A/N: A new chapter, yay! Now don't go and die from teh shock, eh? Getting the time to write this has been an absolute nightmare. I'm computerless and I have school plus work EVERY weekday and work on Saturdays which is driving me mad. But I'm making an effort.
Oh, Marille Earen and I were in Italy and Greece March 16 through 29, so there was the added delay of the trip and not being able to write. Sorry! But it's long and we think it's good.
Bold italics are Railane's intros, italics are thoughts, and anything in bold is a diary entry.
Chapter six: Strike one
The first visit to Hogsmeade will be forever imprinted in my mind as a day that changed many lives. It was my first encounter with Draco's imposing father, though certainly not the last, yet ironically that day was one of the very little times that Dray let his real self out in presence of others. The memories are bittersweet, but it brought us many lessons that we would ultimately need.
Railane opened her eyes long before the first rays of dawn filtered into the room. She'd showered and dressed quietly, and she now sat on the windowsill, hands playing idly with her long wavy hair. Pansy woke up and stretched noisily, and Railane jumped off the windowsill and slipped out of the room, clutching her scarf and gloves tightly as she put on her coat.
Looking at her watch and realizing it was still too early to go get Blaise, she sank into an overstuffed chair by the fireplace of the common room, reviving the languid fire absently with her wand. Curling up with a cushion, she closed her eyes with a sigh and dozed off.
Pansy walked into the common room around fifteen minutes after Railane did, and she extracted her wand with a grin, approaching slowly as she prepared to hex her. Before she could utter a spell, a shout of "Expelliarmus!" was heard and Pansy's wand clattered against the floor, rolling away. Railane jumped up at the noise and fixed Pansy with a glare. Pansy stared at the portrait hole and Railane followed her gaze, her eyes with locking with cool gray as she looked at an impeccable yet fierce Draco. She smiled gratefully and his features softened into a smirk.
He walked over to them, giving Pansy a nasty look before standing next to Railane. "Arachnia," he enunciated clearly, hitting Pansy with a powerful spider hex and making her fall to the floor with a terrified shriek as spiders crawled all over her body.
"Finite incantatem," Railane shouted, dropping to her knees beside Pansy, who was sighing in relief as the spiders vanished, and helping her up. Railane muttered "Accio wand" under her breath, and handed the wand to Pansy, who looked shocked at Railane's reaction, without so much as a second glance. While Railane glared at Draco, Pansy slipped out quietly.
"What?" Draco asked in confusion at her glare.
"You are such a git," she exclaimed, fuming, as she smacked her shoulder.
He looked down at her. "Hey, I stood up for you," he replied.
She straightened herself to her full height, which wasn't saying much next to his almost six-foot frame. "I appreciate that, Draco, but I can fight my own battles."
Blaise walked in, hair still dripping from his recent shower. "Sure you can, love, yet you've been hiding from the Slytherin girls for the past week."
"Blaise," she pleaded softly, but Draco had already reacted.
"You mean they've attacked you before?" he asked in outrage.
She shook her head. "It was nothing."
"It wasn't nothing! They've been on your case for a week, you're hiding from them, and you blame me for intervening!"
"Don't raise your voices," Blaise interjected, but they ignored him.
"You didn't have to hex her!"
"Like hell I didn't! Hello, this is Pansy we're talking about, here!"
"Damn it, you are just like her, an insufferable and vengeful idiot!" Said this, she clapped a hand to her mouth, knowing she'd overstepped herself.
This was immediately proven by the iciness that invaded his demeanor. "Well, excuse me for caring, worrying, and rising earlier to walk the length of the castle to be here when you came down!" He turned on his heel and stormed out of the common room. Railane watched him leave, speechless, before sinking into a chair. Blaise placed both his hands on her shoulders in silent reassurance, not knowing what else to do. Those two had a knack for talking first and thinking later, and it was how alike they were that separated them.
Liana and Harry waited anxiously for their friends near the gates under the watchful eyes of Filch and Mrs. Norris. Hermione was the first to arrive, flushed from her conversation with Ernie. Ron wasn't far behind. Draco walked out the castle on his own, not even Crabbe or Goyle there to flank him, and Pansy was giving him sour looks. Liana hesitated before walking towards him. "Hi, Draco. How's it going?"
He looked surprised, but recovered with an awkward smile. "Okay. You?"
"Okay as well. Where's Lane?"
"He wouldn't know," Pansy replied from behind Liana. "They had a lover's quarrel."
Liana looked at her in disdain before turning back to Draco. "You fought? Why?"
"She didn't want to be rescued," he replied bitterly. At her questioning look, he elaborated. "Pansy was about to attack Railane when I stopped her."
Liana smiled knowingly. "And?"
Draco looked sheepish. "I might've hexed Pansy and pissed Railane off."
"Mean Draco," Liana replied, grinning.
"Well, he did what your dear friend didn't have the guts to do," Pansy taunted.
Liana took a deep breath. "Come on Draco, let's go. She's not worth it."
He was about to follow when Pansy replied mockingly. "That's right little Gryffindork. Go back to the Mudblood, the Weasel and your beloved Potty."
Liana had half turned when she froze at the words, her left hand clenching into a fist as her right hand swung and the back of her hand slapped Pansy. Pansy gasped, clutching her cheek, before lunging at her retreating back, pulling her hair to hang on. Liana yelped before swinging at Pansy to get her off. Pansy ducked and scratched her arm with her long nails, drawing blood in a spot.
Draco tried to pry them apart as a crowd gathered, some of them chanting "Catfight!" Pansy kicked Draco's calf when he stepped between her and Liana, and he rolled onto the grass, rubbing his leg resentfully. It was then that Railane emerged from the castle, running to see what the commotion was all about. Instead of trying to intervene physically, she pulled out her wand. "Locomotor Pansy," she said, using her wand to move the now levitating Pansy away from Liana. Harry was immediately by Liana's side, helping her up.
Snape stood next to Railane, motioning for her to release Pansy. She carefully placed her on the floor before muttering "Finite incantatem".
"What has happened here?" he asked in a low voice.
"Pansy provoked Richards, who put her in her place, and when Richards turned Pansy attacked her from behind," Draco explained.
"And Miss Lesperance fits in this how?"
"Blaise and I were coming down to meet Draco and I decided to separate these two before it went any further. Liana isn't the violent type so this really surprised me."
Snape gazed at her evenly. "Well, I think detentions are in order. Miss Richards and Miss Parkinson, Monday at 7:30 in the dungeons."
"Liana was provoked!" Railane exclaimed in outrage.
Before Snape could give Railane a detention as well, Blaise intervened. "Pansy also tried to hex a fellow Slytherin this morning, and she would have succeeded had she not been stopped."
Snape paled. If there was one thing he wouldn't tolerate, that was treason in his own house. "Very well," he muttered between clenched teeth. "Miss Richards will have detention only on Monday, whereas Pansy will have all week."
"Fair enough," Blaise replied, turning and steering Railane and Liana away, with Draco and Harry following.
"She annoys the hell out of me," Railane muttered.
"I think she does that on purpose," Draco pointed out quietly.
Railane, simply glad that he was speaking to her again, merely nodded.
After walking around Hogsmeade for a while and buying a few things, Railane suggested that they go get some refreshment, and they headed towards the Three Broomsticks when she spotted the Hog's Head pub. She had been very curious as to what the pub was like, and reluctantly the others had agreed to walk inside so she could get a look.
The minute her eyes adjusted to the dim light after walking in, Railane knew that it had been a mistake. Staring at her from the very first table was a man that was clearly Draco's father. The same hair, though longer; same eyes, though icier; and same regal air; though haughtier.
He looked at her dismissively, thinking her just another kid; but when Draco walked inside after her, worried over her delay, his face changed.
Draco froze, eyes narrowing, and he took a step forward, partially shielding Railane from his father's unyielding gaze. Lucius was about to rise to the challenge when Railane placed her hand timidly on Draco's shoulder. He met her imploring eyes and took a step back, preparing to leave, when Harry and Liana burst through the door.
Harry's look turned to one of pure hatred, and the same went for Lucius. Lucius pulled out his wand, ready to strike, but a melodious voice chanted 'Expelliarmus!' before he had time to react. His wand clattered to the floor, and both Railane and Draco drew theirs, turning to the voice's owner.
A tall, pretty young woman with straight light brown hair and brown eyes was pointing her wand at Lucius as she walked towards the four to make sure they were alright. Behind her trailed a shorter woman with bronzed skin and short straight hair, also pointing a wand. The taller woman glared at Lucius before turning to the four. "Are you all okay?"
"Yes, we are," Railane replied, lowering her wand.
"I'm Odette, and that's Irina," the woman told Railane.
Railane looked at Irina, getting a bad feeling about her, then turned to Odette. "I'm Railane and these are Draco, Harry and Liana." Odette smiled at everyone and Irina nodded in acknowledgement.
"Now," she said, turning to Lucius, "I have been watching you for a while to see if you would strike for your dear master, and you just did. Any last words before I take you to the Ministry?"
"I believe the last words will be yours," a woman with a low voice replied. Everyone's eyes turned to her and Draco's eyes widened in recognition. He immediately stepped in front of Railane, shielding her from view as much as he could, and Harry followed suit with Liana. Railane tilted her head from her spot behind Draco to get a better look at the woman.
She was of average height, with short dark hair with red streaks, pale skin and small, slanted eyes. A medallion hung around her neck, and Harry identified it immediately as the Black family crest. She wasn't Bellatrix, for he had fought her the year before, but the resemblance was definitely there even though this woman was younger. Her lips curled slowly into a sardonic mimic of a smile, pointed teeth showing slightly.
Odette pointed her wand at her, as did Harry, but Draco kept his eyes fixed on his father's every move. Irina, however, slipped behind Liana, wand in hand, and muttered a stunning spell directed at Draco. Railane deflected the spell with a quick 'Protego!', and Draco's eyes snapped to Irina's.
"Hmm, treason," the sinister woman commented with delight.
Odette looked at Irina in shock, and the instant Odette lowered her guard, the woman shouted "Petra facere!" and turned Odette into stone. Liana gasped at the sight, and Draco pushed Railane further behind him as Harry did the same with Liana. The woman raised her wand, making Odette's petrified form rise with it, then flicked her wrist sharply, releasing her hold on the stone. As if in slow motion, the stone that contained Odette crashed against the floor, shattering into a thousand glittering pieces.
All eyes were glued to the pieces that now lay scattered across the hardwood floor. The color in the pieces seemed to pulsate, like a heartbeat, then the shine in them ebbed away slowly, leaving only dullness behind and disappearing in shimmering rivers of liquid crystal. Railane shivered. That stone had been Odette, and the iridescent streams had been her blood. Now both were gone, leaving behind a heavy emptiness hung with stony silence. Ironic, indeed.
Draco was still processing Odette's demise when the woman turned her attentions to him. "My, my. Lucius, isn't your darling son an aesthetic prowess? He would do well serving beside me, don't you think?"
"He has chosen to associate himself with the wrong kind of people, Kendrix," he replied coldly, eyeing Railane with distaste. "I'm afraid he might not be up to the task."
"Let's go, Draco," Railane implored softly. "There has been enough violence for one day."
"Oh, sweetheart," the woman now identified as Kendrix replied, "there can never be enough violence for me." She inspected Railane with a critical air. "You were fast. And you're smart. Rather pretty, as well. Shame you had to pick my choice as your little boyfriend."
"I'm not her boyfriend," Draco replied at the same time that Railane exclaimed "He's not my boyfriend!"
Kendrix gasped mockingly. "No? Hmm. Could've fooled me. And you, Lucius?"
His lips curled. "Consider me fooled."
Railane's eyes hardened. "Oh, that's a first," she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Draco looked at Railane in shock. "And you were telling me to back off," he commented quietly.
She pulled at his arm. "Let it go. We need to get out of here before Blaise and the others come to look for us."
Irina tried to block their escape, but Draco quickly sidestepped her, and she blasted him with a stream of boiling water. The water hit him hard on the throat, and he stumbled backwards, choking, as the water ran over his skin, leaving a blistered trail behind. Railane fell on her knees beside him instantly, and cradled his head before turning violently to look at Irina, hair flailing. She glanced at Irina, livid with rage, before concentrating all her energies on the spell she'd heard before. "Petra facere!"
A steady jet of bright blue light burst from the tip of her wand, and Irina was encased in stone mid-motion. Railane's right arm trembled as her eyes were still glued to Irina's now petrified body, her knuckles white from gripping the wand so hard. Her left arm was still cradling Draco's head, and a slight movement from him made her jerk in surprise and turn back to him. She let her fingertips ghost over his cheekbone softly, and his eyelids fluttered.
He looked up at her, long hair half-obscuring a face flushed with rage, with dark eyes shining with both resent and caring, a combination he never would've believed possible. He smiled at her wanly, eyes glittering like gray jewels, before pulling himself upright so as to sit next to her. "Let's go."
She rose and helped her rise, and when they were both upright and had a shocked Liana and Harry standing next to them, Kendrix clapped slowly. "I didn't think you had it in you, kid. Brownie points to you."
Lucius' cold glare penetrated her defenses, sending a chill right through her heart. "You'll regret crossing me," he warned lowly at Draco and Railane before Disapparating. Kendrix bowed slightly at them before following suit, and Railane shuddered once they were done. Draco held her close to him, as if expecting them to strike again, before joining Liana and Harry in their path outside. The four left silently, ignoring Ron, Hermione and Blaise's questions about their delay and Draco's skin, all seven unaware of the icy red-eyed stare that followed them.
A/N: So this is it. I rather like this chapter, but it's up to you to tell me if you like it as well. Also, any suggestions are appreciated so please go ahead and review.