Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I appreciate it so, so much! I'm glad to know that the last chapter wasn't in need of a redo. Thanks! This update involves canon sequences. I definitely didn't really follow the book or movie. I kinda used some of the elements from each of them, but made it my own thing. I hope you like it! I tried to make this update longer and slightly less angsty, even though its still kinda sad...ish. I also took into account some criticism which was to shorten some of the internal monologues. This was definitely a good suggestion, and I hope that this is better! Please, please leave a review. I consider this chapter to be pretty important. I hope you enjoy! Thanks so much!!! :)
A full week went by, and Raynea still had not spoken to Draco. She grew accustomed to his efforts of avoidance, but she was still angered by it. However, she wasn't going to let it ruin her life. Everything was so messed up, and dwelling on this fact all the time wasn't the way to cope with it. Raynea still had her friends, even though she couldn't exactly vent to them about some of her troubles. Harry still had no clue about some of the things that had gone on in her life, so talking to him was not an option. She and Ron agreed never to discuss the Draco topic, and she didn't want to upset Hermione. The latest developments in her association with Draco were sort of horrible anyway; it was better for Raynea not to mention it.
In spite of a lack of contact, she still felt as though she was tapped into what was going on with Draco. From what she could tell, things had gotten even worse. He was constantly absent at meals, he never seemed to talk to anyone anymore, and he looked sicker than ever. Raynea certainly was concerned, but she tried not to let it get to her too much. She couldn't keep worrying about him if he wasn't going to be honest with her.
In an effort to distract herself, Raynea made a plan to spend an afternoon with Harry. After lessons had ended for the day, the two decided to head down to the library and catch up on some schoolwork. She figured this would be the perfect way to keep the negative thoughts out of her mind. Spending time with one of her best friends and focusing on work would definitely be beneficial. The pair enjoyed themselves quite a bit on their outing. They laughed a lot and joked around while also completing a good chunk of homework. It was a great combination of business and pleasure.
On their way back up to the Gryffindor tower, Harry and Raynea decided to take the scenic route. They simply wandered around for awhile. There was still some time to waste before dinner, and the both of them felt that it was nice to just pal around and enjoy one another's company. After some time had passed, they found themselves on the seventh floor, both still in light, happy moods. They were laughing rather loudly as they continued on down the corridor, but suddenly something tore Harry's attention away from the conversation. He was staring ahead down the hallway with a wary expression on his face as all his laughter subsided. Raynea furrowed her brow at this before turning her head forward to see what Harry had been so occupied by.
Just ahead, Draco appeared, almost out of nowhere. He simply stood there for a moment with a distraught look on his face when he noticed Harry and Raynea's presence. His eyes widened fretfully and he swallowed a lump in his throat before he began to walk on forward down the hall. Harry slowly approached the area of the corridor where it seemed that Draco had come from. Raynea followed after him cautiously with the same puzzled look on her face. Harry studied the wall apprehensively then directed his attention towards the tapestry hanging on the opposite wall, and then back onto the original spot. He narrowed his eyes and took a few steps back while Raynea just stared at him in confusion.
"Harry?"
"The Room of Requirement," he stated firmly, "Why would Malfoy be in the Room of Requirement?"
Raynea looked part way down the corridor to see that Draco was still in view before she widened her eyes nervously.
"I dunno…It doesn't matter, really," she told him.
Harry ignored her last comment before turning his gaze towards Draco's retreating figure with a look of suspicion on his face. Abruptly, Harry took off the hallway after Draco, leaving Raynea to panic behind him. She had a feeling something awful was about to happen.
"Harry, no!" Raynea exclaimed anxiously before following behind him.
It seemed as though Draco was becoming more desperate in his attempts to make it out of the hallway, for his pace quickened. He hurriedly turned into the adjacent corridor, with Harry close on his heels. Raynea tried her best to keep up with Harry, but he was too fast.
"No, Harry…" she said urgently as she entered the adjoining hall right behind him. Just a ways down the corridor, she saw Draco enter a room and Harry followed in after him. Raynea sped up to the place in which they had gone, and sighed in frustration when she discovered that it was a boys' lavatory.
"Bloody hell," she cursed before inhaling sharply and barging into the bathroom.
Upon her entrance, Raynea bumped into Harry and noticed that he was once again looking ahead. She gazed in front of her to see Draco bent over one of the sinks and staring at his own reflection as tears streamed down his face. She felt her stomach jolt before Draco noticed that he wasn't alone. He whipped around forcefully and merely noticed that Harry was standing there, just over the threshold. He scowled furiously, then tore his wand out of his pocket and aimed a jinx towards the door. Both Harry and Raynea dodged it, which was when her presence was also made known. She pinned herself against the wall and inched forward carefully as Harry grimaced and made an attempt to shoot a spell back at Draco.
"Harry, don't!" she shouted worriedly. He ignored her request before offering her a bewildered stare. Draco took this time to flick his wand in Harry's direction once again. Luckily, Harry was able to evade his attack.
"Guys, just stop it!" Raynea yelled hysterically.
"Stay outta this," Draco snapped as he avoided another one of Harry's spells. Raynea stayed poised against the wall, knowing that getting in between the fight wouldn't help much. She continued to step forward, hoping she would be able to reach Draco, but both he and Harry moved to the opposite side of the stalls and continued to try and attack one another. This lasted for only a few more seconds, until Harry cried out madly.
"Sectumsempra!"
Raynea saw nothing, but heard Draco crash onto the floor after only a moment passed. She ran forward and felt her heart break as she stared down at him with a look of horror on her face. Draco was lying on the floor in a puddle of water—and blood. He had slash marks across his face and chest, and blood was leaking from each of the wounds. Draco still seemed to be alive, but just barely. He whimpered in pain as Raynea came up beside him and knelt cautiously. She didn't want to touch him, for she didn't know what it would do. Tears escaped her eyes as she gazed upon him, utterly terrified. Raynea suddenly looked up to see Harry glancing down at Draco with a horrified expression. He didn't say anything, but stood there, somewhat in a state of shock. Raynea directed her attention towards Draco again as he let out another moan of agony.
"Draco…no…" she uttered in a hushed voice.
She honestly didn't know what to do. She had never seen such a spell before, and couldn't even begin to think of a way to heal him. Tears poured from her eyes more vigorously and Harry continued to just stand there. Suddenly, Raynea heard the door burst open and Professor Snape appeared at Draco's side. She stared up at him shakily as he simply glared.
"Potter, McCoy…get out," he instructed harshly as he got down onto his knees.
Harry immediately followed his orders, but Raynea remained in her spot on the ground.
"Will he be okay?" she demanded.
"Get out," Snape repeated viciously, prompting Raynea to instantly remove herself from the scene. She edged away sluggishly, but felt that her fear was still at a maximum level. Once out of the lavatory, Raynea headed towards the Gryffindor common room as her tears began to subside a little. She was petrified. Draco could've died—in fact, he could be dead, for all she knew. Snape was handling it, though. Things would be okay…she hoped.
***
Once Raynea had returned to the common room, she found that Harry was the only one there. Everyone else must have headed down to dinner in the time that they were gone. Raynea was finally able to control her tears and felt that some of her terror had melted away. She carefully approached Harry, who was sitting on the couch, staring at the fire pensively. She sat down at his side and sighed heavily before he addressed her.
"I didn't know what the spell did," he told her shakily, "If I had…"
"I know," Raynea assured him as she closed her eyes and inhaled. This helped her to calm down a bit more before the conversation continued.
"Snape was there though…he'll be okay," Harry said, sounding as though he was trying to convince himself rather than Raynea.
"Yeah…he will," she answered blankly. The two merely sat in a tense silence for a few minutes, both gazing at the fire with intensity. Raynea was about to suggest that they go down to dinner, when Harry addressed her again.
"Raynea…I was just curious…why did you jump in between me and Malfoy like that? You seemed really…er…protective of him," he explained uneasily.
"I just didn't want anyone to get hurt," Raynea said, "…that's all."
"It kinda seemed like you didn't want him to get hurt," Harry pointed out.
"I was worried about both of you," she insisted defensively.
"That's just the thing—why would you care so much about Malfoy? Why did you start crying like that?"
"I…uh…I just didn't want to see him hurt."
"What's going on, Raynea?" Harry questioned suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes at her and she just froze. She wasn't sure if it would be better to tell the truth or formulate some sort of lie. Either way, Harry would find out about her past eventually, Raynea figured she should just get the confession over with.
"I ….I couldn't let you hurt him," she admitted in a strangled voice, "I just couldn't."
Harry's expression changed from inquisitive to confused, and Raynea shook her head tiredly. She assumed that his stunned silence meant that he wanted her to continue with her explanation.
"He has feelings for me," Raynea stated, unsure if she had the guts to admit everything else that had happened between them.
"Yeah, I know," Harry said pointedly.
"And…I care about him, too," she told him quietly.
Harry glared at her disbelievingly as he struggled to come up with a reply. He looked kind of disgusted…which wasn't surprising.
"What?" he uttered after awhile.
"I know…it sounds mad…" she said with a hint of annoyed amusement in her tone.
"You can't be serious."
"I am."
"What…are you two…together or something? Harry inquired uncomfortably.
"We were," Raynea sighed, "But it's over now."
He continued to stare at her with a curiously repulsed expression. He rose from his place on the couch and whipped around to face her.
"Is that why you said no to me?" he demanded, "…because of Malfoy."
Raynea simply gazed at him remorsefully as she rolled her eyes. He understood that her unwillingness to respond was her way of saying 'yes.' Suddenly, his confusion disappeared and was replaced with anger.
"I can't believe you've been running around with him, Raynea," he exclaimed, "Are you mad?"
"Apparently," she replied dryly with an irritated eyebrow raise.
"I can't believe you," Harry stated irately, "You know what he is."
"He's just…Malfoy," Raynea returned softly.
"I'm telling you, he's one of them now," he shot back.
"One of what?"
"A Death Eater," Harry verified in annoyance.
"Harry, he is not a Death Eater," Raynea shouted, "What even makes you say that?"
"I just know," Harry said roughly, "You saw him sneaking around the Room of Requirement…and I dunno…he's just different."
"He is not a Death Eater," she repeated, "Besides, we used to be the ones who would sneak around the Room of Requirement. What does that say about us?"
"This is different."
"You're wrong, Harry," Raynea countered, "If he was, I would've known."
"What? Do you actually think he would tell you about it?"
"No…but I would be able to figure it out."
"That's right, you two are such great friends now…or more."
"I told you, it's over," Raynea said fiercely, "It's been over."
"It shouldn't have even happened in the first place," Harry responded angrily as he headed towards the portrait hole.
"Where are you going?" she demanded, rising from her seat.
Harry ignored her question before exiting the common room. Raynea stared after him, breathing heavily as she did.
"Dammit," she cursed with a broken voice as she collapsed back onto the couch.
* **
Instead of going to the Great Hall for dinner, Raynea opted for paying a visit to the Hospital Wing. She wasn't exactly sure if Draco would be there, but she had a feeling that he was. Even if he could be healed by some sort of magic, he would still need to spend the night there for recovery. Her trek down to the Hospital wasn't very pleasant. All the horrible events of the day were looming over her, and she was especially jarred by the fight she had had with Harry. His reaction wasn't quite as bad as Ron's, but it was still pretty awful. Raynea was sick and tired of people accusing Draco of being a Death Eater. He couldn't be…right? It just wasn't possible.
Raynea tried to push these thoughts from her mind as she approached the Hospital Wing. For the time being, she just wanted to see that Draco was all right. Upon her entry, she spotted him immediately. He was lying on a cot a ways down the room and he appeared as though he was sleeping. Raynea felt relief wash over her as she continued to gaze at him. His wounds were completely gone and she knew that he was okay. That was all she needed. However, some verification couldn't hurt. As Raynea came up beside his bed, she turned to catch the attention of Madame Pomfrey, who was just passing by.
"Excuse me, Madame Pomfrey," Raynea began politely. The nurse stopped and spun around to face Raynea with an expectant look on her face, "Is he going to be all right?"
Raynea gestured to Draco and folded her lips. Madame Pomfrey offered her a small smile.
"He's just fine," Madame Pomfrey explained kindly, "He'll only be staying her overnight, just to be sure."
"Oh, right," Raynea answered with a grin, "Thank you."
Madame Pomfrey offered her a nod before continuing on her way. Raynea redirected her gaze to Draco, who seemed to be in a deep sleep. She exhaled before pulling up a chair and taking a seat at his bedside. Even if he was resting, she didn't want to leave him alone. Tears coated Raynea's eyes as she kept her stare upon him. She was relieved…and sad. It was strange. However, she didn't allow herself to actually cry. She had been crying so much lately, she couldn't bear to do it again. All she wanted to do was be there for Draco. Any random passerby would probably find it odd to see her there with him, but she didn't care. It didn't matter, not anymore. Maybe if she had been more open in the first place, things wouldn't have gotten so complicated. The fight between Harry and Draco was bound to happen either way, but everything else could have been avoided.
Raynea tried her best to forget all the other stuff, and just focus on the boy lying there before her. Even in his sleep, Draco looked exhausted. He didn't appear to be sleeping peacefully. In fact, he looked just as troubled as usual. It was depressing to Raynea, but she attempted to ignore this emotion. She shook her head resolutely and sighed before looking down at Draco with a softer expression. After a few moments, she grabbed his hand and held it tightly in hers. She smiled slightly and allowed herself to enjoy his company—even if he was unconscious. Truly, it was more pleasant to be with him in this state. He was actually quiet for once.
***
Draco's eyes fluttered open before he stared up at the ceiling with a confused look on his face. It took him a second for him to remember what had happened—and where he was. After a minute or two, he recognized the high ceilings of the Hospital Wing and recalled why he would even be there in the first place. He sat up slowly and glanced around the room. It appeared to be night, and the room was nearly empty. Draco shook his head to reorient himself, when he suddenly noticed that he wasn't alone. His eyes traveled down his arm and he saw a tan hand was grasping his pale one. He looked ahead further and saw a dark haired figure pitched forward onto the bed.
Raynea was lying face first against his knees, with her head turned so that she was facing him. She had come to his bedside…and fallen asleep. He rolled his eyes before he stared at her more intensely. Draco's hard expression softened as he did this, and he carefully slipped his hand out of hers. He sighed heavily as he tapped Raynea's shoulder roughly to awaken her. Her eyes opened after a moment, and she blinked rapidly as she looked about the room. She had awoken in a disoriented state, just like he had. Raynea sat up slowly and was surprised to see Draco staring at her. She folded her lips as she scooted her chair back so that there was more space between them.
"How are you feeling?" Raynea asked quietly, glancing at him with concern.
"Great," Draco replied sarcastically as he narrowed his eyes, "It feels just spectacular to be nearly slashed in half."
"At least Snape was there," she reminded him, "I think he knew how to fix it."
"Obviously," Draco stated dryly, staring down at his intact form.
"Well, I'm glad you're okay," she told him gently.
"Please," he jeered as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Like I'd let Potter get the best of me."
"Er…he kinda did," Raynea pointed out, her tone becoming more severe.
"Shut up," Draco snapped.
"Whatever," Raynea returned in annoyance.
They sat in silence for what felt like and eternity, before he addressed her again.
"Why did you come here?"
"What'd you mean?"
"Why did you come here?" Draco repeated harshly, "You must've had something better to do with your bleeding time than just sit here with me."
"I just…I wanted to make sure that you were okay."
Draco's eyes softened a bit as he gazed at her, then, suddenly, he grew petulant again.
"You're mad," he said gruffly, "You should've been hoping that I died, you bint."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Raynea demanded. Draco inhaled sharply and sat up more in his cot as he glared at her.
"After all the things that I've bloody done to you…after everything…." He trailed off angrily, seeming to find the words too hard to say, "Why in the hell would you stay with me?"
"Because I want to," Raynea stated curtly before rolling her eyes, "…git."
"You are such a stupid bitch," he told her furiously, sinking back down into his bed.
"Yes…I am," she agreed pointedly.
His eyes flicked back towards her in surprise before he grimaced. Raynea crossed her arms, then glanced to the side broodingly. All of a sudden, she stood up from her seat and walked towards the end of his bed in preparation to leave. Draco gazed up at her, with an anxious look on his face. It appeared as though he wanted her to stay.
"It's getting late," Raynea reasoned in a hushed voice, "I should go."
"Fine, be on your bloody way," Draco said fiercely, ripping his eyes away from her. Raynea closed her eyes sadly and reopened them as she headed towards the exit. He fixed his stare on her retreating figure with longing before crashing his head down on his pillow in frustration.
