A/N: Sorry it took so long! I had to get some minor oral surgery, but I'm fine now. It actually got me to finally sit down and finish since I began writing this chapter after hashing out ideas with Marille Earen at a café; ideas that have now led to the planning of a fun, forum-y, funny fic titled "What if…?" We still haven't sat down to write it, but the planning spurred me into a writing frenzy by getting the HP creative juices flowing again.
This chapter goes out to CompleteGeek. I love you so much! Not just for your awesome fic (But, he's mine- it's teh awesomeness, check it out!) but also because you reviewed me. It meant the world to me to get those reviews. And don't worry, the slash is coming soon. There's a lot of twists to go in this story, trust me. Thanks, again! And the name is pronounced Rah-e-lah-neh. It's the Spanish literal pronunciation. :-P
Chapter seven: The art of words
That day in Hogsmeade will forever be imprinted in my mind. I surprised myself when I attacked Irina, and it put a lot of things into perspective for me. That day also created a chain reaction that revealed a lot of things, and the repercussions followed all of us for a very long time. Thankfully, not everything was negativity.
Railane tapped her foot against the floor impatiently. Madam Pomfrey had been fawning over Draco's burns for the past fifteen minutes after kicking Railane out of the infirmary. On the couch across from her chair, Liana and Harry, bored from Hermione's incessant Ernie-talk, had decided to join Blaise and Ron in a game of wizards' chess.
Liana partnered with Ron so he would teach her while Blaise and Harry discussed a strategy. Which, incidentally, meant that Hermione was free to attack Railane with the tales of her almost-date with Ernie. Railane shuddered inwardly. Even his name was, well, icky. Then again, Hermione was just weird. Such a smart girl, yet some obvious things, such as Ron's love for her, simply eluded her.
Ron and Harry, after a few moves, excused themselves for a few minutes, leaving Liana and Blaise in a game she was doomed to lose. Blaise was just too good a player for his own good, and novice Liana could not contend with his expertise. He tried to go easy on her, but by the time Harry and Ron had returned, Blaise had won. Liana pouted at Blaise, who winked before turning the board so Liana would have the winning side.
"Awesome," she commented, and they all burst into laughter.
The door to the infirmary opened and a curtain being drawn back could be heard in the background. Madam Pomfrey stepped out with a tired smile. "Mr. Malfoy will be alright after some well-deserved rest. He is not supposed to receive visitors since he will be sedated soon, but he has requested to see all of you and he wishes to talk to Mr. Zabini and Miss Lesperance."
Everyone rose and walked into the infirmary, standing around Draco's bed. His throat was bandaged and his normally flawless alabaster skin was reddened and blemished. Still, he looked better than he had before, and he managed to smile when Railane brushed a lock of platinum blonde hair off his forehead.
"We're glad you're ok," Blaise commented, and there was a general murmur of assent.
"Well, Madam Pomfrey fixed me up pretty good," he replied.
"I talked to Professor Dumbledore," Railane began hesitantly. "I'm not proud of what I did to Irina, but he understood. And we think that it's reversible."
He looked into her eyes. "I'm glad," he commented quietly. "You were worried."
She nodded softly, her eyes never leaving his. "Yeah, I was."
"So what were you doing while I was being treated?"
"I was beating Blaise at wizard's chess," Liana replied grinning, and everyone burst into laughter as Draco shot Railane a look.
"Ron tried to coach Liana but the minute he and Harry stepped back, Blaise beat her. She pouted and Blaise turned the board so she'd have the winning side."
"Which was the cutest thing," Liana pointed out, giving Blaise a kiss on the cheek. "Also, where were you two?" she asked Harry and Ron.
Harry grinned at Draco. "Well, Ron had an idea that maybe since you're going to be here and bored for a while, we'd bring you one of those video games that Hermione modified," he explained, handinghim one of the games.
"That was a very nice thing to do," Draco commented quietly. Railane and Liana exchanged smiles as Hermione looked at Ron with respect. After a few minutes of idle chat, Hermione, Ron and Harry excused themselves. With a last look at Railane and Blaise. Liana excused herself as well and the four departed.
Railane broke the silence as soon as they were alone. "What did you want to talk to us about?"
Draco sighed. "Sit." When they had, he continued. "You two know you're about the only people close to me right now, right?" They nodded. "I can't tell you everything that's going on. All I can say is that it wasn't a coincidence that Kendrix was there with my father. Something big must be going on for Kendrix to be coming out in the open like that."
"But who is she?" Railane asked him.
"She's my cousin," he replied quietly. "Her mother Bellatrix tried to kill Harry's godfather Sirius last year and the curse rebounded upon her. She wasn't Kendrix's favorite person in the world, but she's upholding the family honor by trying to off Harry."
"Of course. Another one wants Harry to bite the dust. Bonus points for the fact that if Lucius helps her he looks like less of a traitor in front of his Master," Railane commented bitterly.
"Yeah," Draco agreed reluctantly. His father's motives really weren't a secret to anyone. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that you're targets now. I defied Kendrix, and she'll go after those close to me to try and get me back to her. She knows about Blaise, and now she's seen you, Railane. She'll go after you."
"I know. But I'm not afraid of her."
Draco sighed. He'd suspected as much. "Just be careful, alright? And let me know about anything."
"I will, now relax," she replied, managing a smile.
Madam Pomfrey entered the room. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Mr. Malfoy needs to drink his potion and get some rest."
Blaise smiled at Draco and rose. "We'll be back later, mate."
Railane squeezed Draco's hand and rose as well. "Get better soon," she whispered.
Blaise held the door open for Railane and followed her out into the hallway. "I'm worried about you, Lane. According to Harry, Kendrix seems pretty bent on getting Draco for herself, and she sees you as an opponent. Even Draco's warning you."
"I can handle myself Blaise. Besides, I have a boyfriend to keep an eye on me."
He saw her mischievous smiled and grinned, shaking his head. Then he jumped forward and gave her a big hug. "You're the best, Lane."
She hugged him back. "I think I'm going to go for a walk. Go visit the giant squid or something. I'll see you later."
"Fine, but don't be alone for too long."
She smiled. "I won't be." She walked out of the castle, settling by the oak that she'd already become so familiar with, and leaned her head against the trunk with a sigh. She needed time to think.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Liana had returned to the common room after leaving the infirmary, and now they sat quietly at one of the tables, neither of the four knowing how to begin. Finally, Harry spoke. "So what, we're just going to sit here in silence forever?"
"No," Hermione replied. "I'm just still shocked that Railane would do stoop as low as to petrify someone with a dark spell."
"Well, she is in Slytherin," Ron replied. "Aren't they inclined to the Dark Arts?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, but I dunno. She just didn't seem like the type before."
"I'm shocked, too," Liana commented. "I wasn't expecting that."
Hermione frowned. "Well you've known her for longer than any of us, so perhaps she's surprised herself."
The portrait swung open, stopping Liana from replying, and Oliver climbed through the portrait hole, a roll of parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink in his hands. He looked surprised to find them there. "Hello."
"Hello, Professor Wood," Hermione greeted.
"Now come on, you've known me forever! No need to call me professor. Now, I'd thought that the common room would be empty at this hour.It's rather early to be back from Hogsmeade. Is everything alright? "
"Why would you want to be in the common room when it's empty?" Harry asked.
"You're evading my question," Oliver pointed out. "And I wanted to get some piece and quiet so I could write."
"Write?" Liana asked with interest.
"I wrote a small piece for Quidditch Quarterly a few weeks ago, and they're interested on me writing another article for them. I thought I'd come here and stir some memories before getting to writing."
"Oh. Sounds lovely. Maybe Railane could help. She's good with words."
"I'll keep that in mind. So, are you guys going to answer my question?"
They exchanged glances, and Hermione spoke. "Well, since Professor Dumbledore is likely to inform the staff soon, I don't think it'll do any harm. You see, Liana, Harry, Draco and Railane happened to run into Lucius Malfoy and some others in Hogsmeade and the encounter ended in the death of an Auror and the petrifying of another one who betrayed the first."
Oliver exhaled sharply. "And are you all okay?"
"Liana and I are fine, and Draco's in the infirmary because he was hit with some boiling water and Railane was with him last time we saw them," Harry replied.
"I'll go down and see how Mr. Malfoy and Railane are doing," Oliver said distractedly, turning around and walking out as abruptly as he'd walked in. The foursome looked at each other in question and shrugged, but Liana frowned when the others weren't looking. She didn't want to think what she was thinking.
Railane had been sitting by the oak for almost an hour when she heard a rustle behind her. She turned suddenly to find Oliver inching towards her slowly. "Hello," he greeted rather sheepishly.
She smiled halfheartedly. "Hello."
He pointed to a space next to her. "May I?"
She nodded. "Of course."
He sat next to her, gripping the roll of parchment he carried tightly. "I just heard from the others what happened. Are you alright?"
"How much did you hear?"
Oliver frowned. "That you, Harry, Liana and Draco met Lucius Malfoy and some others in Hogsmeade, an Auror died and another one was a traitor and got petrified. That's about it."
"I did it," she commented quietly, and his frowned deepened.
"Did what?"
"I petrified the Auror, Irina, with the same spell that killed Odette. Or rather, petrifiedOdette so Kendrix could smash her into pieces."
"Why did you?"
"She betrayed Odette, her own partner, and then attacked Draco to try to keep us from escaping, so Lucius and Kendrix could attack us as well. I was so furious, and Odette had been so nice to us…" she wringed her hands helplessly, "I just lost it." Oliver was at loss for words, so he simply placed his hand over hers in an attempt to console her, but she flinched at his touch. "It was Dark Magic," she said quietly. "I don't know what came over me, I just did it. I could've used a thousand other spells but I used that one…" She broke off, shacking and reliving the image in her mind.
Oliver dropped his things beside him and pulled her to him. "You're not going to turn evil because you used the Dark Arts once. You were trying to protect your friends, and yourself, and trying to serve justice for what was done to that Auror. You just went the wrong way about it, is all. Just try to control yourself better next time."
She pulled away from him, composing herself, and looked at him in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I had no right to just unload on you like that. I'm just a bit shaken."
"It's fine. I did ask."
She smiled. "Thank you. I couldn't tell the others that, they wouldn't understand. And I don't want them getting worried about me."
"Don't worry about it. Consider me your new counselor."
She chuckled, grinning. "Don't make offers you can't keep, Mr. Wood."
"Oh, I can keep them. Try me."
She looked at him seriously. "I might. You've been a great help. I feel a lot better now."
"I'm very pleased. Now, could I ask you to do something for me?"
"There had to be catch, huh?"
He smiled sheepishly. "You see, I have to write this article for Quidditch Quarterly, and it's due next week, and I don't know who I could ask to proof it. Liana says you're good with words so I was wondering if you could help me."
Her expression brightened. "Of course! I love writing! Have you written anything yet?"
"No, not really. But I have a lot of ideas."
"Let's get to it then."
They began discussing some of their ideas for the article, and Railane found herself smiling. He was a very nice guy, and she had someone she could talk to and trust no matter what. Regardless of all the things that had gone wrong during the day, discovering what a good friend she had in Oliver made it all seem a little less hurtful.
Kendrix walked into the spacious hall with her head held high, smiling venomously at those who looked at her. Wormtail himself walked back, cowering, and Kendrix rolled her eyes. Such an unworthy servant for her master. Tapping the far wall with her wand four times, she received access to the room. Entering slowly, she knelt in front of her master's chair, awaiting his command.
A pale hand reached out and lifted her chin so she would look at him. "My darling child," he hissed. "I have heard of what happened today. I want to know if you have managed to restore Irina."
"I have," she replied. "She is now recovering."
"She was a valuable asset, but now that she has shown herself we'll need a new Auror to work with."
"I'll see to it, master," Kendrix assured him.
"Good. Now, tell me more about the girl who petrified her."
"She was strong of will, my master, and managed to use the Dark Arts very powerfully. It took hours for me and Lucius to restore Irina. She had a lot of rage. And young Draco seems to be rather attached to her."
He noticed the tone in her voice. "That's not all bad, Kendrix. Perhaps their attachment can help us. I have a plan for her."
Kendrix inwardly disagreed, but refrained from commenting on it. He wouldn't like it. "What if she doesn't join us, master?"
"Then you can dispose of her, Kendrix, and have him for yourself."
Her lips curled into a sardonic smile. "I'll get to play cat and mouse! Perfect."
"I knew that would delight you. Now, to more urgent matters. What exactly happened with the Potter boy?"
"Harry was with this girl, a girl none of us had seen before, and she seems to be friends with the girl who was with Draco."
"We must know more. I will ask Crabbe and Goyle to get their children on it. You may go now, my dear, and keep an eye on Irina. I will contact you when I knew more about these girls and when my plans for young Malfoy are prepared. Be ready, Kendrix, for I have a new mission for you, and when it is time you must come immediately."
"Yes, my master," she replied, bowing low, then she Disapparated. Arriving at the cabin where Irina now lay unconscious, she grit her teeth. If Voldemort wanted to play around with Draco and his little friend, it was his game. But she didn't like being a pawn. And as much as she had to thank him for all the power he'd given her, she wasn't about to let him ruin her plans. Sighing, she turned to find Lucius watching her.
"How did the Master take it?"
"Very well. He is interested in the girls and will have the Crabbe and Goyle boys check up on them."
"And Draco?"
"He says he is preparing a plan to bring him over to us, and the girl seemed to interest him"
Lucius chuckled humorlessly. "Well she intrigued me, too. Especially because he never told me about her. And in she comes, like she owns the place, and she seemed to recognize me immediately."
"You look like Draco."
"True."
"She was rather pretty, though, wasn't she?"
"Well, she was a bit dumpier than I would've imagined someone he liked, but she had a pretty face. Her eyes, especially."
"I liked her hair," Kendrix admitted reluctantly. "Long and dark."
"Whether she was pretty or not really isn't the point right now. She seemed strong, determined, and I appreciated that she defended Draco so passionately."
"She did, didn't she? I have to admit it was impressive, the way she took charge. Perhaps we could talk both of them into joining us."
Lucius looked at her suspiciously. "Didn't you want her out of the way to conquer Draco?"
She shrugged. "Someone so independent won't be with him for very long. Besides, I'll be around to keep her in check. She seems ambitious and I could manipulate her easily. She doesn't worry me at all."
"Perhaps not. Speaking of manipulating, the girl that was with Potter could be used to our advantage."
"The master already spoke of it," she commented dismissively. "We'll just have to wait and see."
Lucius walked over to her, looking out the same window she was looking out of. "Yes. We must wait. Our time approaches."
A/N: Yes, I just cut it off there. But it's 1:00 AM, my meds are wearing off (meaning I'm not hyper anymore), and I've been writing for two hours straight. I need a break. But I've got next chapter planned out and I've already started it. Now, I'm going to get some sleep. Leave me a review or a cookie for my efforts, will you?