harry!" Jade called, "Hello? Hate to break up the conversation, but we need to draw the straws now. Get over here or we'll lie and say that you got the short one."

I smiled, waved at Ron and Hermione and walked back over to Draco and Jade.

"Oh, now you wouldn't do that, would you?"

"We might," Draco said, pulling one of the straws out of Madam Hooch's hand, "Hah! Long."

Jade and I reached out and pulled ours out at the same time.

"Damn it," Jade said, "I got the short one. Well, we all have to go sometime."

Madam Hooch took the straws back and moved on, smiling slightly at Jade's dramatic acceptance. Oddly enough, the staff had already adapted to the three of us as a group and we were getting very good at surprising smiles out of every teacher. We'd even managed to get a faint shadow of a smile out of Snape. That is, right before he took five points from Gryffindor and five more from Slytherin. His own House, can you believe it? At the very least, he managed to keep it unfair by taking five points from me, and the same five points from the two of them.

"Well, Jade, it's your show, as always," I said.

"Yeah, so don't mess up. I heard from Snape that our team is in the lead right now, we're a full seven points ahead of any other team. If we want to win, we're going to need to keep that lead. So, I repeat, don't mess up!"

"Oh, go fall in a ditch, would you?" Jade snapped irritably.

"'Fall in a ditch'?" he scoffed. "You can't be serious; Malfoys do not fall in ditches. I would get dirty!"

Jade gave him the Jade look; the one that let you know that she thought that you were acting like a moron. She gave the look to Draco and I on occasion, but it was never serious. Ron got the look all the time; I had begun to recognize it when I saw it. Draco stuck his tongue out at her.

"So, I suppose that, besides not falling in ditches, Malfoys do not grow up beyond the age of seven. You can be such an immature brat, you know, for all the airs you put on," I said.

"Not to mention a drama queen," Jade added.

"Humph, I can't believe you think so little of me. The whole world's against me, it just isn't fair."

"Oh, shut up," we said in unison.

That was essentially the end of the conversation, as we were then called over to the lake to be told what we were going to be doing.

"The lake?" Jade said, her eyebrows shooting into her hairline, "Just my luck, I have to do something in the water."

"Can you swim?"

"Of course I can, I'm a good swimmer. We used to go to the lake when we were young," her eyes went distant and milky with the memory, "And the sun was warm, we'd swim all day, out to a tiny sand island, and we'd lay out and the sun would dry us. Then we'd swim back and the water felt so nice, so cold after the heat. But, we haven't gone in years. Mother's health started to get bad, so we stopped going. And, now with things being how they are, I don't think we'll go again for a long time."

Draco and I watched her in silence; she was almost in a trance, staring straight ahead, but not seeing what we saw. Then, as quickly as we'd lost her, she snapped back to reality.

"Well," she said briskly, "Let's get going then, shall we?"

With a smile, Jade began walking towards the crowd by the shores of the lake.

I leaned over to whisper in Draco's ear, "Does she do that often?"

He glanced at me, "Sometimes," he tilted his head thoughtfully, "Sometimes we lose her, she just drifts away. Like that. And, when she does, she sees things. Things that were, things that are, and, sometimes, things that haven't happened yet. I think she's a seer."

"That's...not encouraging."

I'd taken Divination for several years. I'd done a multitude of background study for various reasons. I'd read countless books on the subject of seers. I knew the damned subject inside out, upside down, and backwards. And I knew through that that true seers were very, very rare, and, when they occurred, their sanity was often less than stable. I suddenly saw Jade Latimer in a new light. And I didn't like it.

When we caught up with her she looked at us brightly, as though nothing had happened.

Well, if what Draco's saying is true, then, to her, it isn't anything to dwell on. Just another vision. And I thought I had it bad--at least my visions are only because of Voldemort and don't usually come during my waking hours.

I, too, had visions on occasion, and this had been my reason for studying the subject of seers so extensively, but I was not a true seer, I simply had visions because Voldemort had somehow managed to affect my brain to focus on things that had something to do with him. But, the visions would cease as soon as he was gone, I had learned that quickly. I was very glad.

Hooch began talking, "Out on the lake, about halfway across, is a wooden platform, three inches wide. Your task is to stand on this platform for as long as you can. Last one still on the platform wins and their team gets fifteen points. Understand? It's simple. You have a half hour to prepare."

"Uh, M-madam Hooch?" Neville stuttered.

"Yes, Longbottom?"

"I c-can't s-swim."

"Don't worry, there are wards on the lake that prevent drowning and you'll be picked up as soon as you fall in. It's perfectly safe."

We left the shore of the lake at that moment and sauntered casually away.

"I ought to go get ready," Jade said calmly and steadily.

"You're not worried?"

"Of course not, Harry, this is my event. I can swim and I have a good sense of balance. I'll last a lot longer than any of the rest of them. I mean, I'm against Longbottom, for crying out loud. How bad can this be?"

"Point taken," I admitted.

"Well, I'll meet you two by the lake before the game starts."

She walked off toward the castle.

"I hope she doesn't decide to wander off," Draco muttered absently, and then louder, "She's been known to do that on occasion, you know."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about us, we keep our eccentricities to ourselves. Like Jade's visions and my fondness for gin and tonics."

"That's not your only oddity, Draco, trust me."

"Thanks,"

I slung my arm around his narrow shoulders and we walked on, laughing at our own private joke. That's what the banter had become, a private joke that no one outside of our little group understood. Though, Draco and I were the ones who tended to do the most bantering. Jade usually just laughed.

"So, what shall we do to take up our twenty minutes?" I asked casually.

"We could wander the grounds and mock anyone who crosses our paths," Draco suggested.

"Sure, why not?"

"It still amazes me that the Great Harry Potter would not only be willing to spend time with me, but would be willing to do what I suggest."

"Well, you didn't know the great Harry Potter until recently."

"I thought I did,"

"You didn't, Draco, get over it. You're not the fabulous judge of character that you thought you were. But, that's okay, Jade and I love you anyway."

"Why am I not feeling loved, then?"

"You're asking me?"

"Yes,"

"I haven't a clue."

"Humph. You should,"

"All right, Draco, I'll keep that in mind."

"Do, and, while you're at it, you can do my Transfiguration homework."

"No,"

"Why not?"

"Because I have my own homework."

"That's not a good reason."

"It's a fine reason."

"I'll help you with your Potions essay,"

"No. It isn't worth it."

"Fine," Draco stuck his nose up in the air in a self-aggrandizing way.

Smiling, I lifted my hand off his shoulder and ruffled his hair. He started and quickly smoothed it back down.

The rest of the twenty minutes passed in a similar fashion. We never did get around to mocking the passers-by, but we didn't really mind. Our conversation was entertaining enough; we didn't need to terrorize anyone else to keep ourselves amused.

"It's been twenty-two minutes, Draco, we should be getting back to meet Jade," I said, looking at my watch.

"I suppose," he smirked, "I was just thinking we'd make her think we'd abandoned her, and then show up with about one minute to spare."

"She'd be furious, and possibly deliberately lose to get back at us."

"No, she'd quicker poison us in our sleep then lose a tournament. Especially one that she knows that she can win. And, trust me, she will win, no contest. They may as well just give up now and hand over the fifteen points. We are the best team."

"Yes, we are, but I don't think the rest of the teams agree with us on that score. So, I think we have to play the games and win. I know that playing by the rules is a foreign concept to you Slytherins, but why don't we try it just this once?"

"We can do that."

I nodded, "I know we can. We've got you; a sore loser who resorts to sabotage if all else fails. There's me; I'm good with competitions. And, there's Jade; she doesn't lose-- enough said. We have a good team."

"Who ever would have imagined?" his lips twisted with amusement, "I can just imagine the looks on their faces when we win."

"Which 'they' are we talking about? I can think of a good four or five, or is this just the school in general?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, not really, anyone works."

"Exactly."

We got to the lake and found Jade waiting. She was wearing an open pale green robe over a black bathing suit.

"Oh, there you are! I was beginning to think you'd abandoned me."

"Obviously not, as we're here. Nice bathing suit, I haven't seen that one before." Draco observed.

"No, it's new, mother bought it for me in August. On a whim, she says. I'm glad you like it."

He nodded, "You're welcome."

After spending time with them, I'd come to realize something very important: Jade never actually acknowledged compliments. But, after being around her for a bit, you learned to recognize when she was thanking you for one. That had been one of those moments. Draco had not missed that.

A whistle blew, and we all looked up at Madam Hooch.

"All those participating, get to one of the boats. Those who are not, get back away from the water. Now, the rules are simple, last one still on the platform wins, there is to be no cheating, which means that you can't push anyone off," she looked pointedly at Jade, who made a point to smile innocently.

After a pause, she continued, "And if you fall in and can't swim, hold onto the platform, not touching anyone, and raise your hand. We'll come get you. Okay? Now, get in the boats. The timer will start as soon as you're all standing."

They trooped out to the waiting boats and we moved back away from the shore. Draco and I stood, preparing to cheer Jade on. We weren't really worrying, we just felt like shocking everyone around us by cheering.

Once they were all out on the platform, Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the game had officially begun. We relaxed; I slouched against the nearby tree.

Neville was the first to fall, but, to his credit, he lasted seven and a half minutes. A Hufflepuff boy went with him, knocked off by the stirred air from Neville's fall. The Hufflepuff's team reacted badly, but Hooch declared that nothing illegal had been done, so two were down. More people fell, sometimes in groups, sometimes alone because everyone close to them had fallen. Twenty-two minutes later, there were only three people left: Jade (of course), Terry Boot, and, surprisingly, Ron. By that point, Ron had this look of fierce, almost savage, determination on his face. I think he had only lasted that long because he was determined to beat Jade, and, by beating Jade, proving that he was better than me.

Terry fell. He got a huge cheer out of the crowd.

Jade looked perfectly composed, her face set in an expression of casual serenity. She shifted her weight slightly, moving her leg into a more comfortable position. Ron was beginning to look faintly ill, his freckles standing out sharply against his pale face. Though, I am forced to admit, his concentration was damn near remarkable.

Ron swayed, waving his arms to get his balance back. It didn't work and he fell into the smooth water with a loud smack. The group, as one, flinched. He floundered for a moment, and then dog paddled his way back to shore.

Jade smiled triumphantly, waved at us, and smoothly dove into the water. She swam quickly back to shore and Draco and I immediately walked up to her.

"Well done, Jade," Draco said, his eyes gleaming, "Oh, here's your robe."

"Thanks," she slid it over her shoulders and shivered a bit. "Damn, that lake's cold."

"We won, but for a while there I thought that Ron had a chance," I said.

"Oh, come on, have a little faith, I told you that we were going to win. And I don't lie to my friends. To other people, sure, all the time, but never to my friends."

"All right, I was wrong to ever have doubted you. I swear that I will never do it again."

"Okay, I suppose that I can let you live. This time. Let's get out of here. This place is boring, and the company is, to put it simply, dull."

"That's for sure," Draco said, "Where to?"

"Let's wander for a bit, until they need us. Harry, you coming?"

"Sure, you may want to change your clothes though."

"Why?" she said, holding out her arms, modelling the bathing suit and damp robe, "Don't you like it? Isn't it flattering?"

"Hmm, you're not my type. And I was thinking more for your health than anything else."

"Oh? And what is your type?"

"Male types, I'm gay."

I had never actually told anyone about me before, but I felt somehow that they would be okay with it.

"Re-ally," she drawled, "How interesting," her eyes glittered with a strange excitement.

"And why, pray, does this interest you so?"

"Oh," she said casually, "It just does."

"Jade, my dear, sometimes I worry about you." Draco said lightly, patting her comfortingly on the arm.

I noted that Draco hadn't addressed my sexuality; I chose to overlook it. He hadn't flipped out, so it was fine.

"Why? It isn't me I'm worried about."

"That's why I worry. You spend all of your time worrying about everybody else; someone has to worry about you. I've taken that responsibility."

"How kind of you," even though her voice dripped sarcasm, she smiled, her eyes sincerely grateful for his concern.

"Please, Jade," his eyes had lost their mirthful glitter as he continued tersely, "I'm serious, be careful, guard your health, don't do stupid, irrational things. Promise me that you won't."

"Draco, calm down, I promise."

"Good, because right now, even as we play these games and laugh and joke about winning, all I'm really hoping for is to live another day. And then, when that's accomplished, to live another. It's a dangerous time, now; we can no longer base our lives on dreams for years to come, but on the hope that we will see tomorrow. So, please, don't die on me," he turned to me, "And, the same goes for you, Harry, don't leave me alone."

I didn't respond; I didn't have to. There was nothing that I could say.

It's funny, in a cold, sad way that I can hear such a fragmented conversation and not need to ask what it's about. I don't need to ask, because I know what they're leaving unspoken. I worry about it, too. I'm glad that I am not the only one who knows what's coming. They feel it, too, like a pulse on the wind, war is coming.