Chapter 24

3:12 p.m., Potions Classroom, Hogwarts(Tuesday)

Vixen sat squeezed tightly between Harry and Ron who were standing on each side of her hovering over a black cauldron. Vixen's nose was scrunched up at the liquid in the cauldron as she watched the vomit green concoction bubble slowly. She sneezed when Ron added a purple dust to the mix.

"I hate this class more than Herbology," she said pulling her shirt up until it covered her nose, clinging to her face. A nearby Liam whistled at her.

"Lookin' good hot stuff!" he said pointing at her exposed midriff. She groaned loudly and pulled her shirt back down.

"Is it supposed to stink this bad?" Vixen complained covering her nose with her hand. Ron moved his mouth to the right.

"Did you add the Eye of Newt yet, Harry?" Ron asked, scratching his head. Harry looked at him confused.

"The recipe doesn't call for Eye of Newt, Ron," Harry told him nervously. Vixen raised her eyebrows at the two.

"Yes it does, right here, see?" Ron said shoving his open Potions book in Harry's face. Harry groaned.

"This is page 78 Ron. We're making the Potion on page 178!" Harry said frustrated. Vixen chuckled.

"You're doing well, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said looking into Draco's cauldron. Vixen smiled beneath her hand.

"Hit the deck!" Ron screamed jumping to the floor. Vixen turned her head to see the potion had now turned bright red and was steaming.

Before she had a chance to say or do anything, Harry knocked her off of her stool and onto the ground. Vixen let out a quick yelp of pain from hitting her head onto the stone floor before the cauldron exploded, sending potion everywhere. Harry and Ron sat up on the floor and looked at one another. Vixen grabbed the back of her head and pulled herself up slowly.

"What the hell Harry!" she yelled angrily. Harry jumped slightly beside her.

"I'm sorry Vixen, I just had to get you out of the way," Harry said sadly. Vixen groaned loudly.

"I didn't ask you to do that!" she yelled rubbing her head still. Ron sighed beside her.

"Well, at least your face didn't get scorched off," Ron said shrugging. Draco sat across the room staring daggers at Harry.

"Potter! Weasley! Next time I give you an assignment pay attention and don't ruin my classroom!" Snape angrily said leaning over the desk, peering down at the three teenagers who were still on the floor.

"Right, sorry Professor," Ron said apologizing. Ron stood up from the ground followed by Harry.

Vixen decided to do the same as her Group mates. She pulled her hand away from the back of her head, getting ready to place it on the floor to help push herself off of the ground. She stopped when she noticed her hand was covered in hot, sticky liquid. She turned her hand palm up and inspected it her eyes widening as she did so. The liquid on her hand was her own blood.

"Aw sick!" Liam said from behind her causing the other students to look at her. Many gasps and squeals were heard.

When Draco had finally caught sight of Vixen on the ground examining her hand, he abandoned his cauldron and angrily walked over to her. He crouched down beside her and placed a hand on her back and one on her arm. He slowly pulled her off of the ground.

"Come on, let's get you to the Hospital Wing," Draco told her as he walked her through the room.

"Wait! I'll take her!" Harry yelled, but Draco didn't pay him any mind. Instead he took her out of the room completely ignoring his request.

"No you won't, Potter. You have a mess to clean up," Snape said to him. Ron and Harry groaned.

"I swear I'm going to kill him. I'll kill him," Draco said through clenched teeth as he held onto Vixen. She was walking fine on her own, swinging her arms at her sides leaving a trail of blood spots on the floor behind her.

"Don't kill him," she said to Draco. Vixen could feel the heat radiating off of his body.

"He pushed you to the ground, Vixen! Now you're severely injured and it's all his fault," Draco angrily told her. Vixen laughed slightly.

"Severely? I think you're exaggerating just a bit. If I can still walk and talk, I think it's just minor," she said jokingly. Draco wasn't amused.

"I know you're trying to calm me down by using humor, but just stop it. Potter is a dead man," he said to her matter of factly. Vixen rolled her eyes.

"Fine. You wanna kill him, then go for it. But only on one condition. You don't get to actually kill him. Just beat him tomorrow at the Quidditch game," she said smiling at him, her head still bleeding. Draco stopped walking and turned toward her.

He stood silent for a few moments, looking her over. He touched her long platinum hair that was soaked red in the back, sighing. He then pulled her into a quick but tight hug. When he released her she looked at him confused. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"It will never be okay if you're hurt. I don't care if your arm gets chopped off or you get a paper cut. It will never be okay with me," Draco started. Vixen's head started to throb harder.

"Draco...-"she said trying to cut him off. He wouldn't let her.

"No, you need to hear this. I'm going to protect you, Vixen. I'll protect you from everyone. I'll never let you get hurt again," he continued. Her vision was starting to blur.

"Draco, really you don't...-," she tried again, still failing to stop him.

"No, Vixen just hear me out. I love you with every part of me. I would rather die myself than ever see you in pain," he kept saying.

"Draco!" she finally screamed. He stopped and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes?" he said curiously. Vixen swallowed and squinted her eyes shut tight.

"This is an excellent speech, don't get me wrong. I'd love to hear the rest of it later, but right now my brain is falling out of my skull," she told him.

"Oh, yeah, right. Here, let's get to the Hospital Wing," he said finally realizing what she was trying to tell him.

Before she knew it, Draco had scooped her up in his arms quickly. He was carrying her bridal style through the relatively busy castle hall. Many students gave him shocked looks while others gave him disgusted ones. He ignored them and stared down at his secret girlfriend instead. Blood had dripped onto his white button up shirt front and sleeve, but he didn't mind it. Suddenly, his once prized material possessions didn't seem so important anymore. He walked into the Hospital Wing with his head held high, leaving a swarm of confused students in his tracks.

3:34 p.m., Hospital Wing, Hogwarts(Tuesday)

Upon entering the Hospital Wing, Draco was greeted by a frantic Madam Pomfrey. He sat next to the bed where Vixen was placed, waiting as she was being taken care of. A spell

had closed her open wound and Madam Pomfrey washed the blood out of Vixen's hair.

"Now, you're going to have to wear this bandage until tomorrow morning. If you remove it, the wound will reopen and I may not be able to fix it again," Pomfrey told Vixen as she started wrapping a bandage around her head. Vixen pouted.

"Are you kidding me?" she groaned sadly. Draco smirked at her.

"I'm afraid not, dear. That should do it, now take it easy for the day," Pomfrey said finishing the bandaging. She then left the two alone.

"Well this is just great. Now I look like a mummy who rides a Harley," Vixen said sadly, crossing her arms and leaning back into the hospital bed. Draco laughed.

"I would have gone with a mummy pirate," Draco told her jokingly. Vixen shook her head smiling at him.

"Nah, she is way too young to be a mummy," Jacob joked walking into the room. Draco turned and glared at him.

"Please, no more mummy jokes. I can't take it," Vixen said holding a hand up. Jacob smiled and stood next to her bed.

"Aw, what's the matter crazy? Too wrapped up in your thoughts?" he continued to joke.

Vixen laughed at him.

"What are you doing here Jacob?" Draco asked harshly. Jacob scoffed.

"I heard the news from Goyle who heard it from Blaise. Figured I would come and check on Vixen," Jacob told him. Draco clenched his fist tight.

"She is fine," he told him. Vixen groaned.

"No fighting. Not today. Jacob, thanks for the concern, but I really am fine. I'll be recovered by tomorrow," she informed him. He smiled and nodded at her.

"I'm glad to hear that. But I should really be going now. Take it easy," he said before exiting the room. Draco released his fist and relaxed.

"I can't believe people already know about what happened. It's been like twenty minutes," Vixen told Draco. He nodded in agreement.

Both turned their heads toward the doors of the Hospital Wing when they slammed open. A frantic Hermione was jogging through the room toward Vixen and Draco followed by Harry and Ron. When Hermione had reached Vixen she climbed into her bed with her.

"Vixen! Are you feeling okay! Why are you bandaged up? I'm so sorry about those two!" Hermione started rambling hurriedly. Vixen grabbed her arms tightly.

"Hermione, stop freaking out. I'm okay. I'll take this off tomorrow and everything will be back to normal," Vixen told her slowly. Hermione exhaled loudly.

"What do you want?" Draco sneered at Harry.

"To apologize. I'm sorry Vixen," Harry told her sincerely. Vixen smiled at him.

"It's okay Harry. It's not like you meant for this to happen," she told him calmly. He smiled at her.

"Oh, there you are," Luna Lovegood said walking up to Vixen's bed followed by Rylen.

"Seriously, how many more people are going to come in here?" Draco said looking around the room.

"I heard how Ron and Harry were neglectful in Potions and that you got hurt. I'm not really shocked though, Ron is very bad at Potions," Luna said with a straight face. Now Ron started to pout.

"Well, I just want all of you to know I'm going to be fine," Vixen said to the crowd. Draco kept glancing over at Rylen.

"That makes me happy. We will let you get some rest now. Come on Rylen," Luna said walking away with Rylen right behind her.

"We should be off too. See you later King Tut," Ron joked as he, Harry and Hermione started to walk away.

"No more mummy jokes!" Vixen yelled after them. The trio shut the doors behind them, shutting Draco and Vixen inside.

"Wow," Vixen said scooting farther down into the bed. Draco looked at her.

"What?" he asked.

"I didn't realize so many people cared about me," she said with a smile on her face. Draco smiled down at her.

"You are quite lovable," he told her. Vixen looked at him.

"Quit it with the mushy gushy stuff Malfoy," she teased. He smirked at her.

"I mean it. You've got a very addictive personality. Even people who don't like you keep coming back to see what you're up too," he told her. She shrugged.

"I suppose you're right," she jokingly boasted.

Draco leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. His palms rested on his thighs as he stared at Vixen. He had to admit that she looked ridiculous in her bandages.

"So, are you ready to watch the Quidditch match tomorrow?" he asked her. Vixen searched her thoughts.

"I guess so. Wait, what exactly is Quidditch?" she asked rolling over onto her side.

"Basically a bunch of people on brooms flying after different balls. I'm a Seeker, so I have the most important job of all. I have to catch the snitch before Potter to win the game," he told her, summing up the game. Vixen nodded.

"Well in that case, I'm very excited!" she told him happily. He smiled at her enthusiasm.

"See, that's it right there. The smallest things get you so excited and I can't understand why. You're bloody fascinating Vixen," he told her shaking his head in awe of her. She felt her cheeks get hot.

"Well I'm happy you find me fascinating. But I think I'm going to take a nap now, so you better get to class," she told him yawning. He nodded and stood up.

He leaned down and kissed her softly on her forehead before leaving the room. Vixen smiled to herself as she snuggled down under the covers of her temporary hospital bed. Aside from possibly getting killed, and being eaten by a werewolf, and having her head cracked open, things were starting to look up. Well sort of, anyway.

9:16 a.m., Gryffindor Common Room, Hogwarts(Wednesday)

Vixen had spent the rest of her day and night in the Hospital Wing recovering from her head injury. After removing her bandages with help from Madam Pomfrey, she took herself back to the Gryffindor House. She waited patiently for one of her three friends to enter the living area.

As she waited quietly by herself on the living area couch, she slowly rubbed the back of her head. She was impressed but also a little creeped out that her wound had been completely closed up and healed within the matter of one night. She smiled when she noticed Hermione descending the stairs from her bedroom.

"Hey Hermione," Vixen said to her friend as she approached the couch.

"Good morning Vixen. You look a lot better today," she replied taking a seat next to her. Vixen nodded.

"I feel better too. Madam Pomfrey really knows what she's doing," Vixen told her. Both girls directed their attention to the stairs that led to the boy's room.

"I'm too tired for this," Ron complained, yawning as he walked down the stairs. Vixen smiled at him.

"You're always too tired for this," Harry commented following him. The boys stood next

to the couch.

"Ready for the big game today?" Hermione asked them, referring to the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Harry nodded.

"I'm ready to win," Harry told her.

"Right. Well, we should get going so we aren't late," Hermione told the group, standing up from the couch. Vixen did the same.

The group left the Gryffindor house and made their way through the hallways to their classroom. Vixen couldn't help but notice the awkward glances she received from passersby. She shook it off when they entered Muggle Studies. Draco was already sitting in his seat when they took theirs.

"Look Draco, no bandages!" she told him happily. Harry rolled his eyes.

"That's great," he simply replied. She nodded in agreement.

"Good morning class. Is everyone excited for the Quidditch match tonight?" Burbage said happily walking into the room. The class erupted in cheers and whistles.

"That sounds excellent! But just one thing, is anyone on the Quidditch team and currently observing their muggle?" she asked looking around the room. Harry raised his hand slowly.

"Oh, I see. Well then Mister Potter, you will be playing with Miss Charm tonight," she told him. The entire group perked up.

"Wait, I thought I was just going to go watch?" Vixen said to Burbage. Hermione and Draco nodded.

"Oh no my dear. Harry cannot possibly observe you from so far away," she replied clasping her hands together. Vixen scrunched up her face.

"How will he be able to examine me during a game?" Vixen shot back. Burbage's smile faded.

"I will not change my mind on this. Now I suggest the two of you figure this out on your own," Charity Burbage replied pointing between Harry and Vixen. Draco didn't like this one bit.

"What are you gonna do?" Ron asked Harry concerned. He shrugged.

"I guess we will have to figure out how to share a broom," Harry said sighing. Draco lowered his eyebrows.

"You almost blew her head off in Potions, Potter. What makes you think that you can

keep her safe hundreds of feet in the air?" Draco said angrily. Harry glared at him.

"Why do you care, Malfoy?" Harry responded. Vixen rolled her eyes at their arguing.

"If you kill her tonight, then we all fail. Draco Malfoy is not a failure," he told him matter of factly. Hermione smiled slightly, glancing at Vixen.

"I'm not a huge fan of this either. But if it has to be done, then we're doing it," Vixen said, laying down the law. Draco crossed his arms and angrily slumped down in his seat.

6:00 p.m., Quidditch Field, Hogwarts(Wednesday)

Vixen stood around nervously in the Gryffindor Quidditch Team's tent. Harry had gone into the boy's area to get dressed for the match, leaving her alone. She bit her lower lip and sighed slightly when she noticed Ginny Weasley walk into the room wearing a Quidditch uniform.

"Hey, Ginny!" Vixen said waving her over. Ginny hesitated but finally walked over to her.

"Hello Vixen," she said quietly.

"I didn't know you played Quidditch. But I'm glad you do. If Harry drops me do you think you could save me?" she said jokingly. Ginny laughed a fake laugh.

"Listen, girl to girl, I'm sorry I have to do this. Trust me, I tried to get out of this. I just wanted you to know I'm not interested in Harry," Vixen told her sincerely. Ginny blushed.

"Why would you tell me that?" she asked nervously looking around the room. Vixen

smiled.

"I can tell that you like him, Ginny. Don't worry though, I won't say anything," she whispered. Ginny smiled slightly.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for being so reserved. But don't worry, Harry won't drop you," Ginny told her. Vixen nodded happily.

Ginny left the tent and Vixen stood alone yet again. She jumped when she heard someone whisper her name. She looked around and noticed she was still alone. She furrowed her brows confused.

"Over here," Draco whispered opening the tent slightly. Vixen mouthed the word "oh" and walked outside.

"So, you're really going through with this?" he asked her with a hint of anger in his voice. She nodded.

"I have to Draco. You know that," she told him. He looked down at the ground and glared angrily.

"It's just...I was supposed to give you your first broom ride, not Potter," he said still looking at the grass. Vixen looked at him sadly.

"It's not a big deal, Draco. I'd rather be on a broom with you if that makes you feel any better," she told him trying to lighten the mood. He shook his head from side to side.

"I wish it did. I'll see you on the field," he said before walking away.

"Draco!" she yelled after him sadly. He kept walking. Harry walked out of the tent.

"You ready?" he asked her with his broom in hand. Vixen frowned but nodded.

Harry straddled his broomstick placing his feet into the holsters on the broom. Vixen watched him as he started to hover above the ground slightly. He motioned for her to get on the back. Hesitantly Vixen swung one of her legs over the broom. She wrapped her arms around Harry.

"I don't have foot holsters?" she asked him worriedly. He shook his head no.

"You'll be okay. Just don't let go of me," he told her. She gulped and he started to fly higher into the air.

Vixen held onto Harry tightly as the Gryffindor team flew onto the field. She listened to the Gryffindor and Slytherin fans cheering and screaming as she and Harry sat hovering nearly 500 feet off of the ground. She turned her head nervously and noticed Ginny looking at her from across the field. Ginny nodded at her making Vixen feel a bit better. Her grip tightened on Harry when the game began.

The two sat motionless for a few minutes while the rest of the team played forcefully. Vixen's eyes widened when she saw a small gold ball with ridiculously fast wings in front of Harry's face. Harry reached out for it quickly but the ball avoided him. Vixen shut her eyes closed tight when Harry sped off after the ball that she assumed was the snitch.

She finally opened her eyes, only to realize that they were flying straight up into the sky and clouds were surrounding them. Her heart was pounding and her stomach started turning. She squinted her eyes when she caught sight of someone in green through the clouds. She assumed it had been Draco considering he was a seeker.

Harry straightened out the broom now so they were sitting on it. The two hovered silently for a few moments. Vixen still held onto Harry.

"You can let go for a minute. I lost it," Harry yelled back to her. Vixen slowly removed her arms from Harry.

"Now what?" Vixen asked him. He sighed.

"We wait until we see it again," Harry told her, his eyes darting around the sky. Vixen nodded.

The two continued to sit within the white clouds waiting for the gold ball to show itself. Vixen took a deep breath trying to calm herself down. Within seconds the ball fluttered past the two quickly. Unfortunately, Harry saw it before Vixen did. He started speeding after it, and without her arms around him, she came close to falling off. She had managed to grab onto his red shirt with both hands quickly.

Her heart started to pound faster and faster as she felt her grip loosening on his silky jersey. She clawed at the fabric as Harry started flying straight up into the sky. Sweat started to form on her forehead as her body was now hanging off of the broom. Harry had his arm outstretched toward the snitch. All he needed was a few more inches.

Vixen nervously looked to her right only to notice Draco was right next to them, his broom flying straight into the air as well. His arm was also reaching for the snitch. She wanted to yell for his help, but she couldn't find the words. In one swift motion, Harry pushed his body forward on his broom to grab the snitch, causing her to lose her grip on him altogether.

With her heart pounding and her ears popping she fell backward off of Harry's broom. Her body fell fast through the clouds until she was visible to the spectators in the stands. Hermione was the first to scream causing everyone else to panic. Luna Lovegood who had shown up at the sporting event clasped her hands over her mouth in fear. Rylen pulled her into his body tight, doing his best to shield her eyes from he sight of the muggle girl falling from the sky.

In the Slytherin stands Jacob was standing upright, stricken with fear at the sight. His heart was pounding ad he felt his throat go dry. Beside him, Pansy Parkinson sat on the edge of her seat. This could have been it. This could have been the moment that she had been anticipating. McGonagall stood up quickly from her seat and drew her wand.

Vixen's eyes were shut tight as she fell through the sky. She couldn't scream due to the wind in her face. She was sure that this was the end. She waited for her body to collide with the grass covered ground below. The stadium went silent when Vixen felt her body stop moving. She noticed that she was still breathing and opened her eyes slowly.

She let out a loud gasp when she noticed she was nearly 800 feet above the ground. One of her arms were stretched above her head, and someone's gloved hand was clasped around her wrist. She let out a long sigh of relief.

"Ginny," she thought to herself, tears forming in her eyes. She lifted her head slowly to thank her, only to realize that Ginny Weasley was not her savior.

Staring down at her was Draco Malfoy with his hand clenched around her wrist tightly.

His eyes were full of many emotions, but his expression showed fear. Her eyes shook slowly as she stared up at him. Professor Snape raised an eyebrow at the two from his seat in the Slytherin stands.

"Grab onto my arm with your hand," Draco yelled down to her. Vixen did as she was told.

By holding onto each others arms, Draco slowly started to lower his broom and Vixen. The Hogwarts students remained silent from fear and shock. Rylen released Luna so she could see that Vixen was fine while his eyes were on Draco. Vixen felt her Converse touch the ground below her and she released Draco's arm.

He jumped off of his broom in the literal sense, throwing it to the ground angrily. Before she could do anything, Draco wrapped his arms around Vixen's neck. He pulled her into a tight hug resting his head against hers. In response she wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him tightly. Many surprised gasps were heard from the stands. Harry quickly landed on the ground.

"Vixen, I'm so sorry!" Harry said running over to her. Draco released her quickly and turned toward Harry.

"Potter!" Draco screamed angrily, running over toward Harry. Vixen placed her hands over her mouth as the two boys ran toward one another.

When they reached one another, Draco shoved Harry backward, hard. Harry placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at Draco, confused. Draco shoved him again, harder.

"What the hell were you thinking! You were responsible for her!" Draco screamed at him. Harry remained silent, staring back at him.