Chapter 10

The new arrivals were highly curious as to the new visitor and, though Harry let Molly lead the procession into the garden, he closely dogged her heels. About four feet behind the girl, he stopped dead in his tracks, Hermione walking into him and nearly throwing him into the girl. She sat cross-legged on the ground, a half-dozen garden gnomes arrayed in an arc in front of her. To all appearances she was telling them a fairy tale and they were listening with rapt attention.

"And so the faerie princess married the goblin and they lived happily ever after for many many years." She smiled benignly and the gnomes snapped out of their trance-like state and glared at the intruders before disappearing into a nearby bush.

Trixie got to her feet slowly and turned around to face the extended family. And nearly sat back down again. Her ice-blue gaze was met squarely by piercing green. She could tell he already suspected something. But it wasn't just her. He was nervous, on edge about something that had nothing to do with her. She forced her lips into a smile.

"You must be Harry Potter," she murmured politely.

The boy's eyes narrowed. "How did you guess?"

Her lips twitched in amusement. "Elementary, Watson." Her eyes flickered briefly to the others before returning to his. "Red hair runs in the family and you seem a bit too masculine to be a Hermione. And, since the only choice left to me is one Harry Potter, I figured that was you. Was I wrong?"

"And you are Trixie," he countered instead.

She grinned. "How did you guess?"

"Elementary, Watson. I had only one choice to make. Was I wrong?"

"You were right. And so was I."

Harry took another step forward and Trixie put up a slim hand to stop him. "You wouldn't want to step on Bob, would you?"

"Who's Bob?" he couldn't seem to break eye contact and wasn't sure he wanted to.

Trixie dragged her eyes from his, though it was surprisingly difficult. "Bob is my pet snake," she said, drawing his attention to the large serpent lying somnolent at his feet.

"You have a pet snake?" Harry asked quietly as he stepped over the snake. The move brought him within two inches of Trixie. She tilted her head back but did not move back. Up close she smelled of lilies and oak and he unconsciously moved closer. She refused to give ground. "Why do you have a pet snake?"

"It's a long story. Maybe I'll tell you some day."

Her voice was silky soft and hummed through his bones, her breath warm on his face. "Tell me." His voice was more than a little husky and she smiled.

The two of them were oblivious to their audience, though all of them knew they were witnessing something important. It was a battle of wills, and all of the females knew what Harry was subconsciously doing. He was playing the dominant male role to the hilt, but Trixie was far from submissive. Ginny stared at the pair and felt her heart fall to pieces yet again. Seeing the way he was looking at her, she was hard-pressed to think of a time when that same look had been directed at her. No, she reflected, he had not been a possessive boyfriend. She pushed her way through the assembled audience and slipped back inside. They wouldn't even notice her gone, she thought bitterly.

Molly felt her daughter push past her roughly. She'd have to ask her what was wrong. But later. Now she needed to know who was willing to back down. One of them had to.

"I will tell you," Trixie said, breaking the tense silence. "But this is neither the time nor place."

Harry refused to accept such a trite answer. "You will tell me now," he corrected.

Trixie hadn't thought they could get any closer without touching. He proved her wrong by crowding even closer. He was fast leaving her with two choices; back up r get bowled over. She stood her ground.

Fred and George felt the change immediately, as did everybody else, though only the twins recognized it for what it was. Trixie was getting angry. Though the air around her crackled with electricity, she never dropped her illusion of humanity.

"Do not tell me what to do." She didn't step back; she stepped forward, forcing Harry to backpedal hurriedly. "Don't ever try to play the dominance card in my presence. I don't respond well to bossiness."

His eyes stayed locked with hers until he was yanked roughly off-balance by Ron. Trixie blinked. He truly was a wizard. How else could he have ensnared her attention so thoroughly?

She didn't spare him another glance as she turned a dazzling smile on Ron. "It's a pleasure to meet yet another Weasley. Your family has been incredibly good to me. I just hope I'll be able to pay them back." She extended a hand to him.

After a moment's hesitation, eh clasped it. Her smile turned mischievous. "I can see that good looks run in the family, too." The top edges of his ears turned red.

Ron was shoved rudely out of the way by a gangly girl with frizzy brown hair and snappy hazel eyes. She looked like she'd been electrocuted.

"And you would have to be the resident genius," Trixie said with a warm smile.

Hermione grinned back and preened a little. "That I would," she acknowledged gracefully.

Trixie's smile didn't waver. "I expect to learn a lot from you. Because, while you were learning spells, I was stuck with calculus." Only the twins noticed the faint twinge of sarcasm that colored her tone. They understood her need to be accepted for herself.

Hermione didn't.

"I'd be happy to let you pump me for information," she told Trixie loftily, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Be careful. I'll hold you to your words."

The warning had been given, though none recognized it for what it was. She would not be lied to. Not now. Her eyes must have shown her steely determination because Hermione took a step back. Trixie blinked placidly and smiled. Harry, not taking any chances, put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Without the strange enchantment, Trixie found herself able to look at him, not just his eyes. A trim figure, beautifully crafted face, and jet-black hair that was too messy for words. He was absolutely divine.

As she examined him, he decided to return the favor. She was a blond, blue-eyed angel with a stubborn streak. She also had a slim waist, small, high breasts, and gently flared hips that topped a pair of very long legs. Divine.

Their perusals ended simultaneously and emeralds met ice once more. Neither knew what to expect from the other and neither knew what to say.

"You need not protect her from me. I suspect I'm not as evil as some you've met."

She's a danger to the clan, Romia. The sliver of memory was gone, but the words echoed in her mind.

"Or maybe I am." She walked forward until they were nearly touching. "It's your decision, Harry. Tell me, am I evil?"

He looked into her illusory eyes and came to a decision. "No."