CHAPTER 20

Raven stepped outside the lodge and pulled the door gently closed behind her so she could yell at Draco privately. Before she even took her first breath in to begin commenting on his lack of manners, Draco had turned and taken her by the waist and pushed her against the lodge wall breathing her in. He wasn't pinning her, she had room to move if she needed to, but he was holding her firmly, clearly uninterested in her leaving that position. Raven's heartbeat had sped up as did her breathing. Draco kept his face buried in her neck.

"Draco, please let me go," Rae fished out of her thoughts. He immediately released her when he heard not arousal in her voice, but fear. He stepped back from her, his hands extended out uselessly in the air not quite sure what to do with them. "Draco, for future reference," Raven started, "Don't ever pin me down." She worked to breathe through the fear that had risen up. She had noticed that she could get out of his hold if she'd tried, but that didn't stop the irrational fear from freezing her.

"I'm sorry Raven," he said, "I wasn't thinking. I heard your heart and I thought you were excited by the proximity and I thought I was being a gentleman by not pushing for anything. Oh Merlin," he stepped back thinking he may be sick.

"Draco, stop." Rae asserted. "You couldn't have known. I am curious, though. What the hell is up with you?"

Draco breathed out. "I've– never had to tell my story. I've never needed to. Everyone already knew it."

"And you don't want to do it now." Raven pieced together. "Draco, she was honest with us. We owe her the same courtesy." Draco huffed. Raven rolled her eyes. "Would you be comfortable with me telling it? Your side of things. At least what I know."

Draco didn't answer, or make eye contact, but nodded yes.

"Alright let's go," Raven took Draco's hand and led him inside.

They returned to their seats and Sienna smiled. She was confused by the commercial break, but ready to hear their stories.

"Draco and I have very different stories." Raven began by saying, "I'm what's called a muggle-born, which means I am a witch born to non magical parents. Draco is a pureblood and can trace his magical ancestry back to the dark ages." Sienna's eyes widened at that. After spending so many summers trying to track her own heritage down, she couldn't imagine it all laid out before her for thousands of years.

"I found out at 11 that I was a witch. I received a letter to join Ilvermorny school of witchcraft and wizardry. I spent my first year there but because my parents died when I was young and Nana doesn't have all the answers, I don't know, I felt some pull to want to learn where my magical ancestors may have learned.

"I knew that my dad's side of the family hadn't come to this country that long ago, and mom's had obviously always been here since I know that we're Lakota on that side. I don't know why I always assumed the magic came from dad's side but I didn't know any other Lakota at Ilvermorny, so maybe that's why I made that assumption.

Raven shrugged while she looked unfocused at the room, telling of her early years. "Anyway, with the approval of both headmasters I was allowed to transfer to Hogwarts."

"And that's where you two met!" Sienna couldn't wait to hear of their love story which she unknowingly assumed would be romantic and story-book.

"It is, but we weren't friends," Draco added, "I actually didn't even realize Raven and I went to school together until this summer."

Sienna's face visibly dropped, confused.

Raven began again, "We were in different houses. Draco is a Slytherin, where they value,"

"Ambition, resourcefulness, determination and cleverness," Draco finished

Raven smiled lightly and nodded as she continued, "and I was in Ravenclaw where they value intelligence, learning, wisdom and wit."

"Well that adds up so far." Sienna mused to herself.

"We were also on different sides of the war." Raven added none too subtly.

"War?" Sienna asked.

"Yes." Draco said, now refusing to make eye contact with either of them.

"There was a dictator-style leader named Voldemort," Rae felt Draco flinch next to her, still visibly uncomfortable with his name being said aloud. "He'd led a rebellion years ago during when our parents would have been in school, and failed. When he failed, most thought that he'd died, or gone into hiding. He believed that people like me, muggle-borns were a threat to magic and that we should either be enslaved, or exterminated."

Siena gasped, clasping her hands in front of her mouth.

"As it turns out, he'd created these devices with which he could resurrect himself. He came back in our fourth year. At first it was all just rumor, but slowly as the years progressed it got worse and worse until it was undeniable."

Raven paused to let that stew for a moment, then continued, "There was a lot of lead up to the war, but because of a prophecy that existed which identified a kid in our year at school as being the one to defeat him, our generation was quickly and easily pulled into the mix.

"I fought with 'The Light'" Raven air quoted, "Which supported Harry, the kid in the prophecy. Last May there was a battle at the school where Harry finally beat Voldemort, for good. But a lot of people were hurt and killed during the war. People we knew, had learned from, gone to class with… It was very hard.

"Most of the supporters of 'The Dark'" she once again air quoted, "were scooped up then and put on trial, but there are a few that escaped and are being tracked down now. We're going back to school this year to finish what should have been our graduation year last year, but got lost due to the war."

Sienna digested all of this. The fact that a war had taken place explains a lot of the excessive lack of trust she hadn't previously understood. But then it clicked.

"So then," She started, "You fought for the dark." It wasn't a question she aimed at Draco, but an accusation.

Draco nodded but didn't say anything. Sienna couldn't understand how this person that she'd called a friend could have such bigotted views.

"Draco's parents had gotten involved with this 'Dark Lord' during the first war. Back when he was still a bigot but at least sane. After his return, he was unhinged. Because of the way he demands his followers to show fealty though, there really is no way out once you're in."

Sienna's brows furrowed, "I don't understand."

"This," Draco pulled his sleeve up and showed Sienna the dark mark, which had faded but was still clear against his skin, "He makes his followers 'take the mark.'" Draco stopped, "made." He corrected himself.

"This was like a beacon, he could find us with it, draw us to him, create pain from miles away. There was no hiding, no pretending for most. He could also read your mind and memories, violently and efficiently."

"And you swore fealty to this man?" Sienna asked accusingly.

"By the time I took the mark, I already wanted out, but if I hadn't done so he would have killed my mother." Draco gave that a moment to breathe.

"It's called being a legilimens, the mind reading. I am one too but it can be done without force, without pain if done right. He enjoyed creating pain as he ripped through your mind and found what he was looking for. If he found it, and most of the time he did, you were murdered or punished severely."

Sienna suddenly didn't feel as much angst toward Draco as she had moments ago. Raven watched as Draco told his story even though he hadn't wanted to originally.

"Wasn't there something you could do?" She asked.

"You could occlude." Draco said. "It's a very difficult skill to learn. I had already been learning by the time he resurfaced, but after my first 'punishment,' I mastered it, quickly. It's probably the only reason I'm alive. I had too many doubts, and I let some slip through once when he was there to see them. It's the reason I'm a-" Draco stopped himself before finishing his statement. He'd been about to tell Sienna he was a werewolf. Raven was the only one that knew about that.

"It's ok Draco, you can tell her." Raven said, "We're going to have to explain our relationship eventually anyway."

He took a deep breath in and continued, "It's the reason he had me turned into a werewolf."

Sienna gasped. Draco wasn't what she imagined a werewolf was supposed to look like.

"He still needed my family for our persuasion and money - we're very wealthy," he added, realizing she may not know that. "He knew if he killed me my parents may stop cooperating, so instead he took what he knew mattered most besides my life. He took my pure blood. That was the whole premise of the belief system he was building his government on, anyone less than pure was wholly useless for anything besides servitude."

"Anyway after the final battle at Hogwarts, my father was sent to prison and my mother and I recieved house arrest for the few moments we had tried to work against him. As you can imagine there were others that looked at us as 'traitors to the cause.' Before I came here, my mother and I were ambushed and she was killed, my father was killed in his prison cell as well by others who believed in upholding the Dark Lord's legacy.

"So this is my house arrest. I was sent here to Raven to be hidden away and complete my prison sentence."

Sienna was trying to digest everything.

Raven began now, "I had always noticed little inconsistencies in his character. He put up the front of being a horrendous bigotted ass. But then I would see him caught in his own mind, introspective about something, or watch him pass on a perfect opportunity to harass some young muggle-born. So when they asked me to bring him here, I did so understanding that it may be a mistake, but taking the chance.

"Our friendship obviously developed over time and then when we were out on our trip to check the fences, we were made aware that we are mates. I believe that's the strong connection you described."

Sienna grinned wide, glad for the first time ever to have proof of the accuracy of her feelings. The smile quickly fell though when she thought back to the horrors both of her friends had faced. She was also well aware that they were only scratching the surface with how bad things had been. War was never wrapped up quite so cleanly.

"So what all is involved with this mate bond? I wonder if I can feel the difference between that and just a very strong romantic bond, but I wouldn't know unless I could compare," Sienna aimed to get the conversation to lighter topics, then got lost in her own train of thought.

"Well we're not fully bonded, so I don't know if that feeling will change for you once we are," Raven began.

"I don't understand. You said you're mated," Sienna asked.

"Well we are mates, but we haven't…" Raven hesitated. There was no way to say this without a certain level of awkwardness. "...mated."

Sienna thought about this for all of a half a second, "Well then hop to it! What's the hold up? You two have more chemistry than the science wing of the high school!"

Raven giggled at the old Sienna breaking through. Draco grumbled.

"There's more to it, and we are taking our time. It was quite a shock when we figured it out." Raven said neatly.

"Ok, ok," Sienna giggled. Eventually the mirth left the girls and the awkwardness finally left Draco's face. Sienna looked at them then as Draco rolled his shirt sleeve back down. "Thank you."

Raven and Draco looked up at her.

"I know this wasn't easy to tell me; and I understand now why you were so distrusting of something I thought was so exciting. So, thank you." Sienna walked over to them on the couch, "I'd like for us to be friends the way we were before, but I understand if that's going to take a minute." She said the last part holding Draco's eyes. He nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'm going to go home for dinner. I think we could all use some time to think about what we all learned and maybe some space will help." Raven looked shocked at Sienna's maturity and awareness of, at least Draco's, need for space. Rae stood to hug her and assured her that they'd get things back to normal soon, as she left with her documents. Raven started clearing the table from where they'd been lightly snacking throughout the discussion.

Draco followed Rae into the kitchen where she was cleaning up. He heard her humming quietly to herself. It was a pleasant tune; off key, but pleasant. He walked up behind her and gently placed his hands on her hips and breathed her in. She had felt him come into the kitchen and allowed the contact, sure that he needed the reassurance. He leaned his forehead against the back of her head and closed his eyes centering himself. Finally his left hand moved up her body to the back of her neck, where he swept her hair to one side and kissed the back of her neck softly. Raven was shocked by the movement, a rare tender moment, but decided she quite liked this. He continued to leave small kisses along her neck until he found her pulse point by her ear. Raven hadn't even realized she had turned her head to give him that access. Draco ran the edge of his nose across her pulse, taking in her scent and leaving a kiss behind him as he continued on from there.

Slowly Raven turned in his arms and leaned up to kiss him delicately on the lips. His hands had found a seemingly permanent home at her waist where he was now tenderly running his thumbs back and forth across her ribs. Draco was holding back. As much as he would love to take this moment and run with it, he knew that this time it was his turn to be the patient, strong one. He wasn't going to do anything which would scare her or stop this progress they were making. Slowly however, the kiss deepened and became more wanting. Raven used her grip on his neck to pull herself closer to him. Pressing their chests flush together while Draco leaned his hips slightly away from her. She grinned against him, knowing exactly what he was doing. While she wanted to take things slowly, and appreciated his presence of mind, she wasn't quite so fragile.

She felt Draco grip her waist more firmly just before he pressed her back into the counter. She pulled him there with her. Understanding that she was asking for more Draco took the green light and lifted her onto the counter they had just been leaned against. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and Draco loved the way her firm, muscled thighs felt against his hips. He could feel them tensing, and softening, as her body reacted to his touch and it turned him on like no other feeling ever had. Draco hesitantly moved his hands so that just his pinky finger found its way beneath Raven's shirt and then he waited for her reaction.

When Rae didn't flinch or react negatively to the touch, he chose to surge forward and allow his hands the opportunity to explore her. He was still mindful to be cautious of spooking her. This was as far as they had ever succeeded in going and he had high hopes for this evening, even if he had no expectation of being mated by the end of the night. His goal was to be steady and firm. He didn't want Raven to feel any of his own insecurity or hesitations.

They continued to make out on the counter, while Draco steadily massaged Rae's ribs with his fingers, thumbs gently gliding back and forth just under the bottom of her bra. He started to trail kisses from her mouth, down her cheek, to her neck until he landed just behind her ear and gently nibbled and sucked. Rae let out a sound like she was just as surprised as he was to find such an erogenous spot. He pulled away momentarily to lean into her, to smell her scent all around him. His right hand moved around to the back of her bra and he paced his fingers below the clasp.

He was surrounded by her scent, her hair, her body and he was taking it all in. As he inhaled again to commit the scent to memory he noticed something different, more potent. She still smelled like Raven but… Then he realized. She was turned on. He was turning her on and he could smell it. Rogue broke through momentarily, resulting in a low, possessive rumble leaving his chest. Raven found the vibration of his growl against her chest pleasant and leaned further into him.

Draco swallowed through the haze and bumped Rogue, once more, to the back seat. He finally had enough courage to whisper, "Raven, may I?" as he continued to circle the clasp of her bra. He heard her swallow and then, finally, she nodded. Apparently, she didn't trust herself to speak. Draco undid her bra with a practiced efficiency and felt the material loosen under her shirt. He made no move to take her shirt or bra off. He was happy tonight to commit the feeling of her to memory, rather than the sight. That would come another night.

His hands moved back to the front of her body, continuing their patient pacing along her ribs. His lips returned to hers and he could feel her now anticipating his hands. He continued to tease just the edge of her bra, letting his thumb periodically breach just underneath the material. She began pressing her chest forward, encouraging him to touch her. Finally he relented, his hand moving steadily but slowly up her body.

She wasn't wildly endowed, but she was so petite, he feared she may topple over had she had larger breasts. He found she had just enough to fill up his hand and be malleable to his touch. Like she had been built for him. He squeezed gently, testing the waters of this new contact. Raven couldn't imagine what sex would feel like if it felt this good just to have him touching her boobs. The contact was enough to send a tingle up her spine and forced her to pull him closer to her.

They continued kissing, she dipped her tongue into his mouth, she felt another low rumble. They began making out much more fervently. Draco moved his other hand around to her back to keep her in place. He gently moved his thumb over her taut nipple. Merlin they were perfect. He could practically see them behind his closed eyes. Raven moaned at the contact, and he wanted to hear it again. Needed to.

He ran his thumb over the peak again and another low moan left her. She broke away from his mouth to be able to catch her breath. He moved immediately to her neck to find that pulse point again. When he found it he began to nibble, lick and kiss that point while she moaned at the combination of stimulation. Finally he decided to see what kind of sound he could get from her by pinching her, now incredibly tight, little bud.

"Oh, Draco…" she moaned at this new kind of touch.

Rogue surged forward and Draco threw himself back and away from her. Raven was dizzy with the loss of Draco all around her. She opened her eyes and looked around to see him bracing himself firmly on the other side of the kitchen island. His hands were white-knuckling the counter while he leaned forward, shoulders tense and head drooped looking at the floor. She noticed they were both breathing heavily. Feeling self conscience she redid her bra clasp and crossed her arms in front of herself. She didn't dare leave the counter though as that would bring her closer to Draco and she wasn't sure why he had left.

Finally, he looked up. He had the most genuine and open smile on his face she'd seen. He stood up fully and her eyes were drawn to the raging hard on still in his pants. Her eyes snapped back to his when he began speaking.

"I think," he began, "hearing you moan my name like that, was a bit more than Rogue and I could handle tonight." he chuckled at the end.

Raven smiled, understanding now that it hadn't been anything that had gone wrong, just too many things going right. She giggled and got down off the counter and turned to finish cleaning up. She felt Draco come up behind her, much that same way all of this had started, even brushing the hair away from her neck. She felt him kiss her neck again and she turned to chastise him for trying to restart things, but he was already pulling away. He looked slightly chagrined but also much too satisfied.

"I may have accidentally left a mark on your neck…" he said as he rubbed the back of his own neck. Raven's hand flew to her neck and she ran to the bathroom to find the discoloration of a hickey on her neck.

"Damnit, Draco!" She came out of the bathroom.

"I wish I was sorry," he chuckled while ducking away from the couch pillows being thrown at his head.

"What am I supposed to tell Nana!?" She steamed.

"Witch, Raven!" He ducked another one. "You're a witch!"

She stopped. That was the most 'muggle' reaction she could have had to this. She was so disoriented. She shook her head and wordlessly accio'd her wand returning to the bathroom. Draco began putting the couch cushions back while shaking his head and chuckling to himself. She was right, he thought. A little bit of fun is good with a new thing.