Author's Note Well, I didn't get my SMALL request of three reviews, but I did receive ONE. Let the record also show that this was an anonymous review. Shame on you members! So:

itachiiyoubastard thank you soooooo much for your review. I was so happy to receive it, especially after receiving zero since I updated! I'm also really happy you took an instant liking to my OC characters and I hope you like this chapter! ;)

Last Chapter The fire cast contorted shadows across Ianneillo's face as he said, "Anyone wishing to submit themselves to the tournament have only until midnight on October 30th. I am not joking when I say put serious thought into this decision. This tournament is not a game."

Chapter 7

Tearing Segan away from Rodney when everyone began to rise after the feast was over was almost impossible. Once they finally did, she yammered on about him the entire trek back to the carriages, which was led by Ianneillo himself. The enormous man, Raelyn had learned, was the caretaker and named Mr. Small, and he was sent to lead the quivering Beauxbatons girls back to their quarters.

Ianneillo walked ahead of the students with McGonagall on his arm.

"She's way too old for him," Raelyn heard Gwenyth Campbell, a Ravenclaw, say snootily. Raelyn rolled her eyes and rounded on the girl.

"He's an old student of hers," she drawled. "He probably went to school with our parents."

"Well excuse me," Gwenyth said sarcastically with an exaggerated roll of her eyes at Kiera Tofflemyer, whose arm was linked with hers. "I'm sorry I spoke without your permission."

"You seem to need it, since you're a self absorbed bitch who doesn't listen and just runs her bloody mouth 'til her lips drop off," Raelyn said calmly, rage boiling up.

The girls' jaws dropped and Campbell's face twisted into a contorted look of rage. "You're one to talk, Malfoy. You're a spoiled brat and you're calling me a self-absorbed bitch?"

"Spoiled am I? I'll show you spoiled-" she lunged at the girl, whose triumphant smirk had turned to a facade of fear.

An arm caught Raelyn around the waist in mid-lunge, the owner of said arm had pulled her against him as she continued to struggle. Raelyn saw the look of fear on Campbell's face intensify. There could only be one person holding her...

"Watch your tongue, Campbell," Seth growled lowly, chest rumbling against Raelyn's back. "You might lose it one day." He sounded so sincerely threatening he even made Raelyn a little nervous, though she didn't show it.

The Ravenclaws looked close to tears as Seth walked away with his arm securely around Raelyn's waist. Raelyn spotted Segan and Macon on the other side of the group, Segan's mouth moving quickly while Macon smiled politely and nodded at all the right times.

"Why'd you stop me?" Raelyn asked Seth quietly as she wrenched herself out of his relaxed grip. He dropped his arm and walked along beside her. "I would have torn her apart."

"Well, you just answered your own question, didn't you?" Seth said expressionlessly.

"So what?" Raelyn snapped. "She would have deserved it."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, but if you're going to kill someone be subtle about it. Don't do it while our Headmistress and our host school's Headmaster are just ahead of us."

Raelyn looked at Seth hard; she couldn't tell if he was joking or not. She wondered again what Seth's father had exposed him to, but she knew better than to ask right then. Until then Seth hadn't looked at her. When he tore his eyes from the ground passing underneath his feet and looked straight at her, Raelyn's stomach lurched. His eyes were so dark, channeling so much emotion with just a split seconds glance. Anger, pain, sadness, frustration, anxiety, annoyance, guilt, grief, lust, loyalty, fear, and love.

Then she blinked

And it was gone.

Even though it had been so brief, that one glimpse into his soul had been enough.

"Your father wrote you back." It was a statement and Seth took it as such, eyes back on the snowy ground.

"Actually, it was a Howler," he said flatly.

"When?"

"This morning, just after you left."

"And...?"

He opened his mouth to speak and for a moment he was silent, then-

"A woman was screaming."

Raelyn's blood ran cold with dread. Her mouth became paper dry and she prayed that what she was thinking was wrong. "Was it your mum?" she asked hollowly.

A feeling of relief washed over her when Seth shook his head no.

"Well... that's not so bad," Raelyn said weakly. As soon as she said it, though, she wished she could take it back. Everything about Seth was calm. His stance, posture, face, steps, and voice. But the look he gave Raelyn made her breath catch in her throat. Raelyn was the one and only person he ever let his guard down with, and even with her it was rare.

"She's dead, Rae," he whispered, "He killed her! She died last night because of me."

Goosebumps rose rapidly all over her body, and it wasn't because of the cold. "I'm sorry, Seth."

The taller boy just shrugged and gave her a sad half-smile. "Wasn't your fault, it was mine."

"No, its your father's," she protested immediately. Seth opened his mouth, but Ianneillo spoke first.

"Here we are!" he announced. They all looked up, surprised. Sure enough, there were the five carriages arranged in a circle facing inwards. A fire burned merrily in its centre.

"Thank you, Adonis," McGonagall thanked him pleasantly.

"I'll bid you goodnight here," Ianneillo said with a dramatic bow. "Goodnight, ladies and gentlemen. Goodnight professor." They bade him goodnight in return and watched him disappear into the night.

"Professor, can I ask you a question?" Stryder asked McGonagall breezily.

McGonagall, startled at first, recovered quickly and said curtly, "Of course, Mr. McCormick."

"Are you going to like us that much when we graduate?"

There was a moment of silence where the only sound was the crackling fire, then everyone burst into laughter. Even Seth chuckled a bit.

"Goodnight, Mr. McCormick," McGonagall said evasively, though Raelyn heard the hint of a smile in her voice as she headed off in the direction of her carriage.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Stryder carried on, drawing out the joke. "I wanted to plan my future around the answer."

His answer was the slam of the carriage door.

The students dispersed into their respective carriages. Raelyn following the continuously yammering Segan inside Slytherin's. Seth was the last one in. Raelyn yawned as she leaned against the wall inside the door.

"Tired?" Seth asked. As she pushed herself off the wall he grabbed her shoulders and began marching her up the stairs after the others.

"No," she replied truthfully. She had napped the whole way there.

"Then come to bed with me," Seth whispered seductively in her ear.

"Seth!" Raelyn yelled in mock indignation "I am a lady!" Her friend chuckled in her ear and parked her at her door.

"Get your pajamas on and then come to my room," he ordered. "I've got something I want to show you." He began to walk away.

"New position?" Segan suggested. Stryder snickered.

"Its above the belt, thank you, Segan," Seth replied, surprisingly good-natured. Raelyn saw Macon raise an eyebrow.

"Not like there's anything left for her to see below the belt, anyways," Segan muttered loudly. Vanessa giggled.

"Shut up, Segan," Seth and Raelyn said together, simultaneously closing their doors.

Raelyn headed straight for her trunk when she turned away from the door. Searching through it for her pajamas: a pair of plaid pajama pants and a tank top, she pondered on what Seth could possibly want to show her that wasn't sex related. It was Seth, after all. Discovering her pajamas after an extensive search, she dressed in them, tied her hair up, and went to Seth's room.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Open it yourself!" Seth called from within. Raelyn smiled wryly and pushed the door open.

"What are you doing, Seth?" she laughed, walking over to him. He looked up at her and grinned holding up his index finger to signify 'one minute'. Raelyn leaned back on one foot and crossed her arms, waiting. Finally, Seth surfaced with a blue box with white lettering. He handed it to her.

Accepting it, she read what was on it. "Pictionary?" she asked confused. "What the hell?" Her friend laughed, in an unnaturally happy mood.

"It's a game," he explained, unhelpfully.

Laughing, Raelyn answered, "I know what it is. But what are you doing with it? This is a Muggle game."

"Play with me?"

Raelyn paused. "Alright, I could take that two ways..."

Seth rose from the ground and walked slowly towards her. "Take it whichever way you want to take it. I'm up for either one." He was right in front of her, shirtless, face inches away from her. He was looking at her teasingly. Raelyn grinned wolfishly at him and pushed him away.

"Do you even know how to play this game?" she inquired curiously.

"Teach me."

"I don't know how to play," she admitted.

"Then I guess that leaves only one option." The bed was under her seconds later as Seth tackled her backwards and landed gently on top of her. Pictionary flew out of hand and landed on the floor beside them. The box flew open, the pieces and cards cascaded out of it. Raelyn heard it as Seth's lips closed over her own and he settled between her legs.

"That's a four player game, Seth," she said, kissing him back.

"I thought you'd never played before?" he pointed out, pulling away from Raelyn's lips long enough to move them to the head of the bed, instead of lying across it horizontally.

"Well, I lied," Raelyn admitted before Seth's lips crashed onto hers again.

"So did I," Seth said between kisses. "It's my mum's favourite game. I've known how to play since I was little." His hand pulled the elastic out of her hair and he tangled his fingers in it.

"Mentioning your mum, there's one way to kill the mood," joked Raelyn.

"I really couldn't care less right now," He said gruffly as one of his hands slid her tank top up over her rib cage and his thumb smoothed over the taught skin of her stomach. "It's been far too long!"

Raelyn chuckled and moved her lips to kiss down his jaw to his neck. She knew he loved being kissed there. "How long?" she asked huskily.

"Since Saturday?" Seth answered, his hand moving down to her hip then back up again to her rib cage.

Raelyn laughed. "Its Wednesday!"

"I know! It's so long!"

"Aww, hard day?" she teased, biting down on his neck, hand trailing down her friend's toned stomach to stop at the waistband of his pajama pants. Seth laughed, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"You have no idea. Though, I actually had every intention of attempting to play two-person Pictionary until you showed up here wearing this." He'd stripped her tank top off, leaving her with her bra and pants on. He whipped the shirt across the room and kissed her neck. Raelyn chuckled again.

"So how're you feeling now?"

She was answered with him pressing firmly against her.

"What do you think?" he growled, nipping lightly at her neck.

She laughed as he kissed his way along her collarbone and down her chest, between her breasts, down her stomach. He dipped his tongue into her navel and that was when she grabbed his head and pulled him back up to her lips. She tangled her fingers in his soft, black hair and she kissed him hard. His hand behind her back almost undid her bra before she pushed him off of her. He fell to the side and glanced at her confusedly.

"What, Rae-" he began, but she cut him off with a deep kiss that shaped his mouth into a smile. Biting his lower lip lightly, she resumed kissing down his jaw, his neck, his chest, his stomach. She got to his waistline and looked up at his grinning face. She mirrored his smile and kissed him through his pants.

"Oh, god," he sighed and let his head fall back onto his pillows while Raelyn shimmied his pants off his hips, leaving him in his boxers, which were looking a bit tight.

Raelyn laughed and crawled back over him to kiss him, hand finding its way into his boxers. The only response she got was his kisses becoming harder and more urgent.

She felt his hands on the waistband of her pants pause for a moment before pushing them over her hips slowly, down her legs, and off. They hit the floor.

Seth broke their kiss momentarily to turn off the lights and silence the room with wandless magic. The only light now was coming from the window.

"Silencing the room, huh?" Raelyn asked as he flipped her over and kissed her.

"Mmhmm," he mumbled into her mouth.

"Planning on screaming?" she teased.

He chuckled, "No, but you will..." Raelyn laughed.

His hand behind her back undid her bra and drew it off in one smooth motion. It joined their ever growing pile of clothes on the floor. He leaned down on her a bit more for more skin-to-skin contact. Raelyn pushed his boxers off, Seth pulled her panties off.

"Can I?" Seth asked, breathing ragged.

"Since when do you ask?" Raelyn demanded as his hand brushed the skin just below her panty line and her stomach twisted in anticipation. His hand moved to caress her inner thigh as he looked down at her, chest rising and falling quickly, wet lips slightly parted, eyes roaming her body. Finally his eyes met hers.

"Since you're the only one I have sex with that I care about," he blurted out, without a second thought, without considering the repercussions, without worrying about someone catching him unawares. It was just him and Raelyn in a soundproofed room.

Raelyn dragged his head down and kissed him softly. "Go ahead," she whispered. He kissed her as his hand flattened on her abdomen and a warm sensation flowed through her, accompanied by the turquoise glow of the Contraception Charm. Her toes curled appreciatively as he pushed into her.

"Stay with me tonight," he suggested hopefully, still slightly breathless afterward as he lay on top of her. Raelyn sighed and kissed his forehead, tasting his sweat on her lips.

"Okay," she agreed easily. He sighed in relief and rolled off of her.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," he laughed. Raelyn laughed too.

"Just tell me where you threw my clothes."

"Around."

"You're useless."

"Not completely. I do make you scream."

"I didn't scream."

"You wanted to."

"But I didn't."

"That's not denial."

"It's not agreement either."

"We could always test the theory again..." he said suggestively.

Realyn smiled at her friend in the dark. "I don't think so. Nice try, though."

She heard Seth sigh in defeat and then his low grumble of, "Fine!" She collected her tank top and underwear from the floor, tossing Seth his boxers before pulling her own articles of clothing on and crawling into Seth's bed beside him. As usual, as soon as she was lying down, Seth's arm wound it's way around her and pulled her right up against him.

"G'night, Rae," he mumbled into her hair, his breath warming the back of her neck.

"Night, Seth," she replied sleepily before letting sleep engross her mind.

Author's Note REVIEW PEOPLE! PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU! I would truly appreciate it very much and I do answer all reviews as soon as I read them!