Everything Goes

Everything Goes

Chapter Six

Time progressed at a leisurely pace. Draco and I slowly settled into a relationship, and it was far from easy. Jade took to teasing us every chance she got, although, considering that no one outside of the three of us knew about the relationship, the teasing was confined to brief moments when the three of us were alone. Draco and I took to flinging things at her when she wasn't looking as means of retaliation. Business as usual for our, as Draco had become fond of calling it, 'holy trinity'.

It seemed that Lady Fate was smiling upon us and that all would be well.

However, Lady Fate is a sadistic, fickle old bitch and has quite a nasty habit of turning on you right when you think you've won.

The second game had arrived.

However, it turned out to not be a big deal at all. We came in second, much to our chagrin, but still received twenty-five points, which meant we kept our lead. So we weren't too disappointed. Although we did try to accuse them of cheating, in short: don't ever try that when Severus Snape is supervising.

After the second game turned out to be so easy, we relaxed a bit. One thing I should have learned by that point in my life, however, was that I could never safely relax. But, I suppose allowances must be made considering that Draco and I were still a bit unsure about us. Jade was annoyingly smug, going around school grinning like a Cheshire cat every time she saw us even standing together. Her mind, when it came to us at least, was eternally in the gutter.

Three days after the game, she took to smirking wickedly in our direction twenty times a day. It was a smirk that said both 'I know something you don't know' and 'I'm plotting something'.

But of course, I thought at some point, she's a Slytherin; they're always plotting something.

"Jade, you're plotting, it's practically written all over your face. What is it?" I asked after a while.

"Nothing..." she said in with a faux innocence neither Draco nor I believed.

"Yes you are," Draco said flatly.

"Well..."

"Spill," I ordered.

"I..."

I'd never seen her quite this agitated before; she was almost jumpy.

"What is it, Jade?" Draco asked, a lot more gently then before.

"Nothing," she said a bit sharply, she then got up out of her chair and left my rooms.

"There is definitely something bothering her," Draco mused, half to himself.

"I thought she was plotting some new way to influence our lives."

"Me, too, but I don't think so anymore. She seems, well, agitated and completely absorbed with something."

"What do you think it is? You know her better then I do, has she ever acted this way before?"

"No, that's why I can't figure out what's going on with her."

"It's almost creepy, she seems so...different."

"I know, but," Draco smiled, "We can worry about her later. When she's more willing to talk."

We didn't talk much for the remainder of the evening.

* * *

Later that week, I was in the Gryffindor Common Room for the first time in a while. I was also being treated a bit badly.

"Where are your new Slytherin friends?" said Ron, trying to sneer, but failing miserably.

"Draco's working on a project and Jade is off doing whatever it is she does when she disappears without warning," I said mildly.

"What do you mean, disappears?" Ron demanded.

"She sometimes wanders off alone to do her own thing. Draco and I don't own her, you know. She's her own person."

"So you don't care enough to go after her?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't keep tabs on my friends, Ron, just like I hope they don't keep tabs on me."

"Well, maybe you should! Who knows what Slytherins like Latimer get up to when not watched closely enough!"

"That's enough, Ron, you're acting like a two-year-old," Ginny said coolly, looking up from her parchment.

"Ginny, you've been acting almost as weird as Harry, what's going on?" Ron turned his anger with me at his sister.

"Ron, leave her alone," I interjected, "Why don't we take a walk, Ginny? As we're obviously unwelcome in our own House."

"Yes, let's." She set down her parchment and followed me out.

"So," she said casually as we walked away, "Do you really not know where Jade is, or do you just not want to tell us?"

"I honestly don't know."

"You seem worried." She looked a bit concerned.

"I am."

"What about?"

"Jade."

"Care to talk about it? We could walk and you can tell me all your worries and, though I can't guarantee that I can cure them, I will listen and offer advice where I can. Though, if my advice is faulty, I won't be held responsible."

I smiled. "All right, where to start?"

"The beginning's always good. Or, if there isn't a beginning, just pick a place and we'll call it the beginning. Who would know the difference?"

I laughed; Ginny had this wonderful talent for making me feel better. Very much like Draco and Jade, really. Ever since Ginny had completely recovered from her ill-fated crush after the Triwizard debacle, when she'd realized that she hadn't actually had a crush on me for a while and just wanted to be my friend and confidante, I'd discovered her to be a smart, cool-headed person with a strong personality. It was in moments like these that I felt like she was truly my best friend in the world.

"Well, Jade's been acting funny lately, at first we, that's Draco and I, thought she was plotting something. But, she's obviously not, as, when asked point-blank what the hell she was doing, she refused to tell us and got a bit upset. Which, okay I admit it, is very upset for Jade who never gets upset. So, we're trying to figure out what's going on and she's not helping and, damn it, we're getting really worried about her!"

"You and Draco are getting really close, aren't you?" she asked with a sage manner I'd never before attributed to her. I noticed how she'd started calling them by their first names, probably because she knew it meant a lot to me to have them accept my friendship.

"Yes, we are."

"Maybe Jade needs someone, too."

I blinked at her in surprise.

"Or did I interpret your closeness wrong?"

I smiled and shook my head, laughing silently. "No, no Gin, not at all."

"I thought so. You two make a really cute couple, did you know?"

"Thanks."

"Anyway, Jade needs someone, maybe that's why she's acting strange."

"Maybe, any suggestions?"

"Well it really depends on her sexual preference, wouldn't you agree?"

I marvelled momentarily that I was having this conversation with my Ron's little sister. But, then I remembered that Ginny was nothing like Ron and moved on.

"I actually don't know."

"Well, if you had to guess, what would you say?" Ginny looked very professional, though she had a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Honestly? I'd guess that she's bisexual, she strikes me as being the kind of person who would be with anyone worth her time, regardless of gender."

"That certainly opens up a lot of avenues, doesn't it?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Why this sudden interest in Jade Latimer's love life?"

"Well, I," Ginny hesitated, "I guess I like her."

"Like her how exactly? As a friend? Romantically? Physically?"

"All of the above?" she said, smiling almost sheepishly.

I grinned. "Aww, isn't that sweet? Ginny, my dear, I think you may have solved the problem."

"What? How?"

"Why, by setting Jade up with you, of course."

The colour receded from Ginny's cheeks. "No, you can't, what if she doesn't like me?"

"Come on, Gin, I know you're not that modest. You're beautiful, smart, witty, qualities I happen to know Jade is partial to."

"But..."

"No buts, I am setting you and Jade up, it'll be brilliant. I'll get Draco to help me."

She sighed. "Fine, when? And what am I doing?"

"Hmm, how about you show up in the rose gardens at four o'clock Saturday afternoon? We'll handle the rest."

"That's it? Show up in the rose gardens at four on Saturday? Wait, what rose gardens?"

"The ones students aren't supposed to know about, but Draco and I found. I'll show you."

I walked off in the direction of the gardens, but Ginny stopped me.

"Wait, what do I wear?"

"Whatever you want."

"Okay, I can handle this, show me the gardens."

And we were off, I was planning the 'date' and Ginny, I'm sure, was planning her method of attack. I realized later that I'd forgotten to mention that Jade wasn't vicious, though I couldn't promise that she wouldn't bite.

* * *

Saturday came with agonizing slowness that week. Jade, perfectly willing to meet her date when we told her on Tuesday (we had neglected to tell her who she was meeting; all she knew was that the person was a girl, and all she'd had to say on that was, "she'd better be gorgeous and smart"), started panicking on Saturday morning. We tried to calm her down with no great success.

"What do you think I should do with my hair?" she asked, somewhat frantically, standing in front of my mirror and brushing out her wavy hair, of which she had roughly enough for two people.

Draco and I had long since collapsed onto the bed in frustration with her and, at that moment, I was attempting to massage some of the knots from my boyfriend's overly tense shoulders.

Draco glanced up, well, tried to; he had relaxed to the point of having little control over his limbs.

"Pull it back at the base of your neck with the silver ribbon, but leave a little bit loose to frame your face."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, that always looks nice, and you've got far too much hair to do much else. I swear your hair has a mind of it's own, it always jumps out of anything more complicated... Ow! Haaaarry..." he finished in a whiny moan.

"What?"

"That hurt!"

"It isn't my fault your shoulders are this mangled."

"They are not 'mangled', they just never loosen up." He tried to sound haughty, though it didn't really work, considering that he was lying facedown on my bed.

"Eventually, I will fix that, it's probably not healthy." I deliberately jabbed his shoulder sharply. He jumped.

"Hello? Guys? I hate to interrupt, but which shirt do you like better?"

Jade had already decided to wear her black pants, however, she couldn't decide which shirt she wanted to wear with them.

I looked this time; Draco was practically boneless and didn't even attempt to move. There were three shirts: a green silk blouse, a blue shirt with sleeves that reached her elbows, and a burgundy shirt that laced up the front and had bell-shaped sleeves.

"The burgundy."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Jade, the black pants, your hair pulled back like Draco said, and your burgundy shirt."

"What about shoes?"

"The black boots!" Draco and I snapped at the same time, knowing that those were her favourite shoes and that they would go with the rest of the outfit.

"Okay, okay, no need to snap at me. I'll go change." She went into the bathroom with her clothes over one arm.

"That, Draco, was even worse than you at your worst. I am impressed, if not a bit scared."

"Right now, I am far too comfortable to care. You know, I liked you before, hell, I was in love with you before, but this is what truly convinced me to never let go of you."

"Oh, really? Well what's to stop me from getting sick of you and leaving?"

"This." He rolled over, pulled me down, and kissed me.

A few moments later, I pulled away, smiled, flicked his hair off his forehead and said, "I guess I'll keep you, then."

"Good, now continue."

"Is that how you ask someone to do something for you?" I asked, I was teasing him and he knew it, but he chose to respond as though I'd been serious.

"Please?" he pouted.

"Oh, all right." I sighed in a long, suffering fashion and resumed kneading his neck and shoulders.

"Mmmm." Draco let his eyes fall closed.

"You have a lovely back, Mister Malfoy, did you know?"

"Of course, everything about me is lovely."

I hit the back of his head lightly.

"Prat," he muttered into the coverlet.

I smirked and kissed his neck.

Jade came back in. "Harry, I'm leaving my stuff in here, I'll get it later."

I nodded and she, setting the stuff in the corner, went to the door. But, before she left, she added in a completely Jade statement.

"Aw, aren't you two cute? All sweet and cuddly?" she grinned wickedly and exited.

"Well, one thing is certain in this world, Jade will forever be Jade, no matter how nervous she is."

"Jade is scary when she's nervous," I replied. "All right, my hands are going numb, I'm finished."

"Fine, fine," Draco said, sitting up. "I've got a better way for us to spend our time, anyway."

It really was, in truth, a better way to spend the evening.

* * *

Jade was away for several hours. I believe, though she never told us, that she spent all of that time with Ginny. She refused, point-blank, to tell us the details. All we know for sure is that she and Ginny were together from that day forward. What happened in the rose gardens will forever remain a mystery. Okay, so that's a bit melodramatic.

Anyway, when we did see Jade again, it was breakfast the next day and Jade and Ginny, brave (or perhaps simply over-confident) souls that they were, walked in together. I swear upon all that I hold holy (we'll go into what I hold holy at some other time) that the room, the entire room, went dead silent in under twenty seconds. Draco and I timed it from our perch under my Invisibility Cloak right inside the door (we'd wanted a perfect view of the spectacle they were about to create).

"I love it when Jade wreaks havoc," Draco whispered in my ear.

"This is brilliant," I breathed back, hugging him a little tighter.

They walked, calm and almost haughty, to the Gryffindor Table, where Jade smiled and pecked Ginny lightly on the cheek before sauntering to the Slytherin Table.

Slowly, the noise level in the Great Hall went back to normal, from out position, it sounded as though most of the conversation revolved around Jade and Ginny.

"That, my darling Draco, has got to be a record. Dumbledore himself can't even quiet the room that fast."

"Agreed, shall we go get our own breakfast from the house elves, or do you want to join the Gryffindors?"

"Breakfast with you sounds fabulous, let's split before anyone walks too close and notices us."

We hurried out of the hall.

* * *

Then, as we all had a feeling it would, all hell broke loose.

* * *

What happened was...well we still don't know exactly. But whatever it was happened. Basically, one day when we'd all been taking refuge from the outside world in my rooms and had fallen asleep (very strange, that, as it hadn't been late when we'd apparently slipped into slumber), we woke up some amount of time later in a Muggle hotel room.

"Where in the seven hells are we?" Jade's voice woke Draco and I up.

"What?" I yawned.

"Where are we?" she repeated.

I opened my eyes and looked around. Yes, Jade was right, we definitely were not anywhere familiar.

"I think," I said hesitantly, for I had no experience in such things, "That this is a Muggle hotel room."

"What?" Draco snapped.

"A Muggle hotel room." My voice was firm.

"How did we get here?" Ginny asked, before Draco could say anything else.

"The gods only know," Jade muttered, then louder, "Unless one of you did something really stupid without clearing it with me first."

"No," the rest of us said in unison.

Jade had wandered over to the closet.

"What do you know, there are clothes here, this was well-planned, whoever did it. Which completely rules out any of you, anyway, so forget I tried blaming you."

Draco flung a pillow at her.

"Are we getting dressed, or do you three just want to sit in here all day?" Jade said, flinging the pillow back at Draco. It hit me instead.

"Dressed," Draco said firmly. "Then out."

"Agreed," I said.

We dressed hurriedly in the Muggle clothing hanging in the closet. Ginny made the discovery that our wands were in a drawer.

"What kind of idiot would kidnap us and not take our wands?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Do we really want to know?" I asked.

"Are we going or not?" Ginny inquired.

"We're going," Jade replied, grabbing us and pulling us out the door.

We got down to the front desk (after struggling momentarily with the elevators, which I had to explain the concept of), then, after briefly glancing around, exited the hotel.

"Okay, where are we?" Ginny asked.

"London," Jade and I said at the same time.

"I know that, you twits, I meant, where in London are we?" she sounded exasperated.

To everyone's surprise, Jade was the one who promptly answered, "A few streets down from Oxford Street."

"And that would be where?" Draco asked, sounding as though it took everything he had to prevent himself from killing her.

Jade sighed. "Honestly, have you never been to London? Oxford Street is the really long street that's busy and entirely made up of Muggle shopping centres. Oxford Circus is at one end. The end that we are no where near, come to think of it."

"How do you know all of that?" I asked.

"I know London, Mother and I spend our summers here."

"Oh, all right then," I paused. "Where to?"

"Away," Ginny said sharply.

"What?" Draco looked at her like she'd lost her mind.

She pointed to the men running towards us. "Do you want to wait around to find out what they want? Because I don't."

We looked at each other and ran.

"This," Jade gasped after a few minutes, "is stupid! We are never going to get away from them on foot!"

"If you have any suggestions I'd like to hear them!" Draco snapped.

"I do, actually, follow me."

She ran off onto a side street where a woman was getting into her car.

She skidded to a stop. "Excuse me, ma'am, may we borrow your car?"

The poor woman looked at us in shock. "Wh-what?"

Jade smiled sweetly. "Your car, may we please borrow it for a bit?"

She held out the keys, I don't think she knew quite what was happening.

Jade's smile was positively endearing. "Thank you, we really appreciate it." She turned to us and ordered, "Get in."

We clambered into the car; it had a small backseat and only driver and passenger doors. Ginny dove over the seat into the back and Draco and I ended up in the front with Jade.

Jade smiled one last time at the woman, took out her wand and said calmly, "Obliviate. Thank you for the directions,"

"Of course," she said dreamily, then she wandered off.

Jade locked the doors and looked stared at the dashboard for a moment.

"Do you know how to drive?" I demanded.

"Somewhat." She put the key in the ignition and turned it.

"Here." I reached across Draco and released the parking brake.

"Drive!" Ginny snapped, "They're coming!"

And Jade sped off down the street; Ginny grabbed the back of her seat to keep from getting smashed into the windshield. Draco and I held on for dear life.

"Go, go, go!" Draco hissed.

"Don't worry," Ginny replied, "They're running, we're in a car. There's no way they'll catch up."

"Until they follow our lead and steal a car," I said.

"We did not steal it!" Jade snapped.

"What do you call it, then?"

"Borrowing with no intention of ever returning. Now shut up, I'm trying to drive."

"They key word being 'trying'," Draco muttered dryly.

"Oh, like you could do any better!"

"Did I say that? I never said that. I simply said that you can't drive."

"Red light, Jade!" I said, suddenly noticing that the light had turned.

"They'll move!"

"No, really they won't."

"Why not?"

"Because they're Muggles, Muggles live by their own rules. Muggles will not stop when four teenagers without a single driver's license between them are speeding towards a red light, and incidentally them, in a stolen car."

"What will they do then?"

"Call the police and have said teenagers arrested."

"But they can't do that."

"Do you care to test that theory?"

"Don't, Jade," Draco said, "Muggles are all mad."

Jade stopped at the light. She really did not want to spend time in a Muggle prison.

About ten minutes later, Muggle police stopped us.

"Damn," Jade said thoughtfully.

"Damn," Draco agreed.

The man stepped up to the driver side window and tapped on the glass. Jade rolled the window down, trying to act like she knew exactly what she was doing. I was silently praying to gods I did not believe in.

"Do you know how fast you were going?" he asked.

"Seventy?" she guessed, trying to sound innocent.

"Ninety-five."

"Oh," she chewed on her lower lip in a fake show of nervousness. I schooled my face into a slightly worried expression, trying desperately not to laugh.

"Also, you were driving very recklessly."

Is there any other way to drive ninety-five kilometres an hour? I thought.

"I'm sorry, sir," Jade said breathlessly. "It's just, we received this call from the hospital, our cousin is dying and they need us there and..." She broke off in a rather realistic sob.

Draco patted her arm comfortingly. "We've got a very loving family, Jade and... Maria have always been especially close, more like sisters than cousins. We were in such a hurry to get there, to say goodbye, you know, that we weren't paying as much attention as we should have been."

I quickly turned my laughter into slightly strangled sobs. Ginny was pretending to weep in the back, her face buried in the seat.

"I'm sorry," the police officer said sincerely. "This must be so hard for you, you can go, just drive more carefully."

"Thank you, sir," I choked out. "Maria, she'll be so glad to see us before..." I trailed off.

"Go on."

We rolled up the window and drove off, slower this time. We waited till we got away from the police car before we burst into hysterical laughter.

"And the award for best performance on short notice goes to... Jade Latimer!" I gasped out.

"That was brilliance, sheer brilliance!" Draco said, leaning against me to support his laughter.

"I cannot believe we pulled that off," Ginny said, leaning forward. "I thought we were so dead. You three did a great job with the grief."

"And your weeping in the backseat was an excellent backdrop for our little performance. It added a sense of realism to the whole scene," Draco said authoritatively.

"That was the only thing I could do to keep him from realising that I was laughing."

"Well, it was well done, that's for sure," Jade said.

A moment later, we found ourselves sitting in Hogsmeade, minus the car, and in front of several very angry Hogwarts professors.

"Um, hi," Jade smiled and waved, trying to ignore the fact that they were giving us a look that promised expulsion, or something equally unpleasant.