"Watch this one," Jinx yelled as an idea entered her mind, "expecto patronum!" The glowing white wolf appeared, leading a trail of snowflakes as it bounded around her and Draco.

"Alright," Draco spoke in a worn out voice watching the wolf prance happily, "you win."

Jinx giggled and leaned against Draco, her patronus disappearing as she let her concentration fade. After some quiet she asked, "Draco, why are you working for Umbridge?"

"Well, like she'd said," he spoke somewhat uncomfortably, "I get extra credit for it."

Jinx looked up into his stormy eyes. "Is that all?"

Draco looked down as he went on, "to tell you the truth, I've always hated Harry Potter, as you know...and I know he's part of this so..."

Jinx frowned, but nodded in understanding. "But why?" She pressed on, "Harry really is a good person."

"I'm sure to you, and a lot of people, he is," Draco replied in a voice that gave away a hint of longing. With that, the conversation ended.

Jinx and Draco walked back to Hogwarts, arriving just as the sun was beginning to set. They sat on a couch in the common room together, staying warm by the fireplace. And before they knew it, they'd fallen asleep together once again.

• December 25, 1995 •

Jinx woke to a hand gently shaking her shoulder. When she opened her eyes, Draco was looking down at her from his seat beside her. He purred playfully, "good morning, sleepy head."

Jinx smiled wide, a yawn escaping her mouth, "good morning."

"Merry Christmas," Draco cooed with a soft kiss on her forehead. A small sigh escaped Jinx's lips as she looked up at the Malfoy boy with her sleepy eyes. "How adorable," he complimented.

Jinx felt her cheeks turn red at his forward statement and hid her face in his chest. "Merry Christmas," she muttered, her voice muffled by Draco's shirt. 

Draco laughed and stood. "Come on," he held a hand out to Jinx, "let's get something to eat."

And that was just the start of an amazing winter break. Most days, Draco and Jinx took it easy, enjoying their time together to the fullest. There was a good bit of teasing, some hanging out with others, and of course lots of love. They celebrated the coming of a new year at midnight on the 31st and fell asleep with each other every night.

It comforted Jinx to sleep next to the boy that loved her more than anything in the world. His warmth and body heat kept her cozy on the cold winter nights. They'd never been so happy and carefree.

• January 12, 1996 •

"Turn to page two hundred and fifty six," Snape ordered in his usual, monotonous voice.

The potions classroom was quickly filled with the sound of pages being flipped vigorously. Jinx and Harry stared down at the page. "Pepperup Potion," they read aloud in unison.

"Pepperup Potion has the power to cure minor illnesses, such as a cold or the flu," the professor explained briefly. "As written in your textbooks, it is made in two separate parts," he went on, "pay very close attention..to detail."

With that final instruction, everyone began creating their brews in pairs. Harry and Jinx, who'd become potions buddies since her arrival, worked together.

Throughout the whole, long process, there was no talking. Jinx found herself day dreaming of meeting in The Room of Requirement later that evening. She wondered how Draco would react if he knew that she was a part of it. He said he's only helping Umbridge for the extra point, and because he hates Harry, Jinx thought, I'm sure he won't mind too badly that I'm a part of it.

However as she thought, Jinx accidentally overheated the potion and it turned an ugly blackish gray color. Needless to say, Snape was disappointed.

Once potions class had ended, the four friend left class. "That class always drags on so long," Ron complained.

"Oh stop complaining," Hermione snapped, "at least it's Friday."

"That is true," Ron agreed with a shrug. He then piped up curiously, "hey, aren't we going to The Room of Requirement?"

"Yeah, but we're going a different way today," Harry explained as he lead on, not letting his guard down for a second.

"Umbridge has been figuring out when we meet and our meeting spots," Jinx went on to tell.

Once finally in the safety of their secret practicing room, they all finally relaxed. This day would be a review day where everyone practiced on their own what they needed to most.

Harry walked around the room, stopping to help people every not and again. Hermione was helping Ron figure out a more advanced spell. Jinx watched happily, not needing any practice. Because she was, in fact, ninety eight years old, she'd had plenty of years of training. There was one spell however, that she'd never used until Harry's class.

Turning to face an empty space, Jinx concentrated on a happy memory and cast her patronus. Even after already having seen it before, it still caught the attention of a few other students. Jinx watched the wolf walk toward her, as if it could see her with it's own eyes, as if it were an actual living creature.

Kneeling on her shakey knees, Jinx looked directly into the wolf's green eyes, just inches from her face. It's fur was made of thin tendrils of white light, floating as if in a breeze. And there was a look in this wolf's eyes that Jinx had seen before.

*Boom...boom!*

A loud explosion pulled everyone from their concentration. All eyes were now on the gaping whole in the wall, and the twisted look of satisfaction on Umbridge's face.

Immediately Jinx's heart sank, for stranded with the evil professor was Draco. But when he noticed her, their eyes locked. His smirk faded and his eyes widened. There was an obvious, 'what have I done', look on his face now, mixed with his surprise and shock.

Jinx shot him a sort of, 'I knew it would happen eventually', half smile, showing that she wasn't mad at him. 

But now, all of her peers faced the wrath of Umbridge, and who knew what she had in store for them?