One More Night {A Harry Potter/Artemis Fowl Crossover}

Chapter 39

    About a month had passed since Vanessa and Artemis had told Dumbledore about Draco's suspicious behavior. Vanessa was fairly sure nothing had been done in terms of investigating his actions, or at least none that she had been informed of. The only good thing was that no one in the school had been poisoned from whatever shenanigans happened with the mead, at least so far. That alone was a little unnerving, but coupling it with the whole Vanishing Cabinet debacle was even more so. The school in general was already on edge because of what happened to Katie Bell, and Vanessa was already paranoid about her affair, but knowing there was potential for injury or an ambush at any time didn't make her feel any better.

    The month since hadn't been any more kind to Vanessa either in her dilemma. Draco had continued to show moments of promise and improvement, but there had been just as many horrid times in between. When he wasn't showering her with affection, he was accusing her of infidelity again. The cycle was absolutely tiring, and Vanessa was admittedly exhausted from the back and forth with him. As much as Vanessa hated to admit it, Draco had every reason to be suspicious of her.

    While she hadn't slept with Artemis since being back at school, she certainly hadn't been keeping her hands to herself when it was just the two of them. Stealing kisses, holding hands... it wasn't enough, but it was all the two of them could manage right now. Their already full class schedule only got worse with the addition of Apparition class on Saturday mornings for the next several weeks. The moments the two of them had alone were few and fleeting, at best. Their only chances for alone time were late at night in the common room, and even that was too risky, given that any one of their classmates could walk in from the dormitories at any time. But even with all their precautions, Vanessa knew that their secret wasn't really a secret. Their meeting with Dumbledore a month ago proved that. If a professor they rarely saw thought they were a couple, surely people who saw them more regularly would think that too.

    Once again, Vanessa found herself in another awkward Potions class. Sitting between the two of them was the worst punishment imaginable. Vanessa had pleaded for Alex to switch Artemis seats that morning before breakfast, but Alex liked torturing her so nothing changed. Things between the two boys hadn't gotten any better- not that Vanessa expected them to after the whole Hogsmeade thing- and the tension was palpable. While the other groups in the class talked amongst themselves about the potions they were supposed to be working on, the only one really talking at their table was Alex. She had been rambling about Merlin only knew what for the last fifteen minutes while they each worked on their individual potions, and had been largely ignored by the table's other three occupants.

    "Why are all of you so quiet today?" she asked incredulously. "I'm just trying to make this class pass faster, and all of you are being sticks in the mud."

    Vanessa sighed, knowing she was going to have to be the social one. "Sometimes people just don't want to talk, Alex," she answered. "Maybe this is one of those times."

    "Just because the boys have some issues right now doesn't mean we can't have some fun friend times still to liven this class up a bit," Alex retorted. Vanessa knew she was playing up the "the affair isn't a thing" angle, but it was still all too obvious. She wished her friend didn't live for drama so much, but that was likely never going to change. Alex was going to be one of those old women who stirred up trouble.

    "I could never be friends with someone like Fowl," Draco spat from her right side. "He's too much of a lying, hypocritical homewrecker."

    "In order for you to insult me, that would first mean I have to value your opinion," Artemis said in an eerily calm voice.

    Vanessa rolled her eyes. They were seriously going to have one of their rows in the middle of class. This was not their first public fight, and surely wouldn't be their last, but it never stopped being completely embarrassing. Vanessa was sure the entire school knew their business by now, and that alone was unnerving. She had noticed the stares from other students, the whispers that lingered in the air as they passed them. The girl rested her head on her hands, mentally trying to prepare herself for whatever was about to happen.