yay new chapter soon can't wait to read it love this story

Chapter 23

The day for the announcement of the school champions arrived. Everyone was excited to hear who was going to represent their school in the tournament. Raven had to admit that the feeling in the air was contagious. Although she was eager to find out who was going to risk life and limb for glory, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. She chalked it up to her pessimism and shook it off.

She walked with Ginny to the Great Hall. Ginny, in her kind yet unsubtle way, let Raven know that sitting with her may alleviate any issues with scaring off unsuspecting Gryffindors with Raven’s bold attitude. Raven agreed and sat with her.

“Have you gotten any more sleep? You look really tired,” asked Ginny.

“A little here and there. Nothing to really get me caught up. But I’m fine. At least, I think I will be. Thanks for thinking of me.” Raven was appreciative of her friends for being concerned.

They made it to the Great Hall and Raven was amazed at the decorations for Halloween. She still couldn’t shake this ominous feeling. She, then, blamed it on Halloween. As she walked closer to the twins she caught a peek at Draco, who luckily was distracted sitting next to Viktor Krum.

“See?” said Ginny, looking back at Draco. “He’s not even looking at you. He doesn’t even know you’re here.”

With her back to Draco now, she looked straight ahead and out of the corner of her eye, saw George, who was doing the same to her. She turned around to see exactly where Draco was and if he noticed her at all. When she saw that he was closer to the front of the hall, she looked at George and grinned. When he returned the smile, she smiled bigger then quickly turned back to Draco to see if he was watching. Fortunately, he wasn’t.

Her fatigue was starting to set in. She could barely hold her head up to eat. But closing her eyes meant she would run the risk of having to endure another dream. She needed more Dreamless Sleeping potion but didn’t think that Snape would give her any.

The strange feeling became stronger right before the announcement of the champions. She didn’t know who, but she sensed that someone in that room was hiding a big secret. Her lack of strength made it hard for her to pinpoint who had this secret, but it was enough to make her wonder. She looked at her uncle and gave him a worried look. The secret this person had was evil; an evil that she could not comprehend. Snape gave her a puzzled look and seemed to want to know what she was worried about. She would have to wait until after the feast to ask him about it. The Goblet of Fire was about to make its decision.

The Goblet of Fire was at the front of the hall, and when it was ready would choose one champion from each school to compete. The flames which were blue turned red and shot out the name of a champion on a piece of parchment. When Viktor Krum’s name came up for Durmstrang Institute, it was no surprise to anyone. For the Beauxbaton Academy, the school champion was Fleur Delacour. Cedric Diggory’s name came out for Hogwarts and the entire Hufflepuff table erupted into applause and cheers. When all the champions had left the room, Dumbledore started to make a few announcements. Raven noticed that the Goblet of Fire was not yet finished in deciding the champions. Soon Dumbledore knew as well and then another name shot out of the Goblet. It was Harry’s.

When a confused and scared Harry left the table and disappeared into the room with the other champions, the entire school was buzzing. Soon all of the staff disappeared into the little room as well.

“How did he do it?” asked Ron.

“We definitely want to know,” said Fred. “How did he come up with a way and not tell us?”

Raven heard all of the chattering and wasn’t convinced, unlike everyone else, that he put his name in the Goblet. All she could do was stare perplexedly at the cup. The blue flame was now burned out and there didn’t seem to be anymore activity with it. Soon the Prefects ordered all of the students to return to their common rooms. Raven lagged behind wondering what had just happened. People have been known to die in these tournaments. Knowing this and understanding the age limit, Harry never would have put his name in the Goblet. She was convinced someone did it for him. The question was, who?

Harry’s dilemma bothered Raven, but not enough to keep her from going about her own business. At least, that was the plan. She woke up the next morning and learned quickly that Ron and Harry were fighting. Hermione told her that Ron was jealous of Harry for being in the tournament. Raven did everything she could not to get involved. She had her own fish to fry. The situation with Ron and Harry would fix itself. The two were inseparable best friends. What’s not to work out? Still, Raven wanted to give Harry some kind of reassurance that there was someone on his side. Raven found out that Harry was in the owlery and wanted to find him to talk. As she approached the owl barn, she saw him coming down the steps.

Harry!” she yelled, trying to get his attention. He acknowledged her and she ran over to him. When she got to him though, she became dizzy and nearly collapsed onto him. It had been a while since she moved so quickly.

“Whoa! Slow down!” he said picking her back up. “Here, sit down for a moment.” He knew that she had not been properly taking care of herself. He was also one of the many who kept harassing her about getting sleep and plenty to eat.

“Thanks,” she said, sitting down on a nearby stump to catch her breath. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Do you believe me?” he asked curiously.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” she said still panting. “I do believe you. I know you're not that stupid.”

“I wish Ron and the rest of the school shared your opinion,” he said looking and sounding quite frustrated and disappointed. “I know everyone’s talking about me.”

“Well, they are only seeing what they want to see. They saw your name come out of the goblet and automatically assume you broke the rules and put your name in for contention. As long as there are those that believe you, eventually the others will come to realize the truth. It’s just going to be painful in the meantime.”

What Raven told him didn’t seem to comfort him at all. He still looked pretty angry at Ron for disbelieving his story. “What’d you need to talk to me about?” he asked.

Raven didn‘t want to tell him the total truth. She thought it would only make things worse if she told him what she felt just before the announcement. “I just wanted to tell you that I believe you. I though it might help. Oh, and please take care of yourself.”

Harry gave a glimmer of a smile, though it was seemingly forced. Then he quickly shot a inquiring look at her. “Well, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?”

Raven smiled and felt embarrassed. She looked down and then attempted to stand. She was still a little out of breath. Harry helped her to stand and he wrapped his arm around hers to help walk her back to the castle. “We can take care of each other, how about that?“

“Sounds good,“ Harry smiled. “Seriously though, take care of yourself. There are people who are worried about you. Eat lunch with us today.”

“Wish I could, but I have to eat with Draco today. He wants to get to know me and arranged a private lunch for us." Raven almost completely forgot about her lunch today. He asked her a few days ago and it totally escaped her memory. She wished she had forgotten.

“What? Is he planning something?”

“Can’t read him. Lately, I haven't been able to control who I read. It's either everyone at one time, one person at random, or not at all. I think I'm going mad."

“We won’t let you,” he said giving her a sad smile. It was like he knew her pain and didn’t want to admit that anything was wrong when he knew, deep down, she was fading fast.

The two continued walking arm in arm. She was extremely tired and just wanted to make it to the common room to sit a while before lunch. As they rounded the corner into the entrance hall, a dark figure loomed in front of them. Startled, the two jumped back a little and Raven almost lost her balance.

“Excuse me,” it was Snape who, as always, had a look of discontent on his face. “a moment, please?” he said to Raven.

“Sure,” she said letting go of Harry’s arm. “Thanks Harry for the chat. See you later and remember what I said.”

“I will. You too!”

The two smiled at each other as Snape and Raven began walking away. Snape was walking extremely fast and Raven was much too tired to keep up.

“Will you slow down?”

He quickly turned around and pulled her off to the side. Students were passing by but didn’t know that they were there.

“What were you trying to tell me last night?” he asked.

Raven told him of the feelings that she had right before the champions were announced. “You do believe that Harry didn’t put his name in the Goblet of Fire, don’t you?”

“I have my theories. It's no secret that I am no fan of Potter’s. The Age Line was full proof. However my feelings on this situation are beside the point. The Headmaster says that he will compete. Despite my objections.”

“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? Surely you didn‘t want to talk to me about this.”

“I heard about your lunch with Mr. Malfoy. I don‘t like it. I don‘t think you should go.”

“Trust me, if I could get out of it, I would. But knowing Draco, he’d make me suffer for it somehow.” Raven yawned. “I am so tired. I want more Dreamless Sleep potion. Got any to give me?”

“I can’t give you anymore for a while. Your mind needs to dream. You will go mad without them. Why are you not sleeping?”

“There is too much going on in my head and I see too much when I do sleep. Besides that, with all of the homework that has been piling on me lately to get my grades up, I have too much to do. And I can’t do it if there is too much expected of me during the day, can I?”

Snape gave her a disapproving look and told her to get on her way. He warned her again to be careful, however a shadow seemed to loom over her as the moment came closer to her lunch with Draco.

"No good will come from this lunch date," she thought.

Chapter 24

hmmmm very interesting. I like that she can still sense people's feelings, despite her poor health. girl needs some sleep!


great job. I cant wait for the next chapter!





PAMS!




Suzy

Oooooooooh! Chilling ending!

That is a fantastic chapter! Too much to quote, I love it all. I love the subtle details that you include.

I think the way that you write Snape is fantastic, very faith to cannon.

OMG! Ok, so I'm a new reader and totally just read the entire thing. You are an amazing writer and I absolutely love the story. George and Raven are soooo cute together. Gah! I hate Draco and Lucius! I hope they find out what's with that ring and end all of this nonsense. I can't wait for more! Please PAMS PAMS!!!! (:

Welcome Emily! Glad you like it.

I am so sorry for the lack of new chapter. Being a teacher, this time of year is so crazy. Starting this weekend, I will be done with the craziness and begin a week long writing spree before I go back to school. I have not forgotten. As a matter of fact, after watching HBP again, I have new ideas. So I need to get to them soon!

If you all can please hold out a few more days, I swear, chapters are coming!

i really really love your story its so good

It's interesting, having Harry sort of have that support when everyone else disbelieved him. And weirdly, I'm seriously starting to dislike Snape less, since he really seems like he's worried about Raven. No sleep is bad, and no eating is even worse. *pets Raven*

And no problem on the wait, seeing as I totally understand the RL keeping you from SS thing. What with my work schedule finally starting to slow down again after the holidays. I'll be here whenever you get the chance to post more.

PAMS!

I apologize for the delay

Chapter 24

Raven changed her clothes and went to the main stair case to meet Draco for lunch. Students who passed her gave her strange looks. She was dressed in her typical muggle-like attire. Baggy black pants, with a metal studded belt. She wore a white t-shirt with the image of a muggle rock band logo on the front. She wore her hair up in a pony tail and a thick strand of purple was highlighted amidst her jet black hair. On her wrist she wore a thick black leather bracelet that matched her belt and had on her black leather boots. To her, this was typical, but for the fellow witches and wizards at Hogwarts, she was dressed highly unusual. Even muggle-borns would look at her funny as she walked down the halls.

Her thoughts as far as dressing this way, which to her was nice, was only because she wanted to be comfortable in, what she called, 'a highly uncomfortable situation.' As she walked through the halls, she passed George, Fred, and Lee who were on their way to the Great Hall for lunch. George gave her a sweet look of adoration which made Raven smile but her smile was a façade. She was hiding the fear and dread that was consuming her at the moment.

She made her way to the bottom of the stairs where Draco dressed in his typical outfit. Black pants, black high neck shirt and black coat. She remembered him wearing something similar at the Quidditch World Cup.

“You look very…beautiful today,” he said looking strangely at her choice of attire. “Come. Lunch is waiting for us.”

They walked along the corridors of Hogwarts until they entered a familiar unused classroom. Raven hesitated going in, but Draco led her by the hand to a small table nicely decorated with two plates of food waiting for the couple.

To add to the atmosphere he pulled out his wand and lit two candlesticks. He pulled out her chair and asked if she needed anything to drink. Seeing a glass of water already on the table she declined and waited for him to sit down.

“How are your classes going?” Draco asked, beginning to eat.

“They’ve gone better. And you?” Her inner voice was screaming at her. She couldn’t understand why she was being so nice.

“Boring, as usual. What do you think of this tournament? I bet Potter won‘t make it to the end.”

Irritated by the comment about Harry, Raven decided to change the subject. “Draco, I know you didn’t plan this lunch to make small talk. What is it you want?”

“Raven, since day one I have sensed some anger coming from you,” he said wiping his mouth. “The purpose of this lunch is to make you forget about Weasley. If you would just let him go or get him out of your memory, you wouldn’t be so angry and bitter.”

“I was angry and bitter before I met George.”

“Yes, well, I feel that your problems would be better right now if you stop letting him get in your head,” he said taking hold of her right hand.

Raven looked at her hand and hoped he wouldn’t touch the ring. “I’m with you here for lunch, aren’t I? Doesn’t that count for something?”

Draco nodded and the two proceeded with their lunch. Raven could barely stomach what she was eating. The food was bland and tasted as though it never was cooked to begin with. Draco seemed to be enjoying it. He ate it as though it was the best meal he had eaten in months.

“How come you aren’t eating?” he asked.

“It’s not that good,” she said, putting her fork down. “I had better food when Snape cooked for me.”

They both laughed a little. Raven could not believe that she was making jokes with him. For the first time in months she was starting to be herself, with Draco. That feeling was not going to last long though.

“I’m glad to finally see the real you come out,” Draco said. Raven started to sense the same feeling she had when he kissed her hand at the World Cup; he was up to something. “There is something I need to speak with you about."

“Am I going to regret this?”

“Father has spoken to Dumbledore and he wants you permanently removed from Gryffindor and placed into Slytherin. He simply explained to Dumbledore that with your declining health it would be better if I was there to help you get well. That would be easier if we were in the same house.” Raven gave him a perplexed look. “Dumbledore will only agree if you want to transfer. Otherwise, you stay in Gryffindor.”

Raven threw he napkin up. “I knew it!”

Draco sat back in his chair and rested one hand on the table. “What do you know?”

“First of all, I know that Dumbledore isn’t stupid and even he knows that what your father fed him was a load of crap!”

“Was it, now?”

“Yes, and second of all, your father doesn’t want to keep better tabs on me, he wants me away from Gryffindor, mainly the ones of the Weasley sort.”

Draco started to say something but Raven shot her hand up in front of his face. “Last, but certainly not least, I would never go to Slytherin. Are you really…no, wait. Is your father really that daft to think that I would just transfer houses for the sake of a ridiculous contract? Think about it. Dumbledore gave me the choice. Even he knows that it’s a crazy idea and that I would say no.”

Draco sat up in the chair and curled one finger under his nose in an effort to hide his abundantly clear anger. “You are making a big mistake!”

“So you tell me on a daily basis.” She got up and walked towards the door. Draco ran in front of her and stopped her from leaving. “Why Draco? Why can’t you leave me alone? It’s not like we can get married now anyway. You still have three years before you are of age. A lot can happen between now and then.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Raven looked down at his hands on her arms, turned around and walked back towards the table. She grabbed her glass of water and took a drink. Raven then turned around to see that Draco was quite close to her. “How can you expect me to drop everything: my friends, my house, my loyalty? For you? I never dropped anything for George. He liked me for who I was, we didn’t have trust issues.”

“I am not George Weasley!”

“Did I hit a sore spot, Draco?” Raven took a step back and walked up to Draco‘s side and stood shoulder to shoulder. “Tell your dad that I’m not switching houses.

Raven walked again towards the door. Draco swiftly grabbed her arm and planted a kiss on her. Unable to break free, she was forced to let him have this moment, but it came at a price. A cool wave came over her, starting at her feet and rising up to her head. When he let go she saw a light vapor escape her mouth, similar to when being outside on a cold day and seeing one's own breath. Raven knew that was expressionless because there was absolutely nothing going on in her head. She felt like an empty shell about to crack.

Draco had a twisted smile on his face. “Stop fighting so hard and let this happen. We belong together, Raven.”

“Why did you do that? What did you just do to me besides kissing me without permission? What was that stuff that came out of me?"

“First, I don’t need permission. Second, I just proved to you that I am in more control of this situation than you think. And as for your last question, I'll let you figure that one out on your own.

“What did you do, Draco?”

“Just reclaiming what I already own.”

Raven quietly muttered some choice words under her breath to Draco. Tears were trying to come out but she was not going to let him see her cry. She had always felt, since this all began, that pieces of herself were being taken away, slowly and painfully. It felt that the kiss only took away more. She was becoming a puppet: nothing on the inside and able to be controlled on the outside.

Her words did not seem to faze Draco who smiled and left the room. She sat at the table and began to cry. She took her plate of half-eaten food and threw it at the door. She then swiped her arms across the table to finish the job. The dishes shattered and food sprayed everywhere. All that was left on the table was a piece of lettuce and a steak knife. She had a thought and wondered if cutting off her finger would be worth not having to go through this torture.

Rather be without a finger than Draco’s wife.

Raven picked up the knife and stared it down for a moment. She put her hand flat on the table and put the blade of the knife at the base of the ring. With tears rolling down her face, she was about to start cutting when the door slammed open.

“Raven!” It was Snape, who looked quite alarmed as to what he walked into. He ran to her and grabbed the knife out of her hand. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t do this anymore,” she said crying loudly, trying to get the knife back from him. “Give it to me!”

“Stop! Raven, stop!” he said trying to keep her away from the knife.

“Then kill me!" She fell to the floor and began to sob harder. “Let me die, before he kills me first.”

Snape knelt down and gave her a napkin to wipe her tears. Not paying much attention to what she was doing, she leaned into Snape and rested her head on his chest and continued to cry. Snape, who wasn’t sure what to do, wrapped his arm around her. He looked as though he was trying to remember if he ever hugged anyone or trying to figure out if he was doing it right.

Raven jumped back a little and realized she was hugging Snape. She apologized but Snape didn’t say a word. She wiped her eyes with the napkin and struggled to get the strength to stand. He then helped her up to her feet and walked her to his classroom.

Raven looked up at her uncle, who clearly looked distressed. "How did you know?"

"I knew where you were having lunch. I was going to check to see if everything was going well when I saw Draco leaving. I asked him where you were and he told me. Shortly after I heard a crash and ran over to see what it was."

When they arrived at his classroom, Snape sat her down at a desk at the front of the room and then pulled up a chair and sat next to her.

“What happened up there?”

Raven, still trying to catch her breath, explained to him the story and especially what happened when he kissed her. After she told her story, she plopped her head on the desk and felt like giving up. “What am I going to do? I can’t keep doing this.”

“You are not the type to let people tell you what to do and how to live your life. But you do have to get better. That is one command that I am not going to let you get out of.”

“You know as well as I do that things will get worse before they get better,” she said, plopping her head back down on the desk. “If you want me to rest, you have to give me more of that potion.”

“Raven, I can’t,” he said, looking disappointed. “You are already losing your power of Legilimency and Occlumency. Giving you more of that potion will only increase your odds of losing it all together. You could be committed into St. Mungo’s and I am not going to be responsible for you going mad.”

“I’m already feeling that way.”

“You only feel that way. You are in more control than you think.”

Snape helped her up and began walking her to the Gryffindor portrait hole. Raven looked as though she had been in a huge battle and lost. As they passed, they saw George and Fred talking near the main stairs. They kept walking but George and Fred followed. They were on the revolving staircase when they passed Draco, Crabbe and Goyle who saw the twins following close behind. They were quick to catch up to Raven and Snape.

“Sir, may I ask what is going on,” Draco asked, sounding paranoid.

“Nothing, Mr. Malfoy. I believe you have had enough interaction with my niece today,” Snape looked back at George who turned to Fred as if they were not listening. “I would kindly ask that for tonight, you leave her alone. She is tired and she doesn’t need you bothering her.”

“Sir, you know that I don’t hurt her. She does it to herself,” said Draco, looking oddly at Raven who still had a tired, blank expression on her face. She could barely stand as Snape pushed him aside and continued walking her to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room.

Snape walked away and left her standing in front of the Fat Lady, then gave George instructions to make sure that she got rest and ate dinner when it was brought up to her. Snape walked away and Fred kept Raven standing while George and Snape secretly spoke for a moment. George walked over and said the password. Fortunately, no one was in the common room, which made her feel more comfortable. Fred left the two alone while Raven made herself comfortable on the couch near the fire.

George went up to his dormitory and grabbed a blanket. He then came back downstairs, covered Raven with the blanket and sat next to her. “I’m not going to ask what happened. So we’ll just sit here until a girl comes in to help you to bed.”

“I’m not going to bed. I am going to regain my strength by sitting here for a while and then I am going to get started on my homework.”

“Raven. Your uncle said-”

“My uncle doesn’t understand what happens when I sleep. Let’s just sit here in this moment and take it in while it lasts. Maybe we can eat dinner together when it arrives. I just need your company right now.”

For the rest of the evening Raven and George ate and did their homework together. They never paid attention to the time and to anyone else that entered the room. Soon, though, it was time for George to go to bed. Raven made him go and he tried to convince Raven to do the same, but she wasn’t complying. He went on to bed, unwittingly, and left Raven alone in the common room. There was no way she was sleeping tonight. Not after what happened. She wondered to herself what Harry felt like when the Dementors attacked him last year. It felt as though when Draco kissed her, her soul was being taken from her, just like the Dementors Kiss. Only control of her soul wasn't what he wanted. Draco wanted control of her.

Chapter 25

I love the new chapter

OH....amazing chapter....I want to hug Raven. I feel so bad for her being in this situation.

Great chapter!!!!! Cant wait for the next one!!


PAMS!!


Suzy

Great new chappie! I loved it! What was up with that kiss? Fantastic. Please PAMS!! (:

AWESOME NEW CHAPTER!!! love it can't wait for the next one! Poor Raven...grr I hate Draco!

Chapter 25

The next few weeks were slow, busy and hard. There was so much animosity towards Harry around the school because of his “entrance” into the Triwizard Tournament. Harry and Ron were not speaking to each other and poor Hermione was trying to mend their relationship but to no avail. Although Raven was distraught over the whole ordeal, she was thankful that Draco now found something to focus on rather than her. He took pleasure in torturing and poking fun at Harry, and Raven was helpless to stop him. For Raven, the break in agony from Draco allowed her to regain a little bit of the strength she had lost the last few months.

She thought that this particular day was going to be normal when right before Potions she noticed Harry and Draco about to duel. Raven had no idea why they were fighting, but whatever the reason she hoped Harry would turn Draco into something unfixable. Harry’s spell missed Draco and hit Goyle which, incidentally, made Raven laugh while Draco’s spell hit Hermione. As she watched behind some students, Snape came out and punished Harry instead of Draco which infuriated Raven. She made her way into the Potions classroom and noticed that Harry was sitting by himself. Knowing that Draco would be furious with her if she sat next to him, she sat on the other side of Ron, who was sitting by Seamus Finnegan.

Ron and Raven exchanged hellos and Snape began to explain what they were going to do in class. Snape had every intention of testing the students' antidotes potions on a poisoned student which, he decided quickly, would be Harry. Fortunately, Colin Creevy walked in and told Snape, nervously, that Harry was needed with the other champions. Raven breathed a sigh of relief for Harry and proceeded on with class.

After class, Raven stuck around to have a word with her uncle. Her anger against him was going to pop and she wasn’t afraid of the consequences.

“Are you crazy or just naturally this hateful?”

“Excuse me?” The vein that Raven liked to expose on his forehead was quite prominent and his usually pale face was beaming red.

“You heard me. I don't think I stuttered and I’m not repeating myself.”

“The same blood that runs in my veins runs through yours. So you tell me, are you naturally this hateful?”

“Why did you let Draco off? Why do you insist on attacking Harry when, and I’ve said it before, your “pet” is just as guilty?” She almost felt like her old self when she suddenly became weak and could barely stand. Although her head was spinning, she was trying to hide it, trying not to let Snape know that something was wrong.

“Why do you insist on protecting Potter?”

“Harry is not the problem and doesn‘t need protecting. Harry can take care of himself. But you always take the side of a Slytherin even though you know they are guilty. You blame Harry for everything that goes on in this school. You know he didn’t ask for this life, yet you punish him everyday.”

Raven was now clutching her bag so hard that her knuckles were turning white. Snape just stared at her with rage in his eyes. Her head was still spinning, now even harder. She was starting to wobble a little bit so she casually walked over to a table and rested her body on it.

“You are hiding behind your power as a teacher to make him pay for all of the things that his father did to you in school, aren’t you? I see it now. He humiliated you and the only way you can get back at James Potter is to punish Harry. You are a selfish coward!”

“I am not a coward!”

“Well, you have a terrible way of showing that your not!”

“Get out of my classroom!”

Raven turned to leave and she couldn’t control her dizziness any longer. As she turned, her feet got tangled and she fell to the ground, nearly hitting her head on a table.

“I know what you did.” said a voice in her head.

“What did I do?” she asked out loud, not paying attention to Snape who was asking her if she was okay.

“You did not stand behind him, you have disappointed me.”

“I don’t care about you,” she said. Snape was talking to her but it only looked to her like he was mouthing words; nothing was coming out.

“You will care and you will obey. You forget that you belong to me. You will not dishonor him.”

“Leave me alone!

The voice stopped and Snape was shaking her trying to get her attention.

“Who were you talking to?”

“I don’t know.” But she knew who it was; Lucius Malfoy. Although his voice wasn’t recognizable, she knew that it was him. For the first time in a while, her Occlumency worked and she made him think that she really didn’t know. All she needed was Snape to have it out with Lucius. Lucius could have him fired, or worse, for interfering. “Let me up.”

She got up and regained her composure. Raven looked at Snape for the first time in months in her typical confident demeanor. Grabbing her bag, she turned and walked out of the classroom, much to Snape’s objections. As she left the dungeons, she stopped to catch her breath. How did Lucius know that she was talking bad about Draco? How much in control of her is he?

Raven went up to the Great Hall where students were already enjoying their dinner. She sat for a moment and ate a few bites, as she always did, and then decided to spend some time in the library to work on some homework. Her classes were suffering due to her fatigue and lack of concentration. If she didn’t get her grades up, it would be another reason for Snape to jump down her throat about something.

“Raven? You busy?” asked Ron.

“A little. What’s going on? You okay?”

“Well, a letter came for you after you left. Thought I would give it to you.” He looked upset about something. Raven knew that it had a lot to do with his fight with Harry.

“Thanks, Ron,” she said, taking the letter. “Sit down. Talk to me for a moment.”

Ron sat down and stared at the table. “I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to try and get me to mend things with Harry.”

“No.” Ron looked at her with curiosity. “Actually, I haven’t spoken to you in a while and wanted to talk. Just talk. But if you want to talk about Harry, we can.”

“No, I don’t. It will all just come back on me,” he said, looking back down at the table. Raven didn’t want to pursue it any further. She knew that if Ron wanted to talk to her about his dilemma, he would. “Are you any closer to fixing your problem with Malfoy?”

“I wish.”

“George misses you terribly. Fortunately, Fred is there to take his mind off things. They have come up with some brilliant ideas for stuff. Although most of them are secret, they do fill me in on a few of them. You’d be proud.”

“Well hopefully one day I will be able to hear all of their ideas. Knowing them, they are brilliant. I just hope that I will get to see them take shape personally instead of passing by their first shop hand in hand with Draco.”

“Ew! Don’t think like that,” he said, making a face like someone set off a Dung Bomb under his nose. “Just picturing you with him makes me sick.”

“You aren’t the only one, trust me.”

“Well, I have to go,” he said, getting up from the table. “Have homework to do.”

Raven and Ron said their good nights and she couldn’t help but stare at him as he walked away. She wanted him and Harry to make up. It was miserable to watch the two bickering the way they were. She remembered the letter that he gave her and picked it up. It was addressed to her but couldn’t tell who it was from. She opened it and her mouth dropped. It was a letter from Lucius.

Dear Raven,

I am going to be in Hogsmeade the day of your first trip and
request that you join Draco and me at Hogs Head Inn for a chat. I do not
want to take up all of your time but I do request, also, that you not
decline. It would be most irresponsible of you to not accept my humble
invitation.

Lucius Malfoy

Words could not express how she was feeling at this moment. All she could do was roll her eyes and ask why she didn’t run away when she had the opportunity.

Instead of thinking about her dreaded Hogsmeade visit, she decided to drown herself in homework. Soon it was time for her to leave the library and head up to the common room. There were a few people awake and after they went to bed, she curled up on the couch with her History of Magic book and read. She had become master of the cat nap. Whenever she felt the urge to sleep, she would hold a small book off the edge of the couch or table. When she would hear the book drop, she would wake up. She would catch herself before she dreamed and would get in a wink or two so people would stop complaining. When the sun would start to come up, she would sneak upstairs and get ready for her day. Sometimes she would mess up her bed and when one of the other girls woke up, she would fix her bed like she slept in it so they wouldn’t ask her too many annoying questions.

Raven was blown away at how quickly the week went by. It was as though Lucius had control over the time. He had to have known that she was dreading this trip to Hogsmeade. She was even trying to upset Snape enough to make him give her detention so she wouldn’t have to go. Unsuccessful in her attempts, she had no choice but to go but not without a little flair.

She pulled out a pair of black pants and a white t-shirt of a muggle singer named John Lennon. She thought Lucius would appreciate it. Once she realized that it would be cold outside, she decided to put a long sleeve black shirt underneath the t-shirt. She wore her black boots and thought that her long, pirate-looking, black would compliment her outfit nicely. She needed some color though. She painted her fingernails blue and the few colored highlights in her hair were now matching the color of her nails. She went a little heavy on the make up to cover the dark circles and paleness of her face.

"Hey Hermione, how do I look?” she asked Hermione who was putting on her coat.

“Umm…you look like you?”

“I was going for a look that would tell a particular father that his son is not right for me. Do you think I'll succeed?”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll like the muggle on your shirt. But I’m not convinced he’ll back down.”

“Thanks!” Raven said putting on her coat and following Hermione to the common room.

After knowing Raven for the past year or so, Gryffindors knew that Raven was an odd dresser and decided a long time ago to not question her choice in fashion. Lately, some have actually like her clothes. Someone told her one day, “its better than the clothes my mom gets me.”

Raven made her way to the entrance hall and found Draco at the doors waiting on her. When he saw what she was wearing, he gave her a questionable look with one eyebrow raised and nose scrunched up. Confidently, she walked towards him and never got rid of her peculiar smile.

“Come, Draco. Let’s get this over with."

When they made it to Hogsmeade, it was quite busy with all of the Hogwarts students in town. The streets were so crowded she could barely walk through without hitting somebody. As they approached the Hogs Head Inn, she looked to see how far Draco was behind her. She desperately wanted to get this over with. Whatever Lucius had to say to her could not be good. Another thing she couldn’t understand is why he would want to meet her at Hogs Head Inn. That place was disgusting and smelly. It was so beneath him. She thought later that it was the perfect place for vermin like him to want to hang out.

Draco came up behind her and opened the door of the inn for her; she did not return a thank you when she barreled through looking for Lucius. She spotted him in a corner looking smug and confident as always. Walking toward him, she noticed that witches and wizards were looking at her quite strangely, nothing new to her. She liked being noticed, whether in a good or bad way. Lucius stood when he saw her and looked at her wardrobe with a disapproving glare.

“Miss Snape, how interesting you look, as always,” he said, pulling out a chair for her on his left side. “Wearing a shirt with a muggle on it wouldn’t be my first choice for you to wear, but I can’t fight your choice of attire. Choose your battles, is what I always say. Anyway, please have a seat.”

“Thanks,” she said, opting to sit on the other side of the table, just to tick Lucius off. For Raven, the annoyed look on his face at her first of many insults to come, was priceless. While she sat she gave him her confident, evil glare, and awaited the reasoning behind this date at her first outing of the year. She was appalled that this was how she was spending her trip but was willing to compromise if it didn’t take forever.

“You look tired and pale. Are you feeling alright?” he asked.

“Why am I here, Lucius? I have things I want to do before we go back.”

“You can stay with me for a while. We need to have a chat.”

“Well, get on with it!”

“There are a few things in which we need to discuss. Draco informed me that you do not want to switch houses. I would like to convince you otherwise.”

“Good luck trying. I am not switching houses, end of story. The sorting hat placed me in Gryffindor for a reason. I am not going to break that because you and your son want to keep better tabs on me.”

“See father, she has been this rude all year,” Draco said. “She won’t listen to me or take care of herself. She insists on fighting me on everything! I can‘t understand it.”

“Oh, don’t play stupid, Draco,” she said, clearly frustrated. “You know why! You remind me everyday. And of course I am not going to listen to you. You’re a moron.”

“Now, now,” said Lucius, interrupting the conversation before it got too carried away. “We do not need the callous words. Draco, she is clearly upset, we need to be understanding. Once and a while we need to remind her what her future will be. She will eventually give up her fight.”

“You are so full of -”

Lucius put his hand up quickly in front of her face. “That is not appropriate language for a beautiful girl such as yourself. Now, there is too much anger at this table. I will put an end to all of this now, once and for all.”

“You’re going to drop the contract and get this bloody ring off my finger?”

“I can’t do that, Miss Snape. Once again, you need to be reminded what your wonderful future will be.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Because anyway you look at it, my future will be filled with turmoil and grief if you succeed with this marriage plan of yours.”

“You forget, it was also your fathers. Do you want to go against your father’s wishes and absolve this contract?”

“Well, since my father wanted out, then yes, I do want to honor his wishes. I want out.”

“Why do you insist on disrespecting me?”

“Because you don’t have my respect, probably. I mean, there is nothing to respect when you are talking to a Death Eater.”

For a moment Raven thought that Lucius was going to explode. A wide-eyed and shocked Draco was leaning back in his chair trying to avoid being caught up in the attack.

“I am not a Death Eater!” he muttered under his breath. He realized now that people were starting to look over at their table. Angry and embarrassed, he straightened his black robes and messed with his long blonde hair. He took a deep breath and gave Raven an intense stare. “You might do well to have some discipline in your life. Since your father and now your uncle have decided not to teach you respect and let you say and have your way, you will need to be taught your place.”

“My place? My place?” Her eyes felt as though they were going to pop out and now the anger that she was trying to make Lucius feel was now burning hot inside of her. She erupted. “My place is in the arms of one person, George Weasley. My place is in Gryffindor. My place is away from here, away from you and completely away from your son! Now excuse me. The conversation has gone dry and the company is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I would wish you good bye but I think good riddance is more appropriate.”

Raven, for a moment, felt proud of herself. There was a surge of excitement and power in her. All the strength that she had lost was now pulsing through her body in the form of vibrant energy. Nothing could touch her. When she walked out the door, she breathed in a huge gulp of frigid air. It felt refreshingly good. Deciding she wanted to relieve her sugar craving, she was heading to Honeydukes Sweetshop when her ring finger started to tingle. Not going to let it bother her, she kept walking. The further she got from the inn, the more the pain increased. Her regained strength was now depleted and she had to stop to sit on a nearby bench. The chill outside was starting to go to the bone and she just wanted to leave, but was unsure how she was going to get back to Hogwarts. Her legs were tired and she felt as though she couldn’t walk another step today.

Hermione walked over to Raven and sat down. “I can tell by your exhausted posture that your meeting with Lucius went well.”

“Oh! We had a wonderful time!” Raven smiled. “We exchanged knitting patterns and hair straightening techniques. It was most delightful.”

Hermione laughed. “You really have a way with words. Sarcasm suits you. You’d be really boring without it.”

“Someone has to be real. I’m not saying they have to be smart but they have to be real.”

“I guess that’s true.” Hermione’s smile faded. “So? I take it Lucius isn’t bowing out.”

Raven looked down and rubbed her hand. “Did you know he had the audacity to ask me to switch houses? Again?” Raven stood up. Raven started to feel angry again but quickly cooled. “I’m getting out of this Hermione. I’m getting out and when I do, things are going to change. I’m not going to be the same person. I will be affected.”

“Will this change be good or bad?”

Raven took a few steps away. She turned around to face her friend. Her expression said nothing. The intensity of her eyes gave an unhappy reflection. Whether or not this was the answer to Hermione’s question, it only gave one response: Prepare for the worst.

Chapter 26

Woah! This chapter was intense, but I like it. It really was amazing! You are such an incredible writer and this story is so intriguing. I'm glad Raven stood up to Lucius and I'm hoping the worst won't be toooooo bad. I can't wait for more! I need to know what's going to happen! PLEASE PAMS!!! (:

GUH I love how you make me hate the Malfoy's even more then I already do. I love the conflict, and I love how she handles Lucius. It's fantastic! Great Chapter my love!


PAMS!

Suzy

amazing chapter,really loved it

Awesome!! Can't wait for more!!!! :=)

Oh my gosh! great chappy, dun dunn dunnn I hope she ends up fine! and Lucius deserves a good slap in the face, *offeres hand* can't wait for more, PAMS!
from -Lolz-

*catches up* Okay, I really want to smite Lucius. *shrugs* But sadly, that's not possible, so I'll just hope that Raven prevails.

PAMS

hello!!! new reader! I totaly love your story, is amazing!!
I soooooo hate Lucius, but what I don´t understand is why Draco´s hearting Raven if he really like´s her. Poor Raven, she has to live all this crap and be unhappy... maybe she could became closer to Harry because he is living similar stuff, I don´t know...
I just hope that Raven get´s better and stronger to fight the Malfoys.. GO RAVEN, GO!
PAMS!!

**Disclaimer** I just need to throw in that there are certain aspects of the movies that I like that are not necessarily in the book. Just needed to let you know. Thanks!

Chapter 26

The first challenge in the Triwizard Tournament was here. She spoke to a nervous Harry the day before and he told her that the first task was dragons. He wasn’t certain what he was going to do with them, but going up against a dragon is nothing to take lightly. Raven became nervous for him. She tried to reassure him that he would do great, but it wasn’t that convincing considering she wasn’t that convinced herself. Hermione helped him the night before with Summoning Spells. Raven wasn’t sure what that was all about, but was sure that they knew something that she didn’t.

Draco had asked Raven to sit with him at the first task and had no choice but to say yes. On their way to the task, he pressed her on her health and asked about her sleep and eating habits. She tried to assure him that she was fine but he kept asking her stupid questions anyway.

“Why do you care so much?” Raven asked.

“I care about you. I need you alive, dear. I can’t marry you if you’re dead.”

“True. But wouldn‘t it work out so much better?”

“Watch what you say. You’re crossing a dangerous line when you talk like that.”

As they arrived, she noticed George and Fred taking bets on the competition. Wanting to upset Draco more, she called out Fred’s name.

“Hey Rave! Are you going to bet?” asked Fred.

“I’ll give three Galleons on Harry. And if I win, you and George can keep my winnings.”

“We can’t do that. That’s a lot of money.”

“Okay five Galleons. Call it a donation to a very good cause." Fred still wasn’t taking her money. She grabbed his piece of chalk and wrote on his board how much she bet and then dropped the money in the box. “I’m not taking no for an answer. Now go! Take those bets.”

Fred finally agreed and walked over to George and told him what Raven just did. She could tell that he disagreed but Raven kindly looked at him and mouthed the words “take it,” and he left it alone.

“Why did you do that? You are only wasting your money,” Draco snapped as she sat down next to him. “Potter’s going to lose and you’ll be broke."

“If you are so confident, place a bet. Go tell Fred that you'll match my bet and put it on Krum."

“I’ll match your bet and raise it," Draco said, pulling out twenty Galleons. “WEASLEY!” he shouted at Fred. “Here's seven Galleons on Krum. My bet is that he takes it all!”

Without hesitation, Fred took Draco's money and logged it into his case. Raven got the sense from Draco that he only made a bet to spite her. He never would have had a second thought about betting if Raven had not made a bet initially.

Draco and Raven waited for the task to begin. Soon Cedric came out with a nervous confidence about him as he was about to face a Swedish Short-Snout. He transfigured a rock into a dog with the hopes that the dragon would go for it while he made his move to get the Golden Egg. He was successful, but was burned pretty badly.

Fleur Delacour came out into the arena and no one was really sure what she tried to do against the Welsh Green that she faced. She succeeded in putting the dragon to sleep but her skirt caught fire after the dragon snorted. She put the fire out and caught the egg, but it wasn’t very impressive.

“I could have done better,” said Draco. “All she has is looks and no skill.”

“That’s not nice. She got the egg didn’t she? That’s good.”

Krum came out and everyone in the crowd went crazy. Hogwarts was visited by a celebrity and people could not wait to see him up against a Chinese Fireball. He cast a spell that hit the dragon in the eye. While the dragon fell, it squashed the some of the real eggs which made him lose points. Other than that it was still pretty effective and he got the Golden Egg. After his scores were posted, Krum went ahead of Cedric in points, which disappointed Raven and made Draco start to gloat.

"Potter doesn't stand a chance now. There's no way he can beat Krum!"

“It’s not over yet.” Raven rolled her eyes. It was her hope that the tournament trophy would stay at Hogwarts. And although she had respect for Cedric, and wanted him to do well in the tournament, Raven desperately wanted to see Harry win the cup.

“Nervous, Malfoy?" asked Fred from behind Raven and Draco.

Raven turned and beamed at Fred. When Draco noticed, he turned her around and gave Fred a nasty look.

Draco took a deep breath and awaited the last champion to show himself. “I give Potter five minutes, ten at the most. His body might last a bit longer than his nerves!"

“Shut up, Draco! You haven't won yet. So quit acting like you have!"

Draco didn’t say anything but Raven could tell he wanted to. Soon Harry came out and faced a Hungarian Horntail, quite possibly the meanest and most vicious of all dragons.

“Oh yeah! He’s dead.”

“Draco! Shut up!” Raven never took her eyes off of Harry and the dragon. She then remembered the Summoning Charms that he was practicing the night before. What exactly was he going to do?

No sooner did Raven complete this thought when she heard him shout “Accio Firebolt!” She figured it out. He summoned his broom and he was going to fly. He was quite a good flier and she knew now that he was going to have the advantage over the Horntail.

After quite a bit of impressive flying, he finally grabbed the egg and made it over to safety. He did get burned on the shoulder but other than that he did absolutely brilliant. Raven couldn’t help but join in the crowd's cheers and applause, much to Draco’s disapproval.

“That was exciting, don’t you think?” she asked Malfoy, still applauding. Draco on the other hand wasn’t standing or cheering. He was pouting with his arms folded; making a face that resembled a child getting his favorite toy taken away.

"Malfoy! Anytime you want to do business again, let us know!" shouted Fred. Raven laughed under her breath, while Malfoy was livid.

Harry went off to get his wound looked at by Madame Pomfrey and then came out to hear his score. He was tied with Krum, even though one of his scores, from Karkaroff, was completely unfair.

“You didn’t win,” said Draco as though he had won finally.

“I didn’t lose either. But you lost huge. That’s funny!”

Once again Draco was not amused. He grabbed her arm and they both left the arena. Raven turned to the twins and smiled at them. Draco noticed and jerked her closer to him.

“What is your problem, Draco?” she asked, pulling away from him.

“I will not tolerate this kind of behavior from you. You will learn to respect me."

“I have more respect for the dust bunnies under my bed. What makes you think that you will ever get my respect if you keep abusing me this way with this spell thing you’ve got me under? What makes you think that I am even going to try?”

Draco paused for a moment. His face was blood red and his eyes looked as though they were about to burst. “I have my ways of making you respect me. I am not afraid to show them to you.”

“I know you're not. And just to let you know, I’m not afraid either. Do your worst!”

“So far you have only got a taste of what this spell can do to you." His demeanor then changed. He no longer looked angry. On the contrary, he looked somewhat satisfied with something. “Just wait. Cross the line again and I will show you what it means to be afraid.”

“I can’t wait.” Raven beamed with confidence. Her confidence, though, was bogus. She was afraid that Draco could hurt her worse than what she already was. Raven knew in her heart that Draco was capable of more than what he has been giving her. Her question was how much more her body could take before she finally gives up.

The next week was horrible for Raven. Draco was lurking around every corner, making sure that she was “behaving.” Raven desperately wanted to find a way to get rid of him, but there was some strange part of her that didn’t mind him spying on her. No matter how hard she tried to shake that feeling, it only became worse.

The good news for Raven was that Harry and Ron made up immediately after the first task. Things on the other end of her life were back to normal. She could talk to Harry, Ron and Hermione together without any bickering or back-stabbing. Though she couldn’t talk to them in the Great Hall, she could speak to them in the common room, but while she did she found herself either getting weaker or uninterested in what they were saying; likely effects of the spell she was under.

One Thursday morning, Professor McGonagall announced to her class that the school was going to have a dance. The Yule Ball was to be held the day before Christmas in the Great Hall. Raven’s stomach sank so deep she didn’t know if she would ever find it again. She glanced over at Draco who was turned around talking to Pansy Parkinson, the girl that Draco had been seen many times with before this whole ordeal started. After class Raven didn’t even put her books in her bag. She ran out of the class fast as to avoid Draco asking her to go with him. She was walking so fast she nearly ran into Snape as she rounded a corner.

“In a hurry?” he asked.

“Don’t have time to talk right now.” She looked over her shoulder nervously. “I have to run before-"

“Raven!" Draco ran up behind her. Raven shot a look at Snape that clearly explained why she was in a hurry. “You left class so fast. I didn’t have a chance to talk to you about the Yule Ball.”

“Whatever you have to say to me you can say it with Snape here.”

“Actually, I’m in a hurry myself,” Snape said. “Both of you be nice to each other. “ Raven’s jaw dropped and she stared at her uncle, wide eyed, as he walked away. She couldn’t believe he left her alone with him.

"Thank you, Professor! Really appreciate it, Professor!" Raven snapped sarcastically.

“I am not going to ask you to the ball,” Draco said.

“What?”

“Pansy has been pretty mad at me lately and I thought I would make it up to her by taking her to the ball.” Raven now looked at him confused.

Raven has noticed Pansy acting more coldly to others lately. She wasn't attractive by any means, but the Slytherin boys seemed to be attracted to her. Raven always thought it was because she was always seen with Draco and he was the most well-liked boy in Slytherin. Pansy was never nice to anyone with the exception of Draco and her little group of Slytherin girls, but when she received word of the marriage arrangement with Raven and Draco, she was especially hateful to Raven.

One day when Raven was walking down the hall and Pansy made some horrible remarks about Raven to her friends. Trying to ignore her didn't seem to work that day because Raven marched up to her and told her, "If you want Draco back so bad, then take him. I certainly don't want him. It's not like I want to be with him."

"Then go away." Pansy's tone sounded disgusted but at the same time, she seemed a little afraid of Raven.

"If you can show me the door, I'll be happy to. In the meantime, keep your comments to yourself!"

Raven didn’t know what to say to Draco about his unexpected news. “I’ll get over it. But there has to be a catch. There is always a catch.”

“You are not allowed to go with Weasley. No questions about it.”

“I didn’t want to go with Ron.”

“I do not want you going with George Weasley! However, I would like a dance.”

“I don’t dance. Why should I let you go with your ex to the ball, when I am not allowed to go with mine? Everyone knows that you still like Pansy!" Raven noticed that Draco's eyes widened and his face went pale. "Is not letting me go with George that whole double standard thing that you are so famous for? Or is this just another way to make my life miserable?”

“Because you have to do whatever I want, remember?" Draco remained tight-lipped about his feelings for Pansy, not wanting to make himself look like a hypocrite. Though Raven could tell that he was trying very hard to stay quiet.

“You don’t allow me to forget, remember? And one of these days, you are really going to have to let that go.”

“Don’t be upset, dear. This is just a minor setback. You will learn to forgive me for this, right?”

“Oh, I think I will survive.”

Raven was infuriated the rest of the day and the rest of the week. She was angry for so many things. There is no doubt that the seed of her anger is in the contract with the Malfoys and the ring. But to add to the growth of her anger was the fact that she couldn't go with George to the ball. Raven felt if she couldn't go with George, then how he was going to let her go with anyone. It's almost as if he likes to see her in solitude.

There was nothing that anyone could say or do to make her feel better. Friends would ask her what was going on and she would begin to explain the situation with Draco and the Yule Ball. She would then begin to say horrible things about him and start to become fatigued. All Raven wanted to do was to find a retreat. A place she could go where she can’t be bothered, and where her mind could have a moment of rest.

Raven grabbed her jacket and ran out of Hogwarts as fast as she could. She needed to find her spot by the lake where she seemed to always find peace. When she arrived, she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if to let out all of the tension, stress and fears that have been welling up inside for the past few months. She closed her eyes and pictured herself alone in the world and free of all the pain and sorrow. She quickly opened her eyes to notice that long, comforting arms were wrapping around her from behind and a warm cheek was gently pressed up against hers. A gentle smile came to her face.

“George, what are you doing here? If Draco sees us, he’ll flip.”

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes. For now, let’s just enjoy this moment.” He gently kissed her cheek and sat next to her. “I heard he’s not taking you to the ball and won’t let me take you. So we are going anyway, right?”

“Do you know how much I would love to? You know Draco would kill me."

"He'll be angry, but there is nothing he can do to you there."

“Let’s run away. We’ll send word to Fred so you two can still work on your shop plans. I’m sure your mother would understand. We’ll stay away until Draco and Lucius know that their plan isn’t going to work.”

“You know that's not possible. We can’t just run away from this. We have to fight. You know that. If we run they will only find us and make it worse for you.”

“I know.” Raven closed her eyes and hoped she would wake from this horrible dream. “I just don’t have the strength to fight anymore. My natural abilities are failing. I hear everyone’s thoughts at my weakest moments. I can’t control anything. I have to use a wand for basic spells, something I have really never had to do before. I don’t know how much fight I have left in me.”

“You are a fighter and you will get through this. You are the strongest, most confident person I have ever known. If anyone can get through what Draco and Lucius are doing, it’s you.”

Raven gave him a self-doubting smile. She knew that he was only trying to make her feel better, but also knew that her strength and her self confidence were fading. There was a moment when she gazed deep into George’s eyes and saw how much he still loved her, which made her smile because her Legilimency was working for the first time in weeks. She saw that he still had so much confidence in her to pull through this plight.

“George, I love you so much.” Raven put her head on his shoulder. “What would I do without you?”

George put his finger under her chin and raised her head to face him. He placed both hands on the sides of her face. “That should never be a thought that crosses your mind. It has never crossed mine because I know us. We will get through this. I promise.”

After a small moment, they locked in a gentle kiss. It was a moment that lasted forever. Raven began to feel like herself and she was going to enjoy this moment if it was the last thing she did. Soon her body couldn’t take the stress. Her finger was in piercing pain and her head felt as though it weighed a ton. Her eyes were in and out of focus and George pointed out to her that she had become pale. She turned towards the castle and noticed near the entrance were three figures standing there watching them. It was Draco with his two followers, Crabbe and Goyle.

“He’s found us.” Raven stood quickly at the sight of Draco.

“Raven. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She turned back at Draco and then looked back at George. In her biggest defiance towards Draco she kissed George on the cheek. "We are going to the ball together. He’ll have to kill me to stop me.”

“Can you make it up to the castle? Do you need help?”

“No.” She saw that Draco was now heading towards them. “You go, I’ll deal with Draco.”

“Are you sure?”

Raven nodded and George went on his way. She turned back towards the lake to prepare for what Draco had coming to her. Raven then turned back to George when she noticed that Draco was pulling out his wand. With all of the strength that she had left in her body, she threw out her hand and shouted, “Expelliarmus!” Draco’s wand shot out of his hand. George turned back for a moment and Raven gave George a look that said 'go.' He acknowledged her and hesitantly walked away. Draco picked up his wand and marched towards Raven.

The pain in her hand was worse, to the point where she couldn’t stand. She swore she saw two of everything. Her head was pounding and her body was numb. Raven suddenly fell to the ground.

“What did I tell you?” Draco asked, pointing his wand in her face.

“Get your wand…out of my face.”

“Right.” He touched his wand to Raven's ring. “That pain is much worse, isn’t it?”

Raven let out a small whimper. It felt as though he was taking a hack saw to her finger. “Go away, Draco.” Raven realized that with every word she was trying to mutter, she was only upsetting Draco more. Although George had all the confidence in the world in her, at this point she wanted nothing more but to give up and die.

“Don’t talk to me like that. Believe it or not, I do care about you. I don’t like to see you in pain.”

“Considering the last minute and a half, I have a hard time believing that.”

He tried to help her up. “Your strength amazes me. I just wish you would look at me the way you look at Weasley. He could never make you as happy as I could.”

“I beg to differ.” Although she was extremely angry with him, she didn’t hate him. As a matter of fact, this strange feeling came over her that made her feel like she had feelings for him. She shook her head a few times to regain her composure. “I have to go.”

“Don’t go yet. We were having fun.”

“If you say so. I have a class to go to.”

“Don’t lie! I know you’re free the rest of the day.”

“Glad you know my schedule better than I do. Don't you get it? I was making an excuse to get away!”

Raven then heard him shout something and soon her body was completely frozen. He must have conjured a body binding curse on her. He walked up in front of her and then reversed the spell. She was now free to move and wanted so bad to hit him, but realized that her body was tired and limp. All she wanted to do was lie down.

“Raven, Raven, Raven. When will you learn? I am not to be trifled with. You belong to me. You may want to learn to accept it now, before things get worse for you.”

“I belong to no man.”

“YOU BELONG TO ME!” He said, violently grabbing her arms. Fear rushed through Raven’s body. At that moment, she had never in her life been so scared. Draco grabbed her hand and kissed the ring. “Don't forget that!”

Draco left her by the lake. Raven sat down in the snow and faced the lake. She didn’t care that it was cold, or that it began to flurry. Nothing was going through her mind. It was a blank, deep space.

“RAVEN! SNAP OUT OF IT!” said Hermione, shaking her. “Ronald, help me get her up.”

“Where am I?” When Raven came to she realized that it was dark outside. It was mid afternoon when she came outside. How did it get dark all of a sudden? “What time is it?”

“It’s nearly eight o’clock. Apparently you have been out here all day,” Harry said.

“We need to get you inside and warmed up,” Ron said picking her up and putting his arm around her to keep her stable. “It’s bloody cold out here.”

“You are going to get sick,” Hermione said. “You should probably go to see Madam Pomfrey.”

“No, I’m fine,” Raven said, confused and tired. “I just want to get warmed up, if that’s okay with you guys.”

Much to Hermione's disapproval, the trio walked with Raven to the common room and sat her down by the fire. They got her some hot cocoa and a small plate of dinner that Raven barely ate. All she could do was just stare at the fire and wonder what happened at the lake and how time seemed to shift so quickly. Fatigue had set in and she desperately wanted to sleep but knew after today’s events, her dream would haunt her. For the rest of the night, she gazed thoughtfully at the fire, hoping some kind of answer would come from the flames.

Chapter 27

love the chapter

I love Raven. And Draco so deserves that.

*huggles George*

Awesome chapter! *waits for the next one*

Awesome chapter! I absolutely loved it! THe bet was too funny. Gah! I absolutely can not stand Draco. I hope they find out some answers pretty quickly... PLEASE PAMS!!!! (: I have to know what happens next...