No Longer Prey

"What do you want, Nessie?" sighed Mr. Addington, barely looking up from his newspaper.

"I'm leaving." Vanessa announced. This got her adopted parents' attention.

"What makes you think you have the right to go?" sneered Mrs. Addington.

"I'm seventeen," Vanessa said, "I'm of age in the Wizarding World. And it's not like you two care, anyway."

"How dare you say that? We've spent the past seventeen years of our lives, feeding you, clothing you and nurturing you! And here you stand, ungrateful as ever, spitting out a half-assed goodbye!" spat Mr. Addington.

"The two of you have done the minimum amount of care for me! Of course I'm not grateful for being such a burden to you!" Vanessa snapped.

Mrs. Addington slapped Vanessa across the face. "Then go." she whispered.

Vanessa stared at her adopted mother, wide-eyed. She backed out of the kitchen and then headed out the front door. She turned on the spot and Disapparated. She appeared on Ellie's doorstep. The door opened to reveal Ellie, rosy-cheeked and paint-splattered from her latest art project. "Nessie! How'd it go?" Ellie greeted, opening the door a little wider to allow Vanessa access.

"Splendidly," Vanessa muttered, entering the house. She set her trunk down. "Any word from Laurel?"

"No," said Ellie, "but the Ministry's reading letters, so that's to be expected."

"Yeah." Vanessa laid back on the bed, staring up at Ellie's ceiling. Her mind, as it was wont to do, drifted to thoughts of Draco. She doubted he would return to Hogwarts that year. She wondered if he ever thought of her. She closed her eyes. It was best not to think of Draco. She would rather save herself the headache and sink into numbness.

That weekend, Ellie and Vanessa boarded the Hogwarts Express. They found a compartment to squeeze into with Ginny, Neville and Luna. The five of them were quiet for the majority of the train ride, until the train slowed to a stop.

"What d'you think we've stopped for?" Neville asked, peering out the window.

"I dunno, but I expect nothing good." Vanessa replied grimly. Sure enough, a few Death Eaters slammed open the compartment door. Vanessa stared at them, trembling slightly.

"Hey losers, he isn't here." Neville barked.

The Death Eater scowled but moved on. Vanessa met Neville's gaze and felt her lips twitch with a small smile. "This is going to be an interesting year." she muttered.

…

Draco sat beside Blaise for the first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson of the year. He hadn't been surprised by Snape's announcement that he was now Headmaster, nor had Draco been surprised when the Carrow twins were introduced as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professors. Draco had actually attended that Death Eater meeting. Draco glanced around until he caught sight of Vanessa. She was sitting beside Ellie, her back to him. He worked his jaw. He hoped that for her sake, she stayed away from him.

"Muggles," drawled Alecto, "are a menace to society. Their pathetic ignorance keeps Wizards, the superior race, hiding behind enchantments merely to protect their sanity. And their bloodlines have, regrettably, mixed with ours." Alecto shuddered. "Muggleborns… Their filthy blood has tainted Wizard bloodlines for too long. They take away the purity from Wizard blood. If we allow them to continue, there will be no pure Wizards left! Magic will wither and die because too many practice tolerance. Whoever heard of a Muggle being born with magic? It's clearly a plot to bring down the Wizarding World!" Someone snorted. Draco's heart sank when he realized it was Vanessa. Alecto narrowed her eyes as she regarded Vanessa. "Something to say, dear?" Alecto seethed.

"You know that Muggleborns are basically reverse Squibs, right? I don't hear you bashing Squibs." said Vanessa.

Alecto ground her teeth together. "They are disgraces," she whispered, "but they come from Wizard blood… Which just goes to show the extent to which Muggles and Muggleborns corrupt our bloodlines!"

"Isn't this Defense Against the Dark Arts class, not Muggle Studies?" Vanessa called. Alecto scowled. "Besides, let's say Wizards stopped reproducing with Muggles. The amount of Pureblood and Half-Blood families would run out. Eventually, family trees would weave into each other. You're basically advocating incest."

Draco exchanged a glance with Blaise, who smirked. Draco looked back at Vanessa, the color draining from his face. "You just earned yourself a detention." Alecto hissed.

Vanessa didn't respond, but she didn't seem bothered, either. After classes that day, Draco paced the Slytherin common room while Blaise stretched out on the couch, watching him. "How could Nessie be so stupid?" Draco groaned.

"I thought that was brilliant." Blaise chuckled.

Draco rounded on Blaise. "You don't know the Carrows like I do. If she keeps this up, she could get herself killed."

Blaise sighed, his smug smirk fading into a frown as he leaned forward. "Nessie can handle herself. The Carrows won't kill her. Not until You-Know-Who is fully in charge."

"You don't know that," Draco replied raggedly, "Vanessa doesn't know when to quit."

…

"We should start the D.A. again," Ginny muttered.

"We're not learning anything from Voldy's lapdogs," Vanessa agreed, glancing in the direction of the Carrows.

"I'll talk to some of the others. You guys get Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. We'll meet in the Room of Requirement at midnight." said Neville.

"Luna and I will figure out what they should be teaching us in DADA." Vanessa added.

"You should talk to Professor McGonagall," suggested Luna, "she'd know the curriculum."

"Yeah. Okay." Vanessa nodded.

"And I'll bring some snacks." Ellie added.

After her Transfiguration lesson, Vanessa hung back in class and approached Professor McGonagall. "Professor, I was wondering if I could ask you something." Vanessa said.

McGonagall peered at Vanessa. "What is it?"

"I need to know what all the years are supposed to be learning in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Is there some sort of curriculum sheet?" Vanessa asked.

McGonagall blinked. She frowned. "What are you on about, Addington?"

"We're not learning anything from the Carrows," said Vanessa slowly, "and some friends of mine and I agreed to tutor some other students. Is there some way I could have a list of spells to teach younger students and one for my year? I don't want to waste this year."

McGonagall sighed. "I could write one for you," she said, "but I will have to give it to you tomorrow after class. The spells you will be learning will be much more difficult, Addington. You will need to master them before you can teach them yourself."

Vanessa's shoulders slumped. "Oh… Well, I can still tutor the younger students."

"I can tutor you," said McGonagall, "during your free period. I will teach you the spells you need to know."

Vanessa brightened. "Thank you, professor!"

McGonagall's lips twitched. "Get to class, Addington. No need to earn yourself another detention from the Carrows."

Vanessa backed out of McGonagall's classroom with a small smile. She hugged her books closer to her chest as she strode to her next lesson, a smirk tugging at her lips. The Carrows wanted her to sit and stay? Nope. She was not going to obey. She was not going to lie down and let Voldemort take everything she cared about. She was not going to act on her best behavior. She was done with that. She would go down, kicking and screaming and clawing. The Carrows had awaken something inside her… She was not going to be prey anymore. There was ice in her veins, fire in her heart and a hurricane in her mind.

…

"Great lesson today, guys!" Vanessa congratulated. She waved goodbye to the other students as they exited the Room of Requirement. Vanessa strode over to Neville, Luna, Ginny and Ellie. She plopped down beside them.

"Cheese?" Luna offered, handing Vanessa a toothpick with a cube of cheddar on the end.

"Thanks," said Vanessa, accepting the snack.

"All I know is that Dumbledore left Harry the Sword of Gryffindor for a reason. But no one knows where it is." Ginny said.

"Maybe the Order does?" suggested Ellie.

"I don't think they do, either." Ginny sighed.

"Perhaps it's here," said Luna thoughtfully. Vanessa and the others looked at her. "Harry pulled it out of the Sorting Hat, right? It is Gryffindor's sword… It would make sense for it to have some sort of magical connection to this place. And even if it doesn't, it hasn't exactly presented itself since Harry's second year. Who's to say it's not here?"

Vanessa frowned. "If it is here, we need to find it before the Carrows do."

The others nodded. "But Hogwarts… It could be impossible to find it." Ellie muttered.

"We have to try." Neville decided. "Every little bit we do here, helps Harry out there. As long as there are people still fighting, we've got a chance to bring down You-Know-Who."

…

Draco took his usual seat in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He rubbed his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept through the night. He was a prisoner, walking free, but a prisoner to Voldemort. He would forever belong to the Dark Lord, whether he left the Death Eaters or not. He had his Dark Mark to thank for that.

"Today, we are going to be learning to create Inferi. Who can tell me what the Inferi are?" said Alecto. No one raised their hand. Draco's chest clenched. "The Inferi are the dead, brought back to life through a brand of magic called Necromancy. They do their bidder's will, no matter the task. The spell to awaken a corpse is Mortuis Resurgere."

"Addington!" barked Amycus.

Draco glanced at Vanessa, who had faced the Carrows. He couldn't see Vanessa's face, but he was sure she was wearing her sassy smirk. "Stop rolling your eyes and show some respect, girl." Alecto sneered.

"Respect? Why the hell would I respect you?" Vanessa said coldly.

Alecto seemed taken aback that Vanessa would dare respond in such a manner. She recovered quickly, though. "I am your superior, girl. Now shut up and pay attention to the lesson." Alecto snapped.

"Do you even know what you're teaching?" Vanessa challenged. Alecto scowled. Amycus stood from his seat to join his sister. "I don't think you're smart enough to truly understand what Inferi are."

"If you know, you can teach the class." snapped Amycus.

"Not this lesson," Vanessa replied, "Inferi are sick. You're not bringing them back from the dead. No spell can do that. You're merely animating a corpse. There's no life. They're mindless creatures, rotting from the inside out. But they can't die because they're not dead. It's sick. Only a selfish fool would practice such a horrendous act! And you two don't even know what you're talking about. You come in here, every day, preaching about God knows what, but you're too stupid to fully grasp the true concepts of what you're proposing. It's simple logic, really."

"Shut up!" Alecto screeched. "Go to Snape's office at once."

Vanessa got up, gathered her things and headed out. She didn't even glance in Draco's direction. "Bloody hell." muttered Blaise beside Draco.

…

"I saw it! I know where it is!" panted Vanessa.

"Slow down, Nessie." said Neville. "What're you talking about?"

"The Sword of Gryffindor! I saw it in Snape's office!" Vanessa exclaimed.

Ginny, Luna and Neville exchanged a glance. "You're sure?" Ginny asked.

"Yes! I was in there today. He's not hiding it. It's in a glass case by the bookshelves." said Vanessa.

"What were you doing in Snape's office?" Neville asked.

"Oh, I got detention. It's okay, it's just feeding the thestrals." said Vanessa. "The important thing is that I know where the Sword of Gryffindor is. When are we getting it?"

"Whoa, whoa. You've done enough." said Neville.

"When's your detention?" asked Ellie.

"Saturday night." said Vanessa, frowning in Neville's direction. "Why can't I help?"

"We can't have too many going to take the Sword of Gryffindor. We could get caught that way." said Luna.

Vanessa pursed her lips. Luna had a point. "He won't be in charge of my detention directly. I'm going with Hagrid."

"Maybe someone could cause a distraction," said Ellie. "Something that might get Snape's attention away from his office for a little while."

"What kind of distraction?" asked Ginny, a grin spreading across her face.

"Well, I still have some fireworks from your brothers," said Ellie with a smirk. "They're just dying to be used."

"You know you'll get detention, right?" Vanessa said, looking at Ellie.

"It'll be worth it. Anything to help Harry bring down You-Know-Who and the Carrows." said Ellie.

"Then it's decided. Ellie's in charge of distracting Snape. Nessie will be in detention and we'll get the Sword of Gryffindor." said Neville. Vanessa met Ellie's gaze and pursed her lips into a grim smile.

…

"What the bloody hell does Nessie think she's doing, defying the Carrows like that? Is she trying to get herself killed?" Draco snarled, pacing the Slytherin common room.

"I think she has something up her sleeve." said Blaise simply.

"What, a death wish?" Draco snapped.

"Who knows?" Blaise replied with a shrug.

Draco stopped pacing. "Don't you care?"

"What do you mean?" Blaise said, not looking up from his book.

"You don't look like you bloody care at all!" Draco accused, his blood pumping hotly.

"I do care. I'm just better at not showing it." said Blaise. He stood, placing his book in his bag. He headed for the dormitory but stopped. "Draco?" he called. Draco frowned and turned toward Blaise, who faced him. "Don't ever accuse me of not caring for her again. I've actually shown more concern for her all these years than you ever have. While you've been busy shoving your head up your own ass, I've actually never called her a Mudblood or abandoned her as a friend."

Draco stiffened. He watched Blaise march down the stairs and out of sight. He put his face in his hands. Perhaps he had been too harsh on Nessie all these years. He had always been so lonely, but she had made him feel less so. But he had been afraid of what being her friend meant. What would it have done to his reputation? In retrospect, he would have saved himself a lot of misery if he had just not cared about what others had thought. He had a lot of Slytherin acquaintances, but no real friends. Ellie, Laurel and Vanessa were the only ones who had come close to that. Because of them, Draco had Blaise as a friend. But even that relationship was rocky at best. Draco's chest felt hollow as he realized that he had no idea how to uphold relationships.

Draco watched Nessie and her friends defy the Carrows, earning themselves more detentions. He heard about the Weasley girl, Longbottom and Lovegood getting caught stealing from Snape's office. He was just grateful Nessie hadn't had any part in it. But that didn't stop her from sassing the Carrows. With each detention earned, Draco noticed new injuries. A black eye, a busted lip, a cut on her cheek. The Carrows were torturing Vanessa and her friends. Even Ellie sported some injuries. Vanessa looked ill, but it did not distill the fire. Draco worried for her from a distance.

The Christmas holiday came round. Draco sauntered through the halls and pulled his coat on before he stepped outside. He caught sight of Vanessa out of the corner of his eye. He met her gaze and parted his lips to say something to her. She merely turned and headed up the marble staircase, her dark blonde ponytail swaying with her steps. Draco moved to follow her, but the next carriage arrived. He pursed his lips and got in. He worked his jaw the whole ride to Hogsmeade Station, thinking about Vanessa. She didn't leave his mind the whole train ride to Malfoy Manor. She was always there, looming in the back of his thoughts. Swimming in the depths of his toiled mind, Vanessa's face always gave him that look of disappointment.

"Draco," barked Lucius.

Draco jumped and looked up, eyes wide. "Father."

"You've hardly spoken. Is something wrong?" Lucius asked.

Nothing's wrong, except I'm not so certain Voldemort is the right guy to follow and the girl I care about is trying to get herself killed. Oh, and she hates me. "I'm just tired." Draco lied.

"Draco," said Narcissa softly, "come with me. I have a gift for you."

Draco got up from the table, leaving his soup untouched. He followed his mother to his bedroom, where she procured a slender black box from thin air. She handed it to Draco and sat on the bed. Draco frowned and opened the velvet box. Inside was a splendid emerald and diamond pendant necklace. He looked up at his mother, his brow furrowing. "I'm not much into jewelry, Mum." he joked.

Narcissa's smile was faint. She patted the bed. Draco joined her, examining the necklace. "Your father gave that to me when he was serious about our relationship. His grandfather gave it to your grandmother, and so on. It has been in the Malfoy tradition for many generations. One day, it is my hope, that you will give it to the woman you are serious about marrying." Narcissa murmured.

Draco stared at it, suddenly feeling as if it were fragile and heavy all at once. "If I ever get to that point." he muttered.

"What do you mean?" Narcissa asked, smoothing back Draco's hair.

Draco held his breath. "Do you really think that the Dark Lord will let me have a choice? We're barely in his graces now. Somehow I doubt that he'll let me marry someone of my choosing."

"Do you have someone picked out?" Narcissa asked.

Draco shook his head. "No. But if I ever were… He isn't capable of love. You know that, don't you?"

Narcissa was quiet for a long time. "I do." she admitted.

Draco looked at her. "I… I never wanted any of this, Mum." His eyes welled with tears. He looked away, ashamed of himself.

Narcissa placed her skinny hand over his. "I wanted a purer world for wizards, but the extent the Dark Lord is going… He has harmed my family too much to ever fully earn my loyalty. Yours and your father's lives are not worth the Dark Lord's cause."

"So let's leave. Let's get out of here." said Draco, looking at his mother.

She shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. "We are in far too deep to get out, son. We would be found. Let no one know of your fears and doubts, Draco." Narcissa stood and moved to exit the room. She paused in the doorway. "I do hope you are able to find happiness in a family of your own one day." She left Draco alone. He gazed at the necklace. He wanted to tell Nessie about it, but what was the point? His letters would be read, and not by Vanessa.

…

"Did you hear? Harry's been sighted!" said Ginny. She frowned when she saw Vanessa. "What's wrong?"

"Luna never came back to school." Vanessa muttered, folding her arms.

Ginny's face paled. "What?"

"She went home for the Christmas holiday and didn't come back." said Vanessa.

Ginny bit her lip. "Well, a lot of parents are holding their children back with everything that's going on. Maybe she's all right."

Vanessa blew out a strained breath through pursed lips. "I dunno… This has Death Eater stench all over it. Maybe… Maybe we should stop this whole defiance thing."

"Luna wouldn't want us to stop." said Neville.

"Yeah, we can't stop now. That's what they want." said Seamus.

"They have to know that we will not go down without a fight." agreed Ginny.

"They fucked with one of our own," snapped Ellie. "For that, I say we up it a notch."

Vanessa stared at her. "What do you suggest we do?"

…

Draco trudged to class with Blaise. They were forced to slow their gait when they came across a crowd of students. Draco exchanged a glance with Blaise. Alecto Carrow shoved past Draco and Blaise. "Out of my way!" she barked. She pushed her way through the crowd, forming a gap. Draco widened his eyes.

DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY- STILL RECRUITING!

The red words were in a handwriting Draco would recognize anywhere. His eyes flickered toward Vanessa, who stood across from him, poorly hiding a smirk. Blaise groaned beside Draco. "Bloody hell, Nessie." he muttered.

"When I find who did this," breathed Alecto, "they will wish they had never been born!"

Vanessa raised her eyebrows but did not seem fazed. The crowd dispersed at Alecto's command. Draco turned to Blaise. "We have to stop her from doing anything more stupid." he said.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "How are we going to do that, genius? Nessie won't listen to us."

Draco gazed after Vanessa as she strode away. "I have no clue."

The slogans continued for the next week, though not all in Vanessa's hand. Draco thought he recognized Ellie's once. The Carrows grew more and more agitated. Draco tried to catch Vanessa after class, but she was avoiding him like the plague. Draco couldn't risk calling after her –the Hogwarts halls were eerily quiet these days –without risking the Carrows knowing what he was up to. Draco wanted to kick himself for being a coward. No wonder Vanessa looked at him with disappointment in her eyes.

…

"Hurry!" Vanessa hissed to Ginny.

"What should I write?" Ginny asked, looking to Neville.

"I dunno- something like 'We stand with Potter' or something! Just hurry!" Ellie whispered.

"All right, all right." muttered Ginny. She began painting Ellie's suggestion.

"Next time, let's figure out what we want to write before we come out." said Vanessa, shaking her head.

"Good idea." said Neville.

"Oh dear," purred a new voice, "we are in trouble, aren't we?" Chills ran down Vanessa's back. She turned around to see Alecto and Amycus, who grinned.

"Gotcha, brats." he spat. He took their wands and forced them to walk.

Vanessa, Neville, Ellie and Ginny were dragged to Alecto and Amycus's office. Alecto bound Vanessa and her friends with rope with just a wave of her wand. Vanessa struggled against her bindings, but they tightened the more she struggled. "So," said Alecto, "you are the little shits who are causing so much unrest in the school. First it was the disrespect. Now, you are defacing school property! I will not stand for such blatant misbehavior. But there can only be one cause for your rebellion. You know where Potter is."

Vanessa laughed out loud. "I'm flattered that you think we know something so important, but the cause for our 'rebellion' is much simpler than that. We just hate you."

Alecto's smile did not reach her eyes. "Even now, you dare defy us." she whispered. She twirled her wand in her hands. "Perhaps a little pain to help loosen your tongue?" She pointed her wand at Vanessa. "Crucio!"

Hot pain flared over Vanessa's body. Her back arched as she felt electricity burn her bones and fry her muscles. She wasn't even aware that she was screaming. At last, the agony lifted. She rolled on the floor, panting. "What the bloody hell?" snarled Neville. "We don't know where Harry is!"

"Torturing us won't make us remember!" added Ginny.

"Silence!" Alecto screamed. "Crucio!" Neville's cries filled the room.

Ginny let out a yelp when Amycus smacked her across the face. "Where is Potter?" he roared.

"We don't know!" wailed Ellie. She whimpered when Amycus hit her.

"Stop!" Vanessa yelled.

"Crucio!" Alecto shouted. Vanessa writhed on the floor, screaming until her throat was as raw as her body from the Torture Curse. The heavy pain vanished, only to be transferred to Ellie. Vanessa felt hands grab her.

"Where is Potter?" snarled Amycus, spitting in Vanessa's face.

"Go to hell." Vanessa seethed. Amycus grabbed Vanessa by the hair and threw her against the wall. The stone slammed against her cheek and she slumped to the floor.

Ellie's screams echoed through the room. Vanessa was too weak to push herself up. Neville got up and lunged at Alecto, knocking her to the floor and releasing Ellie from the Cruciatus Curse. Amycus charged for Neville, but Ginny kicked out her feet and tripped the Carrow brother. Vanessa struggled to her feet, her eyes scanning the room for their wands. She saw them on Amycus's desk and hurried over to it. Someone grabbed her and threw her to the floor. Amycus kicked Vanessa in the ribs. He withdrew a knife and grabbed Ellie by the hair and placed the knife to her throat. Neville, Ginny and Vanessa stopped fighting.

"Tell us where Potter is, or she dies." sneered Amycus.

"What the blazes is going on here?" demanded McGonagall, who charged into the room in her nightdress.

"These brats are responsible for vandalizing the school!" Alecto screeched.

McGonagall's eyes hardened. "So you give them detention, not torture!"

"They know Potter's whereabouts." accused Amycus.

"Oh, please, these students are just misfits. Potter wouldn't be so stupid as to alert them to his whereabouts. If he's smart, he's far away from here." said McGonagall.

"We ain't takin' your word for it." spat Amycus.

"Torturing someone will get them to say just about anything. Really, do you have any brain?" asked McGonagall.

"We don't take orders from you!" Alecto snapped. She slapped Ellie for good measure.

"Veritaserum is the best means of getting someone to tell the truth," said McGonagall, her voice shaking, "and you do take orders from Professor Snape. This is a school, not Azkaban!"

The Carrows exchanged a glance. "Best watch yourself, McGonagall. Before long, the Dark Lord will run this school." said Amycus darkly.

"And any who defy him will face much worse than a few cuts and bruises." threatened Alecto, eyeing Vanessa and her friends.

"Note taken. Come along, you four." McGonagall grabbed their wands and waved hers, releasing Vanessa and her friends from their bonds. Vanessa staggered as she walked along, her vision blurry and her head thumping from being rammed into the stone wall. McGonagall ushered Vanessa and her friends into her office. "You lot need to disappear." McGonagall said.

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny.

"The four of you cannot stay in your dormitories any longer. It's too dangerous. The Carrows are ruthless. With You-Know-Who growing in power, my authority here weakens with each day. They are not above killing children." said McGonagall.

Vanessa glanced at her friends. "What about our classes?" she asked.

"Just don't go to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Don't draw attention to yourselves." said McGonagall.

"No one else will stand up to them," said Neville. "I'm still going to class. If we don't fight back, no one will."

"God be with you, Longbottom," said McGonagall. "I am proud to call you my students, but I ask that you tone down the rebellion. The Carrows might do something unforgiveable once You-Know-Who gains full power."

"Is there no hope?" asked Ellie.

McGonagall pursed her lips. "There might be. But for now, I must admit things are quite bleak."

…

Draco sat beside Blaise in Transfiguration. He glanced toward the back of the room every so often. Draco turned back toward the front and got out his Transfiguration book. "She's here. You can stop scoping. Oh, bloody hell she looks bad." muttered Blaise.

Draco frowned and looked in the direction Blaise indicated. He felt his heart clench. Vanessa's face sported fresh injuries. The whole right side of her face was swollen and bruised. There was deep nick on her cheek, her lip was busted and she had a black eye. Draco exchanged a glance with Blaise and saw his own concern reflected in Blaise's eyes. Draco hardly listened to McGonagall's lesson. What had Vanessa done, fallen down the stairs? Had she really offended the Carrows so much? Draco felt ice trickle into the pit of his stomach. Had she been caught vandalizing the school?

Draco put his face into hands. As soon as Transfiguration was over, Draco jumped up from his seat and hurried over to Vanessa. She tried to ignore him, but Draco caught her by the arm. She wheeled to face him, her eyes flashing. Her annoyance faded immediately and she tried to hide the injured side of her face. "What happened to you?" Draco demanded.

"You look like shit." added Blaise.

Vanessa scowled, which didn't do much for her face. "Why do you both care?"

Draco frowned. "You're our friend."

"I was your friend, until you decided to go bat-shit crazy and assassinated Dumbledore!" Vanessa spat.

"I didn't kill him!" Draco hissed.

Vanessa smiled coldly. "Oh, then we're just back to the same problem we always have, is it? I'm not worthy enough to be around you!"

"That's not it at all!" Draco insisted.

"Well maybe it is for Blaise, seeing as he hasn't talked to me at all." Vanessa accused, glaring at Blaise.

"Whoa, Nessie. You know me. I'm not the super sentimental type." said Blaise, raising his hands.

"Whatever. You both… You're not my friends. You barely show you care, and when you do, you make it seem like I should get on my knees and praise the heavens for being given a smidge of attention!" Vanessa seethed.

Draco worked his jaw. "Nessie, please. That's not true."

"I'm late to class." Vanessa muttered. She pushed past Draco and Blaise and headed down the hall, keeping her head down.

Draco looked at Blaise, who pursed his lips grimly. "Suppose we deserved that one." Blaise muttered.

Draco looked at the ceiling. "I can't let her keep doing this."

"Oh yeah? And how're you going to stop her?" Blaise challenged.

"I'll think of something." Draco muttered. He wasn't surprised when Vanessa didn't show up to Defense against the Dark Arts. Alecto smiled smugly. Draco gritted his teeth to bite back a snort of disgust. It took several days to work up the courage to talk to her. He had no idea what he was going to say, nor did he know how he was going to corner her. He finally decided to just get her alone whenever possible. He didn't see Vanessa in the halls much, so he decided to wait until dinner. Draco watched Vanessa all throughout dinner. When she finished and headed out of the Great Hall, Draco followed.

"Vanessa," he called. She turned. Her face was healing well, but the shadow of her bruises still caused Draco's stomach to writhe.

"What, Draco?" Vanessa sounded exasperated.

Draco looked around. He pulled Vanessa into an empty classroom, ignoring her yelp of protest. "You need to stop this." he insisted.

"I don't go to that class anymore. I've pretty much stopped." Vanessa replied. "Besides, do you just not care for my mocking of your Death Eater friends?"

Draco ground his teeth together. "They're not my friends."

"Oh really? Last year, you ran off with a bunch of them." said Vanessa.

"I didn't have a choice." said Draco.

Vanessa frowned. "There's always a choice."

Draco shook his head. "It's not that simple. You've always said that nothing is black and white. What happened to that understanding?"

Vanessa pursed her lips. "But this," she hissed, grabbing Draco's left arm and ripping his sleeve back, "is not grey! You-Know-Who kills innocent people! I don't care if you think Muggleborns are legitimate Wizards or not, they don't deserve to die! He tortures and kills because he enjoys it!"

Draco ripped his sleeve back down. "I'm not proud of it. Nessie, I'm stuck in all of this. My family is in too deep to get out. I did everything I could to protect them. He was going to kill them," Draco broke off, tears filling his eyes. "And he might kill you, if you keep this up."

"So be it." Vanessa replied.

"Damn it, Nessie! Please, take care of yourself." said Draco.

"It's not your problem." Vanessa snapped.

Draco stared at her for several seconds. Then, he pressed his lips to hers. She broke it off, staring at him with incredulous eyes. "It is my problem." he muttered. Vanessa didn't say anything. She just left him alone in the classroom, the feel of her lips still on his mind.

…

"We need Addington." said Alecto.

Vanessa looked up from her schoolwork. She met McGonagall's concerned gaze. "What do you need her for during my class?" McGonagall said.

"Well, she's stopped coming to Defense against the Dark Arts. I never get a chance to speak with her." said Alecto calmly.

"Well, I'm sure it can wait until my lesson is over." said McGonagall.

"I'm afraid it can't." Alecto insisted.

Vanessa jerked her head slightly to McGonagall. "I'll do some extra work to catch up, Professor."

McGonagall's lips parted and her eyebrows pinched, but Vanessa had already gotten up. She wasn't about to get McGonagall on the Carrows' bad side, too. She followed Alecto down the corridor and up a stairwell. Vanessa tried to steady her breathing as she entered the Carrows' office. Vanessa glanced at a figure she recognized. Draco. He looked at her, his face paler than usual. He looked away just as quickly.

"Well, I'll just get straight to the point. Draco, what were you doing with Addington the other day in that classroom?" Alecto barked.

Vanessa's stomach twisted. "I was just… I was warning her to stop defying you." Draco muttered.

Alecto snickered. "How'd you warn her with your tongue down her throat?"

Vanessa felt her cheeks heat up. "I-I kissed him. He didn't want it." she muttered. She met Draco's gaze. His brow furrowed and the corners of his mouth dropped.

"No need to lie for him, dearie," cackled Alecto, "Draco should answer for himself. Now, the Dark Lord doesn't take too kindly to traitors. Why were you snogging this little Mudblood?"

Draco flinched. "I… We were… I cared for her, once. But that was before I joined the Dark Lord. I thought maybe I could convince her to… to join us."

Vanessa glanced at him, frowning. He avoided her eyes. Her heart felt as if it had been gripped by a metal fist. There was no way Draco could convince these people that what he had done was nothing more than a desperate attempt to get her to switch sides. "Well, the Dark Lord has no use for useless Mudbloods like her. But you, Draco, you are valuable. But we can't have this girl wavering your loyalty to the Dark Lord." said Alecto, caressing Draco's face.

"What can I do?" he whispered.

"Oh, just prove that she means nothing to you. The Cruciatus Curse should do, don't you think?" said Alecto, sweeping away from Draco.

Vanessa looked at Draco, her lips pursed. Draco's face washed of the little color it had left. His lips parted in horror. Vanessa met his gaze. Do it. Draco swallowed and withdrew his wand. His hand was shaking visibly. His eyes brimmed with tears and his face crumpled. "C-crucio." he breathed.

Vanessa choked and gasped at the electricity flitting through her body. But it was much weaker than when Alecto had tortured her a few weeks ago. The pain lifted, and Vanessa doubled over, gasping for breath. She met Draco's gaze. He pursed his lips. He turned to Alecto.

"Is that enough?" he demanded.

"That's all." said Alecto, smiling.

Draco grabbed Vanessa roughly by the arm. "Move along, Addington." Outside of Alecto's office, Draco pulled Vanessa into a cupboard. "I should stay away from you after this. You should know that I didn't want to do that. I…"

"I know," Vanessa panted. She met his gaze. "I know you think you don't have a choice, but you do. The right thing is almost never easy." She left the cupboard, missing her easy friendship with Draco.

...

Sorry if this chapter was all over the place. Also, I felt the violence was necessary. I read The Cursed Child this past weekend, and there were some hints in there about what the world would have been with Voldemort in charge, and it was pretty dark! Anyway, I'm really looking forward to after their years at Hogwarts, because I have some stuff planned for Vanessa and Draco… Sorry if updates are slow, life just gets in the way and I have fanfics that are more in demand than this one. Anyway, please review if you enjoyed!