Sorry this took so long. I really have no good excuse, other than I guess I was uninspired for a bit and got focused on other things. You know how life can be sometimes. I realize I haven't updated this since September, and I apologize deeply for that. Hopefully that won't happen again! Hope you enjoy!

Special thanks to Alana (xonceuponatimex ) for actually pushing me to write this, and dealing with my dumb creative process of sometimes veering off on a side project instead of writing something I should be. 

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Vanessa slowly made her way into the Ravenclaw dormitory much later that night, closing the door quietly behind her. She wasn't sure what time it was- just that she should've been in her dorm hours earlier. She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and rested against the door for a moment, taking a second to relive the moments of passion she had shared with Draco earlier that evening. She didn't have long to herself; her thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Vanessa's eyes shot open trying to place the source of the noise; she didn't figure anyone else was still awake at this time of night. After all, there were still classes the next day.

It only took a moment for Vanessa to spot Artemis and Alex sitting in the common room, their faces both illuminated by the fireplace. The stern looks on both of their faces told her this was not about to be a usual friendly conversation with her friends. Honestly, it looked like one of those cliched scenes in Muggle movies where the parents catch their child sneaking back into the house. She took a shaky breath before addressing them, not knowing what to expect.

"Oh, hey guys," she greeted nervously. "I didn't think anyone would be awake at this hour."

"Mm, you thought wrong, Vanessa," Artemis answered calmly before gesturing at the couch in front of him. "Please... have a seat. We have much to discuss."

Vanessa hesitantly moved away from the door, and slowly made her way over to the couch. She took a seat, glancing between her two friends anxiously. "So... uh, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked, almost afraid to know where this conversation was going to head.

Artemis blinked a few times, setting the book that had been in his lap on the end table beside him. "I thought you told me you were shirking your prefect duties to get some rest? Obviously that was not the case at all. Where were you?"

The dull ache in her abdomen suddenly felt a lot worse now that her best friend was questioning her. And she knew Artemis would not approve of the real answer, and she knew Alex really wouldn't. But perhaps she could just play it off. "I bumped into Draco on the way back and I spent some time with him since we haven't seen each other much recently because of class and what not," Vanessa admitted, telling the partial truth. "We lost track of time, and that's why I am just now getting back."

Artemis immediately didn't buy it. "Mm, I bet. It can be easy to lose track of time when your mind is distracted." He paused for a moment, seemingly debating his next words carefully. "Is that why you're wearing a Slytherin tie as opposed to a Ravenclaw one?"

Vanessa looked down at her chest, and sure enough, even in the dull lighting, it was obvious the tie she had on was not the colors of her house. There was no way she was going to be able to weasel her way out of this one now, all because she had made a careless error in her haste to get back to the dormitory. She sighed and glanced away from her friends' gazes when she finally replied to him. "Things may have gotten a little heated."

Vanessa saw Artemis shake his head out of the corner of her eye. He didn't need to speak for her to know he was disappointed in her actions. "Well, somehow I am not entirely shocked by this development, but it is none of my business what you choose to do in your relationship so I cannot, and will not, judge you for it," Artemis muttered. "But this does complicate some things a bit."

The blonde girl blinked a few times. "What do you mean by that? Complicate things?"

Artemis and Alex exchanged nervous glances. "There have been rumors," Alex finally spoke up. "A lot of people think it was Draco who gave Katie Bell that cursed necklace."

Vanessa rolled her eyes and scoffed. "The day Katie got cursed, Draco was with me at The Three Broomsticks. He only left my sight to go to the bathroom, and he wasn't gone for any suspicious amount of time," she defended. "There's no way he could've done it. Plus, the rumors were probably started by Potter and can anyone actually believe the words that come out of his mouth about Draco? I mean, he thinks he's a damn Death Eater for crying out loud."

Alex raised a questioning eyebrow. "And is he? You slept with him, so you would've been able to see his forearms. Did he have the Dark Mark?"

Vanessa rolled her eyes, not bothering to hide her irritation. "You think he is, don't you?"

"It doesn't really matter if she does or doesn't," Artemis answered bluntly. "You have the opportunity to disprove the rumors. That's all she is trying to get at. If he was actually a Death Eater, you would've been able to see the Dark Mark on his forearm."

Vanessa thought back on it some more. She didn't recall seeing any sort of mark on Draco's arms. But he did have one of his forearms completely wrapped in a bandage, and had claimed it was an injury. "I didn't see anything," she admitted, "but one of his arms was bandaged. He said he had injured it."

"How? It's not like he plays Quidditch anymore," Alex demanded answers.

"I dunno! I thought it was kind of not the moment to ask something like that," Vanessa shot back. "My first thought wasn't to ask him why he was injured. My mind was kind of preoccupied with other things at the moment."

"Right," Artemis replied sardonically.

"You need to be careful, Vanessa," Alex went on, the concern dripping from her voice. "You don't need to get caught up in all this drama. Not to mention if the rumors are true, you could get seriously hurt."

"They're just rumors," Vanessa said quietly, although part of her mind had its doubts. She tried to shake it off and continue the conversation. "He's not this... this monster Potter and his merry band of idiots keeps trying to make him out to be."

    Artemis sighed, his face much softer than it had been moments ago. "Look, we just want what is best for you. We don't want to see you mixed up in the wrong crowd and situations. Maybe Draco isn't a Death Eater, maybe he is. Either way, it is better for you to err on the side of caution."

    "We're just worried about you," Alex added. "You're our friend, and we just... we don't want to see you get hurt."

    Vanessa didn't say anything for a moment. She knew her friends meant well, but at the same time it bothered her that they were listening to all the rumors floating around the school. She didn't want to believe that Draco was a Death Eater or that he was behind the cursing of Katie Bell. She had grown more than fond of him in recent times, and it hurt to think that he could be responsible for that incident, let alone actually being one of Voldemort's followers. He couldn't be; Vanessa refused to believe it.

    She stood and took a deep breath before looking at her friends. "I won't," she assured, but even she didn't entirely believe it.

    Vanessa didn't give them a chance to respond before heading off to her bed. Her mind was racing, and she honestly just wanted to forget about all of it and get some sleep before class in the morning. She had enough on her mind without her friends expressing their concerns for her safety and well-being. Now she just had all that much more clogging her thoughts. She would be fine; she just needed some sleep.

    After all, even if Draco was a Death Eater and plotting against classmates, surely he wouldn't harm her, right?