This chapter is a little less serious than the past two. Hope you enjoy!

*****************************************************************************************************************

Audrey

I found myself brushing my hair a lot that evening. Two weeks had passed since the lockdown. In that time, Artemis's eighteenth birthday had passed as well. Now he claimed he was "old." On another note, Artemis wanted to hang out with me that evening. Naturally, I agreed but I thought there might have been an underlying reason for this get-together.

"You're still getting dolled up for Fowl?" my fellow chaser, Pansy Parkinson, asked.

"Dolled up?" I questioned her, sitting my brush down on the vanity. "What makes you say that?"

"You did your make-up, and you've been brushing your hair for the past hour," Pansy answered matter-of-factly. "You don't ever care about how you look, now all of a sudden he asks you to hang out and you're getting all girly."

"Oh like you don't do this every time you and Draco go out," I countered.

She had been dating Draco Malfoy on-and-off since our third year. It was really kind of cute, in an odd way. But I bet it had made Artemis feel like a third-wheel for a long time. She blushed slightly at the mention of Malfoy. She knew I was right.

"So," she changed the topic of discussion, "why do you think he wants to hang out with you?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "He said he just wants to hang out, but I think there could be another reason."

Pansy laughed quietly to herself.

"What's so funny?" I demanded.

"Oh nothing," she sang.

I raised an eyebrow. She knew something I didn't, that was obvious. I shrugged it off. "I'll talk to you later, Pansy. I got to head down to the lake."

She smirked. "Have fun."

I rolled my eyes as I left the girls dormitory and into the common room. I ignored the glances of the other people in the common room as I made my way up to the Great Hall, and eventually outside. The crisp autumn air hit me as soon as I stepped outside. Fall was one of my favorite seasons. It was so beautiful, especially at Hogwarts.

About halfway to the lake, I crossed paths with Nikkie, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. I wanted to hide, but it was too late. I had been spotted. All four of them approached me, stopping about a few steps in front of me.

"Hey Audrey!" Nikkie called out.

I waved slightly. "Hey..."

"What are you doing here?" she asked me.

"Um... going down to the lake," I responded vaguely. "I'm meeting a friend."

I took notice to a stare I was getting from Ron. It was the same stare he gave chicken before demolishing it. I took an involuntary step back, not wanting to meet the same fate as the chicken.

"You look wonderful," he mumbled almost incoherently.

"Thanks?" I responded unsurely. The way he was acting was really starting to creep me out more than he normally did. He kept eyeing me as I turned back to Nikkie.

"You're pretty," Ron replied, reaching towards me, as if he was going to hug me.

"Uh, no you don't! I'm not yours!" I called out, backing up a few more steps. I turned to the rest of the group. "You better get your friend."

"Sorry about that," Nikkie muttered. She and Harry started to walk away, leaving Hermione to drag Ron off.

"Come along, Ronald!" she demanded, pulling Ron by his arm. They followed Nikkie and Harry back towards the castle.

As soon as they passed, I continued down to the lake to meet up with Artemis. I noticed him standing under a large willow tree near the shore of the lake. He was standing close to the lake's edge, skipping rocks. His robes were lying in a pile on the ground, and I was shocked to see the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up. I didn't see any bandages covering his arms either. It made me happy to see he was no longer hiding.

I approached him with uneasiness. I remembered the way Pansy had acted. My stomach was flipping again. It was driving me crazy. Yet I pressed on, breathing deeply. I stopped behind him.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Artemis

I frowned as the rock I skipped fell into the icy waters of the lake. It had only skipped twice; I could've skipped it farther. I stood there, hands balled into fists resting on my waist. I sighed as I looked out at the lake's surface. I had a lot on my mind.

Today was the day. I was finally going to take the initiative and ask Audrey out. Admittedly, I had never asked a girl out before, and I was nervous. I had decided to try my luck with asking the same way my father had asked my mother twenty years previously. It had worked for him, so I was hoping it had worked for me.

Suddenly, I felt someone's arm wrap around my waist, their head resting on my arm. I almost freaked out for a second but then I turned to see Audrey peering up at me.

"Oh, you almost scared me," I laughed.

"I wasn't trying to scare you," she said.

I smiled slightly. I pulled away from her and spread my robes out on the ground. I sat down, and gestured for her to sit next to me. Audrey sat down next to me and looked out over the lake. She stared out at the nearly setting sun for a few minutes before speaking.

"It's really pretty," she muttered.

"Yea," I replied nervously. "That was what I was hoping for."

She turned to look at me. "Why is it you called me down here?"

I thought quickly. "I need a reason to want to hang out with you?"

A faint smile spread over her lips. "No, you don't." She paused, and then stopped. Silence filled the air, the slight slapping of the waves the only sound in my ears. Audrey took a breath. "You're not wearing your bandages today."

I glanced over to find her looking at me. It wasn't a stare... just a look. I looked to my arm. "You already know about my... secrets. I saw no point." I hesitated, doubting myself. "Unless it bothers you." I suddenly felt self-conscious of my arm, and went to hide it.

But Audrey gently grabbed it. "It doesn't," she promised. "I'm not worried about what you are." She smiled.

I wasn't so sure, but the look in her eyes told me that she wasn't lying. I didn't reply. I merely gave her a smile, hoping my silence didn't get noticed. Like I said before, I had never asked a girl out. The nervousness was still there.

"There has to be a reason you asked me here," she insisted.

She was clever. "Perhaps."

Her smile still visible on her lips, she said, "What is it?"

I felt my stomach do a flip, that familiar flip that happened the first day this all started. Malfoy's voice echoed through my thoughts, 'Face it, Fowl. You love Audrey.' I glanced at the lake. The sun was just perfect over the surface. I might not get another moment like this. And it wasn't as if I was proposing or anything.

"Artemis?" Audrey asked.

Sapphire eyes met brownish ones. Maybe Malfoy was right this time. The thought made me smile. And that was something that didn't happen often. "I'm not sure how to ask you this...," I started slowly. She waited patiently. I noticed that instead of holding my arm, she held my hand. I suddenly wondered if my palms were sweaty, but shook the thought from my head. If they were she obviously didn't mind.

You can do this, Fowl, I told myself. You kidnapped a LEP fairy! You can ask a girl out!

Before I even realized the words left my lips, I asked, "Audrey, will you go out with me?"

Her smile brightened. "Of course I will," she said happily.

I let out a breath I didn't know I held. Audrey laughed, and I found myself laughing as well. As we started for the castle, Audrey's hand in mine, she turned to glance at me. "So where are we going out to?" she asked.

I gave her a wide-eyed look. I really hope she didn't take what I said to be literal.

She laughed again. "I'm joking, Artemis!" she assured. "Calm down."

I shook my head though a smile was all too clear on my pale face. She was crazy, but I liked it. What had I gotten myself into?

*****************************************************************************************************************

Audrey

I awoke early the next morning. After quickly dressing, I ran down to the Great Hall, hoping to find Nikkie. I had yet to tell her the news that was bound to be coursing through the school by first hour. I wasn't sure if I liked that idea or not. I enjoyed my private life to remain that way.

Sure enough, Nikkie was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Harry. I sat down across from them. They were in the midst of a private chat, immediately took notice to my presence and the chat ceased. They looked up at me.

"Hi guys," I greeted awkwardly.

"Hi," Harry answered for the both of them, and then immediately left, leaving me and Nikkie alone.

This bewildered me slightly. "What's his problem?"

Nikkie leaned in to whisper, "His scar's been bugging him."

Harry's lightning bolt-shaped scar he received when he was just a baby was due to Voldemort's attempt to kill him. A lot of times, Harry's scar would burn if Voldemort was nearby. Harry was also known to intercept thoughts and visions of Voldemort. I knew this was not good.

"You don't think that Voldemort is near, do you?" I asked.

Nikkie shrugged. "I dunno. Harry thinks he's been lurking around school grounds a lot recently. And he had a vision..."

My stomach did a nervous flip. Harry's visions were scarily accurate. Typically things went really similarly to what he saw. "What was it?" I asked.

Nikkie cleared her throat. "Well he claims he witnessed a meeting of the Death Eaters, and he says he saw Artemis there..."

I figured this would happen. I knew Artemis' secret would be exposed in due time. As his girlfriend, I had to defend him. I couldn't let them find out the truth. "Artemis? A Death Eater?" I asked. "He isn't."

"Are you sure, Audrey?" Nikkie questioned. "Harry's visions usually aren't wrong."

I was suddenly nervous. I had to keep Nikkie away from Arty's secret for as long as I could. "I know Artemis better than anyone, except for maybe Malfoy," I replied, nervousness lingering in my voice, "and I know he is not a Death Eater."

Nikkie sighed. "If you say so, Audrey." She paused, letting out a breath she had held. "Just be careful. I don't want you getting hurt."

I glanced down at the table and back at her. "I suppose now would be a bad time to tell you that he asked me out last night..."

Nikkie rested her head on her left hand. "Did he now?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to think. Nikkie gave me a discerning look. It looked like she was trying to decide something. I had a really bad feeling about this.

"Well, I know what you answered," she said, sitting up and pushing her hair out of her face. "I just hope you know what you're getting into."

With that, Nikkie stood and walked away, leaving me at the table alone. I sighed. Suddenly, I felt a feeling of un-satisfaction. I couldn't shake the feeling that Nikkie knew Artemis' secret and would turn against the relationship I now had with him.