A few days later found Bianca waking up with the sun. Lying in bed, she was already half awake when the bright golden rays glistened over the horizon, washing the grounds with bright oranges and yellows. She stretched her arms above her head and released a tiny yawn. Her tired body protested at the early hour. Her muscles begged to go back to sleep and her eyelids threatened to droop. The pillow felt ten times as fluffy and comfortable as normal, and the warm cocoon under her pile of blankets contrasted sharply against the coldness outside of it. Bianca set her shoulders, though, and slowly pulled back the covers. She was awake for a reason, and a little thing like sleepiness was not going to stop her. She was going to breakfast.

When Frankie went.

The thought of seeing Frankie propelled her forward, and she quickly tiptoed around her bed, gathering clothing and her shower kit. It was Monday morning, which meant she had gone longer than usual without seeing her girlfriend. With no classes, there was no potions to cast secret glances during. They were unable to sneak out to meet at night because, even though curfew was still in place, the students stayed up later in the common room since there were no classes to get to the next morning.

She did know a few things that the other girl had done. She knew Gryffindor played against and beat Ravenclaw in quidditch on Saturday. It had been the talk of the tower. Frankie was spotted at the match with her teammates. All Hogwarts students tended to go to the quidditch matches no matter who was playing. While the other students went to enjoy their favorite sport being played, Frankie was seen with Gary Chancellor taking detailed notes on both teams. Slytherin had yet to play either.

Bianca smiled to herself. Frankie might not take many notes during class, but she took supposedly a bag full of them at a quidditch match. Her girl really was into the game. She felt oddly proud of the thought. Frankie was serious about this. Well, of course she was. She wanted to play professionally. But, Bianca never heard of the Gryffindors going through so much on their scouting expeditions.

Bianca, on the other hand, did not go to the match. Everyone, including Frankie, might think she was weird for not liking it, but she just didn't. What was so great about people zooming around on broomsticks tossing and catching different colored balls? Instead, she holed up in the common room next to the roaring fire and finished the few assignments she had. She hoped it would keep her mind off the fact that she would much rather be spending her Saturday with Frankie, possibly curled up together in front of the roaring fire and sharing a nice cup of hot cocoa. It didn't work too well. With each stroke of the quill, she could almost feel her fingers tangling in wind swept hair as impossibly soft lips ghostly brushed against her own. Looking into the flames, she could see the twinkle that took over Frankie's eyes when she found something wickedly funny. Glancing at a chair, she imagined herself sharing it with the blonde. If she closed her eyes, she was met with that crooked grin.

It was easy to say she thought about Frankie nonstop.

The more she saw of her, the more she wanted. It was her own Catch-22, something she learned about in muggle studies. She wondered if Frankie ever heard of the book. That line of thought brought her around to their last meeting. Was Frankie being targeted by her fellow Slytherins because of her heritage? Just the idea of it made her blood boil. Something as inconsequential as bloodlines leading to Frankie being bullied was…silly. It just was. She knew that boy Novak and his buddies railed on Frankie, having seen it first hand, but did anyone else?

Freshly showered and dressed, Bianca silently put her shower kit away and gathered her books. All the other girls were still slumbering as she crept out of the dormitory and away from the tower.

If anyone was getting on Frankie for that, she wanted to know about it. Yes, Frankie said she was fine, but Bianca wanted to be certain. So, she was going to keep an eye on her. This, of course, had nothing to do with the fact that she simply wanted to spend more time near the girl, too. Nope, not one bit. It was…an added bonus. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't basically stare at Frankie whenever they were close by anyways. She wasn't the only one, either! Frankie did, too! But, that wasn't the important part. What was important was whether or not Frankie was bullied. If Bianca found out, she was going to do something about it. Her first instinct was to march up to whoever was being petty and tell them exactly what she thought about them. However, after thinking about it for a while, those assignments over the weekend did take some time, she came to the conclusion that might not be the best approach. According to the rest of the school, she had no reason whatsoever to defend Frankie. People might get suspicious, which wouldn't help them keeping their relationship a secret.

Reaching the doors to the Great Hall, Bianca puzzled over why it was still a secret. They started off keeping it from people because they wanted to get to know one another first. While she didn't know everything about Frankie, and she probably never would, she knew enough that she wanted to keep dating her. She knew that first kiss in Hogsmeade led to something she treasured more than anything. And, it was difficult keeping all of this inside. She wanted to write to her parents and tell them she had a girlfriend. She wanted to sit with her friends and share tidbits about her day with Frankie.

She wanted to hold her hand in the hallway.

Yes, it was exciting sneaking around in the dark. But, it was more exhilarating just sharing the same room as Frankie. It was hard enough being fifteen years old without pretending she wasn't daydreaming about stolen kisses whenever her friends asked.

Stepping inside the Great Hall, Bianca's gaze immediately went to the Slytherin table. There, in the middle of the long table, sat a lone Frankie. She was munching on a piece of bacon and idly flipping through the newspaper. Bianca felt her heart skip. A giant smile spread across her face, and her feet giddily pushed forward.

With no one else in the room, the sound of footfalls caught Frankie's attention; she glanced up and did a double take. With the rest of her body frozen, her eyes followed Bianca's form as the Gryffindor strolled to her own table on the other side of the room. When Bianca sat down, Frankie swiftly turned her head, acting like she hadn't been watching her the entire time. When she casually looked back over at her, Bianca shot her a saucy look. Frankie tilted her head, a smirk playing at her lips. Bianca noted the curiosity in her hazel orbs and made a show of pouring herself a glass of juice and piling eggs onto her plate.

She bit her lip as Frankie folded up her newspaper and set it aside. The blonde reached down and rummaged in her bag. She extracted a piece of parchment and a quill. She scribbled down something and folded the paper into the shape of an airplane. Checking to see if anyone was around, Frankie pulled out her wand and pointed it at the parchment. In an instant, the paper airplane took flight. It soared across the room and landed gently at Bianca's wrist.

Glancing at Frankie, Bianca rapidly unfolded the note. She smiled as she read the single line – little early for you, isn't it?

Taking out her own quill, she wrote down her reply – I didn't have you to keep me up all night.

Frankie choked on her juice when she read that. Her face turned a bright shade of scarlet – I wasn't in your dreams?

Bianca grinned cheekily – Perhaps one or two.

Frankie's eyebrow ticked up – Only that?

Bianca shrugged - I only had one or two.

Frankie poked at her food – showing your hand a little early, aren't you? How was your weekend?

Bianca rolled her eyes – Only a Slytherin would think being openly honest is showing your hand. My weekend was ok. Missed you. How was yours? Heard you took some notes.

Frankie replied – Boring. Your quidditch team is mediocre at best. Missed me?

Bianca shared a glance with her – I always want to see you.

Frankie chewed on her lip as she read and reread that sentence – I missed you, too.

Bianca nearly burst with happiness at the written admission. Then, it hit her. Why was she sitting all the way over there? She could be eating with Frankie. There was no password to sit down at the tables like there were to get into the common rooms. Determination filling her, Bianca began to stand up.

She instantly dropped back down when someone entered the room. It was a Ravenclaw. She watched as they sleepily walked to their table and sat down, not even noticing the other two occupants. Bianca's gaze ticked over to Frankie, and she saw a flash of annoyance cast in the direction of the new student. When their eyes met, a glimmer of disappointment shined in the hazel.

As a few more students straggled in, Bianca watched sadly as Frankie gathered her belongings and stormed out of the room.

But not before sharing one last look.

Walking down the hall, Bianca juggled two textbooks while searching for her quill in her bag. Babe was at her side while Simone and Erin gossiped behind them.

"Do you need help?" Babe politely asked, seeing her friend struggle with the heavy books.

"Please." Bianca handed over the textbooks. Hands now free, she dove into the satchel. "Come on, where is it?"

"Where's what?" Babe questioned.

"My quill." Bianca mumbled.

"You can borrow one of mine, if you'd like." Babe offered.

"Thanks." She'd look again later when she wasn't trying to not be late for class.

"Look out," Simone popped up between them, "Slytherins dead ahead."

Bianca looked forward. A group of about five Slytherins were walking toward them. There was Gary and Rich, two girls she didn't know, and Frankie in the middle. Her throat dried up, and she swallowed thickly. Frankie was laughing, and the sound went straight to Bianca's heart. The others laughed with her, Gary shaking her shoulder good naturedly. She watched closely, a sense of protectiveness washing over her. Could one of them be a bully?

The protectiveness changed to something else when she saw one of the girls lightly touch Frankie's elbow. Bianca's back stiffened, and she bit back the shout forming in her mouth.

"What's so funny? Did one of you actually pass a class?" Simone called out.

The Slytherins stopped.

"Oh no, everyone!" Rich mocked, "Look out fer the big yellow blob! She might turn ya yellow too, she might."

Bianca felt Simone growl at her side. She felt a twinge of defensiveness for her friend, but she was more caught up by the fact that Frankie was looking at her. While the Slytherin kept her face neutral, the edges of her eyes softened and she had unconsciously turned her body toward her.

Simone must have said something, because the Slytherins were shooting back, "I thought they didn't let cowards in Gryffindor. Must not have shown them your true color, huh?"

"The only cowards are you!" Simone yelled. A few more Gryffindors gathered around them, giving support.

"Let's go," Frankie said before the fight could escalate, "these losers aren't worth our time."

Exchanging glares with the Gryffindors, the Slytherins moved to walk past them. As she passed by Bianca, Frankie stepped a few inches to the side. Bianca held her breath as the back of their hands brushed gently together. She felt a finger wrap around her hand and touch the center of her palm. It only lasted a second, but it happened. Hand tingling, she looked over her shoulder to see Frankie doing the same, the corner of her mouth quirked up in a shy smile. Bianca turned away to hide the forming blush and bit her lip bashfully.

Simone must have been searching for a fight or something. Maybe she was still angry over the whole yellow incident, who knows. But, she wasn't afraid of Slytherin, and she wasn't letting them get away with it. "There proves it. Slytherins are nothing but cowards and cheats!"

The Slytherins stopped moving.

Bianca's eyes widened in horror, "Simone."

She wasn't backing down, "You should have been expelled for what you did, what you do. You think you can do whatever you want, but I'm not scared of you."

The Slytherins turned around, their faces blazing with suppressed anger.

Simone looked them over, "Who could be afraid of that?"

Frankie looked at Gary, "I think she needs to relax a little."

Gary nodded, "Agreed."

"What?" Simone asked.

Then, she was laughing uncontrollably.

Erin and Babe quickly went to their friend's side, helpless as she bounced around, falling down with laughter. Bianca watched as Frankie subtly slid her wand back up her sleeve. Watching the blonde, she'd seen as Frankie muttered the spell - rictusempra. It made the target laugh nonstop.

"What's so funny?" Frankie asked, causing her friends to chuckle.

Bianca stared hard at Frankie. Frankie's smirk dropped at the harsh glare, but she returned her own look. The message was clear. Frankie was fighting back, not fighting first. Bianca shook her head and went to Simone. They'd have to take her to the infirmary.

As the Gryffindors turned to leave, a few standing guard with wands drawn until a professor appeared, Bianca gave one last glance to Frankie. The blonde was watching her, ignoring her friends as they began to pull her away. That message was clear, too. She didn't want Bianca mad at her.

Walking back from the infirmary, Bianca calculated that she had just enough time to stop by the common room and drop off one of her heavy books before going to her final class. Rounding a corner, she gasped as a hand shot out from a hidden alcove. She yelped as the hand unceremoniously dragged her into a tiny closet beneath a stairwell.

Spinning around to face her captor, Frankie's face caused her to roll her eyes and release a relieved breath. "Frankie!" she lightly slapped the blonde's shoulder. "Don't do that."

"Not scared, are you?" Frankie raised an eyebrow, "It's not like I could call you over here anyway."

"What do you want?" Bianca crossed her arms, remembering she was supposed to be mad.

Frankie took in the posture, "You're still mad at me."

"Of course I am."

"Why?"

Bianca scoffed, "Really?"

"I had to do that."

"What? Cast a jinx on my friend, again?"

"You Gryffindors need to stop being all bluster and show-off." Frankie grumbled. "Your friend attacked us first."

"So you put her in the infirmary?"

Frankie sighed.

"You've done that twice now, Frankie. You need to stop."

"Tell that to your people."

"What?"

Frankie pointed at herself, "I'm not going to stand by while someone attacks my house and friends. No one else will either."

"That sounds like a warning."

"Bianca," Frankie lowered her voice and took a step closer, "my loyalty is something I share with many."

She couldn't help herself, "Do you share it with me?"

Frankie paused for a moment. Then, she pushed up and pressed her lips to Bianca's in a sweet kiss. "I hope I share more than that."

Bianca kissed her, "You do." So much more.

Frankie traced her thumb across Bianca's cheek, "So, you missed me?"

Bianca grinned as their lips met again. "Maybe." All thoughts of jinxes and confrontations flew out the window.

"Maybe?" Frankie cupped her cheek.

Bianca hummed and placed her hands on Frankie's hips, "I don't want to play my hand too early."

Frankie rolled her eyes, "Clever."

"Thank you." Bianca kissed her cheek. She pulled back and raised her hands to Frankie's tie, "Where did you learn to tie one of these?"

"Why?" Frankie frowned as Bianca fiddled with the knot.

"It's always crooked."

"Maybe it's a Slytherin thing. You all say we're crooked."

Bianca straightened it, "Maybe it's a Frankie thing." She coyly tugged on it, "Because I really like it."

"Do you?"

Bianca nodded, "Yes."

Wordlessly Frankie covered Bianca's hands with her own. Guiding the hands beneath hers, she slid the knot until it was loose and crooked. Bianca's heart thumped, and she flattened her palms over Frankie's collarbones. "Merlin, do I like you." The honesty spilled out.

"Merlin?"

"You know what I mean." Bianca's hand slipped up to touch Frankie's neck.

Frankie swallowed at the move, "I like you, too." It was barely a whisper, but Bianca heard it. If possible, Frankie's voice dropped even lower, "Are you still angry with me?"

Bianca literally felt her heart break. Frankie wasn't showing any emotion, but the way she said it was enough for Bianca to know, "No." How could she be?

It was nearing eleven at night. Bianca wrapped her cloak around herself, knowing it would be cold on the astronomy tower when she met Frankie. She smiled to herself and touched the pads of her fingers to her lips. She could still feel the tingle from the kisses they shared earlier that day.

She was still a little perturbed about Frankie jinxing Simone, again, but she somewhat understood why she did it. Simone had a bit of a temper that didn't help the situation. Creeping down the stairs to the common room, Bianca replayed the events of the day in her head. She'd gotten to see Frankie quite a bit, and she was ecstatic about that. Maybe she would get up early again tomorrow and have breakfast with her. They could snuggle up together over plates of eggs and toast. They could talk or just sit there and hold hands, Bianca didn't really care. She quite liked both, actually.

Entering the common room, she froze.

Simone, Babe, and Erin stood in the center of the room, grim looks on their faces. Simone stepped forward and held up a piece of parchment. "What is this?"

Bianca nervously looked at it. She had to fight to hold in the gasp.

It was the very first note Frankie wrote her asking to meet.