Chapter Twenty-Two: Understanding
A/N: Yet again, I do not own J.K. Rowling's marvelous story and characters. The only character I own is Rhane (pronounced 'Rain') The story's a bit twisted, to warn you-and kinda long. Or at least, it will be. I hope. lol^_^ Please review, and if you must criticize, do it CONSTRUCTIVELY, k? Nothing like, 'oh, Snape's ICKY, no girl would ever go after him.' Or anything like that, k? K. ^_^ Papa Roach is very inspiring, especially the new cd..^_____^ Oh, yes, and in this fic, Draco isn't exactly EVIL, per say.just very, very disturbed, twisted, obsessed and sadistic. ^_^. ^_^'^_^YES it's disturbing, and YES it'll probably get worse.^_^' Please don't review and tell me I'm sick or anything for any of these chapters- after all, it would seem quite silly to have Draco be sadistic and all and not try anything like that on Rhane, you know. Besides, if you've gotten this far, you must not really mind disturbingness. ^_^ Oh, and all poems in these stories, I wrote. (My Creative Writing teacher tells me my poetry is 'gothic'..) ^_^ O_o Whee, I love writing about characters with MPD!! ((Multiple Personality Disorder))^__________^ I wrote this chapter today at school----lol^_^ I couldn't resist. Also, I intend to write this story until I feel it has finally reached its end, be that at 30 or 100 chapters, or possibly more, depending on how long I take this story, or rather---on how long this STORY takes ME.^_^ Please do enjoy, alright?^_^ Or try to. :smiles slightly: Draco certainly seems to end up in the hospital wing a lot, doesn't he?
**************************************************************************** *******************
'I never wanted you to know, To my pride, that is a low blow.
I can't stand it, don't want to explain, Yet I can't seem to refrain.
I feel hot and cold, A million years old.
Don't understand anything except the pain, I never intended to put upon you this strain.
Love is worry and hurt and jealousy, But it is worse in reality.
Do you understand what I do and do not? Cruelty in passion is my lot.
Danger and anger, horror and minds, Do any of us want to know what the other finds?'
**************************************************************************** *******************
Rhane awoke slowly, her eyes fluttering as the filtered grey sunlight illuminated the hall one fraction of an inch. Hearing the mumblings of the still-sleeping Slytherin on the floor, the girl realized where she was, and with a wince, what had happened the night before-the fight. She yawned slowly, throwing back her auburn hair and stood up, stretching. When this was done, Rhane sat back down next to the little pallet she had created for the much-wounded Draco the previous night, when he had been beaten up completely by her mystery stalker.
'He seemed to know him, I almost would have thought, for the second of conversation I heard. How very odd-but, Draco knows a lot of people, I imagine.'
Sighing, the brunette tapped the slim, silvery-haired boy on the shoulder with the lightest of touches, drawing her hand back as if bitten when she saw him wince, his pale face contorting with intense pain and agony. The Gryffindor remembered with a touch of remorse and a surge of pity that she believed his collarbone to be broken. A visit to Madame Pomfrey was required, though no explanation could truly be given.
**************************************************************************** *******************
"Madame Pomfrey?" The nurse turned at the sound of her name, and almost gasped in shock, appalled at what she saw. It was that Gryffindor girl- Rhane, was it?-all but CARRYING Draco Malfoy into the Hospital Wing! 'Whatever has the boy done now? Is it Lucius again, I wonder? But surely not so soon again-it must be something-someone-else, then. Not the girl, though, I'll warrant. Ah, well, a patient is a patient, and he obviously needs help.'
"Well, this is a-surprise, I must say. Whatever happened child?" The kindly woman asked, wondering if she would really get an answer even so.
"It's too long of a story. Let it suffice to say that he is badly injured and I think his collarbone is fractured, as well. " Rhane's soft, firm voice trailed off to a whisper as she felt unwanted tears spring into her large emerald eyes. 'Why am I crying? What a fool. There is no reason to cry-NONE.'
"There, there. Everything will be just fine, no need to worry. I've seen FAR worse, believe you me. Here, be a dear and help him to one of the beds while I get the Skele-Gro to handle that fracture." The nurse walked away, presumably to retrieve the potion necessary, and Rhane led Draco to one of the beds.
**************************************************************************** *******************
Rhane sat next to Draco, finding herself incapable of leaving, try as she might. 'Such strange feelings-I do not understand them one bit!' 'Are you certain?' 'I DO NOT understand them. I do NOT.' 'Alright then, since you seem so determined-.'
After Madame Pomfrey dosed the Slytherin with Skele-Gro, Rhane was left alone with the boy. She winced in sympathy-pain as the medicine began working on him, which, being a painful process, caused his face to go through a series of convulsions. Once or twice he let out an ear-piercing scream and Madame Pomfrey came in to look in on him to be sure everything was working smoothly, and the bone was knitting back together.
**************************************************************************** *******************
Madame Pomfrey entered again as dark began to fall like a blanket across the school. "Dear, visiting time is most definitely up, and you'll want to return to your Common Room now, right? I'll leave you to say your goodnights, but do hurry about it, alright?" She smiled most cheerily and went back to her desk.
Rhane looked at Draco, and on impulse, grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. 'What AM I doing?' flashed through her brain, but received no response. His silvery eyes flew open at this movement, and he whispered in a grinding, pained voice. "Here-I've a letter for you. I wrote it before- before the fight."
The Gryffindor took the green envelope from his frail, feeble hands, outstretched towards her, and gave a small smile, against her own will. 'Why am I smiling? It's another of his horrid letters, I am sure, for he wrote it in a state of anger and jealousy, if it was written before the fight.' However, when she spoke, Rhane's voice was soft, gentle and quiet. "G'night, Draco." The whisper fell upon his ears as the girl grabbed her schoolbag and sketchbook. As soon as she had left the Hospital Wing, she opened the letter.
*** Dearest Rhane *** I didn't want to tell you, but I've a feeling you must know, though you've only guessed before-correctly, as well. Yes, my father does-does inflict these marks on me sometimes. I would not really say he-he ABUSES me, but perhaps that is merely because I do not want to believe that I am the same as him-or worse. God, I never wanted you to know! Please, DO NOT tell ANYONE. PLEASE. I also know your 'stalker.' A-friend, if you can call a liar and a fool such a thing-from my childhood he was-from my toddler days through my third year here at Hogwarts, though very few people knew him. He was always quiet, always a loner. I shall, perhaps, reveal his secrets another time, but no more now, for I have disclosed enough in this letter to make me wish I'd never written it, I am sure. Please know that-that I am grateful for all that you have done, and have faith in you not to tell my secrets which I have revealed to you and only you in closest confidence. *** Love, Draco ***
Rhane stared as her hand clenched and unclenched the letter. Crystalline tears, sparkling like morning dew, flowed down her silken, pale cheeks, though for the life of her she knew not why. Perhaps she should go see Snape-he was liable to still be in the Dungeons, after all-he always cheered her up, even when he was in the worst of moods, it seemed. After all, he was her Beloved, her one and only love-or was he? The brunette felt incredibly confused, her mind a swirl of insanity, though she couldn't imagine what set off the chaos inside the depths, misty and dark, of her mind.
**************************************************************************** *******************
The Potions Master was indeed in his dungeons, fortunately for Rhane. She found him fairly easily, and stood there, watching him, until he raised his ink-dark eyes, feeling the presence of someone else in the room with him. His eyes widened with shock upon seeing her, and his mind-as well as his heart-set to racing.
'What is she doing here at this time of evening? I haven't seen her lately- not alone-and seeing her now is driving all my senses completely mad! I swear I am flipping my lid. Ah, well-it is SO lovely to see her, though I must fight to control myself with every step she takes towards me.'
He smiled, therefore, as warm a smile as he could muster, one which reached his eyes and made them appear the warmer black of coal, rather than the frosty hue of ink. Then Snape realized something-Rhane had been crying. Immediately, the professor rushed over to the door, shutting it, then gathered her into his arms, letting her cry into his chest. "What is it, little one?" Severus Snape whispered, gentle voice edged with concern.
With a forlorn note in her own velvet-like voice, Rhane replied between small sobs. "It's just that-I hadn't seen you alone-in so LONG, it seemed! I-I missed you SO." 'I just lied-LIED-to my Beloved-over DRACO! Why?' The brunette's head set to spinning down the drain of insanity again. 'WHY?!'
**************************************************************************** *******************
Snape didn't know what was REALLY wrong with Rhane, but he would have bet everything he owned that Draco Malfy was behind it all. A surge of hatred for the boy ran anew through his veins. 'Why does he treat her in such a way? He knows she does not LOVE him-why? WHY?' His mind simply seethed with wrath. He WOULD settle this-eventually. The sharp, practical side of his brain had kicked in, stomping down the emotional flickers again. He could not really move a finger until Rhane had graduated, for the risk of losing his job would be too great beforehand, and he must have some way to provide for and support his love once they were married, after all. Finally, he released her, and gently kissing her forehead, her lips and her hand, the Potions Master nodded to his dearest. "You had better run along, before we are caught. Besides, I'm sure you need your rest." He watched her go, smiling and waving as she turned and blew a kiss from the doorway, sighing when she was gone. 'What a mess my life has become, so quickly.'
**************************************************************************** *******************
Rhane returned to the Gryffindor Common Room and tried her hardest to sleep- if only for Severus, as he had told her she should. Tossing and turning all night, she even had a pillow tossed at her accompanied by a mumbling of "Stop that bloody racket and SLEEP.", but still, she could not sleep. Finally, as it neared 4:30 AM, the brunette girl fell into a light slumber, only to awake again at 5:00, then 5:30, and at last 6:00, whereupon she decided to get up, bathe and dress. No use going back to sleep, after all- she might as well stay awake now.
**************************************************************************** *******************
At noon, Rhane returned to the Hospital Wing to check on Draco. She felt compelled to-after all, it was all her fault that he was there-it had been fighting for HER that he had been so wounded. When she arrived, he was eating a small meal of mashed potatoes and peas, with a glass of pop. Rhane felt the muscles of her face involuntarily twitch into a smile, though she was inwardly scolding them with all her might, she could not reverse them. "I-I'm glad to find you looking better, Draco-I-."
He looked up at her with emotional, torment-filled eyes, windows into the soul that was full of such terrible despair, and she felt her voice stop, trapped like a fly in that gaze. 'She must think me a terrible, blood sod after all, reading that letter. Or WORSE-she might PITY me. I could not BEAR pity in HER eyes-NO! But-she knows! There is nothing I can do. She knows the truth. There is no escape from those knowing looks in those lovely green eyes NOW. Why did I tell her? I must not have been thinking straight. Or-I thought that I would die, even before I left for the gardens, before I knew who my opponent was.' The silver-haired boy looked at Rhane with his quicksilver eyes and spoke in a soft, silken voice, ever-so-quietly.
"Did you read the letter?" "Y-yes, oh, Draco-I-I guessed, but I-I never KNEW-." Her voice was cut off by his. "Do you understand what it means? I cannot help but treat you the way my father treats me-it is in my BLOOD, my very VEINS! I, at least, love YOU- my father never loved ME. Still does not." His voice, so smooth, cracked slightly with a painful, bitter note imbedded within. The brunette's expression softened, her large eyes melting with emotion, and Draco felt a surge of horror. 'NO! She must NOT pity me! I need NO pity!'
Before he could say anything to that extent, however, he felt a delicate, small, cool hand on his feverish cheek, which began to gain a crimson tint.
"Promise me you'll keep well here and stay until Madame Pomfrey actually officially releases you, Draco. Please." The look in her eyes was so pleading, so sincere, so concerned that the Slytherin boy could only nod in shock. His astonishment increased ten million-fold, however, when she leaned over and touched her soft pink lips to his smooth, overly-warm cheek for the merest of seconds-long enough for the cheek to turn a very bright ruby red shade, though-before fleeing, leaving Draco holding one slim warm hand to an even warmer cheek in bewilderment.
**************************************************************************** *******************
Rhane hurried to her next class, completely confused and angry with herself. 'Why did I DO such a foolish thing? I am an IDIOT-a first class IDIOT! I love only Severus! I merely PITY Draco. Well-I MIGHT like him a LITTLE-but I despise him far more! I do not UNDERSTAND this-this confusion! I refuse to accept it!' She entered the next class with a toss of her waist-length hair and sat down, wearing a mask of serenity and passivity as she pulled out her sketchbook for a release of emotions. Her sketches were her feelings, and she guarded them closely.
**************************************************************************** *******************
'Whatever was the matter with Rhane today?' Snape asked himself, worry flooding his quick mind. 'And Draco was not in class-Madame Pomfrey said something about his being in the Hospital Wing or some such thing. But what is he doing THERE? And WHY is Rhane so troubled? Is it because she- pities Draco? Or something more? NO. She loves me, I love her. If we can just SURVIVE the rest of this year, we can be together legally without endangering either of our positions here-student and teacher. But, the waiting! I never realized how difficult it was to fight fate.' His inner voice tried to start another conversation and failed miserably, for the professor's mind was simply too caught up in the strangeness of the day's events. The Potions Master knew whatever it was trying to come to him was important, for he knew it felt like he was forgetting something, but for the life of him he could not remember what it was or why it was necessary. Sighing, he continued to work on the complicated potion-the sooner it was finished, the sooner he could get some much-needed sleep.
Author's Note: Wrote this on a different computer, but-ah, well. Enjoy? I hope so--.^_^^_^^_^
A/N: Yet again, I do not own J.K. Rowling's marvelous story and characters. The only character I own is Rhane (pronounced 'Rain') The story's a bit twisted, to warn you-and kinda long. Or at least, it will be. I hope. lol^_^ Please review, and if you must criticize, do it CONSTRUCTIVELY, k? Nothing like, 'oh, Snape's ICKY, no girl would ever go after him.' Or anything like that, k? K. ^_^ Papa Roach is very inspiring, especially the new cd..^_____^ Oh, yes, and in this fic, Draco isn't exactly EVIL, per say.just very, very disturbed, twisted, obsessed and sadistic. ^_^. ^_^'^_^YES it's disturbing, and YES it'll probably get worse.^_^' Please don't review and tell me I'm sick or anything for any of these chapters- after all, it would seem quite silly to have Draco be sadistic and all and not try anything like that on Rhane, you know. Besides, if you've gotten this far, you must not really mind disturbingness. ^_^ Oh, and all poems in these stories, I wrote. (My Creative Writing teacher tells me my poetry is 'gothic'..) ^_^ O_o Whee, I love writing about characters with MPD!! ((Multiple Personality Disorder))^__________^ I wrote this chapter today at school----lol^_^ I couldn't resist. Also, I intend to write this story until I feel it has finally reached its end, be that at 30 or 100 chapters, or possibly more, depending on how long I take this story, or rather---on how long this STORY takes ME.^_^ Please do enjoy, alright?^_^ Or try to. :smiles slightly: Draco certainly seems to end up in the hospital wing a lot, doesn't he?
**************************************************************************** *******************
'I never wanted you to know, To my pride, that is a low blow.
I can't stand it, don't want to explain, Yet I can't seem to refrain.
I feel hot and cold, A million years old.
Don't understand anything except the pain, I never intended to put upon you this strain.
Love is worry and hurt and jealousy, But it is worse in reality.
Do you understand what I do and do not? Cruelty in passion is my lot.
Danger and anger, horror and minds, Do any of us want to know what the other finds?'
**************************************************************************** *******************
Rhane awoke slowly, her eyes fluttering as the filtered grey sunlight illuminated the hall one fraction of an inch. Hearing the mumblings of the still-sleeping Slytherin on the floor, the girl realized where she was, and with a wince, what had happened the night before-the fight. She yawned slowly, throwing back her auburn hair and stood up, stretching. When this was done, Rhane sat back down next to the little pallet she had created for the much-wounded Draco the previous night, when he had been beaten up completely by her mystery stalker.
'He seemed to know him, I almost would have thought, for the second of conversation I heard. How very odd-but, Draco knows a lot of people, I imagine.'
Sighing, the brunette tapped the slim, silvery-haired boy on the shoulder with the lightest of touches, drawing her hand back as if bitten when she saw him wince, his pale face contorting with intense pain and agony. The Gryffindor remembered with a touch of remorse and a surge of pity that she believed his collarbone to be broken. A visit to Madame Pomfrey was required, though no explanation could truly be given.
**************************************************************************** *******************
"Madame Pomfrey?" The nurse turned at the sound of her name, and almost gasped in shock, appalled at what she saw. It was that Gryffindor girl- Rhane, was it?-all but CARRYING Draco Malfoy into the Hospital Wing! 'Whatever has the boy done now? Is it Lucius again, I wonder? But surely not so soon again-it must be something-someone-else, then. Not the girl, though, I'll warrant. Ah, well, a patient is a patient, and he obviously needs help.'
"Well, this is a-surprise, I must say. Whatever happened child?" The kindly woman asked, wondering if she would really get an answer even so.
"It's too long of a story. Let it suffice to say that he is badly injured and I think his collarbone is fractured, as well. " Rhane's soft, firm voice trailed off to a whisper as she felt unwanted tears spring into her large emerald eyes. 'Why am I crying? What a fool. There is no reason to cry-NONE.'
"There, there. Everything will be just fine, no need to worry. I've seen FAR worse, believe you me. Here, be a dear and help him to one of the beds while I get the Skele-Gro to handle that fracture." The nurse walked away, presumably to retrieve the potion necessary, and Rhane led Draco to one of the beds.
**************************************************************************** *******************
Rhane sat next to Draco, finding herself incapable of leaving, try as she might. 'Such strange feelings-I do not understand them one bit!' 'Are you certain?' 'I DO NOT understand them. I do NOT.' 'Alright then, since you seem so determined-.'
After Madame Pomfrey dosed the Slytherin with Skele-Gro, Rhane was left alone with the boy. She winced in sympathy-pain as the medicine began working on him, which, being a painful process, caused his face to go through a series of convulsions. Once or twice he let out an ear-piercing scream and Madame Pomfrey came in to look in on him to be sure everything was working smoothly, and the bone was knitting back together.
**************************************************************************** *******************
Madame Pomfrey entered again as dark began to fall like a blanket across the school. "Dear, visiting time is most definitely up, and you'll want to return to your Common Room now, right? I'll leave you to say your goodnights, but do hurry about it, alright?" She smiled most cheerily and went back to her desk.
Rhane looked at Draco, and on impulse, grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. 'What AM I doing?' flashed through her brain, but received no response. His silvery eyes flew open at this movement, and he whispered in a grinding, pained voice. "Here-I've a letter for you. I wrote it before- before the fight."
The Gryffindor took the green envelope from his frail, feeble hands, outstretched towards her, and gave a small smile, against her own will. 'Why am I smiling? It's another of his horrid letters, I am sure, for he wrote it in a state of anger and jealousy, if it was written before the fight.' However, when she spoke, Rhane's voice was soft, gentle and quiet. "G'night, Draco." The whisper fell upon his ears as the girl grabbed her schoolbag and sketchbook. As soon as she had left the Hospital Wing, she opened the letter.
*** Dearest Rhane *** I didn't want to tell you, but I've a feeling you must know, though you've only guessed before-correctly, as well. Yes, my father does-does inflict these marks on me sometimes. I would not really say he-he ABUSES me, but perhaps that is merely because I do not want to believe that I am the same as him-or worse. God, I never wanted you to know! Please, DO NOT tell ANYONE. PLEASE. I also know your 'stalker.' A-friend, if you can call a liar and a fool such a thing-from my childhood he was-from my toddler days through my third year here at Hogwarts, though very few people knew him. He was always quiet, always a loner. I shall, perhaps, reveal his secrets another time, but no more now, for I have disclosed enough in this letter to make me wish I'd never written it, I am sure. Please know that-that I am grateful for all that you have done, and have faith in you not to tell my secrets which I have revealed to you and only you in closest confidence. *** Love, Draco ***
Rhane stared as her hand clenched and unclenched the letter. Crystalline tears, sparkling like morning dew, flowed down her silken, pale cheeks, though for the life of her she knew not why. Perhaps she should go see Snape-he was liable to still be in the Dungeons, after all-he always cheered her up, even when he was in the worst of moods, it seemed. After all, he was her Beloved, her one and only love-or was he? The brunette felt incredibly confused, her mind a swirl of insanity, though she couldn't imagine what set off the chaos inside the depths, misty and dark, of her mind.
**************************************************************************** *******************
The Potions Master was indeed in his dungeons, fortunately for Rhane. She found him fairly easily, and stood there, watching him, until he raised his ink-dark eyes, feeling the presence of someone else in the room with him. His eyes widened with shock upon seeing her, and his mind-as well as his heart-set to racing.
'What is she doing here at this time of evening? I haven't seen her lately- not alone-and seeing her now is driving all my senses completely mad! I swear I am flipping my lid. Ah, well-it is SO lovely to see her, though I must fight to control myself with every step she takes towards me.'
He smiled, therefore, as warm a smile as he could muster, one which reached his eyes and made them appear the warmer black of coal, rather than the frosty hue of ink. Then Snape realized something-Rhane had been crying. Immediately, the professor rushed over to the door, shutting it, then gathered her into his arms, letting her cry into his chest. "What is it, little one?" Severus Snape whispered, gentle voice edged with concern.
With a forlorn note in her own velvet-like voice, Rhane replied between small sobs. "It's just that-I hadn't seen you alone-in so LONG, it seemed! I-I missed you SO." 'I just lied-LIED-to my Beloved-over DRACO! Why?' The brunette's head set to spinning down the drain of insanity again. 'WHY?!'
**************************************************************************** *******************
Snape didn't know what was REALLY wrong with Rhane, but he would have bet everything he owned that Draco Malfy was behind it all. A surge of hatred for the boy ran anew through his veins. 'Why does he treat her in such a way? He knows she does not LOVE him-why? WHY?' His mind simply seethed with wrath. He WOULD settle this-eventually. The sharp, practical side of his brain had kicked in, stomping down the emotional flickers again. He could not really move a finger until Rhane had graduated, for the risk of losing his job would be too great beforehand, and he must have some way to provide for and support his love once they were married, after all. Finally, he released her, and gently kissing her forehead, her lips and her hand, the Potions Master nodded to his dearest. "You had better run along, before we are caught. Besides, I'm sure you need your rest." He watched her go, smiling and waving as she turned and blew a kiss from the doorway, sighing when she was gone. 'What a mess my life has become, so quickly.'
**************************************************************************** *******************
Rhane returned to the Gryffindor Common Room and tried her hardest to sleep- if only for Severus, as he had told her she should. Tossing and turning all night, she even had a pillow tossed at her accompanied by a mumbling of "Stop that bloody racket and SLEEP.", but still, she could not sleep. Finally, as it neared 4:30 AM, the brunette girl fell into a light slumber, only to awake again at 5:00, then 5:30, and at last 6:00, whereupon she decided to get up, bathe and dress. No use going back to sleep, after all- she might as well stay awake now.
**************************************************************************** *******************
At noon, Rhane returned to the Hospital Wing to check on Draco. She felt compelled to-after all, it was all her fault that he was there-it had been fighting for HER that he had been so wounded. When she arrived, he was eating a small meal of mashed potatoes and peas, with a glass of pop. Rhane felt the muscles of her face involuntarily twitch into a smile, though she was inwardly scolding them with all her might, she could not reverse them. "I-I'm glad to find you looking better, Draco-I-."
He looked up at her with emotional, torment-filled eyes, windows into the soul that was full of such terrible despair, and she felt her voice stop, trapped like a fly in that gaze. 'She must think me a terrible, blood sod after all, reading that letter. Or WORSE-she might PITY me. I could not BEAR pity in HER eyes-NO! But-she knows! There is nothing I can do. She knows the truth. There is no escape from those knowing looks in those lovely green eyes NOW. Why did I tell her? I must not have been thinking straight. Or-I thought that I would die, even before I left for the gardens, before I knew who my opponent was.' The silver-haired boy looked at Rhane with his quicksilver eyes and spoke in a soft, silken voice, ever-so-quietly.
"Did you read the letter?" "Y-yes, oh, Draco-I-I guessed, but I-I never KNEW-." Her voice was cut off by his. "Do you understand what it means? I cannot help but treat you the way my father treats me-it is in my BLOOD, my very VEINS! I, at least, love YOU- my father never loved ME. Still does not." His voice, so smooth, cracked slightly with a painful, bitter note imbedded within. The brunette's expression softened, her large eyes melting with emotion, and Draco felt a surge of horror. 'NO! She must NOT pity me! I need NO pity!'
Before he could say anything to that extent, however, he felt a delicate, small, cool hand on his feverish cheek, which began to gain a crimson tint.
"Promise me you'll keep well here and stay until Madame Pomfrey actually officially releases you, Draco. Please." The look in her eyes was so pleading, so sincere, so concerned that the Slytherin boy could only nod in shock. His astonishment increased ten million-fold, however, when she leaned over and touched her soft pink lips to his smooth, overly-warm cheek for the merest of seconds-long enough for the cheek to turn a very bright ruby red shade, though-before fleeing, leaving Draco holding one slim warm hand to an even warmer cheek in bewilderment.
**************************************************************************** *******************
Rhane hurried to her next class, completely confused and angry with herself. 'Why did I DO such a foolish thing? I am an IDIOT-a first class IDIOT! I love only Severus! I merely PITY Draco. Well-I MIGHT like him a LITTLE-but I despise him far more! I do not UNDERSTAND this-this confusion! I refuse to accept it!' She entered the next class with a toss of her waist-length hair and sat down, wearing a mask of serenity and passivity as she pulled out her sketchbook for a release of emotions. Her sketches were her feelings, and she guarded them closely.
**************************************************************************** *******************
'Whatever was the matter with Rhane today?' Snape asked himself, worry flooding his quick mind. 'And Draco was not in class-Madame Pomfrey said something about his being in the Hospital Wing or some such thing. But what is he doing THERE? And WHY is Rhane so troubled? Is it because she- pities Draco? Or something more? NO. She loves me, I love her. If we can just SURVIVE the rest of this year, we can be together legally without endangering either of our positions here-student and teacher. But, the waiting! I never realized how difficult it was to fight fate.' His inner voice tried to start another conversation and failed miserably, for the professor's mind was simply too caught up in the strangeness of the day's events. The Potions Master knew whatever it was trying to come to him was important, for he knew it felt like he was forgetting something, but for the life of him he could not remember what it was or why it was necessary. Sighing, he continued to work on the complicated potion-the sooner it was finished, the sooner he could get some much-needed sleep.
Author's Note: Wrote this on a different computer, but-ah, well. Enjoy? I hope so--.^_^^_^^_^