A/N: so i fixed it at last (i hope) and got a new chappy up plz R/R
Chapter 9
All eyes were on the two owls as the swooped lower in the hall.
"Bit late for the post isn't it?" Ron said the unexpected arrival of the owls had failed to take Ron's attention from his food.
One of the owls headed straight for the teacher's table, whilst the other circled lower and lower around the Great Hall. Finally in headed for the Gryffindor table. Gravy splattered in every direction as the owl dropped its letter.
"Oh no" Ron whined, "It's spoiled the lasagne"
"Oh Ronald" Hermione said exasperated "Do you ever thing of anything but food?"
Ron opened his mouth to respond but Harry cut in before they had a chance to begin their, what seemed continual, bickering.
"Erm...the letter anyone?" Harry nodded slightly towards the gravy pot.
Hermione looked disgusted as she put her hand in the thick brown gravy to retrieve the letter.
"Hmmm" she scrunched up her nose in concentration "Ahh right...Becci it's for you" she had the soggy parchment over happily.
The Gryffindors watched curiously as she opened the letter, careful not to rip it. All other eyes in the hall were on the head table, as the watched Dumbledore in anticipation as he rose slowly to his feet. His attention was focused on the far side of the hall, the Gryffindor side to be exact.
Meanwhile at the Gryffindor table:
"Haha! There done it, not a single rip either" Becci smiled triumphantly her blue eyes sparkling "I knew it...oh my god" her voice shrank to a barely audible whisper and the sparkle vanished from her eyes, as two crystal clear pebble like stones fell from the envelope. She slammed her hand down quickly over the stones, hardly taking in the contents of the letter from the tears stinging in her eyes.
"You..." she still spoke in a whisper although her voice had gained some of its strength back, fuelled by the rage evident in her eyes, "This is all your fault you OLD FOOL!" she was on her feet screaming now. Tear threatening to spill down her cheeks however hard she fought to keep them back "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS! HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?"
"Now Miss. Ridack calm down" he spoke calm yet sternly "We can discuss this further and more privately in my office"
"NO! YOU'RE...YOU'RE..." she gritted her teeth angry and frustrated, "WHAT YOU SAY MEANS NOTHING, YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE LET THIS HAPPEN TO PRECIOUS POTTER. YOU AND YOUR EMPTY PROMISES"
"I did everything in my power..." Snape eyes thinned to slits as he spoke these words
"OBVIOUSLY YOU DIDN'T! YOU'RE SO FULL OF SHIT YOU'RE A WORTHLESS..."
"Hey, don't you talk to Dumbledore like that!" Becci realised once again that they were in a room full of people
"This has nothing to do with you" a trembling whisper was all she could manage to force from her lips, although it echoed around the silent hall. Harry's hand shot across the table and grabbed Becci around the wrist. In her fist she had clenched the two small stones.
"Apologise" Harry growled his eyes boring into hers
"You have no idea what he's done" she snatched her arm away from him as she ran from the hall.
"Hey" Harry shouted after her as he clambered from his seat in pursuit
"Mr. Malfoy! Mr. Potter! Both of you return to your seats" Dumbledore's voice boomed across the great hall in a way in had never done before. Draco merely sneered in his direction before continuing to rise from his seat.
"No way is she getting away with talking to you like that!" Harry shouted in replied as he exited the hall with Draco Malfoy not too far behind.
Becci ran determinedly down the corridors blinded by tears she refused to let fall.
"Hey" someone had a firm grip on the top of her arm "Who the fuck do you think you are?"
"Who the fuck do you think you are Potter?" she heard Draco's voice somewhere in the distance "Let go of her!"
"No, she has no right to speak to him like that" he moved his hand down to her still tightly clenched fist. She stood silently as total numbness filled her.
"And she's stolen something. What have you got?" Harry's voice penetrated the silence that filled her mind, she realised he was prising her hand open.
"No!" she shouted as he struggled to get to the stones.
"Harry!" Ron and Hermione came running down the corridor the soggy parchment held loosely in Hermione's hand as she stared in shock at the scene in front of her.
"Please don't" Becci's voice was back to a whisper as Harry opened her hand and two clear stones fell to the floor, they had turned a deep blood red before they hit the carpet.
"Oh no..." Ron paled as he spoke "Shit Harry" he shook his head at a loss for words, a small gasp was all that escaped Hermione.
"What?" Harry asked anger still evident in his voice "Two red stones so what?" All he got in reply was silence; all attention was focused on Becci.
"Red" she whispered to herself as she sank to her knees, tears now falling freely down her face "Red" she swayed dangerously and Draco rushed forward to catch the sobbing from.
"Shhh. It'll be alrite" he held her in his arms and hugged her close as she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest.
"What is all the fuss over two stupid red stones?"
"Shut up Potter" Draco turned to face Harry, his face flushed pink burning with anger "Go away" the word though simple filled with venom.
"Oh Harry its just..." Hermione struggled to hold back her own tears
"Granger, if you must explain it to him, I would have thought you'd be clever enough to realise here is not the right place" Draco spoke in hushed tones as he hugged Becci protectively to him
"Oh right sorry..." she sniffed "Come on Harry" she said as she turned to walk away.
"No! I want to know why these sto..."
"Shut the fuck up Harry" Ron cut in looking as though he was about to be sick "Cant you see you've done enough damage" Ron grabbed Harry and pulled him silently away.
Becci buried her head deeper into Draco's chest and then pulled away to look straight into his eyes.
"They were red Draco" tears sliding slowly from her already puffy, red eyes.
"I know," he whispered gently his eyes full of sorrow "I know" he said again stroking her hair as she slumped unconsciously into his arms.
Professor Snape walked silently up the winding staircase to the Slytherin prefects dorm and was not surprised to find Draco Malfoy leaning on one of the four posts of his bed which was inhabited by a female form.
"Draco is she..." Snape began upon entering the room.
"I'm awake Professor" Becci sat up in the bed her eyes still patchy and bloodshot "I suppose I have to return to Gryffindor tower"
"Oh no" Snape gave her a rare yet comforting smile "I gave you this message when I found you in the library, I haven't seen you since"
"Thanks Sev" she smiled half heartedly "What is the message?"
"Professor Dumbledore has brought your sorting forward to tomorrow" Snape walked closer to the bed then sitting down he said gently "I'm sorry about your parents, I really am"
"It's okay" she bit her lip to stem the flow of fresh tears that threatened as he pulled her into a hug (a paternal kind of hug)
"If I'd have known sooner I could have done more" he paused as he gathered his thoughts "Dumbledore believed an attack on your parents unlikely, so he loosened their protection. I was only told this morning"
"It's okay Sev...I know you did all you could" she smiled weakly at him as he rose to leave
"Look after her Draco" he whispered before turning once again to Becci "You are excused from all lessons tomorrow, as are you Draco. Once again I am truly sorry for your loss"
Once Snape had left Draco took his seat on the bed.
"Feeling any better?" he asked tentively
"As good as I can feel right now" she laughed slightly the sparkle back in her eyes "Thanks Draco"
"So sorting tomorrow" he glanced at her momentarily before returning his gaze to his intertwined fingers "I know this isn't the best time to say this but...you're not going to be in Slytherin are you? I mean how can you be"
"Of course I am," she laughed, her pain momentarily forgotten
"I don't understand" Draco looked for the first time genuinely confused "You're muggleborn"
"My parents" she wiped her eyes and breathed in deeply "I mean my late parents...they er...well I mean," she closed her eyes frustrated "Your dad told me not to say or...you know I would've have told you"
"Told me what?" Draco asked curious yet puzzled
"They erm...I...they...I'm adopted" she smiled at him hoping for a good reaction. Draco opened his mouth then closed it again, whatever he had been expecting that wasn't it.
"So well..?" Draco didn't know what to ask first
"My bloods almost as pure as yours" she sighed tears once again filling her eyes "That witch who killed my parents today...that witch is my mother, father's dead" Draco's jaw dropped but he quickly shut it, before pulling her close to him once again as tears ran freely down her face.
"Shhh. Okay that'll do we can talk more when you're ready" he whispered into her hair, holding her close with one arm and reaching for a smoking goblet with the other, "Here drink this for a dreamless sleep"
"Thanks" she smiled weakly over the goblet "And Draco...stay with me tonight...please?"
"Of course" he shook his head smiling "I couldn't leave"