Vanessa leaned back against the cold stone wall, buttoning up her shirt from her most recent steamy encounter with Draco. They were down in the dungeons late at night, and decided the moment they were alone was the appropriate time to get a little frisky. It was the most bold they had been thus far, and the thrill of getting caught made it even better.

Slughorn's Christmas party was tomorrow night, and then two days after that everyone would be departing for the holidays with their families. Vanessa admittedly was starting to look forward to some time away from the castle and her classes. She was excited about being able to spend the two week break with Artemis and his family in Ireland. She had missed her friend's family something fierce, and seeing them would almost make up for not seeing her own father.

Almost.

She sighed quietly, trying hard to not think about that. Right now she was trying to soak up as much time with Draco as possible. She wouldn't be able to see him much tomorrow with preparation for the party, and then after that there was really only a day before they would be on the train on their way back to be with their families. And then they would be apart until after the new year started. It was going to be strange to be away from him for so long, but that wasn't what she was most upset about.

Draco heard her sigh. "What's wrong?" he asked, readjusting his pants.

Vanessa shook her head. "It's nothing really," she started. But then she frowned and added, "It's just... going to be really weird not to see my dad for Christmas. Or my mum; this is only the second Christmas without her."

Draco didn't say anything for a moment as he started to fix his shirt and tie. "You'll be alright. You have Fowl's parents there to fill in those roles," he replied coldly. "I still don't understand. How lousy of a parent do you have to be to not be there for your kid on Christmas?"

Vanessa stopped fixing her tie. "Um, excuse me?"

"You heard me," Draco snapped. "Seriously. Your father chose to work over spending time with you. You can't tell me you aren't the least bit annoyed by that."

She was a little bit annoyed, but not to the point she thought her father was "lousy." If anything, she was more annoyed with the company her father worked for. He didn't decide their work schedules, or what projects were to be prioritized. She was sure her father was just as gutted as she was about not spending the holiday together, if not even more so. This was only the second Christmas without Vanessa's mother. Vanessa knew it was going to be hard for her, but she could only imagine her dad felt so much worse. The woman he loved was dead, he'd be toiling away at work, and their only child would be a country away with a friend. She would at least have a loving family around her; her father would have no one, and she hated that.

"Oh, I'm annoyed, alright," Vanessa started. "One, at his boss- who is the one forcing him to work, fully knowing the situation. And two, at you for insinuating my father is horrible for having to work on a holiday."

"Don't get pissy with me because your father is too much of a coward to tell them to shove off," Draco retorted.

"So let me get this straight... My dad is trash because he works hard to provide for me?" Vanessa asked. "So I have a roof over my head and food to eat when I return for the summer? Not all of us were born rich."

Draco shrugged his robes back on, scoffing. "Now you're just putting words into my mouth," he hissed. "Besides, you act like you would be on the streets if he took time off. I'm sure your best friend and his wealthy family would take care of you. You know, since you're like their own."

Vanessa blinked a few times. Did he really just go there? He had been sitting on that comment for almost a week, considering he had used her own words against her. She bit her tongue for a moment as she nodded slowly. "So you are jealous of him," she muttered.

"I'm not jealous of anyone," he denied. "Especially not Fowl."

"Yeah, okay. Then why did you feel the need to drag Artemis and his family into this? You made a rude comment about my dad, and then you brought them up too when they literally had nothing to do with the situation," Vanessa snapped. "So again. Why?"

"Just drop it, Vanessa," Draco brushed her off.

"No! I am so sick and tired of your unwarranted attacks on people I care about. You don't know my father. You don't know Artemis' family. Hell, you hardly even know Artemis because you avoid talking to my friends," she ranted. She crossed her arms, shaking her head in disbelief. "Just because you have horrible friends and your family is distant, doesn't mean you need to degrade mine. They have done nothing to you."

"You don't know my friends and family enough either to call them horrible and distant, and yet here we are," Draco countered, rolling his eyes. "You're being absolutely ridiculous."

"I'm being ridiculous?" Vanessa asked incredulously. "Last I knew I wasn't the one hiding things from people I care about and lashing out at them for no apparent reason." She reached down to pick her robes up off the floor. "And if this is how you're acting now, I cannot imagine how you would be if I actually went with you for Christmas break."

"Didn't want you to anyway," Draco spat.

Even though they were in the middle of a heated argument, that comment hurt. Badly. Part of her really had wanted to be with him for the holidays, but the more rational part of her brain knew this is exactly what would happen. They'd spend the whole two weeks arguing, and she knew that even before this. Her heart ached, and she forced back the tears swelling in her eyes. She could cry later; now wasn't the time.

"That's fine. I didn't want to spend time in the presence of your jailbird father anyway. He'd probably call me a half-blood or worse too," Vanessa hissed, rolling her eyes trying to hide how hurt she actually was. "Good night, Draco."

She didn't wait for him to reply before she walked off. Vanessa didn't want to hear any more of what he had to say. Not tonight. Not after the disrespect shown to her and her loved ones. It was getting old, and to say she was exhausted from it was an understatement. All she wanted was some happiness for once. She deserved that much, right? She loved Draco, but she was so tired of all the horrific fighting.

Vanessa felt the tears streaming from her eyes before she even made it out of the dungeons. She couldn't help herself. There had been many fights before now, but this one felt different. Draco seemed so hellbent on dragging down those close to her, so determined to get her to turn on them. And not to mention the constant jealousy he tried so horribly to hide. He hid things from her, he berated her and those she cared about, but she was the horrible one? Vanessa wasn't perfect by any means- she knew this- but she tried her best to be a good girlfriend. Didn't she deserve the same courtesy?

She hadn't even realized she had made it all the way back to the Ravenclaw common room. The portrait hadn't even bothered to ask her a riddle; it was bad when even paintings knew she was too upset to think logically. She shut the door tightly behind her, and she only prayed there was no one still awake. What time was it anyway?

Vanessa wiped her cheek with the back of her hand before stepping further into the room. The fireplace was still lit, and Vanessa wasn't entirely shocked to see Artemis sitting nearby, looking through a textbook. He hadn't noticed her enter the room yet, and Vanessa was grateful for that. As much as she didn't want anyone to see her like this, she was glad it was just her best friend and not the entirety of her house. Vanessa quickly wiped her other cheek free of tears before she went and sat down next to her friend on the couch, sitting sideways so she could see him.

He looked up at her as he set his book on the table, and Vanessa could see the look of concern plastered to his pale features, even in the dim lighting. Artemis wasted no time in asking her, "What's wrong?"

Vanessa was hesitant to tell him, but she knew he already knew. "We got into another fight," she answered quietly, sniffling a little.

The frown on his face deepened. "What about?"

"It started by him saying my dad was lousy for not being home for the holidays," Vanessa answered. "But when I countered that he works so I can have a roof over my head, Draco brought up you and your family would never let something bad happen to me. He used something I had said about your family being like my own a week ago against me." She paused, tears flowing again. "He's jealous of all the good relationships I have with people... but especially with you. But beyond that, when I said I was glad that we wouldn't be spending the holidays together because all we would do is fight, he said that he didn't want to anyway."

Artemis was quiet for a moment as he tried to process what had happened. "Vanessa, I'm so sorry," he answered. "You don't deserve to be berated like that. Especially because of his insecurities. You know what kind of people our families are and how they value their relationships with you. He knows not of what he speaks."

By this point, Vanessa was full on crying again. She leaned forward, resting her face on his shoulder. Artemis took a deep breath and pulled her closer, hugging her tightly to him. Vanessa hugged him back, shaking slightly from sobbing. Artemis didn't say anything, allowing her to cry as he gently rubbed her back.

Vanessa took a few shuddering breaths as she slowly started to relax in her friend's embrace. She needed this - the crying, the tight hug, a kind ear. She shouldn't have to seek out her friends for comfort. Not like this. She should've been able to express her concerns and sadness to her boyfriend without causing some big blow-out fight. Draco was just so closed off emotionally, and it hurt.

The tears stung her eyes, so she pulled away slightly to wipe her face with the back of her hand. After a moment, she looked up at Artemis. "Thank you," she said quietly before hugging him once again. "This means a lot to me."

"No need to thank me, Nessa," Artemis answered, hugging her back. "I'm merely doing my job as your friend."

Vanessa smiled a little; it was nice to actually feel loved and supported. The warm embrace was the most comforting touch she had felt in some time, and she nearly protested when he finally relinquished his grasp on her. Artemis looked down at her, a small smile on his face.

"You've had a rough day," he continued. "Let's get some rest, and tomorrow evening at the party, we'll get your mind off of everything Malfoy said."

That last sentence piqued her interest. "Will we now?" she asked.

"If you give me the opportunity, I think we can," Artemis answered, that devilish smirk of his forming on his face.

Vanessa couldn't help but smile back at him. "So it's a date then."

Artemis' smirk faltered just a bit. "I wouldn't quite say a date; we're just going to a party together as friends," he said. "Saying it's a date may just make Malfoy more upset."

He had a good point, but Vanessa was at a point where she no longer cared. Draco was going to be mad and jealous anyway- because they were friends, because she was spending Christmas with him- so was going to one party together going to make a difference? She surely didn't think so. It wasn't a crime to go to a party with a friend.

After a few moments, Vanessa smirked back at him. "Let him be pissed."