Welcome Back (Invite Only)

Vixen finally got the clear from the healers at St. Mungo's to be allowed to finish her healing up away from their watchful eyes. In reality, she looked like her old self except for the continued wrapping she wore around her chest. Seeing as ribs are constantly moving as you breathe, they take much, much longer to heal. Regulus was there to take her back to Hogwarts and was informed that while she looked all healed up, it was still going to be a while before her ribs were back to normal.

As she walked with him down the dungeons to the Common Room, she was happy to be home. Regulus insisted on carrying her bag for her as they made their way along the dark corridors. Slipping her hand into his, she smiled her coy smile up at him, her dark eyes bright and back to normal. "Thanks for bringing me back, Reg," she purred to him. "Does everyone know I'm coming back today?" she asked. Being laid up at St. Mungo's for three week left her missing her school and house mates. She didn't know what they did and didn't know about what happened, but she did hear word about the attack that happened. Thankfully, those she cared about didn't seem to come out too badly...

Regulus was pretty happy Vixen had finally been able to leave St. Mungus. She had missed a lot, but in a way, Regulus was glad she did. She missed the attack after all, and who knew what could've happened to her if she participated. Regulus was lucky to come out alive, unlike the countless students that lost their lives. Slytherins, Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws. Students from all houses were killed. The massacre was even bigger than the previous year's at the graduation ceremony. There, only mudbloods were targeted. Now, everyone was. No one was safe. The survivors were few, and now, Bruce Carrow's class was taboo. Everyone was afraid of stepping into the clearing. Only people like Marvolo, himself, Ted, Morgan and Kronos seemed to still look at the clearing normally. Well the other students didn't know Dumbledore had tightened security either like they all did, but still. 

Walking through the corridors, closing in on the common room, Regulus sighed tiredly as he heard Vixen's voice. She seemed to be back to normal at long last. "Some people know. Marvolo and Kronos. Some other buddies of mine. But other than that, I didn't tell anyone." he said, looking forwards, his eyes fixed on the door to the common room, as he tightly held her hand.

"I've missed them," Vixen said as she turned her gaze to the nearing Common Room. Feeling his tight grip on her hand, she smiled. "Big surprised for them, huh?" Vixen said quietly. When he didn't say much more, she asked him, "Everything ok?"

Regulus put on a small smile at her question, before cracking his neck. "Ok with me, or with everyone in general? I'm okay, since you're here," he said with a grin, before leaning down and kissing her cheek.

Vixen leaned into his kiss as the reached the Common Room door. "It's good to be back. I've missed it... I'm glad you're okay. But, things feel....different, somehow," she said with a small sigh. It almost felt like there was something in the air she should know about, but there was nothing there. "Is everything alright with everyone else?" she asked, stopping him before they could enter the Common Room, looking up at him, questions dancing through her eyes.

Regulus sighed, before speaking, "You may notice the Slytherins are lacking numbers. Well, the school is lacking some students. The attack. The one that injured Bruce. It took 30 plus students. Including two of my close friends. Logan and Crimson Braveheart. They lost their lives... because of those damn Shadows..." he said, clenching his jaw, letting her hand go and gripping the handle of the common room's door.

Vixen's jaw went slack at hearing that the attack she had only heard about was actually much worse than she thought. The school lost 30... More than at the graduation attack... When Regulus mentioned that the Braveheart brothers had been counted among the dead, she closed her eyes and set her jaw. She remembered when she and Logan had shared a little personal time for the school year started... He was different... If it wasn't for her love for Regulus, Logan might have been one she would have pursued. Shaking her head, she opened her eyes which were filled with sorrow of hearing about the losses. "Why didn't you tell me? I know you, Marvolo, and Kronos all came out, more or less, alright.... But, why not tell me about the others?" she asked as he grabbed the knob that would take them inside. The news saddened her, but there wasn't much that could be done other than honor them in her memories.

"What could you do other than grieve? Which is exactly what you're gonna do now...so it makes no difference if I told you before or now...the outcome's the same..." he said, pushing the door open, and stepping inside.

Titan had been on edge ever since she found out Vixen, her dear friend, was in St. Mungos. Despite Titan's weekly visits to the Hospital, she never got the chance to visit her. Her condition, as it was called, is getting worse but Nia was too stubborn to give up the body. Due to this dilemma, her eyes were more of a pale green when three weeks ago they were a vibrant green and her skin was paler than before. Titan really looked like the living dead and she sat herself in the common room, suckling on a bright red lollipop that had been created out of her medicine. It was a substitute to all the B12 injections to help keep up her energy from the constant fighting. What didn't help was the loss of Logan Braveheart. She felt the need to avenge the lad despite not knowing him. He was a housemate and Titan was loyal to those like her. Hearing voices at the door, Titan turned her head and her eyes seemed to brighten when she spotted who it was.

Vixen. Standing up she noticed who was beside her and she stood up straighter. Vixen with Regulus Black...How intriguing. That's something to tease her about. Titan thought to herself and sorted out her white button up shirt which she had 'borrowed' from one of their housemates from her late night escapades with one of the males. Smiling, Titan walked as fast as she could towards Vixen and wrapped her arms around her. ''Vix! You're finally home!'' She greeted and turned to Regulus. ''Hey there Regulus. Name's Titan.'' She introduced with a playful greeting wink before turning back to Vixen and taking her friend's hands into hers just to make sure Vixen is really there and so she hasn't truly gone insane. Titan was a listener and simply let them carry on their conversation whilst she observed and held onto Vixen, glad she's okay.

*Posted for Annie*

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Vixen nodded slightly, understanding completely why Regulus hadn't told her about the losses the fight had caused, whether she knew them or not. Just like he didn't want her to worry about him as all she needed to be worried about was getting better, that was likely the same thing with this. He knew she would grieve, but her prime concern shouldn't be that... He wanted Vixen better and adding the stress of worrying about him and grieving would only slow her healing process. Vixen knew he was right, too, in the fact that she was going to grieve.... She was going to.... "It's right to grieve for them. Will you tell me more about this battle?" Vixen asked him. She wanted, needed, to know what came to pass. It would help her as she remembered the fallen.

Following him into the Common Room she was happy to see one of her closest friends, Titania. With a happy smile, she returned the hug with a small wince when their bodies bumped as bodies do when a hug was exchanged. "I am! It's good to be home!" she said to her. When Vixen finally got a good look at Titania, concern washed over her face when she saw the change in her appearance. Titania looked sickly almost to the point of getting ready to take the long sleep. Vixen reached up and touched her friend's cheek gently. "I've missed you. How are you?" she asked softly.

Regulus nodded courteously at Vixen's question, before her...'friend' erupted from happiness when she laid eyes on her. She seemed to be quite frisky, at least when it came to her friends. Regulus only greeted her by tipping his head, and closed the door behind them, unbuttoning his jacket as the two friends spoke. He let that Titania one speak with Vixen in 'private', so Regulus'd have another turn to talk to Vixen. Sitting in the sofa, he watched the fire and occasionally turned to the girls, Vixen has weird friends..., he mused. Her friend didn't look to be in the best shape, so Regulus instantly sighed, Very weird, he thought one last time.

Titan noted the small wince and furrowed her brow in concern. ''Home certainly ain't been the same without you, you little minx.'' She teased. Staring at Regulus as he walked over to the sofa, she realized he was pretty cute but she shrugged that thought away and began thinking of her Felix and how she hadn't seen him in a long while. Leaning into her friend's touch on the cheek, she sighed. ''I've missed you too, Vix. I've been better but i'm living and that's all that matters besides...I got a lot of fight in me. How are you feeling, minx? Just some lumps and bruises now right?'' She asks and looks her friend over. Titan looked over at Regulus as he was staring into the fire and looked at Vixen. ''Whats with quiet boy?'' She inquires.

Vixen smiled at her friend's tag-name for her and nodded. "I've missed everyone and simply being here. Alive is good. Better than the alternative, anyways..." she said with a small chuckle. At her question of how she was doing over all, Vixen shrugged and lifted the bottom of Regulus' Slytherin t-shirt he had given her to wear when she found that lose fitting shirts felt better than her normal form fitting ones at the moment. Seeing as this one was a size or two too big for her, it was perfect. As she lifted the shirt, the white wrappings that bound her ribs was visable and Vixen replied, "Just that... Ribs take forever to heal. Maybe another month or so and they will be right as rain. Otherwise, I'm good as new." Putting the shirt own, she grabbed Titania's hand and gently pulled her to the sitting area where Vixen let her hand go and sat next to Regulus.

"Have they found anything more effective for you yet?" she asked her curiously. Vixen had heard rumor that they were, but she never put much stock into them. Better to ask someone who would know. What's with quiet boy? Vixen smiled her coy smile and glanced at Regulus. "I think she's talking about you," she whispered and gave hima wink that only he would be able to see.

Titan smiled at Vixen and then frowned at the wrappings. ''I'm glad you're better and remember...Need anything medical wise..im your girl.'' She said with a lopsided grin. She always seemed to make fun of the fact she had a box filled with lollipops, syringes and the general fact she was 'ill'. Feeling her hand being taken towards the sitting area, she placed herself on the armchair, putting her legs over one of the arms.

Hearing Vixen's question, she sighed. ''They got these muggle B12 injections for me. To help keep up my energy but i don't have to use 'em much due to them putting the same stuff in the lollypops.'' She pointed to the small one in the corner of her mouth. ''They're thinking small sweets but i keep telling 'em that i'm making the decision soon. They think i'm...mad.'' At those words, she gave Vixen a grin, one that you'd usually see on a mad man. ''But yeah...They've also got me on dreamless sleep potions, sleep potions, daily energy spells and some other potions i can't remember the name of. Oh and a bunch of muggle stuff so i don't freak out.'' Titan explained with a roll of her eyes. She didn't believe she needed the stuff but it stopped the nosebleeds. Catching Vixen whisper to Regulus, Titan couldn't help but give Vixen a teasing smile and a wink.

Thick smoke began to fill the room, as Regulus watched the fire dance. They erupted suddenly, and that ocean of red, yellow and orange, turned into a burning tower of destruction. He couldn't take his eyes off it. It reminded him of how many people had been burned in the battle, and although he was fighting for them, he loved too see their bodies burn. Not because those bodies were they're, but because people were being killed. It fascinated Regulus. When Vixen whispered something towards him, he slowly glanced away from the fire, to the two girls, "The quiet boy's watching the fire," he said winking at Titania, before turning back to the fire, and watching it carefully.

Vixen smiled as she remembered that Titania was the one to go to should you need anything medically. The girl had anything you could think of! Thankfully, she didn't think she would need to take her up on that offer as her ribs finished healing. The vial of pain potion in her bag would do the trick, if she needed it. As they sat and her friend told her about some of the advances the healers were making with her condition, Vixen's eyes brightened. "At least they are maybe getting closer to finding something that can help even you out," she teased. Vixen liked Titania just the way she was, but since her health was suffering for it, she hoped that something could be done to help keep her as she was but on a more stable ground health-wise.

Catching her playful smirk and wink, Vixen returned a playful one of her own as she scrunched her face up. Regulus' answer was simple enough, but the look on his face worried her. Her dark eyes filling with concern, she glanced at the flames, wondering what he was seeing. Giving him a slight nudge, her face asked, What is it?

"So, ummmm..... Other than all the craziness with what happened in Care of Magical Creatures, have I missed anything important?" Vixen asked putting her normal face back on and turning her eyes to Titania. Something was up...

Titan smirked at the wink from the 'Almighty' Regulus, as most girls in Slytherin called him. ''That is true...I feel like a lab rat though...being tested with all this muggle crap.'' She groaned slightly and couldn't help but furrow her brow as her friend's eyes showed concern. Hearing Vixen's question, her furrowed brow deepened with confusion. ''Not that I know of...I've been pretty much on lock down at mungos. Only got back like two days ago after a week being there. I could barely survive that and you survived three weeks.'' She commented, turning her head to Regulus. ''What has happened?'' She askes with a tilt of her head, her dark locks falling to her side.

"Darkness came for us," he whispered, answering Titania. "They had no mercy. They took everyone down..." he continued to whisper carefully, before looking up at Titania, "Just because she killed Felix, thirty plus students were murdered while you were both absent...I don't even know how I'm still alive," he stated honestly. It was true. He had no idea how he had survived the battle after so many others lost their lives.

Vixen's turned her attention to Regulus as he spoke about the battle that came after Marvolo killed Felix, after she was beaten within an inch of her life for not helping the Shadow's. The battle that had left 30 or more of their school mates slaughtered all for the revenge of a couple. She gently put a comforting hand on his theigh as he continued to speak about the attack. I don't even know how I'm still alive... "It doesn't matter how. What matters is you did," she said darkly, looking at him, a touch of her smile playing with the corner of her mouth. Starting to hear about this battle now, Vixen was glad that she hadn't learned more about it before this moment. Regulus had made her promise to try to not worry. Had she learned of this before now, no matter how hard she tried, she would have broken that promise to not worry. Vixen's dark eyes then moved to Titania as she recalled that they were close, her and Felix. Surely she must have gotten word about his death. She didn't say anything as she didn't know how her friend was going to react....

Titan listened and when he looked up at her, her heart stopped and she clenched her eyes shut waiting for the news. She killed Felix....Rang in her ears and her nails dug into the palms of her hand. The rest met her ears but was more registered as white noise. No tears stung at her pale eyes and her eyelids fluttered open. 

They were no longer a pale green but now an almost black green. She wanted to ask who but if she did, more blood would be on her hands and there would a pile of bodies trailing behind her until she got the one responsible. ''Well at least someone survived. Couldn't have everyone dead now can we?'' She said, a little bluntly but she couldn't help it. Her mind swarmed with Felix and promised to herself. No more nice girl....She thought as a cruel smile toyed at her lips. What hurt the most however was the fact no one told her. No one bothered to tell her that the guy she loved, cared for was dead, murdered in fact. A growl threatened to erupt from her throat but she bit it down and swallowed past the lump in her mouth. ''As long as there is people alright...That's all that matters. The Slytherin house has seemed a bit empty...'' She admitted, not mentioning her lover.

Vixen watched the change come over Titania at the news of Felix's death and her jaw went slack...She didn't know... Looking quickly to Regulus, her features became washed over with sorrow for her friend to find out now, of all times, that Felix was gone. "She didn't know.... That means, she didn't know what happened to me.... Oh Salazar, Regulus...." she spoke softly to him, before turning back to Titania. Leaning forward, she reached out a hand and gently put it on Titania's leg. She didn't know how her condition would react to what she just found out, and she didn't want to be on the receiving end of lash out. Vixen would know when she could move closer to her friend, she knew the signs. "Titania.... I am so sorry you didn't know.... And I am so sorry for your loss. He was a good boy..." she spoke simply, rhythmically to her.

Fallon heard what Vixen said and her dark eyes hardened. ''You got hurt because...Felix was killed?'' She said slowly and felt her friend's hand on her leg. Her tense body relaxed, trying to calm herself down so she did not harm her best friend. Her emerald eyes lightened but just a tad, anger still filling her to the brim. ''I'm glad i found out from you, Regulus. Better than having some stuck up bitch nurse telling me and then asking me if i'm okay.'' She said in a blunt tone, remembering the amount of times a nurse asked her that ridiculous question. Turning to Vixen, she covered her friend's hand with her own. ''I'm not the only one who lost him. He was close to you as well. He is...Sorry was an amazing boy.'' Her voice turned almost dreamy at the thought of him but quickly brushing that side of her away, she forced a smile towards her friend and her...companion.

"You should be careful Titania..." he softly whispered, "You were close to Felix. Maybe...they'll come 'talk' to you too..." he said, clenching his jaw and fists, before narrowing his eyes. Those bastards were so lucky. Luckier than death eaters. Barely any of them had lost their lives, but the ranks of the Death Eaters were already deteriorating. Those bastards, he thought, before pouncing away from the sofa.

Titan nodded slowly. ''I'm always careful...and Reg...Call me Titan.'' She told him, forcing a smile. ''Close? Yeah i guess you can say that.'' Her smile had turned into a sly one and she winked playfully before going back to her expressionless face. 

Watching as Regulus pounced up from the sofa, she sighed and got up herself, placing her hand on Regulus' chest. Her brow was furrowed and her dark eyes narrowed. ''Perhaps we should change the subject before you start going on a suicidal mission and getting the people that did this.'' Her voice growled out and dropped her hand. Titan was in no position to tell Regulus Black what to do but seeing how angry he was acting it was for the best. ''Besides..I'm sure Felix kept me a secret.'' Rolling her eyes, she sat back down again a little breathless from how fas she got up. Despite a little change in her condition, she was still a bit tired. Grabbing a medicine lollipop, she put it in her mouth and forced a bright smile.

"Kept you a secret? Don't think he was allowed to. The one who hurt Vixen and attacked the school was his huh...'father'. He had eyes on Felix at all times when he was here in Hogwarts. They know who you are certainly," he said, as his heart started to beat faster and faster. His memories were all going back to Vixen getting hurt and the attack. He was gonna tear every Shadow apart because of what their master did. That he could say for sure.

Vixen offered Titania a small smile when she mentioned that she wasn't the only one to have lost Felix. Vixen herself had lost a great friend as well. Nodding at her comment about him, she just hoped that Titania would be alright. Hearing Regulus speak about her needing to be safe and cautious since she was close to Felix, made Vixen's eyes darken slightly as she looked into her friend's eyes. She couldn't have said it better. Vixen knew that Titania and Felix were more than friends, and surely that would put a target, however small, on her to be a person of interest, as well. The shudder of movement on the sofa made Vixen look and see Regulus had gotten up quickly. Pulling her hand back at Titania got up to stop him, she eyes watched them both.
 
As things escalated, Vixen shook her head before getting up and putting herself between the two of them. "Now, just calm down," she said as Titania popped a lollipop in her mouth and sat back down. Putting her hands on Regulus' chest, Vixen felt his heart pounding against his ribs. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking up into his face. "Reg, it happened, but I'm here and alive. Surely, precautions have been taken since the attack to ensure we are protected more than we were before," she said calmly yet firmly. Turning towards her friend, she tilted her head slightly, still keeping one hand on his chest. "Reg is right, though. Being friends is one thing, but what you two had... I'm almost certain they know about you, Titan. Just.... Be careful. The Shadows, they....they show no mercy...." Vixen said simply, pleading for her friend to heed their warnings.
 
On her last comment about the Shadows, the hand on Regulus' chest clenched his shirt as she remembered what they had done to her. Her mind suddenly felt the wrappings around her chest, one of the two remaining reminders of what happened. As her mind raced through the beating she received, Vixen, even with all the strength she had, began to tremble...