The Slytherin Champion (The Four Maidens of Hogwarts #1)

Chapter One (1994 - Sixth Year)

Jade couldn't bring herself to pay attention as Professor McGonagall sorted the new first years. She stared at her empty plate, her elbow on the table and her hand resting on the side of her face. She knew that once all the sorting was over Headmaster Dumbledore would announce the feast and food would magically fill the table again.

She suddenly straightened when she saw the food materialize.

"Finally," she muttered as she reached to grab some bread rolls a few feet away from her.

The other Slytherins sitting close to her were reaching for the same thing, because by the time Jade saw the basket again there was only one roll left. Before she could grab the last one, though, a hand snaked underneath her and snatched it.

If Jade hadn't known who stole her bread roll well, she would have thrown her napkin at the person's head. She was already in a gloomy mood and she knew whoever had taken it had done it on purpose. However, since she did know him well, she exhaled a breath before looking up to face her first friend, Adonis, who had a smirk plastered on his face. One glare made him extend the roll to her, his smirk turning into a soft smile.

"Relax, Jade, I was only joking."

Jade rolled her eyes before grabbing the roll from his hands. "Very funny," she said sarcastically as she proceeded to spread butter on it.

Adonis didn't say anything for a moment. Jade guessed he was waiting to see if she was still mad at him. To show that she wasn't, she sent him the faintest of smiles.

Adonis must have noticed that she was still not in the happiest of moods, because she heard him ask, "Is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't they be?"

"Jade, you didn't even clap when the first years got sorted into Slytherin." Adonis called her out. "What's on your mind?"

Jade sighed, setting her bread roll on her plate before looking up at Adonis again. "Nothing you need to worry about. My parents just had some problems on their mind. That's all."

She didn't bother to mention that her parents' problems were about her. Her parents didn't even know she had overheard them talking the night before they went to King's Cross Station.

--

Her father had come home late from work from the Ministry. Jade immediately noticed how upset her father looked. She knew he was trying to his best to hide it, but Jade wasn't stupid. She had grown up with her parents for nearly seventeen years.

Jade knew that her mother also saw past her father's smiling facade, because her mother had turned to her and asked her to wash the dishes while she and her father talked.

Jade made her way to the kitchen and turned the sink on. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she guessed her parents didn't know that she could hear them talking from the living room even with the water on.

"Why are you upset, dear?" her mother asked.

She didn't hear her father say anything for a moment, but then she heard, "I got demoted at work today."

"What?" her mother exclaimed, not too loudly but still audible enough for Jade to hear. "They can't do that."

"They just did."

"Did they at least give you an explanation?"

Her father tried to lower his voice, but Jade still managed to catch it. "The new boss they recently hired apparently lost loved ones in the First Wizarding War. When they found out that I had a Slytherin daughter, they assumed the worst."