AN: Ok, two short ones in two days to make up for the lack of updates. I'll try get a decent length chapter out over the weekend. Hope you guys think it's worth the wait. I'm off to go get some more down on paper so I don't run out and end up not proof reading and having continuity errors.
"I didn't fall over!" hissed Harry once Hermione and Ron were safely out of earshot.
"I just didn't think you wanted her knowing what you did to your arm." Harry's jaw dropped, his ability to speak temporarily absent. "Come on Harry, look at my arms mate. I'm a pro."
Harry suddenly regained the power of speech, "I don't pay attention to scars. I'm sick of mine getting stared at."
Raven nodded, "Please don't do it again, please don't end up like me." Her smile had disappeared.
"I'd rather be you than me. I don't know how much more of this shit I can take. Rita Skeeter would have a field day if she could see the famous Harry Potter now."
"Who?.. Anyway, if you knew even half of the stuff that's going on in my life you'd take that statement back. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. It's a very lonely world being only part human."
"Remus manages OK."
"Remus is human 27 out of every 28 days, I disgust myself for not being part of any group. Wizards don't want me coz of the vampire part, Muggles because I don't conform, Vampires because I'm alive. The one person I've ever loved doesn't want me. You have friends who care about you more than life, Remus looks at you like you're the son he's been denied. My mother threw me away to rot in the gutter when she set eyes upon me for the first time. I smoke, drink too much and do drugs just so I can get the hell away from this reality. The music I listen to is the only way to express myself without hurting someone. It's too dangerous for me to show my emotions. This is why I hurt myself. I have to let it out. I want to die, and God knows have I tried, but someone always stops me. Then they find out what I am and disown me. Now I've had to come back to school and I'm scared. I don't want to lose control and hurt someone."
"Neither do I. It hurts Ron and Hermione every time I raise my voice. Everyone I care about always gets hurt because of me. Its my fault my Godfather's dead."
"Hey! That was not your fault! Sirius cared about you so much. He still does. He's catching up with his friends and they'll see you again when its your time. I've got noone waiting. I don't even know what'll happen to me, I mean I'm not even human. I just know I don't want to be here. If you knew what I was you'd leave too. I'm meant to be alone. I thought it could be different this time, but it's never going to change. Malfoy got one thing right, I should be in Slytherin." Raven's voice contained a hint of panic, to her normal self this was quite close to hysteria. Harry had no idea what to do as the normally bubbly female collapsed onto a low wall, pulling desperately at her hair.
"What's the matter freak? Scar head dumped you now he's found out you're a disgusting half-breed? You're not even a real vampire are you loser?"
Malfoy was stood a few feet away sniggering and for a few moments the air was silent, before a girl shrieked, fear in her voice,
"Harry! Get away from her! She's a vampire, she'll kill you!"
Looking past Malfoy, Raven and Harry saw not only a large group of Slytherins, but also the majority of the Gryffindor 6th years. It was Lavender Brown who had shouted. Raven regained her outward composre, but Harry knew inside she was now in a state of utter panic, he could almost feel it radiating from her, but she skated slowly up to Malfoy, so close that he could feel her breath on his cheek. She leaned in even closer, putting her mouth about a centimetre from his ear and whispered in a voice so icy it sent shivers down the blonde boy's spine, "I swear to the Goddess I am going to break you Draco. You're going to wish you never came out from under your father's cloack and messed with me. You chose the worst enemy imaginable. I will destroy you, emotionally or physically, I don't care. I won't forget this." She licked his neck and lingered for a few seconds more before turning, grabbing her skateboard and skating away, nonchalently pulling off a couple of tricks.
***
She did not show up in the common room that night, nor was she in bed when Hermione woke from her fitful sleep at 4am. Sure enough, in true Hogwarts fashion, the news had spread like wildfire and hushed whispers were everywhere as though people expected Raven to appear from the shadows and murder them. Around breakfast time the portrait hole sprung open, and a filthy Gabriella Black appeared. The clothes she was wearing were now covered in dirt, and in some places dried blood. Her normally smooth hair was was matted. Hermione hurried over but was completely ignored. Raven headed up the stairs towards the dorm, her arrival marked with screams. The rest of the girls were awake and out of bed in seconds, congregating in the common room in their pyjamas.
"Oh grow up! Can't you all just stop being pathetic and think of someone other than yourselves? You're all just as bad as the Slytherins, judging people on blood." Hermione had tears in her eyes as she shouted and fled up the stairs. Raven was half undressed as Hermione ran in and the sight was definitely not what she had expected. The dirt that had been on her clothes had covered her skin, which was covered in hundreds of scarsof different ages, however the most shocking thing was the blood running down her shoulder blades forming a river down her spine. The source was clearly visible as two deep gouges, one on each shoulder blade. Raven either wasn't in pain or had a very high pain threshold, her face was stony as she performed a cleaning charm on her hair and began to brush it out.
"Raven, you should go see Madam Pomfrey. You're hurt."
"No I'm not." Hermione shivered at the deathly cold tone of voice. The young woman in front of her was unrecognisable from the person who only yesterday had been skating with Harry, laughing as if she didn't have a care in the world.
"Raven, don't block us out! We don't care what you are, just who you are. We're not going to chage our minds about liking you for something as small as this."
"Hermione! It's not like me having an extra toe or something! Everyone else thinks it's a big deal. I haven't told you everything because I can't. Malfoy might know, his father certainly does. They're scum. What makes it worse is that I should be in Slytherin. Gryffindor doesn't suit me. I'm leaving."
Hermione lost it. "RAVEN! Stop talking shit! You're not going anywhere. They're just a load of shallow losers who don't know good people when they meet them."
Raven absent mindedly began to fiddle with her necklace. "I just want to feel like I'm not a complete freak. Is that too much to ask?" To Hermione's complete surprise Raven collapsed onto her shoulder and began to cry, loud choking sobs shaking her body. A faint tapping noise on the door caused Hermione to look over her shoulder, only to find Lavender Brown with her head halfway around the door.
"Don't worry, I don't think she's going to bite you right this second." Her voice was filled with hostility. Lavender looked over, and gave a quiet scream as she saw the blood.
"Stop panicking its only mine. I'll clean up before I go home, wherever home is. I probably won't see you again so… goodbye."
"What? You are NOT leaving! The sorting hat put you in Gryffindor for a reason, now act like you're one and be proud of who you are!" She dropped her voice a little, "How do you think Harry would feel if you went? Everyone he's treated as family has gone. Now a friend he's only just made leaves him. How would that feel to you?"
Raven's voice held no hint of emotion as she replied, "It made me feel like giving myself the huge scar on my left forearm. Who knows if Harry's like me or not? I just hope he isn't because humans would have died." The panic was returning to her voice, "Losing 6 pints of blood before anyone finds you would finish anyone off. For once in my life will someone let me go!!!" The final sentence was screamed as loud as her voicebox could manage before she collapsed onto her knees on the bloodsoaked carpet, sobbing so hard she was gasping for breath. Her head sank lower and lower until her exhausted body gave in to unconsciousness.
AN: Personal notes go at the bottom! Went to the doctors today and ended up with my head in a complete mess, so the bits im working on now may be slightly… disturbing. ie. Even more sick and twisted than I imagined the scenes to be. At least I haven't ended up cutting tonight… worship the gods of chocolate fudge cake. As soon as I get a few more reviews I'll reply to them. Thanks for reading.