*Big jump in time here. Raven is going into her third year at Hogwarts, Harry and Draco in their fourth. This is the Triwizard Tournament year. Raven has become a favorite of sorts with the Dark Lord, and guess who isn't happy about it. And BIG thanks to my beta reader Noel Ardnek*
"I've had enough of this!" Raven's father, Lucius Malfoy, screamed with absolute fury in his voice. Raven didn't even bother to open her eyes anymore. For the past two summers, Lucius had been throwing the same fit almost every night. It went something along the lines of, "I've had enough." "Not even the first born." "Never gave Draco a chance." "Thinks she's so special." "I should put her back in her place!" Every night Raven could tell you almost to the second of what was going to happen next. "Hush! You will wake them up, then where will we be! Honestly!" Cried Narcissa, in a quieter voice. "She's just a girl! It's not like she asked to be a favorite, just like Draco didn't ask to be rejected! It's only because you are so close to the dark lord that Draco gets another chance to prove himself!" She told him. Raven was quietly giving thanks that Draco couldn't hear their mother. He would have been heartbroken to know that his father was doing such things.
Then, as if he had been given a cue, Draco entered her room and sat on the edge of her bed. "At it again, huh?" He asked.
"Yah." She responded nonchalantly, as though she was merely commenting on the weather.
"He's louder this time." His voice was laced with concern.
"Is he? Hadn't noticed." she tried to keep the tears from showing, but the moon was full tonight and it was streaming in through her window, hitting her face.
Saying nothing he reached out and pulled her in against her chest. "I wish I could do something about this, I really do."
But Raven knew there was nothing, so she told him "it's ok. We go back to Hogwarts tomorrow. At least that will get me away from him, for a while."
He looked at her, his grey eyes flooded with worry for his little sister.
More than anything, Raven was mad at herself. She hated that she cared. She didn't want to care so much about what her father thought, but the fact of the matter was she did.
"They stopped." Draco commented.
Raven sat there and listened, tears still streaming quietly down her face. They had stopped yelling and Raven could hear the squeak and small clink of her parents door shutting. She nodded to her brother who silently let her go and went to her bedroom door. "Try and get some sleep. We'll be gone tomorrow." He told her with a small smile on his face.
But Raven didn't sleep, she couldn't. So she paced. Paced and thought. She did this throughout the night. She checked and re-checked to make sure she had everything, and then went back to pacing. She practiced some spells, and then paced again. She liked to pace. It kept her body just as busy as he mind. Around six thirty that morning she heard the alarm in her parents' room, and the creaking of their bed. Raven pulled her shoes on and grabbed her trunk, bringing it down to the living room. She sat on the couch and waited. It seemed to take forever for the rest of the family to get ready. Draco was the first to join her.
"I thought I told you to sleep." He said, noticing the bags under her eyes.
"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." She told him reassuringly.
"Let's go! Hurry up!" Shouted Narcissa, while she came running down the stairs. Raven grabbed some floo powder and stepped gracefully into the green flames. "I bet they match my eyes." She thought as she calmly said "Kings Cross Station." And got sucked up into the chimney her brother and parents close behind.
