Sorry it took me so long to post anything! Class was taking over my life, but now that I am all done (for good, I think!), I can focus on writing more! Thanks again for all of you being patient with me during my last semester at my university. It was one of the toughest semesters I've ever had, and I am so glad it's over now and that I have graduated! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

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Vanessa was more than displeased to see Malfoy in two of her other classes as well. So not only did she have to suffer through Advanced Potions, she also had to deal with the boy in Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts. And of course he was no friendlier in those classes than he was in Potions. Normally, it wouldn't have been an issue; Vanessa was used to people not liking her. But this time was different. To her knowledge, she had never done anything to Malfoy, or at least anything grudge worthy. It perturbed her that he suddenly had this huge dislike for her while the previous years there had been no issues.

As she sat in the Great Hall working on her Transfiguration homework as she waited for Alex and Artemis to get out of their respective classes, she could feel Malfoy's steely blue eyes boring a hole into her forehead. Vanessa glanced up from her parchment, making brief eye contact with the boy before he looked away. Vanessa sighed and sat down her quill. This was getting truly ridiculous. After making sure her parchment was dry, she rolled it up and shut her text book. Vanessa snatched both off the table and made her way over to the Slytherin table. Vanessa was going to put an end to this, once and for all.

Vanessa stopped when she was standing just beside Malfoy, who at the moment was pretending to be doing homework. The girl cleared her throat, causing him to look up at her.

"What do you want, Avery?" he hissed.

So hostile right off the get go. Vanessa wasn't having it. "What the hell is your problem with me, Malfoy? I haven't done anything to you in our entire time at this blasted school. So why all of a sudden are you acting like a prat?"

Malfoy didn't say anything for a moment, and then when he finally spoke, it was not the answer Vanessa had been seeking. "I don't think it's any of your business," he muttered.

"Oh no. It is my business," Vanessa countered. She sat down next to him, facing the opposite way however, and set her books on the table, resting her left arm on them. "And I'm not leaving until I get an answer out of you. You're starting to try my patience, and I assure you, you don't want me as an enemy."

"Then I suppose you'll be sitting here for an eternity," Draco sassed, resuming his homework.

"I can wait," Vanessa assured, crossing one leg over the other. "I'm just trying to get this Potions group of ours on the right track, and you seem to be the only one having problems."

Vanessa thought she saw one of his eyes twitch, and she couldn't help but smirk. She was getting under his skin, and it was absolutely beautiful.

"I don't have problems with your pathetic little pets," Draco responded scathingly. "My problem is you."

If Vanessa wasn't ticked at him before, she was now. She didn't have many friends, and the few she had she would defend with her life- especially Artemis and Alex. Granted, she had Kendall, Amber, and Emily, as well, but... they weren't Artemis and Alex. They had her back when no one else did, and she would be damned if she let this boy talk about them like that.

"One... don't you ever talk about Artemis and Alex like that again. They are far better people than you will ever be, and if I ever hear another negative word from your mouth about them, so help me Merlin I will invent new Unforgivable Curses to use on you," Vanessa began. "Secondly, thank you for reestablishing your vague hatred of me. Now if only I could get some sort of logical explanation of it from you we could get over this petty bickering." Vanessa paused, but only for a moment. "So... I will ask you again: what the hell is your problem with me?"

Draco didn't say anything for a few moments as he shoved his work into his textbook, not even bothering to check to see if the ink had dried. "I don't have time for this," he spat, snatching his book off the table and storming off.

Vanessa sighed angrily, but didn't bother to chase after him. The boy was certainly infuriating, there was no denying that. What Vanessa did know, however, was that whatever his reason was must have been deeply personal since he refused to tell her. She didn't have long to ponder it, however. Her thoughts were interrupted by another's voice.

"Draco being a prat?" it asked.

Vanessa glanced over to see Amber sitting a few feet away. Honestly, the girl hadn't even seen her friend sit down. She turned to face her friend before responding. "Yeah, but when is that ever not the case?" Vanessa answered.

Amber laughed. "Oh honey, you have no idea. He's always like that," she replied. "What's his problem this time?"

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "I have no idea. Slughorn put him in a group with Alex, Artemis, and me, and he's just being stupid for no apparent reason." Amber smirked, and immediately Vanessa knew her friend knew something she didn't. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Amber shrugged. "Oh, no reason. I just... think I have an idea as to why he's acting like that," she said.

"Do tell," Vanessa simply replied.

Amber gave Vanessa a pointed look. "C'mon, Nessa. I thought it was obvious. Why else would he avoid you like the plague?"

"I'm repulsive?" Vanessa suggested.

"The opposite, actually," Amber went on. "Draco obviously likes you. He just doesn't know how to handle a woman like you."

Vanessa raised an eyebrow skeptically. She remembered in her youth being told that the boys who picked on her probably just liked her, but she doubted it would continue to be true this late into her teenage years. She figured by then most people would be at least somewhat comfortable admitting their feelings, but then again, she could've been very wrong about that. "A woman like me? What's that supposed to mean?" she questioned. "Secondly, I highly doubt that's the case."

"You can be a bit of a spitfire, Vanessa. And it's because of that no guy here is really prepared to talk to you," Amber explained. "All of them are afraid you're going to shoot them down, and believe me, there are plenty of them who would be with you if you gave them the time of day. And I think Draco is one of them."

Vanessa wasn't entirely sure she bought that. "Okay then. If you think that he likes me, do some recon and find out for me. He's more apt to talk to you, being a Slytherin and all."

"Okay, but if I do, you owe me," Amber retorted, leaning her head into her hand. "Do my homework for one of my classes?"

"Fine," Vanessa agreed, feeling a bit like she had sold her soul to the devil. "You have a deal." Before she could say anything else, she saw Artemis and Alex come into the Great Hall. "I'll catch ya later. Let me know when you know anything!"

"Will do, love!"

With that, Vanessa removed herself from the Slytherin table, taking her books with her, walking over to where Artemis and Alex stood near the hall's entryway. When she got to them, both of them gave her intrigued looks.

"Did you enjoy your free time?" Alex asked.

"No," Vanessa stated plainly. "I tried to resolve our Potions group issue, but my efforts were futile. Apparently Amber thinks Draco likes me, and will be doing some spy work for me, but... I dunno."

Alex was the first to comment on the developments. "I mean, it seems likely but... do we really want that? Do we want that to be the reason he's a jerk?"

Vanessa shrugged. "Not sure really." Granted, Malfoy was attractive; she couldn't deny it, but did she really want him to like her? She wanted them to get along, surely, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to be more than friends or not. It wasn't something she had put much thought into, to be honest.

"Well... I guess we'll deal with that when Amber figures it out," Artemis said back, almost sounding upset. Vanessa shook the thought from her mind as he continued. "In the meantime, we have work we should probably get a head start on."

Vanessa sighed. Leave it to Artemis to focus on class work already. "Alright, overachiever, we can do homework. To the common room?"

The three friends began their walk to the Ravenclaw common room, Alex talking aimlessly away in Vanessa's ear about whatever happened in her other class. Admittedly, Vanessa had tuned her out somewhere in the middle; her mind was too busy running through the possible outcomes from the information Amber was going to dig up. And although she wasn't really caring either way if Draco Malfoy liked her or not, Vanessa couldn't quite shake the uneasiness lingering in the pit of her stomach.