((Had a few pre-written parts so I just had to edit them. This chapter only features one month due to having many events happen, one other reason will be seen next chapter, which was pre-written halfway.))
((Anyway, enjoy the chapter.))
- -Chapter 8: Worry and Stress - -
- -Raven's POV- -Saturday, March 1, 1997- -
Not much has happened since the incident with Pansy's attempt at seducing Draco. She still glared at me and said nasty things to me, but I shrugged them off. We were all at the Great Hall for breakfast and I was waiting for the post to come, which soon did.
My owl swooped down and dropped a letter from the manor, my family and I have doing some major planning on protecting Draco and Narcissa and some things were taken care of. So far, the Malfoy house elf, Dippy, was brought to Mancer Manor, the poor thing was abused badly so upon Draco's request, we freed Dippy to prevent anymore harm done to it and it now works with the house elves of Hogwarts.
Our house elf, Pinky, managed to get all of Draco's stuff from Malfoy Manor without getting caught as Draco refuses to step foot there.
I read my letter and smiled, planning to write back when I got the chance today. Draco received a letter from a strange looking owl. Draco seemed to recognize the owl though and opened the envelope. His eyes scanned the letter and they widened.
"Draco, what wrong?" I asked, worried.
He sighed shakily and handed me the letter. "It's from my aunt Bellatrix. She somehow managed to send a letter without it being intercepted."
I took the letter and read it, I felt my stomach turn. Bellatrix is expecting Draco to come to Malfoy Manor during the Easter Holidays to be tested and if he doesn't show up, she'll punish him at any chance she gets. The test is most likely a code for getting the Dark Mark.
This scared me a lot. Yeah, Draco can't get the Dark Mark with the spell on him, but if he were to go there and the Dark Lord tries to put the Dark Mark on him, not only will it fail, but Draco could get killed. I had to notify my family immediately and handed Draco the letter back. "Don't lose this, hold onto it." I said, my hands shaking from nerves.
I quickly ate the rest of my food and left the Great Hall. I moved as fast as I could to the dungeons, my family had to hear about this new info. This was a lot to take in. I said the password to the wall and entered the Common Room, pulling out my wand and accioed my quill and writing supplies.
After sitting down, I immediately began writing the info just as Draco sat by me. "Draco, what's Bellatrix's last name?" I asked.
"It's Lestrange." he answered, watching me write.
Dear Mother and Father,
Draco has received a letter from his aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange, that he is expected to go to Malfoy Manor during the Easter Holidays to be tested and that if he doesn't show up, she'll find him and punish him severely. I believe this test is a way of her saying that he'll be getting the Dark Mark.
I am very worried about this. Should Draco and I stay at Hogwarts for the Easter Holidays instead of coming to our manor like we had planned? What should we do about this new info? Is it even safe to leave Hogwarts now by train if she tries to get to Draco when he doesn't go to Malfoy Manor?
Please respond as soon as possible.
Your daughter, Raven Mancer
I placed the letter in an envelope and whistled for Smokey. The owl flew to me and I gave him the letter. "Please get this to my parents as quickly as possible." I urged and Smokey took off. I sighed and rubbed my temples as a headache started from stress.
Draco rubbed my back in small circles. Both of us were scared. While the chances of Bellatrix managing to get into Hogwarts is nearly impossible, she could still find a way to get to Draco.
I looked at Draco. "What are you gonna do Draco?" I asked worryingly.
"Well I am not going to Malfoy Manor regardless of what the consequences will be. I can't face her or anyone else associated with the Dark Lord. I am only hoping that we can get back to your manor safely." he said, pulling me to his side protectively.
I rested my head on his chest, his heartbeat calming me. As we waited for my family's response, we either talked or just enjoyed each other's company. Draco pulled me onto his lap and kissed my head gently. My cheeks tinted a light pink and we leaned in to kiss when my owl swooped in and landed on the table. Draco narrowed his eyes at the interruption, but I just giggled and did a quick peck to his lips and looked at Smokey.
The owl had an envelope in his beak, it had the Manor Crest on it. I took it and Smokey moved to a spot to sit. Draco looked at the envelope with a curious expression. I swallowed back the lump in my throat and opened it, pulling out the letter.
Dear Raven,
This is your father writing. Thank you for telling me this.
I highly suggest that you and Draco do not come here for the Easter Holidays. I will talk to the rest of our family about this info and we will make plans for your safety. It is concerning that Bellatrix is able to owl Draco and I suggest that you keep me updated if she threatens Draco or the school.
As for train travel, I will have your brothers Leo and Crow go on the Hogwarts train and stay with you and Draco for safety measures when you and Draco come back for Summer Break.
Stay safe Raven and Draco.
Sincerely, Louis Mancer
I looked at Draco, putting the letter down. "Ok, so my father answered and suggested that we will be staying here for the Easter Holidays. As for going back to my manor for Summer Break, my brothers will join us on the train for safety measures. He also wants me to update him if your aunt threatens you or the school." I explained.
Draco sighed softly and leaned back. "Ok, well that's one thing taken care of, but if she threatens the school, shouldn't we tell Dumbledore?" he asked.
I nodded. "If she does, we will." I grabbed some more parchment and wrote back to my father stating that Draco and I would take caution and be more alert the day that Draco is supposed to go to Malfoy Manor.
I sent the letter after finishing it and looked at Draco. "Now, where were we?" I whispered, smiling. He grinned and leaned down, his hand on my chin. "Right here." he purred and kissed me passionately. Our lips moved in sync and my eyes fluttered shut. I wrapped an arm around Draco's neck and leaned into the kiss.
We soon broke for air and locked eyes, silver meeting emerald green, our foreheads resting together.
The day went by smoothly, we ate lunch later on, I sent letters to my mother, who was notified and asked worryingly if I was alright. Dinner soon came and we enjoyed a nice meal. Opal stopped by and decided to have a bit of fun by sneaking up behind me and grabbing me shoulders while shouting "Rah!", it not only me jump out of my skin, but I let out a shriek in the process.
I got her back by splashing her face with pumpkin juice, which caused a lot of laughter. All in all, this day was nice for once without the drama of others bothering us, even if the morning was rather stressful.
- -Saturday, March 8, 1997- -
I was eagerly following Draco to the Quidditch stands. It was the Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor match. Lilia was hoping that Hufflepuff would win. I honestly didn't care who won as I just enjoyed watching the matches in general.
I saw Opal up in the Ravenclaw stands and waved to her when she waved to me. Her younger sister, Pearl, was in Gryffindor and I just knew that Pearl would be rooting for Gryffindor. Pearl had a similar appearance to Opal, her hair though was platinum blonde with silver streaks, her skin and eyes were the same, light skin and icy blue eyes. She had a more fierce look in her eyes. Pearl didn't talk to me much due to the house rivalry, but she was neutral towards me.
Draco and I both got onto the Slytherin stands and we watched the match start, Ravenclaw girl, Luna Lovegood, was commentating this time. I smiled and watched as the two teams flew about. As the game went on, Harry argued with the Gryffindor Keeper, whose name I did not know.
Time went on, and both teams scored points. Luna then pointed out the Gryffindor Keeper grabbing one of the Beater's bats, which prompted Harry to yell at him and the Keeper hit a Bludger. All color drained from my face when the Bludger hit Harry in the head and fell off his broom. Screams echoed around me and felt frozen, the sight of Harry's skull being cracked open disturbing me.
I suddenly felt a warm pair of arms wrap around me and the gentle voice of Draco whispering to me that everything would be alright. I leaned into him, my back against his chest and stomach. Looking over at the Hufflepuff stands where Lilia was, I couldn't see her, but I had a feeling that she was freaking out.
Later that day during dinner, we found out from Lilia that Harry would be alright, but he would be in the hospital wing for a couple of days to rest. She was worried about him and I didn't blame her. If that had happened to Draco, I'd be worried as well. Then again, I was worried about Harry too.
Lilia went back to the Hufflepuff table after talking to me. She left for the hospital wing after dinner to visit Harry. Draco and I went back the Common Room and went to the boy's dorms where we both studied together and eventually went to bed.
- -Draco's POV- -Tuesday, March 11, 1997- -
It was time. This was the day I would apologize to Granger, Weasley and Potter. I had sent an anonymous note to them asking to meet me in the Room of Requirement after classes were over for the day and I was now waiting for them to arrive, that was if they did. My palms were sweaty from being so nervous about doing this. I had treated them all like dirt since first year. Would they even believe me?
I jumped when the door opened and Potter walked in, with Granger and Weasley following behind him. "What the hell is Malfoy doing here?!" hissed Weasley.
Potter looked at me with a questioning expression and asked. "Are you the one who sent the note?"
"Yes." I replied. "I needed to speak to all of you."
Potter folded his arms. "And what would that be, Malfoy?"
I swallowed back the lump in my throat and took a deep breath to calm myself down. "I want to apologize for my actions since our first year. "
They all looked at me like I had grown a second head. Weasley then spoke up, looking annoyed. "And why would we believe that crap?"
"Ron, let him explain." said Granger.
"Thank you. Anyway, what I did back then was cruel and horrible. I was under the influence of my father at the time, being a kid and easily believing what he said, and it wasn't until my third year that I realized my mistakes and just how awful I was to all of you, but I didn't have the courage to change."
I glanced at Hermione. "I am sorry for how I treated you because you are a muggle-born and for calling you a mudblood. What I did is inexcusable and I understand if you do not forgive me."
I looked at Weasley. "I am sorry for taunting you because of how poor you and your family are and for associating with muggles. You have every right to hate me for it."
Finally, I looked at Harry. "I am sorry for what I've said to you. I am sorry for going as low as to make fun of your family. I-I was envious of the friendship you had with Hermione and Weasley as all I ever had was Crabbe and Goyle."
After getting that off my chest, I waited for their responses. Hermione spoke first. "Thank you for apologizing, but it'll take some time before I can accept your apology."
Harry then spoke. "I agree with Hermione, I need some time before accepting your apology."
Weasley shook his head and looked away, his voice was low when he spoke last. "I don't think I can accept your apology, Malfoy. How do we know that you are being honest and not doing this to aid your slimy Slytherin friends?"
I narrowed my eyes in anger, but took a deep breath. "First off, one of those 'slimy Slytherins' is my girlfriend and hardly any of the other Slytherins are my friends. I am being honest and even if that sounds absurd, just give me a chance to prove myself."
Weasley huffed, but and Hermione and Harry seemed to believe me. I let out a heavy sigh and sat down. Working up the courage to apologize to them drained me. We agreed to remain neutral and went our separate ways. I left the Room of Requirement and went to the Slytherin Common Room.
Once I gave the password and entered, I looked for Raven and saw her on the leather sofa and walked over to her. She was studying Defense Against the Dark Arts, the soft part of her quill in her mouth as she studied. I sat down next to her and rubbed my face with my hands tiredly, groaning.
Raven put her quill down and closed her book and looked at me. "Hey Draco, how did the apology go?" she asked.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. "It went well, although Weasley is skeptical of me. Hermione and Harry are not accepting my apology yet, but they are thinking about it."
She smiled and put her hand on my shoulder. "You did good Draco. I'm proud of you."
A small smile formed on my lips and I pulled her into my arms. Our heads rested together and we both relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the day.
- -Raven's POV- -Thursday, March 20, 1997- -
Draco and I were in the Great Hall for breakfast. We were having a nice conversation when I took a drink of my pumpkin juice, only to cough and spit it out at the foul taste. "Eugh, I think my pumpkin juice ha-" I stopped and dropped the goblet. I suddenly felt dazed as the realization that I have been drugged hit me hard.
"Raven?!" Draco called in worry, his grabbed my goblet of pumpkin juice and sniffed the contents. His eyes widened and shot a glance at Professor Snape and mouthed "Veritaserum!"
Professor Snape got up quickly and stormed towards us. Pansy, who had been grinning the whole time and looked at me. "Hey Raven, what's with that black ring in Draco's right ear?" she asked casually like nothing was wrong.
Draco immediately slapped his hand over my mouth, effectively muffling my answer. "Pansy, enough of this!" he spat. Pansy raised a black eyebrow and grinned more as everyone began staring at us quietly. "Raven, tell me why Draco has that black ring in his ear." she demanded.
Draco kept his hand over my mouth, but Crabbe forced his hand away. Tears began to well up in my eyes as the truth spilled out of me. "T-the Protection Spell." I said shakily. Pansy smiled evilly. "So that would make you a Scarlett?" she asked. I lowered my head and said, "Yes.."
The entire Great Hall was silent. Tears spilled down my face and I got up from the table and ran out crying, not wanting to see what happens.
- -Draco's POV- -
Pansy has gone too far with this obsession. How the fuck did she get Veritaserum? My blood boiled as Pansy's horrid laughter filled the room. "Oh boo hoo! Poor little Raven can't handle the truth being out!" she chanted, clearly pleased with herself.
I jumped back when Lilia, appearing out of nowhere, slapped Pansy hard, the slap echoing. "You. Insolent. BITCH! How dare you be so cruel towards a girl as sweet as Raven!" she boomed, the glare on her face scary as hell.
Midna came up, a similar glare on her face. "She may be a Scarlett, but she's our friend, something like that doesn't change our views on her! You are a disgrace to this house Parkinson! Slytherins look out for each other, not turn on each other's backs!" she spat.
Opal and Pearl came up, both red in the face. "You have messed with the wrong witch Parkinson! Raven and I may not be friends, but never mess with her, or else you'll face the wrath of her friends!" snarled Pearl.
I stood up and stormed to Pansy. "And you will face the wrath of her boyfriend!" I snarled.
Opal grabbed Pansy by her arm roughly. "You will regret ever doing something like this Parkinson! You watch what you do from now on!" she warned darkly.
Pansy snarled and yanked her arm our of Opal's grasp. "She deserves to be miserable! That bitch is the daughter of a murderous family and she took away my potential husband!" she shrieked angrily. I opened my mouth to yell at her, but the words became stuck in my throat when Lilia punched Pansy in the nose with a satisfying crunch.
Midna looked at me with a stern expression. "Go find Raven immediately. She needs you Draco, we'll meet you in the Room of Requirement in an hour to make sure that she's given comfort."
I nodded and left the Great Hall. This was going to be a problem for the both of us. Raven was already under enough pressure on keeping me and my mother safe. Now this happens. I sigh and run a hand through my hair as I search the halls. It doesn't take me very long before I hear sobbing and before I know it, I find Raven slumped against a wall with her head buried in her knees.
My heart broke at the sight and I quickly walked to her and fell to my knees. "Raven..?" I said softly. She looked up, her bottom lip quivering as tears continued to fall down her face. I pulled her into my arms and she instantly buried her face into my chest, sobbing loudly.
I rubbed her back and closed my eyes, sitting against the wall and spreading my legs out to let her sit between them. All that mattered now was comforting Raven. I whispered softly to her in a vain attempt to calm her down, but it did little to lessen her sobs.
She cried for almost an hour, but her sobs quieted down to small hiccups. When she looked up at me, I felt a jolt of pain go through my heart. Her eyes were a dull grey-green and her eyelids were puffy and red from crying. I've never seen her look so miserable. I gently wiped away the stray tears that fell and pulled out a handkerchief and gently dried her face.
I placed a small kiss to her forehead and helped her stand up. "Raven, come with me, we're going to the Room of Requirement. Your friends want to see you."
Raven shook her head, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "N-no t-they don't. They know t-the truth about my f-family. I-I don't have any friends now." she sobbed, her face wet with tears again.
I shook my head. "That's not true Raven. They still trust you and still consider you their friend regardless of your family past. Please get up." I urged gently, now standing. She sniffled and got up, grabbing my hand.
I took her to the Room of Requirement and paced by it three times, asking for a comfortable place for multiple people. A door appeared and Raven and I went inside. There was six armchairs in the house colors (three Slytherin, one Gryffindor, one Ravenclaw and one Hufflepuff) and a large fireplace.
Raven sat in a Slytherin colored chair, her gaze on the floor. I walked over and sat next to her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. She looked up at me, her eyes shining weakly. "It'll be alright Raven. I promise." I whispered. She nodded weakly, her eyes showing doubt.
We waited a few minutes and the door soon opened. Midna, Lilia, Opal and Pearl all came in and rushed to Raven. Midna hugged her tightly resulting in Raven crying again.
"Oh, Raven, I'm so sorry Parkinson did this to you. She had no right in doing this." crooned Lilia, her eyes welling up with tears at the sounds of Raven's sobs.
"We aren't upset about your past Raven. We do not care that you are a Scarlett. You'll always be our friend regardless." said Opal, her voice soft and gentle as she rubbed Raven's back in small circles.
Midna let go of Raven and looked at her. "We are here for you Raven. Parkinson will soon learn not to fuck with you or else she will face our wrath." said Midna, her showing just how much she cared.
"Parkinson will pay for she did to you Raven. She'll get worse than a broken nose if she does any more shit." hissed Pearl, her eyes were blazing with anger from what Pansy did, but shimmered with sadness towards Raven.
Raven sat down, a smile on her face as tears continued to fall down her reddened cheeks. I moved my chair closer to hers and rested my hand on hers, our fingers intertwining.
The girls sat down in their respective chairs and we did our best to help Raven recover from what had happened.
Over the next few days, Raven became severely depressed. Many of the Slytherins turned on Raven and I. We were constantly mocked and threatened. A few members of the other Houses turned on us as well. This only intensified Raven's depression and she began avoiding the Great Hall and went to the kitchens to eat.
It broke my heart to see her so miserable. She only stayed near those she trusted. Lilia, Midna, Opal, Pearl and I all stayed close to her. This lessened the mocks and threats, but Raven soon snapped at those of the other Houses and told them to leave her alone and gave a lengthy explanation of her family past.
I didn't see her snap as I was in the loo at the time, but Midna and Opal told me what had happened and apparently whatever it was she had said got the Houses, except for most of Slytherin, to back off.
Raven was doing better after that, but her depression remained, though not as severe as before.
- -Raven's POV- -Thursday, March 27, 1997- -
Something was going to happen. Something bad was going to happen. I still can't explain why I keep getting a bad feeling, but it was effecting my mood and my appetite. I stared at my breakfast and poked at it lightly before looking up and noticing that Harry was rubbing his scar again.
Something in me clicked and I immediately wrote a quick note for him. I folded the paper into a butterfly and charmed it to fly to Harry. Thankfully no one saw me do this as the paper butterfly flew to Harry.
He looked at it as it landed in front of him. With a confused expression, he opened it and read it and gazed in my direction afterwards. I gave a curt nod and looked down at my food.
- -Harry's POV- -
My scar has been hurting off and on for over a week now. I absentmindedly rubbed it while barely touching my breakfast and thinking about stuff. "Mate, are you alright?" asked Ron with a mouthful of food. I nodded and mumbled, "I'm fine." before going back into my thoughts. They were interrupted when a paper butterfly landed gracefully on the edge of my plate.
Confused, I picked it up and opened it to see what it said.
Harry, I need to ask you something today. Please meet me after our last class. Try to be alone since we are of course in the two houses that have a huge rivalry. Don't let anyone know where this note came from.
-Raven Mancer
I blinked a few times and looked up where Raven was sitting. She gave me a curt nod and looked down. Shoving the note into my robe pocket, I ate a small amount of food and spaced out.
- -Raven's POV- -Later that day- -
This bad feeling just wouldn't go away. It was really putting me down. I needed to ask Harry something urgently and I was just hoping he'd come to me soon, I wasn't sure how long I'd be alone before someone else comes by.
Finally, I saw Harry as he ran to me, breathing heavily. "Sorry, Raven, I had to make an excuse to Ron and Hermione." he panted, leaning against the wall. "It's no problem Harry. Thank you for coming." I said, looking at him.
"What did you want to ask me?" he asked, looking at me. I sighed a bit, turning my gaze to the floor for a moment before looking back at him. "I wanted to know if you have been getting any bad vibes for the last week?"
He blinked and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Erm, yeah actually. Why do you ask?" he questioned.
I looked at him, my eyes showing worry. "I think something bad is going to happen Harry. I keep feeling a sense of dread. Like someone or something is going to try to attack the school." I explained, Harry's eyes widened.
"What?!" he exclaimed, "How long have you been feeling this sense of dread Raven?" he asked urgently.
"About a week now. It's been depriving me of sleep." I answered, rubbing my arm nervously.
He swore quietly and ran a hand through his messy black hair. "Raven, I wish you had told me sooner. What ever it is you are feeling, it may be true. Will you keep me updated on this?" he asked. I nodded. "Yes, of course."
He nodded and turned to leave when I stopped him. "Umm, Harry?" I asked.
"Yeah?" he said, turning his head to look at me. His bottle-green eyes meeting my emerald green eyes.
"Off topic, but is there a chance we could possibly hang out and get to know each other? I know we are in different houses who have the biggest rivarly, but I'd really like to get to know you." I said, looking at him.
He blinked a few times in surprise. "Uh, sure. How about this Saturday at three?"
I nodded. "That'll work." I confirmed.
After that, we left to our respective Common Rooms and two days later, we got to know each other. We laughed and had a lot of fun and even planned on hanging out more when we get the chance.
- -Sunday, March 30, 1997- -
It was the Easter Holidays and holy crap, the amount of homework we got is overwhelming. Draco and I were at the table in the Common Room trying to get through a good chunk of it. Draco helped me with potions while I helped him Defense Against the Dark Arts. We worked for a good three hours before taking a well needed break. My hand cramped from writing so much.
I felt my stomach rumble for food and I realized that we both missed lunch. "Crap, Draco, wanna run to the kitchens and get some food?" I asked. He looked up and checked the time and swore quietly. "Yeah, let's do that. I'm starving." he said and got up. I put my stuff away and got up as well.
After grabbing some food and a couple bottles of ice cold pumpkin juice, we went back to the Common Room and sat down at the table again and ate. I ate a sandwich that had mayo, chicken, cheese and lettuce in it. Licking my lips, I looked at Draco, who was drinking his pumpkin juice.
He looked at me and raised a blonde eyebrow. I giggled and stuck my tongue out childishly. "Put that back in your mouth Raven before I do something." he warned teasingly. I giggled even more. "And what would you do if I didn't?" I asked, grinning and taking a drink of my pumpkin juice.
"Keep sticking your tongue out and you'll find out." he said, grinning as well. I giggled even more and continued eating. Once we finished, we both got back to doing our homework. Another hour passed and Draco sighed anxiously. I looked over at him. "Draco, what's wrong?" I asked.
He rubbed his face with his hands. "Bellatrix is most likely fuming right now as I should've been at the manor by now. I wouldn't be surprised if she sent a howler."
I exhaled, my cheeks puffing out in the process. "I forgot about that. I'm actually glad we got your house elf and your stuff out of there before hand. After what you had told me about her, I wouldn't surprised if she harmed the house elf or destroyed your stuff." I mentioned.
Draco's eyes widened. "R-Raven, if Bellatrix did go to my room there, she would see it empty. She'd know I left."
The color drained from my face, my eyes locked onto the table. This was not going to end well. All that left my mouth was, "Oh shit."
((So doing Harry's POV and just writing Harry's reactions and responses in general was tricky and writing such a long scene in Draco's POV is pretty surprising. Any reviews are appreciated and encouraged.))
