Chapter 22

10:32 a.m., Hallway, Hogwarts(Saturday)

After her conversation with Harry, Vixen stormed out of the Gryffindor House and through the castle corridors. At first her plan had been to just walk off some steam before returning to speak with Harry. But now, she wanted answers from the source. She walked down the stone stairs quickly passing by Hogwarts students who would shoot her awkward looks. She looked out into the Courtyard for a sign of Draco.

After quickly scanning the area she didn't find him. Her heart had been beating faster making her blood boil. If it had been any other day she would have run into him about fifteen times by now. But the one time she needed to speak with him, he was nowhere to be found. She sighed angrily and turned to continue through the corridors when a voice caught her attention.

"Looking for someone, muggle?" Pansy sneered from the courtyard. Vixen turned to look at her, her eyes narrowed.

"That's none of your concern Pansy," she shot back. The group of Slytherin girls crowded around Pansy looked to her for a witty remark.

"Well someone is a little testy this morning. What's the matter, love? Can't find my boyfriend?" Pansy shot back. Everyone in the courtyard watched Vixen.

"I know what you're trying to do, Pansy. You're trying to get me mad enough to hit you. But you know what? It's not going to work. You're not worth it, and Draco isn't your boyfriend," Vixen replied crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, you don't think so?" Pansy asked cockily, turning her head at Vixen. Vixen smirked back at her.

"I know so," she replied. Pansy narrowed her eyes now.

"I don't see why everyone is so afraid of you. From what I've seen you're just a little girl who likes to throw tantrums and break things. But when it comes down to getting physical, it's not worth it," Pansy pointed out. Vixen uncrossed her arms and took a deep breath.

"You know Pansy, the only person who wants to get physical is you. I didn't do one thing to you when I arrived here at Hogwarts. I get that not everyone is okay with the thought of muggles being here. I really do. But for some reason it's like you have a different reason for hating me than that," Vixen pointed out. Pansy looked around at all of the eyes on her now.

"You don't know anything you stupid tramp!" she yelled back. Vixen rolled her eyes.

"Vixen? What's going on out here?" Draco asked approaching his secret girlfriend. Vixen turned to face him and felt her ears grow hot.

"There you are," she angrily said storming toward him. Draco stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow at her.

"You need to tell me what is going on with you right now. Tell me the truth, Draco. Are you planning something or not?" she angrily said to him. Draco's eyes grew large and he couldn't breathe.

"Vixen, what are you talking about?" he whispered to her nervously.

"You know what I'm talking about. Lately everyone is so concerned about me being around you. Harry is claiming you're putting on a show to fool me so you can pull some sort of scam on me. Others seem to think that you're going to kill me," she replied crossing her arms. Jacob watched the two feud from a distance in the hallway.

"That's bloody ridiculous. I can't believe you would even come to me with this nonsense!" Draco angrily told her. Vixen chuckled.

"Nonsense? Ridiculous? Why can't you just tell me what's really going on with you? Or with us for that matter!" Vixen angrily shot back at him. Draco groaned out of aggravation.

"Listen, Harry and I are basically enemies, alright? Anything he says about me will be nonsense, just like everything I will say about him. Now, who thinks I'm going to kill you?" he asked her, trying to not show how afraid he really was. Vixen looked around the hallway when her eyes fell on Rylen, who was leaning against the wall near the courtyard entrance.

"That's unimportant. But as of right now, if you need to confess something to me then you need to do it," she told him pointing a finger at him. He sighed.

"You need to stop letting others get to you. The only thing you need to know about me is that I have a less than polished reputation with many people here at Hogwarts. I'm aware of that. Sadly, now you are as well. I just can't have you accusing me of such terrible things," he calmly told her looking around the hallway. He noticed Jacob watching them, but returned his eyes to Vixen.

"Fine. Then I apologize for coming to you in such a harsh manner. If you need to talk to me, you know where I will be," she replied, finally calmed down. Draco nodded and Vixen left to return to the Gryffindor House.

Draco stood alone in the corridor, thinking to himself. He knew that there was no way that Vixen actually knew about the plan. Pansy may have been a brat, but she wouldn't reveal something that devilish. He lifted his head when he noticed Jacob approaching him.

"Does she know?" Jacob nervously whispered to Draco. He raised an eyebrow at the muggle.

"Of course not. It's just foolishness being placed in her head by Potter," Draco unhappily replied. Jacob nodded in understanding.

"Hey, what is he coming over here for?" Jacob asked Draco, nodding down the hallway.

Draco turned to see Rylen striding toward Jacob and himself with a less than pleasant expression on his face.

"Gentlemen, we need to talk," Rylen told them in a low voice. Draco and Jacob exchanged confused looks with one another.

The three boys exchanged awkward glances between one another. Rylen then nodded his head, motioning for them to follow him. Reluctantly, Draco slowly followed behind him. A few seconds later, Jacob decided to follow them as well. Rylen entered the boys bathroom and Draco followed him inside. Jacob scrunched his nose up walking into the room.

"Yeah, it's totally not weird for three guys to go to the bathroom together," Jacob sarcastically said. Draco rolled his eyes.

A small second year boy emerged from one of the stalls after Jacob spoke. He looked up and noticed the three large men standing in front of him and swallowed hard. Draco smirked at him when he noticed he was slightly shaking. Rylen turned his head at him.

"Go," he simply told the boy. The small boy ran past them and out of the bathroom as quickly as possible.

"Not that I don't just love spending time with you two, but what do you want?" Jacob asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You're not funny," Draco seriously said without looking at Jacob. Rylen sighed.

"I've been watching the two of you these past couple of days," Rylen told them.

"Why?" Draco asked.

"Ew," Jacob said at the same time. Rylen hard looked Jacob in the eyes.

"If you don't get serious right now, I'll beat you so hard that you won't be recognizable," Rylen threatened him. Jacob rolled his eyes and Draco smirked.

"I don't trust either of you. Let's get that straight right now. We will never be friends. Nor will we be acquaintances. Normally, I wouldn't care about what either of you are planning. However, your stupid actions are spilling into my life," Rylen told them, leaning back onto one of the sinks.

"Do you care to elaborate?" Draco angrily asked him. Jacob nodded.

"Luna Lovegood is worried about Vixen. I don't like it when Luna is worried. Now, the only reason she is worried about her is because of the two of you," he pointed out. Draco remained silent.

"So what? What Blondie and I do are none of Luna's or your business. Not to mention, weren't you Luna's muggle last week and the first week?" Jacob asked snottily.

"Yes, I was. Do you have a point?" Rylen angrily shot back. Draco raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you want to say, Rylen?" Draco asked.

"I'm familiar with shady people, and the two of you are the shadiest I've ever met. It's obvious that something sinister is going on between the two of you and Vixen is somehow in the middle of it. I don't care to know what you're planning. But all that I'm going to say is that you better start making it less obvious. Luna will not be worried while I'm here. Now take that and do what you will," Rylen told them both before stalking out of the bathroom. Draco remained still and silent.

"What a tool," Jacob said shaking his head. Draco turned toward him with his eyes narrowed.

"We are not friends, Jacob. We share a secret, that's all," Draco harshly said to him as he walked out of the bathroom.

"That's fine with me! I didn't want to be friends with either of you anyway!" Jacob yelled walking into the hallway. Rylen was already out of sight and Draco was halfway down the hall.

1:13 p.m., Gryffindor Common Room, Hogwarts(Saturday)

Vixen had returned to the Gryffindor Common Room shortly after her encounter with Draco. However, Harry was gone when she had returned, so she sat quietly, waiting for one of her friends to return home. She turned her head when someone sat on the couch beside her.

"Oh...hi, Harry," she said calmly. He nodded slightly at her.

"Hi Vixen," he replied. the two sat silent for a brief moment.

"Look, I'm sorry for being so blunt earlier. Draco is your friend and I should have respected that," he apologized. Vixen sighed quietly.

"Harry, I'm sorry too. I stormed off like a child earlier. I should be more open to others opinions," she replied. Harry nodded at her.

"So I know it's none of my business or anything, but do you have any idea why Draco, Jacob and that Rylen boy would be around one another?" Harry asked her. Vixen raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? I have no idea. Why do you ask?" she replied.

"I was on my way to the Library to find Hermione and Ron when I saw the three of them walk into the boys restroom together. None of them looked too pleased," he informed her. Vixen shrugged.

"I honestly don't have any idea why they would all be together. But plenty of strange things have been happening around here lately, so I'm not exactly surprised. However, I can't say I'm not curious," she told Harry. He looked at her questioningly.

"How do you feel about playing detective, Mr. Potter?" Vixen asked intriguingly. An understanding smile crept onto Harry's face.

4:27 p.m., Hallway, Hogwarts(Saturday)

Vixen and Harry spent a few hours in the Gryffindor common room devising a plan of attack to investigate why the three boys were seen together. Vixen was curious to know what was going on with them, but more importantly, this gave her something to do with Harry that wouldn't result in an argument. The dynamic duo walked about the castle looking for one of the boys.

"You know, they could be in their current houses," Harry said to Vixen. She crossed her arms and thought to herself.

"Well, both Jacob and Draco are in Slytherin. As for Rylen, I'm not sure where he is staying right now," she admitted. The two jumped when a voice spoke from behind them.

"Rylen is staying with me again this week," Luna Lovegood said in her tiny, calm voice. Harry and Vixen smiled at her.

"It's nice to see you Luna," Harry said to her. She nodded.

"I'm happy to see that you're alright," she said looking at Vixen. Confused, Vixen simply smiled back at her.

"Luna, do you have any idea why Rylen would be around Jacob Corbin or Draco?" Harry asked her. She thought to herself for a moment.

"No. I'm sorry Harry. Rylen doesn't really like other people. I don't think he likes that Jacob boy at all," Luna calmly replied. Vixen listened to her.

"Has he mentioned them at all?" Harry continued to ask.

"No. We don't talk about others. Unless it's Vixen of course," she replied. Vixen felt a chill run down her spine.

"Why do you talk about me?" Vixen asked calmly.

"I find you fascinating. Rylen does too, but he won't admit it. You're not safe here, you know. I worry about you," Luna told her genuinely. Vixen didn't know what to say.

"Well, thank you anyway Luna. We'll see you around," Harry said to her. Luna nodded and Harry and Vixen walked away from her.

"Don't mind Luna. She's a little odd," Harry said comfortingly as they walked through the castle.

"I like her, actually. I believe her too," Vixen said back to him. They stopped outside of the Slytherin painting.

"So we're just going to wait until one of them either leaves or comes home?" Harry asked sitting on the floor. Vixen nodded sitting next to him.

"Ron and Hermione sure have been studying for a long time," Vixen said making small talk.

"Knowing Ron, I'm not surprised," Harry joked, making fun of Ron's intelligence. Vixen laughed lightly.

"I think they're interested in one another," Vixen told him. Harry smiled.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one then," he replied. They both perked up when someone exited the painting.

"Jacob!" Vixen yelled a little more frantically than she intended. Jacob turned around and smiled.

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" he asked approaching the two. Both Harry and Vixen stood up.

"Oh you know, just hanging out. So, what's up?" Vixen asked trying to be casual. Jacob nodded at Harry.

"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but why are you asking me what's up? You never want to talk to me," Jacob pointed out. Vixen couldn't help but notice he was correct.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you," Harry chimed in. Vixen and Jacob looked at him.

"Oh?" Jacob said. Harry nodded.

"I figured I would bring Vixen along to make it less awkward. You know, since we don't really know one another," Harry lied. Vixen was impressed.

"Oh, yeah that makes sense. So, what did you need?" Jacob asked, believing the lie. Vixen hoped Harry had a plan.

"I noticed how fast you are these past few weeks here at Hogwarts. I was curious if you were interested in sports?" Harry asked. Jacob nodded slightly.

"Excellent. I was thinking you could come and watch the Quidditch match this week. I think you might enjoy it," Harry told him. Vixen held her breath waiting for a response.

"I'm already going to that. Slytherin is playing and Goyle will be there, so I will be too," Jacob told him. Vixen's heart started to beat faster.

"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot the match got changed the other night. Well, regardless of that, I just wanted to be friendly. You know Draco is on the Slytherin Quidditch team," Harry hinted. Vixen finally realized what he had been doing.

"Ugh, yeah I know. Not my best friend if you know what I mean," Jacob said in a disgusted tone. Vixen felt a little angry.

"You have no idea. Say, why don't we go check out the field? Vixen was telling me earlier she had a headache, so maybe you would like to go with me instead?" Harry asked Jacob. Vixen noticed Harry's hint.

"Sure thing. See you later Vix," Jacob said to her. The boys walked away and Vixen waved after them.

"Harry had better tell me everything," she thought to herself.

Vixen looked up at the painting she had been sitting under. It was a lot darker than the portrait of the Fat Lady. Alone, she walked down the moving staircase and continued through the hallways. She couldn't get over how well Harry was at lying. Frankly, it made her a bit nervous. She stopped in an empty corridor and took a seat on the floor.

She closed her eyes and within seconds her crystal ball appeared in her lap. She ran her tanned hands over the glass slowly, watching the white haze move slowly inside of it. She had really been neglecting everyone from the muggle world lately. Her stomach started to hurt when she realized that she didn't really feel bad about it either.

"Audrey Rachel Charm," she said quietly. The haze in the crystal ball turned light pink and began swirling around faster.

Sure enough, a small script like banner appeared in the ball with her mothers name scribbled across it neatly. She felt her breathing become shallow as her mothers face appeared above it. Her blonde hair was neatly styled and her green eyes were sparkling. Vixen touched the ball lightly, tracing her mothers facial outline with her index finger. She felt tears creeping up on her, but unlike all of the other times, she didn't want to stifle them.

Letting out a breathy sob, a few clear tears shot out of her light eyes and slid down her cheeks, falling off of her chin. She couldn't take her eyes off of the ball in front of her, even though her vision was blurred by her tears. Letting out heavy breaths and clear tears, she delicately placed the ball on the cold floor. She didn't even move when someone wrapped their arms around her small body.

She gripped onto the gray sweater vest of the male figure who was embracing her. Her tears continued to flow and her sobbing increased. She would have normally been more concerned about who was holding her, but right now that seemed irrelevant. She needed this moment of vulnerability. She never came to terms with her mothers passing, and she didn't want anyone to see her so weak and unguarded. She gripped onto the young mans vest tighter.

He began to stroke her platinum hair lightly with his large hand. He then positioned himself onto his bottom, pulling her into his chest while he leaned his back against the wall. Neither of them exchanged any words throughout the entire embrace. He could feel her hot tears soaking through his vest and his thin long sleeved shirt beneath it. He kept a firm, comforting grip on the small girl lying in his lap.

More time passed and her crying had started to subside. She had stopped breathing as heavily, and she began to sniff lightly. Without wiping her face clean of her smeared mascara and tears, she lifted her head and took a look at her comforter. When she noticed

Draco staring down at her, she didn't smile. She didn't move, or say anything either. The two simply looked into one another's eyes in silence.

Without even asking, Draco knew who was in the crystal ball when he had found her. The woman looked like an older version of the muggle girl that he had come to love over the past few weeks. Those few brief moments he had spent holding her silently while she unleashed her bottled up pain helped him realize that he could no longer go along with his plan. He knew he needed to tell her the truth, and he was going to. Thursday night of his week observing her he was going to lay it all on the line. Whether she wanted him to or not, he was going to get her away from Hogwarts and keep her safe.

"I love you," she whispered to him. His heart skipped a beat as he continued to stare into her bloodshot eyes.

"I love you too, Vixen," he said pulling her head onto his chest and placing his cheek on top of her pale hair. He continued to rub her back lightly.