I'm updating, shhhh! My mother is not to know. I'm supposed to be revising the Russian dictatorship. But I'm so damned bored! I've been going mad. I have done work, honestly. I swear. Anyway. Thank you for the reviews, I love reviews. Interesting idea that Raid and Harry would get together, not sure if it will happen though. I just found that this story is on a C2 community, sooo didn't know anything about that heh. Oh well. I'm going to write now. This story is nearly finished. I guess there would be room for a sequel but I'm not sure what I would write about. I'll explain at the end of the story. Don't want to give anything away. Anyway. Thank you for putting up with me. I do intend to keep writing my other stories, eventually.

Back to school

Draco watched Raid stroll easily in the Great Hall for breakfast the first morning back at Hogwart's and scowled. He had assumed that she would come back to him over the holiday's. He had never been dumped by a girl. Never. And now, here she was, smiling and chatting to Harry Potter. It made his stomach curl. He got up and stormed out of the Hall.

Raid smirked as she entered the Great Hall and saw Draco scowling. She laughed out loud when she saw Draco storm out. Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes, Ron was oblivious.

"So, do you guys want to come and see Shadow after classes today?" Raid asked, as she filled a bowl with cereal.

Harry, Ron and Hermione all agreed eagerly. They had become quite attached to the Unicorn during their stay at Grimmauld Place.

"You know Raid, what are you going to do about Potions?" Hermione asked.

"What about Potions?" Raid asked absently, she was staring at the bewitched ceiling. Grey, and brown cloud washed over the ceiling heralding snow.

"You know what I mean." Hermione said sternly. "About Malfoy."

"Oh, that." She shrugged. "Ignore him I guess."

"We could sort him out for you." Ron said eagerly, looking for a chance to get in to a fight with his enemy.

Raid sighed.

"No, it's ok. I can handle him. If he wants to go off and do stupid things then he's going to have to accept that I'm not going to be there with him."

Raid stared very hard at her barely touched cereal, fighting back the tears. She hadn't given in to her tears since Christmas, it was hard now she could actually see Draco.

"Come on," Hermione said, breaking Raid's train of thought. "It's time for History of magic."

The four of them traipsed off to the history classroom, prepared for another dull lesson. Harry and Ron sat and played hangman, whilst Hermione took detailed notes. Raid sat next to the window. She took a few notes, but quickly lost interest and gazed out on the snowy grounds. Snow had begun to fall, providing another layer for the already blanketed mountains. It didn't look like they would be able to go and see Shadow after all. Raid didn't like leaving him on his own for so long, he was still only a baby really, in Unicorn years, and the attack on him had worried her. Since the attack she had still gone to see her Unicorn every morning, but she was now terrified of spiders. Raid took great care in where she went in the forest, looking out for signs of the huge arachnids. She visibly shuddered when she thought of those huge legs wrapped around her and the fangs sinking in to her shoulder. Raising her hand she rubbed the healed bite marks. A memory, unbidden, entered her mind. Shadow was galloping as fast as he could towards the light at the end of the trees, even in her half conscious state she could feel his strength beginning to fail. The spiders were gaining, she could hear them, their scurrying feet among the leaves, the gentle thuds as the jumped from branch to branch. Suddenly, they were in the lights, the spiders would not leave the forest and all that was left was a loud rustle and clicking of predators cheated of their prey. Loosing her grip on the world, Raid fell from Shadow's unsaddled back and felt herself caught in strong arms. Barely able to breathe, let alone open her eyes, her vision flicked and waned, Draco's blue eye's were full of concern, staring down at her.

A voice brought her suddenly out of the memory.

"Miss Minorita, could you answer the question?" Professor Binns asked angrily. It seemed he had been trying to get her attention for a while.

"What, uh, what was the question?" Raid asked quickly.

Professor Binns sighed.

"When did the goblin rebellion of 1567 end and why?"

"Oh," Raid said, looking relieved. "December 1567, Christmas, because the goblin leader was sent a present that contained a poison that absorbed itself in to his hands and made his skin fall off"

Professor Binns looked stuck for words.

"Ah, well. Very good." He was silent for a minute, but then carried on in his usual drone.

"Do you know Raid," Ron said as they walked out of the History classroom. "I really do hate you."

Raid laughed.

"I'm hurt Ron, what could I have done to deserve this?" Raid said, pretending to be offended.

"I would never have been able to answer one of Binns' questions after being as far away as you looked in that class." Ron whined.

Raid laughed.

"Goblin rebellions are a bit of a passion of mine." Raid explained, as the walked in to the Potions classroom.

Raid walked to her seat, Draco had not arrived yet. She sat down and twirled a blond curl round her finger. The class, as usual, was silent. Waiting for Snape to start the lesson, he was sitting at his desk writing. When he started the lesson Draco was still not present.

"This is a theory lesson today," he said smoothly. "I want you to take notes on how to make an invisibility potion that we will be making next lesson."

Books were opened and Neville quite visibly relaxed as he would not be required to make anything this lesson. Ten minutes in to the lesson the door swung open and Draco strolled in. Snape glanced up from his desk.

"Ten minutes late Mr Malfoy, don't let it happen again."

Draco smirked and slid in to his seat next to Raid. Harry, Hermione and Ron exchanged scowls at Snape's leniency towards his favourite student.

Draco glanced at Raid who was writing but had not opened her text book. After ten minutes the atmosphere had not improved between them. Raid was sitting as far away from Draco as the desk would permit and had not looked up once.

"You can't ignore me forever." Draco hissed.

"Yes I can." Raid murmured.

"Why can't you accept my decision?" He asked angrily.

"I have accepted your decision Draco." Raid whispered icily. "That's why we're not together anymore, remember?"

Draco was silent for a moment.

"At least I've chosen a side." He said snidely. "And my side will win this time, I don't remember you pledging any allegiances."

"It's not a Quidditch game Draco," Raid said patronisingly.

"You know, hanging around with Pothead isn't a very good idea, you'll fall in with the wrong sort." Draco said nastily.

Raid turned and looked Draco right in the eyes.

"Firstly, I think your definition of the 'wrong sort' and mine differ somewhat Draco, secondly, I can hang around with whomever I like, and thirdly, it's none of your business any more." Raid whispered. Looking up she said. "Professor, I've finished. Can I go please?"

Snape looked up, shocked.

"Finished?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Are you sure?" Snape asked icily.

"I have written the origins, the inventor, the ingredients, the process of making, the effects and what can go wrong with the invisibility potion in question." Raid said calmly.

Snape looked lost for words, again. Both times Raid's fault.

"Give it to me, and leave." Snape snapped.

With that, Raid picked up her bags and with a whirl of her robes and blond curls, was gone.

Dumping her stuff in the dormitory Raid took off her robes and decided to go for a skate to clear her head. As she rocketed down the fifth floor corridor she saw a large, round, ugly, flowery, thing, blocking her way.

"Here we go." Raid muttered.

"Young lady, why are you not in lessons?" Umbridge snapped, watching Raid approach at high speed.

Just in time, Raid stopped.

"I was excused early from class as I completed all the work."

"And whose class was this?" Umbridge asked accusingly.

"Professor Snape's," Raid said simply, looking bored.

Umbridge scribbled something down on her clip board.

"Well young lady, I don't think this is appropriate behaviour for the corridor. It could be very dangerous."

Raid said nothing, but continued to look bored.

"Young lady! Are you even listening to me?" Umbridge snapped.

"Yes, appropriate behaviour for the corridor, could be dangerous." Raid said in monotone.

Umbridge turned purple.

"Right! Detention. You will come to my office this evening at 8 o'clock." She spluttered.

"Can I go now?" Raid asked.

She didn't wait for an answer but pelted off down the corridor at full speed. Of course, she wouldn't be going to Umbridge's office at 8 o'clock that evening. She had better things to do. Like sit in the common room.

"You could get in lots of trouble if you don't go to that detention." Hermione scolded Raid over dinner.

"Oh well." Raid said laughing.

Hermione just shook her head.

"I've got to go and get a book from the library. I'll meet you in the common room." Hermione said as the left the Great Hall.

Raid wandered towards Gryfindor tower. Suddenly she was grabbed and pulled in to a classroom. Regaining her balance, she waited until her eyes had adjusted to the darkness before looking around. She saw Draco blocking her way out of the classroom.

"Are we practicing being a scary Deatheater who abducts people and tortures them for fun already?" Raid asked sarcastically. "'Coz to be honest Draco, I'm not really scared of you. Sorry to disappoint."

Draco walked towards her slowly.

"I promised you I would never hurt you." He said quietly.

Raid could see sincerity in his eyes. She looked away.

"I wasn't lying when I said I loved you either." Draco continued.

"Neither was I." Raid whispered. "But if you become a Deatheater I don't know how I could love you."

Draco was now standing right in front of Raid. So close she could feel his breath on her face.

"How can you not understand? I'll have so much power. Think of what I could do."

"That power comes from evil Draco. You only have that power through hurting and murdering. Is that what you want?" Raid asked.

"Death is a necessary part of war." Draco snarled.

"And raping, murdering and torturing? They are all part of war are they?" Raid snapped back, her temper rising.

"It won't be like that." Draco said.

Raid laughed cynically.

"Don't be so naive Draco. Haven't you heard the stories of what Deatheaters do? It's not all parties and dancing."

"I know that." Draco said more gently. "I don't want you to join me, but I want you to be a part of my life."
"Draco." She sighed. "If you choose a life as a Deatheater, then I can not be in your life." Raid looked deep in to Draco's eyes. "You don't have to do this, I know that there's good in you."

"There is no good, or evil." Draco said. "Only power, and those too weak to seek it."

"Spoken like a true Deatheater." Raid whispered, and looked away from him. "If you take that road Draco. I will not be on your side. I will fight against you. All the way."

Raid tried to move round him to get to the door.

"Oh no, you're not leaving this time." Draco said. "We're going to talk until we sort this out."

"I've warned you before Draco. Don't try and stop me." The anger that had subsided in her flared back up again. "Can't you see? We're not going to sort this out! You want to be a Deatheater! You want to torture and murder people! How can you even think that I would want you to do that? Now let me out!"

"No." Draco said stubbornly, moving back in front of the door.

Raid saw red, she would not be kept a prisoner. With a angry flick of her hand Draco flew away from the door and against a desk. Raid stormed out of the classroom, the door opening as she got to it, and slamming behind her. She ran all the way to the common room and up to the dormitory, ignoring the curious looks of her housemates. She threw herself down on her bed and drew the hangings. Only after that did she give in to her emotions. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she sobbed, and realised that Draco was lost to her.