A FEW days had gone by in Jade's life with no real developments. She had heard whispers from Anthony and Michael that Luna was going to finally ask her out, and she had heard that it was going to be a huge, extravagant event, but she wasn't so sure about the last bit. All she knew was that she was finally going to be with Luna Lovegood, and that was what mattered.

Professor Umbridge had decided to rename herself High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, which the girls made fun of in their dormitory constantly.

"Oh, I'm going to issue a decree banning the reading of Muggle books." Su would say, trying to pull Mandy's book from her hands.

"And I'm going to issue a decree banning Su from the Ravenclaw Tower." Mandy would laugh, shoving her off the bed.

Mandy had finally gotten the guts to ask Anthony out, and now they were together. They were also completely inseparable. If you turned a corner and saw Mandy, Anthony wasn't too far behind her. If you saw Anthony walking alone to a class, he was going to meet Mandy and walk her to the next class, no matter how far it was from his own.

It was adorable, in Jade's eyes anyway. She knew the boys hated that he had turned into a lovesick puppy. But, they were happy, and that was what mattered to Jade.

The day before a trip to Hogsmeade, Luna approached her in the Common Room, standing in front of the fire she had been staring intently at. Mandy and Terry sat in chairs next to her, staring up at Luna expectantly.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to Honeydukes with me tomorrow. I wanted to buy you some sweets." Luna said, smiling at her.

"Of course! Yes, of course I will!" Jade exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she looked up at the girl in front of her.

"There's also something else I have to do, you can come with me then if you want to."

Out of the corner of her eye, Jade saw Mandy wink at her. Terry stood up and walked over to Luna, and now the entire fire was blocked by bodies.

"What are you being so secretive about Luna? Huh?" Terry inquired, raising his eyebrows. "We're all friends here, you can tell us."

Luna's smile faltered a bit and she sat, cross legged, in front of the couch Jade was sprawled out on. She moved her platinum blonde hair from her face, putting the longest locks behind her ears, and motioned her hands towards herself, indicating that the three should move in closer.

"How do all of you feel about Professor Umbridge?" She whispered, nervously looking around the room as she finished her question.

"None of us like her, especially after how she treated Harry. She's a mean old toad." Mandy whispered back, looking at the other two, who nodded in agreement.

"Well, we're having a secret meeting in Hog's Head tomorrow. Harry wants to start a group to help us learn how to defend ourselves."

"That's actually brilliant." Terry replied, looking stunned. He turned towards Jade and grinned.

"I'll see all of you tomorrow then?" Luna asked, standing up.

"Of course." Mandy and Terry answered together, nodding their heads in agreement.

"And I'll see you at Honeydukes." Jade said, smiling.

Luna let out a small giggle and slowly walked, or drifted, Jade wasn't entirely sure, away from the group. All she knew was that she had a date tomorrow with Luna Lovegood.

In the morning, the friends assembled at the table in the Great Hall, with Michael burying his head in the Daily Prophet, Terry staring at Marietta every time she moved even an inch, and Anthony and Mandy being stuck together like glue. Jade sat, watching her friends and taking a large bite out of a blueberry muffin. Terry's eyes widened as he watched her do so, his bushy eyebrows raised.

"How did you take that big of a bite out of the muffin?"

"I don't know, I guess I have a big mouth or something."

Terry's hair was beginning to grow back, and, though it was no longer the length it used to be, it was no longer prickly and short. Jade had forgotten how dark his natural hair color was, his mother had lightened it the summer before their fourth year and made it a lighter brown.

"How does it feel to have hair back?" She inquired, reaching for another muffin.

"I feel like myself again. I shaved it on impulse." He replied, shrugging his shoulders. "It was a rough summer."

Jade's lips formed a tight line and she nodded, setting the muffin down on her plate. She had lost her appetite, knowing that Terry was still thinking about Cedric and remembering she had a date today.

"You better save room for your candy." Mandy laughed, looking over at the group instead of Anthony.

"Don't worry, I'm planning on it." Jade answered, pushing her plate to the left. Michael's hand crept over and took the muffin, and it disappeared into the newspaper, much like his head.

McGonagall had risen from the head table and signaled for everyone going to Hogsmeade to rise and head into the courtyard. The group of five had stuck together, with the boys talking about trying to break into the Shrieking Shack and Mandy going on about the secret meeting.

"What do you think is going to happen? Will Umbridge find out? Is anyone going to join?" She kept rambling questions, with Jade only half-listening and mumbling "I don't know" and "maybe" in response every now and then.

She was too nervous about meeting Luna at Honeydukes, and she was especially nervous for her to buy sweets. She wasn't sure how much money Luna had, or how much she would want to purchase. Jade was a big fan of Pumpkin Pasties, and she enjoyed Acid Pops despite the risk of burning a hole through your tongue, but she didn't want Luna to buy too much for her.

The students made their way to Hogsmeade, with different groups breaking off and going to different places. Mandy accompanied the boys to the Shrieking Shack, and Jade saw Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger head towards Hog's Head. Draco Malfoy and his posse had walked towards Three Broomsticks, and she saw Luna far ahead, waiting outside Honeydukes already. Jade made her way towards Luna, feeling her head become lighter and her walking become staggered. She was not prepared to go on a date with Luna Lovegood, not at all.

"Jade, are you alright?" She asked when she arrived, her airy voice seeming to echo in her head.

"I-I'm okay." Jade stuttered, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head.

Luna's voice would not leave, and it continued to bounce around. She looked at her, and saw her gray eyes fill with worry. She did not want to disappoint her.

"I promise, I'm fine."

"Okay, let's go get some candy then." Luna held out her hand and, to Jade's surprise, she managed to grab a hold of it.

The two walked through the crowded candy shop, hand in hand, trying to pick out the most delectable looking sweets. Luna had picked up a few Chocolate Frogs for herself, and Jade had a handful of Pumpkin Pasties. They made their way to the Acid Pops, watching as Su Li licked one and left a large hole in her tongue. Jade raised her eyebrow at Luna, who nodded and grabbed two.

After walking the aisles a few more times, the two had acquired five Pumpkin Pasties, six Chocolate Frogs, two Acid Pops, a Sugar Quill, and three Liquorice Wands. Luna pulled out a sack full of Galleons and Sickles and paid for everything, much to Jade's surprise.

"I wanted to help out a little bit, Sugar Quills are expensive." Jade told her as they exited the shop.

"Don't worry about it Jade, it's my treat." She smiled, and Jade swore the world began to lighten up.

The two walked to the Hog's Head, no longer holding hands but instead eating their Acid Pops. Jade was nervous for this meeting, as she wasn't sure who would be there and whether or not it would go over well. Luna seemed to notice her anxiety and tapped her arm, getting her attention and giving a reassuring smile.

"How bad is my tongue?" She asked, though it sounded like she had cotton in her mouth, sticking her tongue out. Sure enough, there was a hole in it, and the green color had stained her mouth.

Jade started to laugh, and Luna followed suit.

"It's not too awful. What about me?" When Jade stuck her tongue out, Luna began to laugh even more.

"You know the spell to fix us right?"

"Of course!"

Jade watched Luna the whole time, her laugh making her feel giddy and warm on the inside. It felt like butterflies covered in lava had jumped into her stomach, making her feel like she was melting from how cute Luna was, but also making her feel incredibly nervous. There was something about watching Luna in the late autumn, with her head surrounded by colorful leaves flying everywhere and how much the color made her stand out among them. The leaves were pretty, but she was prettier.

She noticed how Luna had picked an outfit that almost matched the orange and yellow leaves falling down around them. She noticed the radish earrings and the necklace, and how they seemed to pull the orange sweater and bright yellow shoes together, despite being entirely different colors. Everyone liked to make fun of Luna for her fashion, because she was eccentric and it looked like nothing went together, but it did, in their own little Luna way.

Once they were at the Hog's Head, the two finished their Acid Pops and Jade fixed their tongues, using a spell her mother had taught her before her second year, just in case she ever wanted an Acid Pop while away at school. As Jade was about to open the door and enter the small, dodgy looking building, Luna grabbed her hand.

"Jade, I have a question for you." Luna said, looking down at the path.

"Yes?" Jade had never really seen Luna nervous until now.

It was then that she realized what was about to happen.

"Do you want to date?"

It was like all of the puzzle pieces finally fell into place, and Jade smiled the biggest smile she could. She knew her face would probably hurt later, but she didn't care. She grabbed Luna's hand and clasped it tightly. Luna really did have small, delicate hands, almost like a porcelain doll.

"Of course I do."