• January 13, 1996 •

They'd been in detention for the whole Saturday morning. Their writing hands ached from the line they had to repeatedly scribble, and their opposite hands hurt from the cursed quills' damage.

When they were finally free, no one worn smiles. Jinx looked down at her left hand, blood seeping from it slowly. Bruising had already begun to show around the wound. She took out a cloth from her robe pocket and pressed it to her hand, wincing in pain.

There was no more celebrating, no more magic practice. For all they knew at the time, Dumbledore's army had failed.

Jinx spent the remainder of her Saturday sulking in the Slytherin common room. Many other Slytherins who'd heard about her being part of the event whispered and giggled around her, making secret comments that couldn't have possibly been kind.

But Jinx couldn't have cared less. She was in pain, physically and emotionally. Sure her hand hurt, but what hurt the most was the thought of never being able to bring Dumbledore back. She felt drained of hope and energy.

Not too long after she'd come back from detention, Draco entered the common room. Upon hearing the snide comments some people were making, he shot death glares in every direction. Most of the whispering stopped, but few students continue on, not caring what Draco thought.

Draco approached Jinx and held out a hand to help her up off the couch where she sat. Confused, she hesitantly took his hand. "Come on, let's go somewhere quieter," his voice held obvious irritation in it.

Jinx couldn't help but feel a bit happier; was he really that upset about the others spreading rumors about her?

Together they left the common room in a hurry. Draco led Jinx outside where they were still technically in the castle. They were many stories high when they decided to have a seat in a small stone staircase. It almost looked like a tunnel, except for the single large open space in the walls that showed an indescribably beautiful outside view.

Draco began to speak, "I'm sorry about yesterday, I had no idea.."

"It's alright," Jinx replied with a genuine smile, "I know you weren't trying to get me into trouble."

"Let me see your hand," Draco spoke in a troubled voice. When he saw how bad it was, he sighed deeply, "this is why you need to tell me things like that." He wasn't angry, not even hurt, just full of worry.

"I should've told you," Jinx admitted shamefully, "I was afraid you wouldn't like that I was a part of it. Now I see how silly it was of me to think that."

Draco looked deeply into Jinx's ocean eyes and spoke sincerely, "I love everything about you, including your rebellious nature. I would never judge you for your actions."

Jinx leaned up and kissed him on the lips, "I know."

Draco's gray eyes still held sorrow and worry as he glanced back down at her bruised hand. "Can magic heal it, or is it a curse?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, I haven't tried," Jinx replied shaking her head.

Draco got out his wand, holding it in his right hand and Jinx's hand in his left. He waved it slowly and chanted quietly, "reparifors."

The bruising reduced a bit, and there was pain relief, but that was all the spell could do. Still scabbed and in pain, Jinx just excepted it.

"Any other secrets I should know before accidentally getting you into trouble again?" Draco asked with an amused smile, though his question was also serious.

Jinx laughed quietly before replying, "none at the moment."

Shaking his head, Draco sighed over dramatically, "trouble maker."

"I'm a trouble maker?!" Jinx repeated, almost shouting from shock. "Mr. Always-picking-fights-with-the-Gryffindors," she teased accusatively.

"I told you I'm not doing that as much anymore," Draco insisted with a chuckle, "besides, if you thought I was bad this year, you should've seen me last year." His cheeks blushed and Jinx could tell he was somewhat ashamed of his past actions.

Once he finished talking, Draco took the spare cloth that Jinx had on her hand. He unbunched it and flattened it, then folded it into a thick strip. "Give me your hand," his order was gentle and loving. 

Jinx did as she was told. The back of her hand was still seeping a bit of blood, so Draco wrapped the strip of clothe around it, under her palm, and back. He did this until the cloth was too short to go on, then tied it off. "There," he said with a smile, "that should do. Just make sure you keep it clean so it doesn't get infected."

Jinx dramatically bowed her head and replied with a playful grin, "why thank you, Dr. Malfoy. What would I ever do without you?"

Draco chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders. They sat together like this for a long time, eventually even watching the sun set.

• January 29,1996 •

Jinx was in the library with Hermione and Ron after classes that day. The past few weeks had been quiet and uneventful, but she was beginning to notice Harry's absence in the afternoons.

"Where has Harry been going after classes lately?" She whispered to her friends.

"Private lessons with Snape," Ron answered in disgust.

Jinx winced, knowing how harsh that must be for her friend. "What on Earth did he do to deserve that?"

"It's because Voldemort keeps prying into his memories and getting information," Hermione explained further, "Snape's trying to teach him to block it out."

Jinx nodded in understanding, however she still felt bad for her friend. She couldn't help but feel that everything happening now was her fault. If she'd just waited to see if Tom was the one so many years ago, Voldemort never would have been born.

Ron must've been watching her face, for he knew exactly what she was thinking. "Hey, don't worry so much," he assured her, "none of us blame you for what's going on."

Jinx smiled in relief, "thanks, Ron." Ron returned the smile and looked back down at his book.