Note: I hope you enjoy this chapter! =]

Chapter 8

8:37 a.m. the Dining Hall, Hogwarts. (Saturday)

Hermione had woke Vixen up early and took her to breakfast. Ron and Harry joined them. Vixen sat quietly at the Gryffindor table, a plate of strawberries sitting untouched in front of her.

"I'm so tired," Ron complained, yawning. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I find that hard to believe after hearing your snoring last night," Harry pointed out. Ron looked at him.

"I don't snore," he said defensively.

"Yes you do," Hermione and Harry said in unison. The group laughed, and Vixen smiled.

She jumped when someone placed a crystal ball in front of her on the table. She looked up to see Draco looking at her, expressionless. The others looked at him questioningly.

"Keep track of your things," Draco said before walking away. The trio looked at Vixen confused.

"What in the bloody hell was that all about?" Ron asked rather loudly.

"Vixen, is that your crystal ball?" Hermione asked. Vixen nodded.

"How did Malfoy get that?" Harry asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Who knows," was all that Vixen said. She looked across the room at the Slytherin table to see Draco returning her gaze.

Draco raised an eyebrow before breaking the eye contact. Vixen looked down and threw a small strawberry into her mouth. She was surprised at how sweet it was. She looked up when she felt eyes on her. Surely enough, her three new friends were starring her down.

"What?" Vixen asked after sighing loudly.

"We're supposed to research you. But you don't do much," Ron pointed out.

"Technically Ronald, Hermione is the only one who should be examining me this week.

You have to wait," Vixen replied matter-of-factly. Harry smiled.

"Why do they always call me Ronald?" Ron asked, nodding at Hermione and Vixen. The girls smiled at each other.

"Blame it on our female bonding," Vixen laughed. Ron smiled.

"So Vixen, what would you like to do today?" Hermione asked turning toward her. Vixen shrugged.

"Knowing you, you probably want me to give you information for your research paper, huh?" Vixen asked. Hermione bit her lower lip.

"It's okay, I know how studious you are. Can we do this outside though?" Vixen asked. Hermione smiled and nodded.

The two girls stood up and Ron and Harry did the same. Vixen stopped, noticing them getting up. She raised an eyebrow.

"You two aren't coming. It's Hermione's week, so stay here," Vixen told them. Ron and Harry exchanged quick glances.

"But what if Malfoy does something?" Harry complained. Vixen smiled.

"Then we will handle it. Now go, have a guys day," Vixen said waving them off. The two girls then proceeded outside.

9:00 a.m. Hillside, Hogwarts (Saturday)

The two walked around outside of the castle together quietly. Vixen was impressed with the scenery around Hogwarts. The sky was light blue, the grass was a vibrant shade of green and the trees were all covered with leaves. They stopped on the hillside and sat down on the grass.

"Are you doing okay here, Vixen?" Hermione asked.

"It's not all that bad really. It's different, but I would almost prefer it here than back at my home," Vixen said lying on her back with her hands behind her head. Hermione frowned.

"Why don't you want to go home?" she asked Vixen.

"It's not much of a home. It's more of a pretend world. I'm always putting on a smile and dressing up to impress people who I don't even know," Vixen said watching a cloud float above her.

Hermione looked at Vixen. Her black, green and white converse were dirty, her shorts were very short and frayed at the bottom, her fitted gray sweatshirt hung off of her right shoulder and her platinum blonde hair was flying around her face freely. It was hard to imagine her all dressed up and polished. Then again, she didn't really want to. She liked

Vixen the way she was now. She may not have liked her the other way.

"You don't have to impress anyone around here, Vixen. Just keep being yourself," she told her laying down beside her. Vixen turned her head to face Hermione.

"I like you Hermione. You're a really laid back girl, you're really understanding," she told her. Hermione faced her now.

"I like you too, Vixen," she replied smiling. Vixen grabbed Hermione's hand in hers.

"Friends, then?" Vixen asked. Hermione nodded.

"Absolutely. Friends," she replied. The two laid in the soft grass holding each others hands watching the clouds go by above them.

"Hermione! That one looks like a pig!" Vixen laughed pointing to a cloud above the two. Hermione laughed.

"You're right! It really does look like a pig!" Hermione added while laughing. Vixen smiled at her.

"I like this," Vixen said rolling over onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows.

"What's that?" Hermione asked lying on her side with her hand holding her head up. Vixen sighed.

"Having a friend who is a girl. I never really had any female friends back home. Well, except for Quinn. At least I thought so," she said plucking pieces of grass from the ground.

"Why don't you think so anymore?" Hermione asked.

"Remember when I first got here? Remember seeing a girl in Jackson's bed? Yeah, that was Quinn," she replied. Hermione frowned.

"I'm so sorry, Vixen. You just haven't had any luck lately," she said touching Vixen's arm comfortingly.

"Eh, it's not that big of a deal. I mean, we found each other, right?" she replied smiling. Hermione smiled a sad smile back.

"Right," she quietly confirmed. Vixen went back to plucking the grass.

"Hermione? Is that you o'er there?" a loud voice boomed from the top of the hill. Vixen looked up to see a rather large, unkempt man standing there.

"Hagrid! Yes, yes it's me!" Hermione happily yelled back. She stood up and started up the hill.

Vixen did the same, brushing the loose strands of grass from her bare legs. She walked up to Hermione's side and walked with her. They stopped in front of the man. Vixen lifted her head back to see his face.

"Hello Hagrid," Hermione said.

"'ello there Hermione. Beautiful day, don't you think? Oh, 'ello there young lady," he said smiling down at Vixen.

"Oh, Hagrid, this is Vixen Charm. She is one of the muggles brought here for the Muggle Studies experiment. Vixen, this is Hagrid, a friend of mine," Hermione said introducing them.

"Boy. You're really tall," Vixen said. Hagrid laughed.

"Bein' a half giant certainly allows that ta' happen, Miss. Charm," he said smiling. Vixen smiled.

"Just Vixen, is fine. Or Vixie, or even Vix works," she said happily.

"It's good to meet ya Vixie," Hagrid replied.

"Oh! Ron and Harry came ta' visit me this mornin'. Gave me this, they did. Told me to give it to you, Hermione," he said pulling out a crystal ball from his jacket. Hermione looked at Vixen.

"Thank you Hagrid. Vixen keeps on leaving it everywhere," she said taking it. Vixen smiled.

Hermione took her wand out, and said something that Vixen couldn't comprehend. The ball quickly vanished. Vixen looked at her curiously.

"There. Now you can call for it when you need it, and it won't get lost again," Hermione said. Vixen shrugged.

"Say Hermione, suppose you have time to help me out with organizin' my books at home?" Hagrid asked. Hermione looked at Vixen.

"She sure does," Vixen said pushing her forward lightly. Hagrid smiled.

"I'll be out here when you get done," Vixen told her. Hermione nodded and the two walked away to the other side of the hill.

Vixen sat down, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. She rested her chin on top of her knees and watched the wind blow the leaves on the trees in the distance. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She turned her head when someone sat down beside her.

"Where'd Granger go?" Draco asked. Vixen nodded in the direction she had left in.

"What are you doing out here?" Vixen asked him.

"Enjoying the nice day, I guess," he replied.

Draco lifted his head back, his short, shaggy hair blowing in the wind. Vixen watched him close his eyes and then slowly open them.

"You know, if you didn't have such a terrible attitude all the time, people might like you," Vixen told him. Draco smirked.

"Says the girl who finds it appropriate to break things when she gets angry," he shot back. Vixen shrugged.

The two sat quietly together on the hillside. Vixen watched the grass sway back and forth across the ground on the hill. She then noticed a dark, shadowed forest in the distance.

"Your shoe is untied," Draco said, getting her attention.

"What?" she asked, confused at what he had just said. Draco let out a frustrated sigh.

"Here," he said grabbing her bare ankle lightly in his hand. Vixen felt her face get hot.

Draco placed her small foot in his lap. Vixen watched as he proceeded to tie her dirty Converse quickly. He tightened the laces when he finished.

"There," he said examining his work. His fingers ran across the neatly tied bow and onto Vixen's bare ankle.

The smoothness of her skin surprised him. Vixen's face was now blood red, but she didn't move. He touched the middle of her shin, slowly gliding his fingers down it to the top of her ankle. His heart grew heavy as it began to beat faster. He looked up slightly, strands of hair falling into his eyes, only to find her staring back at him. His heart now leaped into his throat. He pulled his hand from her leg when someone spoke from behind them.

Meanwhile…

10:14 a.m. Hagrid's Shack, Hogwarts

"Okay Hagrid, what's really going on?" Hermione asked sitting in a large chair in Hagrid's kitchen area. He sighed heavily.

"A werewolf has been hiding in the dark forest," he confessed. Hermione looked at him questioningly.

"But Lupin left last year?" she said almost asking a question.

"Exactly. It's not Lupin, Hermione. It's someone else," Hagrid explained, sitting across from her.

"Are you absolutely sure?" she asked, worried. Hagrid nodded.

"I can hear it at night. It's out there, waitin'. I heard it last night very clearly. It started the night the professors brought the muggles here," he told her. She crossed her legs.

"What should we do?" Hermione asked.

"I already told Ron and Harry to just leave it be. If it gets too close, I'll let Dumbledore know. For now, just keep Vixen safe," he told her. She nodded in understanding.

10:23 a.m. Hillside, Hogwarts

"You two look pretty cozy over there," Jake said strolling over to Vixen and Draco. Vixen rolled her eyes and Draco scowled.

"Do you ever stop stalking me?" Vixen asked looking at him.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he laughed. Draco stood up.

"We have been out here for quite a while and I haven't caught sight of you. Sounds like Vixen is the one being stalked," Draco angrily said. Vixen raised an eyebrow at his defensive tone.

"Man, chill out bro! I was kidding!" Jake said holding his hands up. Draco looked at Vixen, confused.

"Bro?" he mouthed to her. She smiled.

"It means the same thing as dude, or man or fellow even," she pointed out. Draco nodded.

"I'm not your bro," he shot back at Jake.

"Jacob, go away," Vixen said standing up.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll leave you two love birds alone," Jacob said walking away from them.

"We are NOT love birds!" Draco yelled after him. Vixen laughed.

"Thanks for the help with my Chucks," Vixen said pointing at her now tied shoe, changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah no problem. You need to be more careful," Draco pointed out.

"Well, for the record, I didn't ask you to do that," she said smiling. Draco smiled, rolling his eyes.

"You're impossible," he told her.

"Vixen! Where are you?" Hermione called from the distance.

"I'll see you around," Draco said running off into the castle. Vixen didn't get a chance to say good bye.

"Hermione? I'm over here!" she yelled back, walking toward her friends voice.