IT HAD only been a few hours, and Jade was extremely anxious.

She pushed her food around with her fork, barely touching anything except for her mashed potatoes. She feared that anything solid would make her sick.

Mandy wasn't doing any better next to her. The boys, mostly oblivious to their strange moods, joked across the table, trying to throw Weasley products into each other's food and drinks.

Things had been eerily quiet since Luna and Ginny left to help Harry. Professor Umbridge was nowhere to be found, and the Inquisitorial Squad had disappeared with her. Despite being one of the only people to know what was going on, Jade could feel the tension in the air. She dropped her fork on to her plate and stood, walking away from the table at a quick pace.

The boys were calling behind her, asking her where she was going, but she didn't turn around. Someone brushed next to her, Mandy, and the two walked together, wandering up to the Astronomy tower.

"Do you think everything will be okay?" Jade asked, looking over the edge of the tower.

There was a small breeze, blowing the branches of the trees spread out below them. The sun was on its way down, casting shadows over them. A chill had begun to set in, and Jade was grateful she had grabbed her grey sweater.

"I hope so, Jade. They're all strong wizards, they ought to be okay, right?"

Jade didn't answer.

She knew they were all strong. She knew they could hold their own in a fight, and she didn't know who else went with them. Ron and Hermione had to have gone with them, and Hermione was the brightest student in the castle, so they wouldn't have to worry.

She had put Luna's necklace on. To her, it was the best way to keep Luna close. She hadn't known Pandora Lovegood, but from the stories she was told, she felt like she had.

Luna was only nine when she died, yet she had bonded so much with her mother in that short time.

Mandy pulled her sweater on and walked to the other side of the tower to stand next to Jade. Figures ran beneath them, first or second years, most likely, trying to get in the last bit of sunlight before night fell. The woods ahead of them seemed even more foreboding, it was almost like they had an impenetrable darkness in them.

The two stood there, leaning against the wall of the tower, for what felt like ages. They only moved once the sun had completely set, and once there were feet slamming against the stone behind them.

"This is where you two have been this whole time?" Anthony exhaled, bending over and putting his hands on his knees.

Michael and Terry followed, trying to push him over before accepting defeat and stepping around him. The sunlight had been replaced by the moon, though it wasn't as bright as normal that evening.

The chill had set in, everyone's frosty breath appearing each time someone exhaled.

"We're talking." Mandy answered, crossing her arms.

"Neither of you uttered a single peep the entire time we ran up those steps." Terry said.

"We aren't having the best night, okay?" Jade snapped. Her hands balled up into fists at her side, though they weren't tight. She wouldn't be able to punch any of them.

"Where's Luna? Did you break up? Are you mad at me?" Anthony's face dropped, his light brown eyes nearly bulging out of his skull.

Jade chewed on her lower lip, picking at it until she drew blood. They hadn't broken up, but she didn't know what to tell the boys. It wasn't like they were going to run to Professor McGonagall or Professor Flitwick and tell them everything, they were already on bad enough terms with them, considering how their pranks had gone that term.

"They aren't broken up. She's helping our friends in Gryffindor currently, they've got a pretty big issue." Mandy stepped in, much to Jade's relief.

She let out a quick, quiet sigh, meeting her best friend's eyes. Mandy gave her a small smile with the corner of her mouth, and it had been so fast, Jade thought she had imagined it.

She would have to thank Mandy later, maybe with some treats from her mum.

"Is that it? I feel like that's not it."

Michael looked back and forth between the two girls, as if he was trying to spot a lie. However, after a few seconds, he stepped back, taking their fib as truth.

"We're going to go get some sleep, actually. You lot just got up here as we were getting ready to head down." Jade finally spoke, indicating the stairs.

"Oh, sorry. We were just worried."

Anthony laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. The other two shrugged, sheepish grins spreading across their faces.

"How about we get some rest? We had a long, boring exam today."

If there was one perk for the five of them being in the Astronomy Tower, it was that the Ravenclaw Tower wasn't too far. They walked for five minutes, never speaking until Terry gave the answer to the riddle.

The group waved their goodnights, Anthony and Mandy kissed, and made their way up to their dormitories.

~

The sun had barely risen when Jade was awoken to Lisa Turpin standing next to her, Daily Prophet shoved in her face.

"What the hell Lisa?" She mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

She had forgotten to shower last night, wanting to sleep away the awful thoughts she was having about whatever Luna was doing, so half of her hair was pressed down while the other half had gone back to their natural curls.

"Jade, why didn't you tell us about Luna? You need to read this, and then you need to go see her. She's in the Hospital Wing."

Jade threw her blankets aside, panic setting in. Her hands began to shake as she nearly pushed Lisa aside, and her breathing was so shallow she was sure she would pass out.

"Jade, she's okay. Don't start panicking."

Suddenly, her dormmates were all next to her in various degrees of sleep. Mandy looked the same as her, eyes half-shut and her hair a frizzy mess. The other girls pulled her up from the floor, where she had fallen in an attempt to get clothes from her trunk. She sat on her bed, hands still trembling, as Lisa picked up the pages of the Daily Prophet and put them back together.

It took Jade a second to focus, but she soon realized what the huge, bold lettering at the top of the paper spelled out.

"LORD VOLDEMORT RETURNS."