Cassie: Brittany? Brittany? WHERE ARE YOU! I'M SCARED!

Aaron: Hello!...wait, where's Brittany?

Cassie: That's who I'm looking for and put that damned cigarette out.

Aaron: Forget you, I'm outta here. Leaves

Cassie:BRITTANY!

Brittany: Crawls out of a Dark Hole that Appeard from Nowhere What? Hey, where's Aaron with my disclaimer?

Cassie: Oops! Scribbles a Disclaimer on Paper

Disclaimer: Does not own Harry Potter

Falling Into the Darkness; a Sepant's Tale

Chapter Four
"Abandoned and Touched"

The inked Dark Mark faded away into a steak of black nothingness as Rane rubbed it, absentmindedly. Her ees rabeled in anticipation from Severus to the clock that read 7:28 AM. A growl of annoyance escaped Rane's throat and she rolled onto her side and buried her face in Severus' shirt. She'd only slept for four hours and lay akake since five this morning; unnamed feeling soused in her to see the frightening situation. Rane glaced over her shoulder only to see the numbers on the clock disolve into star-like confetti only to re-join moments later to read 7:29.

She sighed and, sitting sup, looked down at Severus' sleeping figure. His chest rose and fell rythmetically and Rane whispered, "You sleep like the friggin' dead."

She hummed to herself quietly until the eerie music of the alarm clock range at half past seven.

Severus opened his groggy eyes only to find Rane wide-awake and staring intently at him.

Rane sat with the Slytherin's at breakfast. The Marauders were nowhere to be seen until James stormed through the large oak doors...shaking and red-faced.

"Scarlet-Rane Mai Eleice Marie Potter." His voice may have come come quietly but it was laced dangerously with anger.

"Yes?" she asked sweetly, causing a dark chuckle to come from Lucius.

"Out there...now." He pointed towards the doors.

Rande scoffed. "Yes, sir." she aluted and followed James out. IN the abandoned hallway Sirius leaned against the wall, shaking with the fury he was trying despritly to surpress.

"WHAT THE HELL is wrong with you, are you fucking crazy?" Sirius exploded when he spotted Rane.

"Me, crazy? I"m not hte one yelling for no reason."

"For no reason?" James asked. "You know damn well what you did...what are you-some kind of whore?"

Rane smiled. "It's not my fault he got a bad case of Scarlet Fever."

Sirius grabbed her by the shirt and spushed her up against the wall. "You little-"

A spell was shouted from behind and both James and Sirius hurtled across the hall as Raane turned to thatnk her friends and her lover.

First periond of the day was Transfigurations. Rane hadn't expected Remus to show up...but he did...surrounded by James, Sirius, Peter, Lily, and Kiri.

By lunch the entire school seemed to know who etched the pink message into hte wolf's forehead. Whispering circulated around the room. Rane smirked at how many times the phrases "what a bitch" and "such a slut" were used. The Slytherin's, however, seemed to welcom her with open arms.

Stage Four of Plan-Evaluation: Success.

Everything was going as planned...until potions. The proffesor had paired her up with Remus. They sat quietly next to eachother, dicing certain ingrediance. Remus' eyes and nose were red from crying...he wouldn't look at her.

After a long while he murmered lowly, "Why, Rane?" The class around them was too preoccupied talking with eachother to listen. "How could you do that to me?...I thought you were my friend."

Rane throught for a long moment. She smiled at the throught of being called a bitch again for she was; she felt no sympathy for the wolf, stragely. "My name's Scarlet." she said simply.

"It doesn't matter what your name is!" He growled, silencing the class as he shot up from his chair. "What you did...it...it still...it..."

"It what, Remus?" she hissed, standing slowly. "Did it hurt?" she mocked. "Get over it...you were the one stupid enough to fall for it!" she picked up her bag and smiled at him before walking from the room.

Rane tore the door open to her dorm, tears streaming down her face. She was unsure why she was crying but damn it felt good. Severus wasn't far behind her; he must have followed her from class. She heard the soft 'puht' of books being set on the floor and Severus' arms soon found their way around her. She leaned into him and sobbed out of pure frustration.

"Shhh..." Severus soothed. "It's okay...'sokay... shh..." He rocked slowly, his arms encircled around Rane. "I love you, baby, shhhh..."

Just as Rane began to calm down the doorknob turned. Lucius, Rodolphus, Narcissa, and Bellatrix filed in.

" 'S wrong, Scarlet.?" Narcissa asked softly, poisonously, but it was caring.

"I know what it is." Bellatrix interjected bitterly. "It's being locked up with you three forever." she pointed at the boys, accusingly.

"Yes, that would be quite stressful." Narcissa sighed. "We haven't gone anywhere or done anything in a while."

Nacissa adn Bellatrix exchanged glaces thatended with a mischeivious smile. Rane ast the three boys a wooried glance that they must've thought funny for they all laughed.

"We may be causing her stress but you're scaring her." Rodolphus remarked, smirking.

The girls ignored the comment and Bellatrix turned to Rane. "C'mon Scarlet, we'll show you what Slytherin girls do in their spare time."

Rane found herself in a very strange shop, Gothic adn Punk-rock clothing lined the walls and shelves. The dungeron-like room created an angsty aura. (( AN: Just think of it as Hot Topic with a wizard twist. )) Floating candles hung low in the air creating a dull luminesence as the only form of light

The unfamiliar setting brought Rane to move closer to Bellatrix and Narcissa who seemed to be in deep conversation. With a nod from Narcissa the two girls separated adn went to differend sides of the store leaving a very nervous Rane standing in the middle. Shortly after, however, they returned with armfulls of clothing and led Rande to the dressing room.

"Hello, my name is Bella and I'm going to take ober the world one donaught shop at a time!" Bellatrix announced, standing atio of a table in the food court holding a donaught high above jher head.

Raen was taken aback by Bellatrix's sudden outburst that was so out-of-character. Narcissa was soon to join her.

"Hello, my name is 'Cissa and I plan to take over the world starting with Canada-Invade Canada!" ((AN: I have nothing against Canada-- my friend Caitlin and I decided that ws our first stop in the world domination))

The two looked expectantly at Rane who sighed heavily and clambered up onto the table top.

"My name is Scarlet and I shall take over the world with my evil squirrels and we shall fill it with black jelly beans!"

The entire foodcourt had stopped what they were doing to stare at the spectical. zRane felt a smile grace her face as she repeated the words seh had said on the morning she'd asked severus out. "Go back to your muffins and mind your own damn business."

"C'mon." Narcissa whispered, opening the door to their room. The three girls stumbledi n heavign their bags after them. Lcius raised and eyebrow but didn't say anything, Severus shook his head slowly from side to side, and Rodolpjus chuckled in his deep tenor voice.

Bellatriz dug through one of Rane's bags before thrusting an outfit into her hands and tellign her to go get changed.

"Where are you guys going now?" Rodolphus asked from his bed where he hand't moved since they left.

Narcissa answered briskly, "Spiderwed Cafe'." before headign out to change as well.

The threesome stood outside a large dark building just as the sun was settting dressed, as Lucius put it so tastefully, 'like a bunch of muggle prostitutes'.

They entered a darkened rom that smelled heavil of alcohol, smoke, and sex. The floor was paocked wit hbodies moving to the seductive music blaring across the room. Rane was frozen, this was definantly not what she expected when she head the word "cafe' "

"What's going on?" Rane asked, backing towardsthe door.

"Relax, Scarlet.: drawled Narcissa gazing around with a hunting eye.

Bella smirked. "Just find a guy to have fun with...you might even get a good screw out of it."

"What about Severus!" Rane protested.

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "What he doesn't know wont hurt him."

The two dissapeared into hte immensive crowd. Rane stood alon, a bit frightened and wanting to be back at Hogwarts with Severus. Just then, two arms wrapped around her waist.

"Stop." she said sternly. "Let go."

A man laughed from behind her. "I don't think so.""

Rane struggled as the man's grip tightened. One of his hands made its way up her shirt so she forced a strangled scream

"Bitch!" he hissed, slamming her up against the wall. "You're gonna give me what I want even if I have to take it!"

A bounceer came from the crowd that hadn't seemed to notice what was going on and pulled the ruy off of Rane.

She darted for the door, not bothering to find Narcissa or Bella. She rane all the way back through Knockturn All, Hogsmade, and to the Slytherin Common Room. The three boys gave questioning glances.

Rane curled up next to Severus on the couch, sobbing. He tried to sooth her for the second time that day.

Rane awoke later that evening to the sound of the boy's still talking. Apparently the other two weren't home yet and the boys didn't know what happens there. Severus kissed her cheek when he saw that she'd stirred.

"What happened, love?" he asked softly. "Did you get into a fight with Cissa or Bella?"

Rane shook her head. "I don't wanna talk about it."

She got up and walked over to the black piano running her fingers over the keys before slamming her fists down on them.

The noise it made was quite unique indeed.

Lucius laughed as he came up behind her. "That was pretty, Scarlet...but let me teach you how to play something." He sat next to her and began playing a sorrowful melody enriched with a broken heart. She watched his fingers carefully and they moved along the keys, intructing her witch ones to press and when.

"You try now." he said.

Rane tried her best to try and copy Lucius' movements but after the first four beats she hit the wrong key and threw the whole melody flat. She winced and looked at Lucius.

Severus and Rodolphus came over as well.

"Sounds like you need practice." Severus whispered, hugging her.

Rane nodded and laughed. "I guess so..."

"Here." Lucius offered. "I'll show you again..."

And so the night went on like that and, eventually, Rane nearly got the song down. When the other girls came back they found Severus, Lucius, Rodolphus, and Rane leaning agianst the piano sound alseep...

A/N: yes, I know it was short and I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while...a had a touch of writers block. But now I"m better and I have to start the second chapter on my other story and the fifth chapter on this one! Reveiw and I'll give you a calculator!