AN:I couldn't help but make this into a multi chapter story...I HAD A MIGHTY NEED

Chapter 1: Pull

Jade McHale, eighteen years old, Head Girl of Slytherin at Hogwarts and the top of her class. Born and raised in America until she was fourteen and then relocated to England when her family ws killed in a horrific accident. If you were to ask anyone about the raven haired girl with bright blue eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, that's what they'd tell you. Not many knew a lot about the American girl, not even the Headmaster of the school which seemed oddly strange to everyone. Jade was the epitome of Slytherin in many ways. What she lacked in cruelty and elitism, she made up for in sarcasm and her resigned attitude towards everyone who wasn't a professor, even the Prince of Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, bowed his head when she passed. No one knew anything about her outside of her personality and reputation at the school, and no one wanted to, except Hermione Granger, a fourth year Gryffindor who found the Slytherin to be reticent and cold. Yet, she couldn't deny the desire to know more about the mysterious girl.

The first time she saw the blue eyed girl was in her second year when the Gryffindor and Slytherin quidditch teams had an altercation on their way to the pitch. That's the first time Hermione got captivated by blue eyes, right before Ron tried to curse Malfoy for calling her a mudblood. The whole Slytherin team was laughing at her, except for Jade who just looked at the younger girl with indifference. Now she was fifteen and the Slytherin Queen had hardly said ten words to the Gryffindor in two years. She tried to ignore the curiosity, but something pulled her to the dark haired girl and she wanted to know more about the mystery behind her azure orbs. Hermione was in the library on Halloween, missing out on the sweets and conversation opportunities with the two visiting schools, but she didn't care. All she wanted was peace and quiet from Ron and Harry arguing, just for a little while.

"Do you think Potter had someone put his name in the goblet?" Hermione's ears caught Draco's waspish tone as she looked up and saw the blonde and Jade walking through the library doors.

"I don't know, nor do I care, Draco." Jade's voice was cool and collected as she walked down the aisle of shelves, scanning for the sections for the one she was looking for. "You shouldn't worry yourself over it. Someday you have to overcome your inferiority complex with that boy." The brunette heard Malfoy scoff and she peeked up from her book to see the pair standing in the row ahead of her and to the right.

"I don't have a bloody complex." The younger boy hissed as his hands clenched tight into fists. "It just bothers me that just because he's Harry fucking Potter, he can do whatever he pleases in this ruddy place. He practically has Dumbledore wrapped around his fingers."

"Harry doesn't act like he can do whatever he pleases," The dark haired girl retorted as she grabbed a rather thick book from the shelf and set it gently on the table in front of her. "You just think he does, he's rather modest from what I've noticed, though he does have a knack for trouble."

"You're taking his side?" Hermione was just as surprised as Draco after hearing the girl's answer. "You know he's the bane of my existence."

"I'm not taking sides, Malfoy." Blue eyes glanced over at the boy who tensed slightly even though the gaze wasn't at all threatening. "I am only stating what I have observed of the guy, there is no side to take when one party isn't here to give their opinion. This conversation is biased."

"You're something else McHale." Draco sighed as he shook his head. "Oh, there is something I've been meaning to ask you." Jade nodded as she opened her book and flipped through the pages briskly. "Why didn't you enter your name? You would've been chosen over Diggory for sure, you're leagues ahead of him magic wise. So why?" The Head Girl sighed before looking up from her book right into Malfoy's grey eyes.

"I don't need the money, and I don't seek everlasting glory." She answered quietly as a confused look crossed the younger boy's face. "Why compete if I have nothing to gain?" Hermione was stunned, all this time she thought all Slytherins were pompous and only cared about their own ambitious notoriety, but Jade had just disproved her theory. Suddenly, the brunette sneezed and the talking ceased as Draco moved into the aisle and saw Hermione in the alcove crossways from them.

"Eaves dropping for Potter were you?" A scowl flashed on his face as his eyes narrowed and he approached the girl. "Or just hanging out here because no one wants to be tainted by your filthy blood?" Hermione was about to argue, but a slender hand fell on his shoulder that caused his head to whip around. Draco was at least five feet and six inches at fourteen, and Jade surpassed him by two inches. Her eyes were calm and her expression cold as she looked at the brunette.

"That's enough," Her voice was firm, yet quiet at the same time which made the hair on the back of the Gryffindor's neck bristle. "Being cruel won't make you better, Draco." The boy's mouth fell open slightly as she gaped at the older girl. "Being Head Girl, I don't condone bullying and I don't want to take points from my own house, but I will."

"That's not fair!" Malfoy spat as he wrenched his shoulder from Jade's grasp and spun to face her. "She was listening to us! Eavesdropping!"

"I highly doubt she was, and even so, we weren't talking of anything relevant." The blue eyed girl's gaze hardened as she stared at him and Malfoy growled at her in frustration. Jade always seemed collected in situations where others often lost their temper or break down from stress, but usually her eyes would always give away her emotion to the situation and now her eyes were annoyed. "You're just holding a grudge Draco. If you're truly superior to her, then act like it." Grey eyes narrowed even more if possible as Draco began to clench his teeth. With a loud huff, he turned on his heel and fled the library mumbling to himself, leaving Hermione stunned and alone with Jade. Blue eyes watched the platinum blonde boy leave as she sighed and turned to return to her abandoned tome.

"Thank you," Hermione called as Jade was about to disappear from view in the row of books. The tall girl paused and looked over her shoulder at the brunette who started to fidget under her stoic gaze. "I know…that, uhm, you didn't have to, but thank you anyway."

"I don't understand cruelty." Jade answered as she half turned to look at Hermione better. "Why belittle and harm someone to make yourself appear stronger? To me, it just proves a person's weakness." With that said , black hair swirled as the Slytherin girl turned back towards her space and sat down to read her book. Hermione was shocked, this girl was so mature and indifferent to almost everything that she didn't seem real. Everyone showed emotion, got angry or sad or jealous, but Jade's face never gave her away in those situations and Hermione wanted to know why. It was almost as if Jade didn't feel anything or was alien to emotions in general. A few moments of silence passed before Hermione made a very bold decision.

"May I sit next to you?" Her voice was timid and she chastised herself mentally for appearing so nervous. Blue eyes glanced up with the tiniest hint of surprise as Jade was caught off guard by the girl. Her eyes went cold again within milliseconds as she nodded and turned back to her book. Another few seconds of silence as Hermione took the seat next to the blue eyed Slytherin and opened her own book. "What are you reading?"

"Classic Tragedies," The older girl answered without a pause. Her eyes were glued to the book as she flipped a page and said nothing else. "Specifically, Othello."

"I didn't know you read muggle literature." The brunette tried to hide the curiosity in her tone, but she was sure Jade caught on as a soft chuckle floated into the air. "Usually Slytherins want nothing to do with muggle anything."

"I like Shakespeare," Her answer was short and anything but harsh like her normal tone. This time, there was a softness in it Hermione had never heard before and it seemed as if, even just for a moment, Jade was relaxed in the brunette's presence. "Mainly his tragedies are what I enjoy the most. To read about people at their weakest, like how Iago so easily convinces Othello that Desdemona is being unfaithful to him, just because of a handkerchief, an object that usually is so insignificant. It's intriguing that people put so much meaning into objects."

"Surely someone has given something to you that you treasure or perhaps you've given something to someone?" Hermione said gently as she looked at the dark haired girl with inquisitive brown eyes. "Something small, candy even, can mean so much to someone if it's from a person they care about." Jade finally lifted her head and looked at Hermione thoughtfully, making the brunette blush prettily. "Don't you have anything like that from someone?"

"No," Another short, soft answer as the Slytherin seemed thoroughly confused by the Gryffindor. "Objects have never held a special meaning to me like jewelry or other trinkets of the sort. They've always seemed…impersonal."

"How do you mean?" Intrigue was coating Hermione's voice as she turned in her chair towards the Slytherin.

"Why buy something that anyone could by a copy of or get lost or broken," Blue eyes looked down at the book again just staring at the words. "When words carry so much meaning? Like Othello giving his beloved that piece of cloth, if he hadn't put so much feeling into an object, so much trust, he could've saved himself the pain and trusted Desdemona even after finding the handkerchief in Cassio's belongings because he'd know she loved him only."

"But not everyone can speak freely about what they feel for someone." The brunette debated as she fiddled with the edge of her robe. "Not everyone can speak sonnets and express their feelings to someone they love. Emotions usually cloud their senses and sometimes words can't be formed."

"But, why?" The question was so innocent that Hermione's eyes widened as she saw confusion in bright blue eyes that were staring at her. "Everyone knows how to speak and you don't have to use big words to express feeling or Shakespearean language to confess your love. If I cared for someone I would tell them instead of sending them a gift. That leaves room for miscommunication, they could think I just want to be friends or something of the sort."

"I never thought of it like that." Hermione whispered as she rested her chin in her palm and registered the older girl's words. "Perhaps people believe that actions speak louder than words."

"In certain situations, I would agree with them." Jade conceded the debate as she gave the brunette a small smirk. "But when confessing love, I'll stick to the spoken word." The clock tower chimed softly outside as Jade looked down at her wrist watch and softly closed the book before setting it back on the shelf.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your reading." The Gryffindor said quietly as she watched the Head Girl sling her bag over her shoulder.

"It's not a problem," The older girl sighed as she walked out into the aisle and turned towards the exit. She glanced over her shoulder and blue eyes shocked the brunette, sending goose bumps over the surface of her skin. "I've already read Othello a few times. Thank you for the debate, Hermione." And that was that. Hermione was frozen in place as the Slytherin slipped down the walkway and out of the library, leaving the brunette to run over their conversation again and again as she gathered her things and followed suit. As soon as she entered the Gryffindor common room, she heard her friends laughing and saw them sitting in front of the fire with sweets in their hands.

"Where 'ave you been, 'Mione?" Ron asked as he stuffed his mouth with a chocolate frog. Harry, Ron, and Seamus were sitting on the floor while Ginny was on the couch. "You missed one helluva feast." Hermione walked over and took a seat next to the red headed girl and sighed as Harry handed her a brown paper bag.

"We brought some back for you." Harry added kindly as she accepted the bag with a warm smile at her friend. "So where were you 'Mione?"

"Just catching up on some reading in the library." She answered as she pulled out a licorice wand and nibbled on it absentmindedly. "I have an essay due in Arithmancy in a few days and I wanted to get a good introduction going."

"Run into Malfoy?" Seamus asked as she bit into a treacle tart. "He wasn' at the feast either."

"I did have the unfortunate pleasure." Hermione sighed as she enjoyed her treat. "As always, he was most unpleasant."

"He didn't try to hurt you did he?" The green eyed boy asked as a serious look graced his features. Chestnut waves swished as Hermione shook her head.

"Not physically anyways, but you know how he is." The brunette rolled her eyes before waving her hand dismissively in the air. "Mudblood this and mudblood that, annoying really." Ron scoffed as his face started turning red.

"That wanker," He hissed, his mouth full of Berty Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "I'll hex the hair right off his head."

"Calm down, Ron." Ginny rolled her eyes and gently kicked her brother in the knee. "Hermione is a big girl and can take care of herself. So did you hurt him?" Hermione giggled as she shook her head again and smiled at the girl next to her.

"I didn't have a chance to." The older girl proceeded to tell her friend sabout Jade and how she disciplined Malfoy for being cruel. They all had confused looks on their faces as she finished.

"She always takes points from me." Seamus grumbled as he sat back on his hands and spread his legs out in front of him.

"That's because you're always blowing things up!" Ron laughed as he threw some beans at the brunette boy. The rest of the friends broke out in laughter as Seamus rolled his eyes and shoved some chocolate into his mouth.

x-x

Jade was walking through the corridors on her way to the Great Hall for lunch the next day. She didn't really have many friends in her year because she was so aloof and kept mostly to herself. The conversation with Hermione had been the most she'd ever really talked to someone other than Draco and Marcus Flint and that was only because he was the quidditch captain, a title she now obtained. It was Thursday, and the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year as the school was abuzz with third years going on their very first outing the next day. The dark haired girl sighed as she stopped in front of the Great Hall and noticed the copious amounts of people before sighing. She didn't like large crowds of people and she preferred solidarity instead of sitting with her fellow students to listen to the gossip of the school. Instead, the girl walked past the hall and out into the courtyard where she sat in the cool fall weather. For some reason she couldn't keep her mind from wandering to Hermione Granger who had offered some stimulating conversation which most students around the school couldn't give. Ever since she had arrived in England the girl had distanced herself from her grandfather and hadn't really attempting to form any new connections with people for the main reason of not wanting to put forth the effort to get to know someone who could disappear from her life in an instant.

"Humans are so fleeting." She whispered to herself as she sat on the ledge of the fountain and closed her eyes to take in the sun before winter. The one thing people didn't know about Jade was her family heritage and she wasn't about to convey that information to anyone anytime soon, besides Dumbledore of course.

"Jade?" Blue eyes snapped open as her head whipped around to see Hermione standing behind her with a sheepish look on her face. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I noticed you weren't at lunch and was wondering if you were feeling all right?"

"You've made quite the effort to find me." Jade said nonchalantly as she turned back around and looked down at her reflection in the rippling water. "I'm fine Miss Granger, no need to worry about me."

"Are you hungry?" The brunette asked as she sat down next to the girl and dug into her bag, pulling out an apple before offering it to the girl. "I always have snacks in case I get caught up studying in the library and forget to go to dinner or something."

"You forget to eat?" There was a playful lilt in Jade's voice as the Slytherin quirked an eyebrow at the brunette before taking the offered fruit. This was the first time Hermione had seen a calmer side of Jade where she didn't have a cold expression on her flawless face. The brunette blushed slightly as she nodded and Jade smirked before taking a bite of the apple in her hand. "Thank you Hermione, you're very thoughtful."

"Y-you're welcome." The blush was creeping into the girl's face and blue eyes didn't miss the hint of red that was resting prettily on Hermione's cheeks. "So uhm…"

"What? Are you two friends now?!" Draco came walking towards them with a scowl on his face and Crabbe and Goyle in tow. "That won't look good for you McHale, friends with mudblood of all people, and Granger? What are you thinking?" Hermione stood up and opened her mouth to speak, but it was Jade who held up her hand to silence the girl as she stood up to square off with the blonde.

"I can be friends with whomever I want." The blue eyed girl said calmly as she stared at the blonde boy and his cronies. "You may be a Malfoy, but you can't control everything Draco, most of all you can't influence me with your damned name." Even though her words were dripping venom, her expression was calm, but Hermione noticed the storm brewing in blue eyes that were becoming shadowed with anger. "And leave Hermione out of this, your jealousy isn't a good enough reason to berate her for something so insignificant to her character." The brunette was in between shock and admiration as the Head Girl defended her to the young Malfoy.

"Jealous?!" The boy shrieked as his eyes widened and his hands clamped tight into fists. "Why in the bloody hell would I be jealous of that know-it-all?!"

"Because she's more intelligent than you and in your little world, a muggle-born shouldn't be smarter than a pure blood." Now Hermione could see the taller girl's lips contorting into a scowl as she narrowed her cerulean orbs at the shorter boy. "When will you learn that just because I'm in Slytherin doesn't mean I'm going to act like an arrogant fool? I honestly don't know how much more I can stand of you and your complexes!"

"Watch your tongue half breed." Jade's eyes widened slightly in shock as she stared at the boy who smirked at his small victory. "Yeah, that's right, I know what you are. You think my father would let me come here and stay in Slytherin without knowing who or what is in this school? Unless you want me to spread your little secret to the whole school, I suggest you take back what you said about me."

"I won't succumb to your black mail, whelp." She hissed as she gritted her teeth and her hand hovered over her pocket in case Draco drew his wand, which of course he did and she was ready for it. Her wand was elegant, made of ebony, ten inches long from the handle with a unicorn hair that was freely given instead of plucked when the beast wasn't paying attention. The jet black, smooth wood glinted in the sun and had silver filigree around the handle. "Don't be stupid Malfoy, I far surpass you in any subject, especially dueling." Hermione stood there with her mouth slightly open at the scene that was unfolding in front of her. Four Slytherins, three against one and she tensed as Crabbe and Goyle drew their wands as well with sinister smirks on their faces. "You really think odds will make a difference?"

"Incarcerous!" Draco yelled as chains flew from the tip of his wand and Jade parried easily, ready again in less than a second in case the other two decided to attack as well. Crabbe tried to disarm her, but the Head Girl rebounded it and disarmed Goyle instead who backed away and ran before grabbing his wand off the ground. "Impedimenta!"

"Protego." As usually, the calm nature of Jade's voice and the seriousness of the situation conflicted with one another as she shielded herself from Malfoy's attacks. "Incendio." She whispered as the ground at Crabbe's feet ignited, sending the boy flailing backwards. Brown eyes watched closely as the blue eyed girl seemed to be in her element while dueling the younger student. Her posture was firm, but relaxed as she deflected spell after spell. Draco sneered at her as he cast curse after curse, all of which never landed on their mark. After a few moments, the boy was panting as he made a last ditch effort and his grey eyes glanced over at Hermione.

"Diffindo!" Malfoy's curse headed straight for Hermione who didn't have time to raise her wand and she raised her arms to try and protect herself. Jade gasped as she moved sideways, in front of the girl and grabbed Hermione by the shoulders before pulling her down to get out of the way of the damaging curse. Blood splattered on the brunette's robes and she inhaled sharply as she looked up in horror to see Jade's left shoulder mutilated and bleeding profusely. There was only a hint of pain on the Slytherin girl's face as she looked down at Hermione, yet looking past her at the same time. That's when the Gryffindor noticed their compromising position, Hermione was half lying, half sitting on the ground and Jade was on her hands and knees over top of her. If the older girl hadn't been seriously injured, Hermione would've been blushing.

"Jade," She whispered as she searched blue eyes to make sure the older girl hadn't gone into any kind of shock. Brown eyes caught sight of Malfoy who looked horrified and ran off without another word or gesture. "What a coward." Hermione sat up more which brought her closer to Jade's face and she got a better look at the deep slash marks in the taller girl's shoulder. They were deep enough to where the brunette could see bone and she cringed slightly at the exposed muscle. "We need to get you to the hospital wing, can you stand up?" Jade nodded silently as Hermione scooted out from underneath her and gently grasped her good arm to help her stand. A loud groan escaped the Head Girl's throat as her arm hung lifelessly and caused the wounds to bleed more if possible. "Just hang on ok? Don't pass out on me all right?" They neared the castle when Jade's eyes looked up at Gryffindor in confusion.

"Is that you Jaynee?" Hermione tensed when Jade spoke and noticed her eyes were clouded over. "I'm…I'm sorry I left you, I didn't mean for this to happen." What was she supposed to do? The brunette sighed as she made it to the castle and walked through the doors and towards the hospital wing. "It's my fault you died."

"No," The Gryffindor whispered as blue eyes began to brim with tears. She had never seen Jade show emotion like this and she chalked it up to the blood loss making her hallucinate, but she couldn't stand the amount of despair in those eyes. "No it's not your fault, don't say things like that. You did all you could."

"It is though," The girl's eyelids hooded blue orbs as she glanced up at Hermione with a sad smile on her lips. "If only I had stayed home, you…Jaxyn, mom and dad…you'd all be live right now. They only wanted me, I could've saved you. You were so young…"

"How old was I?" Hermione's voice cracked slightly as they made their way up the stairs slowly and she thought maybe if she could keep the girl talking she wouldn't pass out. "We don't blame you, y'know?"

"You were only ten." Then something happened that the brunette never thought she would see as long as she lived. Jade smiled, a genuine, warm, toothy smile that reached all the way up to her eyes. "But look at you now, all grown up. I bet all the boys are after you." Hermione couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lungs as they finally reached the top of the hospital tower. The Gryffindor wasted no time yelling for assistance as Madame Pomfrey ran out and levitated Jade the rest of the way into the infirmary.

"What happened Miss Granger?" The matron urged as she gently laid the dark haired Slytherin down on an empty bed and began to pack the open wound with clean gauze. "She looks like she got attacked by a dragon."

"Malfoy hit her with the Diffindo spell," The girl was slightly out of breath after carrying half of Jade's weight up two flights of stairs and she sat down in a chair that was at the bedside. "It was aimed at me, but…she, she moved me out of the way and it hit her instead."

"Well at least you know what spell he used." The elder witch said hurriedly as she left momentarily and returned with a small brown bottle. "It makes it easier to treat." Brown eyes watched curiously as the mediwitch unstopped the bottle and administered a few drops of the transparent brown liquid into the gaping wound. Jade tensed as soon as the liquid hit her flesh and cried out in pain. "Can you help keep her still, Miss Granger?" Hermione stood up and gently grabbed Jade's good shoulder to try and hold her steady. The raven haired girl's jaw was clenched tight as blue eyes were wide in pain as more of the liquid was applied. Another cry as Jade's head flew back and her muscles flared underneath Hermione's hands. "I know, I know it stings a bit." Pomfrey cooed gently as she administered a few drops and the Slytherin groaned again.

"Jade, look at me." Hermione pleaded, no longer able to watch the girl thrash in pain. There was a sheen of sweat on the older girl's forehead as eyes were squeezed shut and her breathing got shallow. "Look at me." Blue eyes pried open as they found warm brown orbs that were filled with concern and Jade tried her best not to look away. "It'll be over soon, ok? I promise, just look at me and listen to my voice. Do you recognize me?"

"H-Hermione…" A raspy voice from a dry throat was the girl's answer as the brunette nodded.

"This wound is deep." Pomfrey sighed as she watched the liquid begin to restore missing flesh slowly. "I need to apply a little more." Her eyes found Hermione who nodded and looked back down to the blue eyed girl.

"A few more drops, ok?" Jade nodded vigorously as she locked her gaze on Hermione. "It'll be over after that." The Gryffindor gently grabbed the Slytherin's right hand and squeezed it assuredly as Pomfrey dropped another stopper full of Dittany into the wound. Another choked cry as the Head Girl tensed and squeezed the other girl's hand, but not too tight, it seemed like she wanted to make sure she didn't hurt the brunette.

"All done, all done." The nurse whispered as she set the bottle on the night stand and gently dabbed Jade's forehead to remove the excess sweat from her brown. "Now she just needs some rest." Hermione watched as the wound slowly began to close, much slower than it should've been since Dittany was used, but she had never seen it used on a wound as deep as Jade's.

"Will it heal fully?" She couldn't help but ask as the wound filled back out to shape a normal shoulder, but a good four to five layers of flesh were still forming slowly as Pomfrey bandaged it carefully.

"It may take a few days, but it should." The witch wiped the blood from her hands with a clean white towel and sighed as she looked down at the now sleeping Slytherin. "She's lucky she didn't lose more blood, but it should heal completely, though I can't guarantee there won't be scarring." Hermione nodded as the matron smiled warmly and disappeared behind the divider which led to her office. A heavy sigh escaped the girl's lungs as she sat there with Jade's hand still in hers. It was strange, even though she was sure that she was mistaken, Hermione could've swore that Jade had a fever from the heat radiating off of her hand, but she showed no symptoms of one. She absentmindedly began stroking the back of the older girl's hand with her thumb, slowly tracing the grooves of her knuckles and squeezing it every now and again. Jade had saved Hermione from wounds that could've been more fatal than this since the spell was aimed right for the Gryffindor's chest. She sighed again as she thought about how the girl acted so selflessly for her when they barely knew each other. After a few moments of silence, Harry, Ron and Dumbledore came walking into the infirmary, the Headmaster doing most of the walking.

"Hermione!" Ron and Harry yelled in unison as they approached the sitting girl. She turned to look over her shoulder, never letting Jade's hand leave hers.

"What in the bloody…" Dumbledore looked down at Ron with a quirked eyebrow, as if daring him to finish the profanity. "I mean…what happened 'Mione? Someone saw a trail of blood from the courtyard and said you were carrying a bloody mess of a person." That's when her friend's noticed the Head Girl of Slytherin lying in the bed, asleep with Hermione grasping her hand. "Woah."

"Woah indeed, Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore said softly as he floated over to the opposite side of the bed. He gently lifted Jade's bandages, which caused the sleeping girl to flinch slightly and his blue eyes grew wide as he replaced the gauze again. "Dear Merlin, who did this?"

"It was Malfoy, sir." Hermione answered truthfully as she looked up at her Headmaster. "Jade and Draco…they got into an argument and ended up dueling. At the last minute, Malfoy cast the Diffindo curse at me and Jade moved me out of the way, but ended up taking the curse upon herself instead." Harry and Ron's eyes grew wide as their jaws dropped as Dumbledore processed the information he had just received.

"Well Miss Granger," He said softly as she smiled at the brunette. "It's a good thing you were there to give her help or I don't know if Miss McHale would be recovering as well as she is right now. Come, let's give her the rest she needs." Hermione hesitated to let go of the older girl's hand as her friends and professor turned towards the exit of the infirmary, but she finally decided it was for the best since there was nothing she could do while Jade slept. As she sighed and pushed her chair back, Jade's hand tightened around her own and Hermione gasped as she turned towards the injured girl.

"Her..mione…" Jade's voice was a gravelly whisper as her eyes opened a fraction, enough to where the brunette could see a hint of blue. "Stay…please…don't…go." She was still weak and just speaking seemed to drain the energy from her as she closed her eyes again and began to breath heavily. Hermione's heart jumped to her throat as she swallowed hard to get it back down where it belonged and there was a flutter in her chest. She looked back at her friends who were waiting for her and then back at Jade's sleeping form. Dumbledore smiled knowingly as he ushered the boys out with his hands.

"I think Miss Granger needs to see Madame Pomfrey before she leaves." The elder man lied as she they exited to the hall way. "To make sure she's uninjured from the confrontation." Her friends bought the excuse and waved at her over their shoulders before disappearing down the stairs. Hermione smiled to herself as she sat back down, scooting her chair closer to the bed so she could rest her hand on the mattress before gently caressing Jade's hand and in turn she felt a gentle squeeze of recognition which brought a warm feeling that filled her very being.

"You're like a magnet." Hermione whispered as she looked at the serene look on the Slytherin's face. "Why couldn't I be made out of wood instead of metal?"

After being checked over my Madame Pomfrey, which really wasn't necessary, she sat back down by Jade's bedside until the sun began to sink below the horizon. The brunette was dozing as she folded her arms on the mattress next to the Slytherin's waist and her eyes started to close until she felt the warm hand that was in hers twitch. A groan floated through the air as she sat up straight and Jade opened her eyes before blinking a few times.

"Hermione?" Jade whispered softly as she looked at the Gryffindor with her eyes half closed. "What happened?" She tried to sit up and hissed in pain as she felt pain shoot through her left shoulder. "Damn."

"Malfoy attacked me," Hermione said quietly as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her brown eyes. "You…well, you pushed me out of the way and it hit you instead. You were passed out for a few hours, but Madame Pomfrey said your shoulder should make a full recovery." Jade looked down at her shoulder the best she could before she sighed and noticed that Hermione was still clutching her hand which caused a hint of red to creep into her cheeks.

"I remember…" Blue eyes glanced down at her shoulder and sighed heavily, not removing her hand from the brunette's grasp. "Did you get hurt?" Hermione blushed slightly as the older girl looked the brunette up and down before shaking her head and clearing her throat.

"N-no, you got me out of the way." Jade gave her a small smile before leaning back into the bed and exhaling heavily through her nose. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore." The Slytherin opened her eyes half way and felt the strongest urge to gently squeeze the brunette's hand, but instead the Gryffindor let go of her hand and began to fidget with the bed sheet. "Other than that, a little tired." At that moment, Madame Pomfrey came around the corner of her office and examined the Slytherin's temperature before changing her bandages.

"Looks like your healing is coming along steadily." The matron said quietly as she carefully peeled off the bandages and Hermione gasped as she felt Jade's hand grasp hers a little tighter which sent tiny shock waves through her skin. "Sorry dear, they're still healing, but the dittany is working a little slower than normal."

"That's ok." Jade winced as the nurse unwrapped her chest and brown eyes shot to the ground to avoid raking over the older girl's naked upper body. "As long as I'm not bleeding out anymore." A few moments passed before the grip on Hermione's hand relaxed a bit and she glanced up to see Jade's body rewrapped in fresh, clean bandages.

"You're free to leave whenever you feel capable of walking." Pomfrey said as she set a couple vials of transparent purple liquid. "Take one of these tonight before you sleep and in the morning when you get up. No classes until your wounds are completely healed, do you understand?" Jade nodded as the mediwitch walked out of the infirmary and back into her office as Hermione felt the older girl adjust and then noticed she was holding the brunette's hand.

"S-sorry." She whispered as she slipped her hand out of Hermione's grasp, who started missing the contact immediately. "Could you hand me my shirt please?" The brunette looked at the dress shirt that was draped over the frame of the bed and grabbed it. Jade swung her legs over the side of the mattress and blushed slightly as she cleared her throat. "Uhm...c-could you help me put it on?" Now it was Hermione's turn to blush as she nodded and went around the bed to slip one sleeve of the shirt on Jade's good arm. It took a couple seconds to get the second sleeve on as Jade had to maneuver slowly so she wouldn't reopen her wounds. When the garment was on, the Slytherin slowly began to do up the buttons as Hermione moved back around to sit in the chair at Jade's bed side. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The brunette nodded as she watched the older girl leave the top two buttons undone. "Would you like me to walk you down to the dungeons?" The older girl looked at her with surprise before nodding and running a hand through her long hair. Jade needed some assistance standing up and Hermione took her bag and added it to her other shoulder as they walked, very slowly, down the stairs towards the dungeons.

"You didn't have to carry my bag, Granger." Jade said gently as she looked over at her as they progressed down the spiral staircase. "I still have one good shoulder."

"Consider this a thank you." Hermione said with a warm smile as they reached the bottom of the stairs and walked past the Great Hall and down towards the Slytherin common room. "You didn't have to do what you did for me, so I feel like I have a lot to make up for until we're even."

"I don't expect anything from you in return." The older girl said calmly as she paused outside of the dungeons. "I just…I didn't want to see him hurt you. It was cowardly of Malfoy to try and go after you."

"You're very strange." The Gryffindor said gently and Jade chuckled as they continued to walk. "Are you sure you were supposed to be in Slytherin?" The stairs down to the dungeons were dimly lit and empty as they made their way down. They stopped at a wall that had the crest of Slytherin on one of the torches.

"I'm sure." The seventh year smirked before turning towards the wall. "Pure blood." The wall began to move and revealed a hidden corridor leading to the Slytherin common room.

"Nice password." The fourth year said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"If it makes you feel better," Jade said with her eyebrows raised. "I didn't choose it." Surprisingly that did make Hermione feel a little better as she as the older girl smirked and took her bag from Hermione. "Thanks for carrying my bag, but I think you probably shouldn't come into the common room, in case Malfoy is there." The brunette hadn't even thought about following Jade past the corridor as she blushed slightly under the gaze of the Slytherin. "But, thank you for your help and uhm…would you…want to study with me sometime?" Hermione giggled softly at the awkward, yet fitting suggestion to study together as Jade rubbed the back fo her neck with her good hand.

"I'd like that." The brunette answered quietly as she locked eyes with Jade who smiled calmly and nodded her head. "I'll meet you in the library tomorrow after classes?"

"I'll see you then." Jade gave her another soft, charming smile before turning and walking down the corridor towards the Slytherin common room. Hermione watched as the walls moved back to their original places and sighed as she turned to head up to Gryffindor Tower.