Author's Note: Thank you for the follows, I greatly appreciate it! I love hearing all of your input this story and I will be attempting at most a chapter a month.

~Of Silver & Gold~

Chapter 57: Vienna

"Slow down you crazy child.

You're so ambitious for a juvenile.

But then if you're so smart, then why are you still so afraid…

When will you realize, Vienna waits for you…"

You never realize how dependent you get on others until you are forced to stand on your own. Angel always prided herself on being "independent", to have her own thoughts, her own opinions, and be able to stand on her own. Her pride came to be questioned the moment she realized how little time she did things on her own. She depended on Draco for bringing her into the inner circle when she first started. She depended on Pansy, to give her that social hierarchy and let her know the "yes" and "no" of society. She even depended on Harry to give her the push to do the "correct" thing and became her moral compass.

Now as she walked into the castle, and all alone, she felt awkward. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself and forced herself not to fidget as people whispered around her. And oh how they whispered. She kept her head up, and her shoulders back as she went up the stairs. Her walk said power, social hierarchy, her eyes cold, but her soul terrified. People stepped away from her, they purposely moved away from her, and she didn't question why. When she moved inside the castle, she forced herself to sit down on her House's table and away from everyone. She simply stared forward at Umbridge as she went on and on about stupid things. She ignored how people scooted away from her. She was a pariah; her jaw clenched.

When the dinner ended and people began to disburse, she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. Looking up she noticed her Uncle Severus looking down at her in a serious manner. She tensed automatically and sat even more upright.

"Come with me Ms. Malfoy," it was not a question.

Getting up, she immediately followed her godfather. On the way out, she briefly made eye contact with Harry who looked concerned, but she gave him a half smile and walked away. She had no fear; she couldn't have fear because it was a waste of time. When the door closed behind her she sat down tensely across from his desk and waited for him to begin the conversation. She did not know his angle was and she refused to start the conversation.

"Angel, I heard from your father what occurred.." he began.

She knew he was waiting for her explanation and she merely stared straight at him, expression blank. Was he expecting her to take it back? Or to cry? She wouldn't do either.

"So…they told you that Bellatrix attempted to kill me?" her voice was smooth.

A flash of something went through his eyes before leaning back on his chair. He took her in, how strong she was acting; he knew it was a farce, her strength. She was merely a child, a child without a home.

"I was not—"

"Did they tell you how she attacked me because her precious Dark Lord had an opportunity to be fully brought back to life through my death? And when she realized I did not want to she snapped?" she asked.

Her hands moved to her cloak as she removed it and she slid her tie from her neck. As she tugged it hard, she showed him the healing scar that she would hide as long as possible.

"Did they tell you how they wanted me to be the one not to take it personally? Or how this scar might not heal?" her voice was firm, no exclamation, no tears, her only signal of fear were her hands that shook. Slowly her hands slid down to her lap and gripped her skirt tightly to stop her shaking.

Severus was tense and he got up, moving to the back to pour two glasses of something. As he slid it towards her she realized it was actually firewhiskey. She lifted her brow curiously.

"It seems that this conversation is much more mature than I thought. Feel free, there's no one I'll tell."

A bitter smile appeared on her face as she took the cup and sipped from it. She immediately winced at the taste, and forced herself not to violently cough at the burning sensation.

"What was your point in starting this conversation Professor?" she asked curiously.

"No Uncle Severus?" he merely asked in return.

"I don't know what to call anyone anymore, let alone trust, if I'm perfectly honest." She took a sip and winced once more.

Silence loomed over the pair and her eyes trailed back to him curiously.

"I need to know this...Can I trust you? Can I really trust you to be there for me?" her voice was serious.

She almost laughed how he looked surprised at her question. Did he really think she was the same as before? How many times had she been broken? One crack after another, she found herself losing all senses of who was worthy of her trust after so much pain.

"I understand. And to that I want you to know that I care greatly about you and have your best interests at heart"

"Right I understand that" she waved his proclamation to the side. "But can I trust you? Can I tell you something and know you won't run off to tell them? To tell Dumbledore about Bellatrix...why haven't you told him if you already knew?"

That was a harder question and in the silence that followed she began to get angry. He knew and he didn't dare tell Dumbledore? Where were his loyalties? She tensed at the thought that crossed her brain and she shook it out. No, he was not a member of those Death Eaters, he was a halfblood, impossible.

"I am surprised by your gall" his voice was dry.

She tensed knowing she had crossed the line.

"Im sorry, you don't owe me an explanation"

"But with all the pain you've dealt with, it's only fair to ask and I think I can answer a few questions. You see I have loyalties to your family that run far deeper than Dumbledore" he cleared his throat uncomfortable responding to her but still wishing to. "I did not tell him of anything including your birth because of my loyalties to my friends" clearly meaning his mother. "And in her honor I promise you that you are my priority and if those loyalties don't go against one another I have no problem supporting you no matter how...stupid your decisions might be"

She lowered her gaze ashamed of having questioned his loyalty. Yes he was not swearing up and down that he could be trusted, but he brought up his passed record. He always protected her even from Dumbledore when he would most definitely have taken her away for his gain. She felt herself relax.

"-and I can only hope that I could sleep at night knowing I could have helped you in some way."

"I thank you. And It's not your fault Uncle" a small smile came from him. "I think at this point I've come to the conclusion that no matter how much I love them, and I do…they're not my family. Their blood comes first, their family must protect one another, and since I go against it, I am the is no loyalty between the Malfoys and I"

It was the first time her voice wavered; she took a long sip and didn't wince as she swallowed. The truth being said stung more than any firewhiskey.

"Angel…darling that's not true" it was the first time that his voice grew softer. "They care for you greatly, they love you. But you must understand, to stand away from everything that you know, is hard. Standing up to Bellatrix is hard and even more so the Dark Lord. It's difficult to imagine someone breaking the family legacy."

Her eyes hardened so much so that he swore he saw Amorette for a second. She felt herself shake at the clearly useless words of comfort that came from him. Did he really think she didn't know how hard it could be to be your own person?

"Uncle, I am the offspring of a man that stood against family history. The offspring of the man who paid a sentence that he never deserved. I appreciate what they did; they raised me as their own when they didn't have to. They cherished me, loved me and cared for me, but they easily turned against me when it got tough. And as my real father did, I stood up against my family. And it hurts, I know they love me but they cannot stand with me. They are too scared to support me and it hurts."

Tears rose from her and her chin wobbled as she took her own words in. The truth was out there and it stung more than she cared to admit. The fact that love existed between her family and her hurt more than any promise of love could. Severus stared intently at her as she sat there, as she attempted to keep back her tears blinking them back as much as she could.

"You are a brave little thing, do you know that?" he murmured as he took a long drink. "While I cannot do much, understand that I am proud of you and will stand with you as much as I can."

She nodded.

"I want to live with Sirius" she said after a moment of silence. "I can only hope you can help me do that."

He leaned back and took a longer drink, finishing the whole thing. "Now you're asking for too much."

"I only ask that you can be my alibi. You can help me or not, at this point, I am a pariah and I care very little."

"Clearly….I will mull it over."

"Thank you" she whispered before getting up. She did not wait to be dismissed; she dismissed herself.

…

Walking down to the dungeons, she found herself walking into Astoria. When they bumped into one another, Angel murmured an apology, only to have one awkwardly returned. The way that Astoria avoided even making eye contact surprised her. While she was never someone she would call a best friend, she was absolutely surprised at the fact that she completely avoided her.

"You're not going to talk to me?" Angel whispered softly.

"You know I can't." Astoria shrugged, "it's nothing personal"

And Angel knew it wasn't. Loyalty amongst your own could only work when you all sided with the majority. Standing alone was scary and it brought a bitter taste in her mouth at how people she considered friends easily turned on her. Shaking her head she pushed her way through and into the stairs towards the dormitories. Angel was not surprised she was alone in the dormitory assigned to her. She supposed it was best since she currently was not the most accommodating. As she slipped on her pajamas and curled up in bed, she allowed herself to really take things in. This year was going to be hard, it seemed like an understatement, but realistically you never know what to expert until it just happens.

It was this moment, all alone, that she allowed herself to feel. An ugly wail was emitted from under the covers as she truly took in what had occurred. She was a bastard, a pariah and unwanted mark in Slytherin. The house she loved now rejected her, and she had brought this upon herself. She wanted to be held, to be loved, to fit in.

…

The following morning meant that the first day of class would begin. Angel was grateful for the uniform as it hid the red scar that ran from her neck to her collarbone. It was ugly and imperfect and no matter how much salves she put, it seemed to never heal. As she buttoned the last button, and her tie was tightly around her neck she stared straight into the mirror. She had straightened her hair and had it pushed back; it was her armor. She would not hide her face, she refuse to slouch or to show any heartbreak over the isolation. No; she only had feelings at night, at least that is what she told herself.

"Today will be better, it has to be" she whispered to herself before walking to breakfast.

When she arrived she couldn't help but think that something was wrong, something in her twisted, but she assumed it was nerves. She sat down and covered her face with the Daily Prophet and the moment she read the headlines ,she knew the secret had gotten out.

ANOTHER MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN

MINISTRY FEARS BLACK IS "RALLYING POINT" FOR OLD DEATH EATERS

She was firstly insulted at the fact that even though Sirius had been pardoned, the Minister immediately had pinned the crime on him. Also, her Aunt had been at the mansion for much longer than it had been announced in the news. She refused to look scared, she had faced the crazed witch, there was little she feared after dealing with Bellatrix. Still, there was a weight off of her shoulders as the story was out. Bellatrix was out there ready to create chaos and she was no longer being the only one tormented. It was a dark and selfish, but she only hoped that Dumbledore could save them. Her eyes slowly moved from the newspaper to the professors who all looked serious as they talked with each other over whispers. She had to be safe in the castle, she had to be and she depended on those professors to keep her safe. She shivered at the thought of seeing her aunt again.

It was on her way to class that she noticed things were getting from bad to worse:

The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts

Teachers are hereby banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are paid to teach. The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-six.

Signed: Dolores Umbridge

High Inquisitor

Angel gripped her book tighter as she realized that the woman was a true monster. Keeping students in the dark with dark moments such as this made her realize that there was nothing that they could do to defend themselves. If it was for Umbridge, the idea of wands would be unnecessary to teach.

"I hate her" she murmured.

"Hate is such a strong word," Luna said behind her.

It was then that Angel let out the first smile of the day. Luna grabbed her arm as they walked down the hallway, uncaring what anyone said. She admired that from Luna, the way that nothing phased her, not societal standards nor anyone's perception of her. Smiling slightly, she failed to notice that she crashed into someone.

As she wobbled backwards to fall over someone held her tightly and pulled her steady. This was definitely not someone she knew as she looked up she saw Neville looking horrified at her crashing into him. Both stood frozen at the awkward situation, while Luna looked amused at what was going on.

"Really Neville? I thought you had better taste than that" the voice of Ginny was clear as the teasing began. "I mean I knew you were desperate but come on."

Looking over she noticed that Ginny was surrounded by Ron, Hermione and Harry and they all looked surprised, that is except for Ginny that looked smug. Taking in the situation, Angel placed her hands over Neville and removed his grip from her waist.

"I-It's not what it looks like, I crashed into her and I-I was only trying to—"

"What a weak excuse" Ginny giggled.

"Cut it out Weasley" Angel snapped, "Leave him alone."

"Oh now you are Saint Malfoy? Being kicked out of your little group has you now just clinging on everyone that gives you attention huh? Pathetic if you ask me."

That really got Angel angry and angry was a good feeling for her. It pushed away her melancholy and allowed her to express her frustration.

"I am not, nor will I ever be a saint" Angel began and walked closer to the group. "I don't have a holier than thou attitude Weasley, and I am not above crushing you like the little bug that I see you as. Don't you ever speak rudely to Neville."

"Why is he now your friend?" Ginny scoffed unfazed by the warning.

"Ginny that's enough" Hermione said softly.

"Leave Neville alone" Harry murmured taking in the scene curiously.

"So what if he is!" Angel's voice rose. "It's none of your business. Now unless you pride yourself in your hair, back off or I won't have a problem burning your scalp off!"

"Angel!" Harry interrupted "Girls! Enough, there's not need for anyone to get into detention. Come on."

"Whatever" Angel scoffed. "I don't even want to look at any of you. Come on Luna…Neville"

"Wh-what?" Neville said nervously as she gripped his wrist and pulled him along.

He was used to being teased, but this was too much. As he looked back to his classmates, they all looked surprised and for the first time, Neville swore that Harry looked jealous at something Neville had.

…

"Where are we going?" Neville asked after a while as they continued towards the lake.

"I don't know"

"The Lake"

Luna and Angel replied at the same time with much different answers.. As Angel gave her a look Luna shrugged. "We always end up at the lake"

"W-what happened back there I-I mean are we f-friends?" Neville asked nervously.

When she turned around to look at him, for a brief second Neville was both terrified and attracted to her. Her eyes held nothing but annoyance and while she looked so prim and proper her hair was slowly curling around her once more, signifying her annoyance.

"Well…"Angel thought this over. "I think we're acquaintances. You helped me keep secrets about Harry and I and well…your grandma thinks I'm your girlfriend. I suppose we are a bit like friends, don't you think?"

Neville swore the moment he mentioned them dating his whole face turned red, horrified at the memory of his grandmother pairing them together. She on the other hand looked incredible amused about all of it.

"Oh come on Neville, I think we can find some truce can't we? I don't like Ginny, and well…I don't like her making fun of people that I-I tolerate"

Her intentions were a bit more devious than they let on. She had a feeling that Luna liked Neville more than she cared to admit and who was she to nor push her friend towards happiness?

"Angel rarely tolerates people" Luna flushed slightly. "And I think you're more than tolerable Neville"

"T-thanks" Neville smiled shyly, slowly his flush disappeared.

It was disgustingly cute and in the midst of their staring Angel walked off with a small whistle. If she couldn't have her own version of happiness ,she could find it towards other people. Plus at some point she knew Luna would admit her feelings and Angel knew she would have to tolerate Neville even more.

…

Angel walked down the hall determined to remain the same person she was. If anyone stare at her or whispered, she would either ignore it completely, or glare at them so they shut up. Her pace was quick, her boots slamming down the cement hallway, her broom held tightly on her left hand. Her hair was tight in a high ponytail, her hair straightened her face devoid of emotion.

As she reached the field, she noticed that they had already grouped up and her team was ready to play. It was Draco who saw her first, and his face was the first sign that she should have walked away. But still she persisted, her emotions masked as she approached them.

"What's the plan?" were her first words.

"What are you doing here Princess?" Graham Montague, their captain spoke to her.

She looked at him like he was some idiot, and ignored the fact that they stared at her the same way. Still, in a typical fashion, he moved forward, invaded her space and she refused to shrink. Still, he was so large; his large hairy arms looked like he could easily break her.

"I'm here to play, Montague" her voice was steady. "I'm on the team."

"See here Princess, we took a vote and it was unanimously decided that you're the reason we lost, and we want you gone." Dismissing her, he walked away waving at his team to ignore her. Even Draco didn't bother to look at her, the one who once told her to join. She wasn't going to take this.

"No" she raised her voice. "You're just jealous because I can fly circles around you, hell everyone knows I'm a better Chaser than you ever were. You only got captain because Flint left."

She saw his face turn a dark red color in anger and she stood her ground, refusing to show her scared she was. But that's what she was, terrified at how her big mouth had gotten her in trouble. She no longer had her big brother protecting her, her power diminished considerably then. But she refused to back down, her pride didn't allow her to do so.

"You hear that boys? She thinks she's better than me? Well prove it Princess. See if you can beat me, whoever gets the most points wins. So how about it? If you win, you're back on the team, if you lose…you will never take a step on this field."

"Deal" she uttered before she thought about it.

As they both mounted their broomsticks, Angel made sure her gloves were tight as she was going to win. She no longer wanted to be on the team, but she wanted them to all see she was not some damsel and had some valor on her own. Heading towards the sky, the first Quaffle was thrown in the air, and she immediately flattened her body to speed up.

She might not have been as strong as Graham, but she was quicker due to her smaller stature. When her fingers dug into the Quaffle, she immediately dashed off in search of the goalpost; she refused to even look back knowing that it would be a mistake.

Still, when she positions herself to throw, she felt like a wall had hit her as Graham used his whole body to torpedo towards her. She felt her whole body shake as she spun around out of control. She dared not look scared, but she was, especially as she found herself closing her eyes tightly and crashing into the stands.

…

Luna wanted to be angry at Angel, especially as she left her alone with Neville. Still, there was a deep gratefulness as the girl was not as self-centered as she often seemed. There were moments when Luna was sure that Angel was pretending to listen, like for example when she told her that she found Neville to be dashing.

She had always liked Neville, not just this year when he got lean, but even when he was his puffy self, she found his self-deprecation as adorable and she wanted him to see that the Flufterbits were around him for a reason; because he was special. And now that Angel was gone, Neville was more outspoken, taking interest in her, which made the butterflies in her stomach flutter like crazy.

Still, something told her to head towards the fields. She knew that it was because she would wait out for Angel after her practice to walk back to the castle. Grabbing Neville's hand she found the bravery to smile.

"Let's go see Angel practice! She'll be happy friends are there for her." She suggested enthusiastically.

"W-won't she be upset?"

"Nope! I do it all the time, she needs us!"

Something in her face must have won him over as he agreed and they took off to the Quidditch field. The scene they saw was not what they expected. Luna cried in shock as Angel was seen flying into the stands, with Graham Montague looking proud of himself.

"Come on boys! I told you she was weak" he said loudly as he threw the Quaffle into the ring with ease.

"I'm not done" Angel softly said.

Luna was upset, clearly so as she saw Angel shakily getting up her grip on her broom tight, as the pain was clear on her face. She needed to stop, Luna was going to run towards her, that is until she saw her friend mount the broom and begin to fly angrily towards Graham.

"Bugger off Graham!" she screamed as she shove him hard enough for him to spiral down and fall into his team. "This isn't over!" her voice was strained and she looked so broken that Luna found herself crying.

"Oh Neville, this has to stop" she begged.

"What can we do?" he asked wincing at seeing Angel in such a state.

"Get Harry, get a professor, get someone who can stop this madness" she gripped his hands tightly.

He nodded and found himself running faster than he ever had hoping to protect the girls that surrounded him.

…

With her hands tight on the Quaffle she threw it with all her might into the ring, making her feel like she was worth something. She ignored Luna, who she could see from the corner of her eye looking weepy. She refused to slow down, she had to get something right today, just something.

Knowing that they were even, made her smile, that is until she felt herself being hit by the bludgers. This was not new, she had dodged many during practice and she had also been hit by them, but never like this. She emitted grunt of pain as one hit her cheek and found herself avoiding them as best she could. It was one thing dodging during practice when there were others there, but not like this. Everyone was throwing them towards her, and the fact that she knew Draco was one of them made her dodges sloppy.

"Stop it!" she heard Luna scream. "You're animals, can't you see you're hurting her?! Stop it now!"

It was useless and Angel found herself proud of finding a good friend like Luna, but this hurt. Slowly but surely her dodging grew even slower as her body protested, she was not like them, she gave up.

"What is wrong with you!" a voice she recognized yell. Many more yells came their way as a crowd was beginning to form. Still, it was the moment that Graham aimed one at her broom, that ended everything; the bucking motion made her be thrown off her broom and fall down to the field. In that moment everything went dark.

…

When Neville finally found Harry, he was walking the twins, Hermione and Ron down the hall. It was clear they were talking about the night classes, and Neville briefly mulled waiting them to separate. What stopped him from being polite was the desperation in Luna's expression and the crazed look in Angel's eyes. They weren't friends, but he knew she was looking for some bloodshed to occur and it seemed it was more hers than anyone else's.

"Harry!"

He knew his tone sounded scared and that had caught Harry's attention immediately. Rushing over he explained as best he could.

"Slytherin Team" he panted, "Hitting…."

"What?" Harry said confused as the other paid more attention.

"Angel" he managed to wheeze. "they're attacking her"

That was all he needed to say. For a brief second he was worried that he had spilled the beans but the way he ran off and the others followed, then maybe they knew more than they led on. Still he followed, knowing he couldn't miss what was going to happen.

…

Whatever Harry was expecting, this was surely not it. Luna was the first to meet him as she looked scared and distraught over what was going on. She clung to his arm desperately as she begged for all of it to stop. His eyes went straight to Angel who wobbled back and forth on her broom. It was clear she was worn, and had taken hits and dodged few.

"What is wrong with you!" he found himself yelling. "Stop that now!"

It was the loud protests of the Gryffindors that made the Slytherin team realize that they were caught . The twins thankfully threw some stink bombs their way that made them move away from them, and Hermione chastised them without anyone actually listening. Ron blubbered some protests too unsure as to what to even say. Montague was the last one to leave, but he got his goal; with his bat he knocked Angel off the broom.

When she landed the sickening thud made Harry spring into action. He slid onto the ground as he rolled her over inspection her as best he could. Merlin she was bleeding from her mouth her hands still formed the loose grip of her broom. Harry found himself pulling his shirt from his jumper and wiping the dirt and blood from her face. He didn't care what the other thought, he wanted her to be okay. He should have been there.

"Harry let me see" Hermione whispered.

He looked at her wildly, so much so that she flinched. Clearly he too was shaken over everything. Hermione could see it as he held Angel so close. This was not the first time she had seen him like this.

"I got this" she whispered."Renervate!"

A gasp was all Angel emitted before she finally reacted in a way that no one but two expected: she began to cry. She curled her body into Harry and sobbed over what had happened. He pulled her close, to shield her from everyone as they awkwardly stared on. Luna wrapped her arms around Neville as she just sobbed over her friend as well. What was clear was that the Princess had lost her throne and she was coming to terms with it.