Youngblood: Retrieval {Year 5, Book 3}

= Chapter 17 =

Exhausted and depleted from all her energy, Aspen sulked into the dorm after a long day working for the Inquisitorial Squad.

"Welcome back." Lillian said, her voice dulled as Aspen flopped on her own bed.

"What's with you, you've been like this ALL day!" Aspen snapped.

"Like what?" Lillian snapped back.

"You've ignored me and I'm positive I saw you glaring at Raya during dinner. What do you have against her?" Aspen asked, her voice raising.

Lillian looked away. "I'm - I'm just jealous, okay?" Aspen's eyes grew big. "You used to give me all the attention as your friend and now it's Raya this and Raya that!"

"Lilli, stop this!" Aspen came over to sit with her friend.

It was only then that she realized her friend's desperation. Lillian's eyes were brimmed with tears and her facial expressions showed mountains of pain.

"Vi-Vivi hangs out wi-with her sixth year fr-friends and wi-without you, I'm le-left all alone; Ce-Ced's gone to-too..." Lillian bawled into Aspen's shoulder as she embraced her attempting to comfort her.

"Lilli, I'm not going anywhere, I promise. How about, in the morning, I'll introduce you to Raya and then you can see that she's a great friend." Aspen smiled weakly as Lillian nodded, crawling back in bed as Aspen did the same

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"Raya, meet my friend Lillian - Lilli, meet Raya." Aspen smiled as Lillian stuck out her hand to Raya.

Raya looked down at Lillian's hand, biting her lip and sheepishly shaking her hand. Just then, Aspen spotted Harry. She took another sip of her tea before placing it down gently.

"I have to go report to Harry, I'll be back." Aspen nodded to Lillian.

An awkward silence loomed over the girls like a dead goose. "So... uh... Ravenclaw, huh? What's that like?" Lillian attempted to start a conversation.

Raya thought for a minute before responding with a shrug. "It's okay I guess."

"What house were you in at Ilvermorny?" She perused.

"Horned Serphant... But it was a close call with that and Thunderbird." Raya began to warm up to Lillian as they talked until Draco came over.

"Raya? How've you been?" He sat down next to her as they spoke.

"Good, and you, Draco?" She responded.

"Good, Good." He nodded before his face turned serious. "We need to talk... alone." He glanced at Lillian as she rolled her eyes and took off, Raya nodding.

"Okay, what's up?" She asked.

"It's Aspen, she's different... she's taken up being friends with mudbloods and other houses and-"

"What's wrong with being friends with those?" Raya asked, cocking her head to the side.

"It's not okay, Raya! She's become a disgrace to her family and purebloods like us - stay away from her... she's toxic!" He demanded, giving her a grim face.

"Don't talk about her like that, especially when you're the toxic one!" Raya stormed off towards Aspen, leaving Draco flustered.

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"I can't believe it!" Mya complained to Dove on the way to potions. "The love of my life - a Slytherin."

"What's wrong with Slytherins?" Eleara asked, "Aspen's one of them and she's a great friend!"

"Yes but... the majority of them are selfish and manipulative - take Malfoy as an example!" Mya protested.

"You never know until you talk to him." Dove sang, grabbing Eleara and running off before Mya could catch up with her short legs.

"Oh hey... excuse me." A cute voice came from behind her as she froze up.

"Oh I uh didn't bee- erm see you there." Mya stuttered as she turned around to face Adrien Elrod.

"I Adrien, the 'new kid'. Sorry if I startled you, but I'm having trouble finding the potions classroom, could you perhaps help me?" He asked, smiling sweetly.

"Oh... uhm of divorce- I uh... of course. I'm Mya. Right this way..." She mentally facepalmed as she made her way down to the classroom.

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"Boo!" Someone jumped out of the hallway, startling Aspen.

"Fred! Ugh you seriously scared me!" She hit him in the shoulder lightly as he chuckled.

"Sorry, love, but I wanted to talk to you." His hand searched his pocket for the note he'd gotten a few days ago.

"Oh alright... what is it?" She was so perfect, the way her forest green eyes dazzled and the way her neatly groomed hair sat in beautiful waves on her shoulders. He was so in love with her that he couldn't bring himself to face the note and risk losing her.

"Uhm... nothing. Just that... uh... have a great day, darling." He said nervously as he raced out of the room, accidentally dropping the note on the cold-stone floor.

Aspen spotted the parchment out of the corner of her eye and when she read it, she gasped. She fled to the Slytherin Common Room, sprinting as fast as her legs could take her. She heaved the large, wooden door open as she scanned the room, filled with students, for Lillian and Ember.

"Lilli, Ember, I have something interesting!" Aspen shouted as Lillian sat up on the couch and Ember scrambled over to them.

"A worthless note? C'mon, Hale, I was just getting to the part where the dude dies." Ember slammed the book in her hand shut.

"Who could've wrote it? I mean, kinda an odd thing to write to someone, 'take care of her', who writes that?" Aspen questioned.

Lillian took the note and held it up to the fire for light, moving her index finger to feel the writing. She shook her head, confused.

"Isn't it obvious who it is?" Ember rolled her eyes as the two girls stared at her. "Who has exceptionally neat handwriting and the initials of D, L, and M?"

"D.L.M? Where do you see that-" Lillian glanced at the note, only to find the initials etched at the bottom.

She brought the note away from the fire as the letters disappeared, only to bring it close once again for them to appear.

Aspen nodded. "D.L.M... it all makes sense now... Draco Lucius Malfoy wrote this note."