Disclaimer: I don't do disclaimers. I don't live in England. I don't have a kid(s). My husband did not leave me. I never met anyone named Potter.
The closest I've come to owning Harry Potter is the manipulation of a genius's (J.K. Rowling) characters and the creation of my own as seen in this story.
By the way, does anybody even read the disclaimers anymore? I certainly don't.
Raiko rushed up to the Owlery and stood against the wall with her head in her hands. She put her hands over her mouth and nose and tried to breathe deeply, a counter against hyperventilating. When she finally got her breathing in check, she went over to the window and sat down on the ledge. "Hei?" she called. A giant midnight colored horned owl flew down and perched on a nearby ledge. Hei nibbled her ear in a loving and slightly reprimanding fashion that caused Raiko to giggle. Then the owl moved to her shoulder, tugging at her cloak.
"Okay, okay. You are so greedy!" Raiko pulled out a bag of owl treats from her pocket and fed some to Hei, who ate them up ravenously. He nipped her fingers several times. "You know, patience is a virtue."
Hei fluffed himself up indignantly and flew back to the ledge he had been sitting at previously. If he were human, Hei would have certainly given a proud "Harrumph!" at the impertinence of the girl, Raiko.
Raiko sighed and pulled a piece of parchment from her bag. Then she tore off a few inches of parchment for a note to Draco. She uncorked a bottle of ink, dipped a quill into it, and started writing. She did not know, with her unseemly performance earlier today, whether or not Draco would be coming to the library tonight. She certainly hoped he would. She took out a piece of sealing wax and her wand and said "Lumos." Before long, the wax started to melt onto the scrolled parchment. She then pressed her thumb to the still hot wax, put her burnt thumb into her mouth- she had not expected the wax to be so hot still- and called Hei once again. When Hei flew down, she tied the note to his foot and sent him off.
Once he was out the window, Raiko checked her watch and squeaked. She had to go to the third floor for Arithmancy in less than ten minutes. She dashed out the door to her next class using all the convenient secret passageways she could. She had barely sat down when the class bell rang at one forty-five. Three more classes until dinner and after that she would see if Draco would meet her in the library. The hope that he would come buoyed her all the way until dinner when the fear that he might not show up kicked in. She steeled herself for disappointment as she walked towards their usual meeting spot. If he did not come, she might have to start all over again.
-
Draco flew to the lockers and deposited his broom inside. He took out his school bag and then started towards the dungeons and the Slytherin dormitories. He had a free period right now, and even with Raiko's help, he was still a little behind in his studies. When he got into the entrance hall, Draco debated on whether to go to his dorm and study in the common room or to study in the library.
Draco headed towards the window that marked a secret passage to the dungeons and was startled by a sharp rap on the window. He opened it and was surprised to see an unfamiliar owl. The owl was of the horned species and the color of new school robes. A note was attached to the owl's leg, which he quickly untied. A familiar print greeted him, which caused Draco to smile and then immediately frown. What did she want?
Dear Draco-kun,
I think we need to talk about earlier events. Please come to the library as normal. I really don't want this to ruin, what I've decided to call anyway, our friendship. I really hope that you will come to the library this evening after dinner.
Constantly hoping,
Hattori Raiko
Draco reread the note a few times and then reached into his bag. He was going to write a note to Raiko when a thought stopped him. Let her worry. Make her sweat. Make her feel like you did as you watched her fall from the sky. Draco fed the owl a treat and then sent it off. His next class was on the fourth floor in an hour, he might as well wait in the library.
Draco and Raiko's classes flew by that day, and soon dinner was here. Raiko was shaking in her seat oblivious to Luna telling her about the latest edition of the Quibbler. Though Raiko had never been one to worry about problems when it came to the people she was supposed to help, Draco was different. He had always been different than the other missions she had had to do. In fact, it was hard to call Draco Malfoy a mission. She had started calling him a friend. Harry had been Ginny's crush, Dean had been a Gryffindor, Neville had been an acquaintance of Luna's (although she knew that he would come back for more help; she couldn't fix everything in one go), and Robert Thayer had been a family friend. All were missions where she had somehow had a connection to the person, but Draco she had forgotten about, and had no way to get information besides following him and actually having contact with him. The others she had been immediately able to see their problem, but Draco, Draco had still not shown any sign of a problem except having a Death Eater father in jail.
Draco, on the other side of the Great Hall, was as cool as a cucumber in an icebox. He watched as Raiko could hardly eat her food. Loony Lovegood talked on about some nonsensical issue that was probably talked about in that pathetic excuse for a magazine, the Quibbler. He vaguely wondered what her father, the editor, was like.
Finally, Raiko seemed to not be able to take the pressure of eating in the Great Hall anymore. She said goodbye to Luna and then headed towards the door. Draco took that as his cue to keep sitting and make her nerves shake a little longer. He was still a little hungry, he told himself.
As Raiko left the Great Hall, her stomach protested. She had not been able to hold anything down as her mind played 'What if' scenarios of Draco coming and not coming that proclaimed her worse fears. She decided to go to the kitchen and ask for a roll. Maybe she would be able to eat something when she could not feel Draco's eyes boring a hole in the back of her head.
Raiko headed down to the dungeons and then to the tapestry of a still life bowl of fruit. She tickled the pear and stepped into the kitchen. A house elf came up to her and asked her if she needed anything. She told him she would like to see Dobby and that a glass of pumpkin juice and a roll was all she needed for the moment. A new house elf appeared with a tea cozy on his head and the oddest arrangement of clothes she had ever seen. He handed her a glass of pumpkin juice and then led her to a stool that she could sit on. She sat and said, "Hello Dobby. I came down here to still my nerves and ask you about Draco Malfoy."
Dobby said in a squeaky voice, "I do not like to talk of my old masters. Dobby likes it here very much." His ears waved up and down showing he was agitated about why she had come down but happy that she had.
"I know. It's just that Draco is the next person I am supposed to help, and I really don't know anything about him," Raiko pleaded to Dobby, hoping that he would help. A new house elf came and handed her a roll filled with meat and cheese. She accepted it gratefully and started munching on it as Dobby spoke again.
"Dobby would appreciate if you did not ask him of this." He twiddled his thumbs and looked up at Raiko with saucer eyes.
Raiko sighed and stood up finishing her pumpkin juice with the last of her sandwich bun. "Yeah sure, Dobby." She picked up her bag and started to head out the door, waving. "Thanks for the food," she called as she left the kitchen though the tapestry.
Raiko started towards the library and her normal table. She went to the first floor and to a statue of Helga Hufflepuff. There, she turned the bust (the statue was cut in half) and let a stone door slide open. Then she turned back the bust and rushed through the door as it closed. Inside, she climbed two flights of stairs to the third floor. She exited through a tapestry of King Arthur going back to the Lady of the Lake and went to another tapestry of Saint George defending a- bored and not in the least distressed- damsel from a dragon. It was lucky for Saint George that the Iron Belly in question was only a child. She poked the dragon's tail in Morse code for SOS (poke-poke-poke-hold-hold-hold-poke-poke-poke) and then went through the door that was newly arrived. She climbed three more flights, entered the library on the sixth floor and took the spiral stairs down to the fifth floor. Next she went through the maze of bookcases to her table with the large window seat. She sat down on the window seat and proceeded to wait for Draco.
"Kame, please let him come."
Twenty minutes after Raiko had left, the Great Hall was almost halfway empty. Most of the older students were gone to the library or their house common rooms to finish what homework they had left to do. Draco, who was currently being ogled by the younger Slytherin girls (who were oblivious to the fact that, yes, he did know they were watching), decided it was time to meet Raiko in the library. He would head to Slytherin to pick up his stuff, and then he would be off. He did just that and was in the library before he knew it.
Unfortunately, he had not counted on feeling anxious at the sight of the door. The mere thought of Raiko's face as she watched the bookcase where he would appear from made his stomach clench. It had sounded like a good idea to play with her before, but now…now it seemed like he was the biggest ass in the world (excluding Misters Potty and Weasel, of course). Draco knew he had to go in, or else he would be forced to beat Parkinson and the other girls off with a stick alone. At least with the thought of Raiko, he had never felt it was selfish to tell them he had places to go. Not that he had ever thought about being selfish. The only one who was selfish was Potter.
Draco steeled himself as he opened the door and wound his way through the maze of bookshelves. When he got to where he knew Raiko would be sitting, he stuck his head through the small space in between the shelves to peek at Raiko. What he saw made him furious. Raiko was sitting at the window seat looking out at the dark lake. She looked for all the world that she could not care less about whether or not he showed. But her reflection did not reveal her bit lip and the sensible part of his brain registered neither her uncommon stillness nor the fact that she was not working.
Draco was torn between two options. He could either go in, sit down, and give Raiko the silent treatment for the rest of the night, or he could walk away and forget about her for the rest of his days.
He decided to sit down. There was no other way that he could finish his homework in sixth- he probably wouldn't be here for seventh- year. He went to his seat sat down loudly and started setting up his work area boisterously. He made sure that he would keep up his signature angst ridden teen scowl no matter what she said and started to work.
In front of him, Raiko turned to face him and let out a breath she had taken who knows when. She gave a small smile, and as Draco looked up at her, it grew into a Cheshire grin. It quickly fell into nothingness as he glowered at her. It was funny that a word so similar to glow could mean something so different. She groaned into the window and sat back down on the window seat with her head against the window, not noticing Draco stand up and sit behind her.
Draco heard Raiko let out an expectant breath that had greatly confused him. She had been waiting for him? He mentally kicked himself. Of course she was; working was what she did when she was at ease about everything. Looking out the window was something he had never seen her do except when she had finished her work and was polite enough to wait until he had finished his. He got up and sat down behind her.
"Raiko? Hey you okay?" The only other time Draco had used this voice was when he had been trying to get a bird to eat seed out of his hands. Right before the bird would have jumped in, his father killed it in a poof of tan and yellow feathers. This happened to be the number one reason he had never used this tone since; the second being the fact that people just came to him because of his amazing bank account, smarts, looks, flying skills, and dashing personality.
Raiko turned around to face him she looked at him and then talked rapidly in a hushed frantic, "I'm sorry Draco. I didn't mean for you to catch me. Truth be told I've done that so many times the adrenaline rush is almost gone. I know exactly how high to go up and how far I can go before I fall. I didn't mean to worry you and I don't want to lose your friendship over this. And then when you didn't answer my letter…" She looked sad for a moment but then gave him a million watt smile that made Draco's throat catch. "I'm just so glad you came. It really makes the time go so much faster when we study together."
Draco smiled- there was no smirk in it. Just as Raiko's smile had caused him to lose his breath, so now did his smile for her. It was like, under the angst ridden teenager mask, there was a boy who was totally innocent of his father's evil and his friend's influence. Raiko was sure that, had he been wearing that smile on his first day at Hogwarts, he would have been in Gryffindor for sure.
"Yeah," he said. Then he stood up and walked over to the seat that was not directly facing the window but still had a view of the school grounds. Raiko sat in the chair that was opposite him.
Raiko smiled at him one more time before starting on her homework, and Draco took his cue from her.
When they were both done for the day Draco got up and started putting his stuff away. Raiko had finished more than half an hour before, so her stuff was already packed and she was sitting on the window seat.
"You know, I really like it when you don't add a suffix to my name," said Draco as he corked his inkbottle.
Raiko looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, me too, Drake." She laughed.
Draco met her eyes for a second before shoving the rest of his school supplies into his bag. "Don't call me Drake. It's Draco or Malfoy. That's it." He saluted her and left. Raiko then picked up her bag and walked towards the one exit through the bookshelves when she bumped into a hard chest. She looked up to see Draco, who smiled wolfishly and bent down closer to her face.
"I forgot to say something to you," he muttered as an excuse in a silky voice. "You wanna walk with me to Hogsmeade next Wednesday?"
Raiko jumped backwards and looked at him nervously. "Halfway through October already?"
Draco nodded, still smiling. It was good to know he was not the only one who had missed all the Hogsmeade fliers.
"Well then, yeah! I'd love to," she exclaimed. She stepped closer to him and tilted her head to the side and whispered, "I'll show you my secret spot."
Draco's smile grew even bigger- this girl may be more than she looked at first glance. If that was the case he said 'Bring it on' by all means. If she proved herself he might decide not to start on phase two for a while. At least for as long as she proved entertaining.
But you've already decided not to torment her. She has already proved herself more than anyone, screamed the little voice- his conscience, so it was very little- in the back of his mind. He moved to the side so Raiko could pass and watched the way her hips swayed through her robe. Four more days and he would be able to hang out with her for the entire afternoon without thinking about anyone else.
Life was good.
-
Raiko stared out at the cloudy sky on Tuesday morning from the History of Magic window. The clouds were heavy with unshed rain, which they would drop tonight. Most could not sense it, but the clouds were teeming with energy. This energy was enough to destroy most buildings. Hogwarts, magically protected as it was, would be fine, but she was worried about Hogsmeade. Protection from dark wizards was one thing, but lightning was another.
She would have her work cut out for her tonight.
And tomorrow was Hogsmeade! She would be dead tired tomorrow morning. At least she knew where to liven herself up.
She was going to Hogsmeade with Draco Malfoy. She had a serene smile on her face as she turned back to the lesson taught by the most boring teacher in Hogwarts, Professor Binns. Although he was dead, he had never thought to retire and save his students from his awful lectures.
The day flew by for both Draco and Raiko. Both from sheer anticipation, with one also dreading the performance of a sacred duty.
At the end of the day, Raiko skipped dinner and went to the library. She wound her way to the normal spot. Once there, Raiko took a piece of parchment and wrote a note to Draco. Then she went to the Ravenclaw dormitories and changed for tonight's event. Dressing took a long time, especially alone, and when she was finally finished, dinner was almost over.
Right before the clouds were about to drop their load and the students were about to exit the Great Hall, Raiko went outside to the grass near the lake. She brought her left leg under her so she was only standing on one foot and raised her hands to the sky.
And then she started to dance.
Tonight, Raiko was wearing the uniform of the thunder kame as she danced. She wore a white- funnily enough- Chinese dress. Yellow streamers entwined with her hair, which flew about in the static of the storm. Lightning struck all around her, never hitting its target. She twirled about in the thunder and rain, never stopping or hesitating for that would mean death. On the lake was a mirror image of Raiko- the kame of the storm. It came closer to her until they were dancing alongside each other. At times their hands met or their faces touched, but never did they stop dancing to the rhythm of the rain.
-
Draco was puzzled. He only saw Raiko in the Great Hall for a minute before she left. When he was finished eating, he headed towards the library. At the normal spot, Draco found a note on the table, excusing Raiko's absence tonight. He sat on the window ledge and looked out into the rainy grounds. A flash of lightning lit up the grounds and Draco could have sworn he saw a body outside. Another flash, and then another revealed that there was definitely someone out there. He went down to Slytherin to look for his omnioculars. Who was stupid enough to be out in this weather?
With omnioculars in hand, Draco rushed back up to the fifth storey. He found a window that was facing the same direction as the one in the library and lifted his omnioculars to his face. He scanned the ground and when he finally found what he was looking for, his breath caught.
It was Raiko.
It was Raiko dancing with a glowing person in the middle of the storm.
Draco rushed down to the entrance hall and tried to open the doors. They were locked! Draco wondered about which professor he should plead to. Snape would be angry, thinking he was getting soft and was sure to report what he had said to the people Draco least wanted to find out. McGonagall was the closest, but she would not have any sympathy for him.
Hopefully she would have sympathy for Raiko.
He rushed up to the first floor and went to Professor McGonagall's office. He pounded on the hardwood door and flew in as soon as he heard the Professor's easily recognizable voice say, "Come in." He rushed down the aisle of, what looked like, pews, and then stood panting at her desk.
"Mr. Malfoy," she voiced, the question eminent in her voice. "To what do I owe this surprising encounter?"
"Raiko," he panted. "I saw her outside… in the storm. She was dancing… with some… golden thing. Lightning all around."
McGonagall's thin eyebrows rose visibly. "When did you see this?"
"Just tonight, a minute ago."
The professor seemed to think for a while, and finally, when Draco could not stand it any more he blurted, "Please, she could be dead or seriously injured right now!"
McGonagall gave him a cold stare as if to see whether or not he really meant it. "Very well, Mr. Malfoy. Come with me." She got up from her desk and started walking through her office with long strides. Together they went up to the tenth floor and to two gargoyles. To these, the professor stated, "Shepherds pie."
The gargoyles moved to show stairs moving upwards in a spiral. Professor McGonagall stepped up into them and Draco rushed to do the same. At the top, McGonagall knocked on a door. From behind it, Draco heard Dumbledore say, "Come in, come in."
Once in, Professor McGonagall told Dumbledore, "It seems that Mr. Malfoy has seen Miss Hattori outside, dancing, tonight."
"Thank you, Minerva. I'll take him now."
McGonagall left and Draco was left alone with the Headmaster. Draco once again saw Dumbledore's blackened arm, received from some foolish encounter with the Dark Lord's spells. "Tell me what you saw, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco showed his omnioculars and recounted what he had seen to the Headmaster. At the end of this tale, Dumbledore said, "Very well, Mr. Malfoy. I'll leave the door open for you so you can fetch Miss Hattori out of the storm. It isn't it interesting the way love affects us all."
"Begging your pardon, Headmaster, but I don't love Raiko. She is just a friend." Draco inwardly smiled at that last word.
Dumbledore gave him a knowing smile and then told him to be off. Draco stood up to leave and Dumbledore whispered, "Friendship contains a love that most underestimate, Mr. Malfoy. And if my instincts are correct, she will be the one who teaches you about the different kinds."
As soon as he left the room, Draco flew down the ten flights of stairs and through the front doors of Hogwarts. He saw Raiko in a flash of lightning and rushed towards her. His cloak billowed in the wind and he was soaked to the skin in a matter of seconds.
"Raiko!"
Raiko turned towards his voice and blanched. A lightning bolt struck inches from her foot and she immediately picked up dancing again. From her hair, she pulled out a glass ball the size of a marble attached to one of the streamers. She swung the streamer around in a circle above her head. Slowly but surely, the glass ball grew larger until it was the size of a beach ball. Raiko ran towards Draco and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards Hogwarts castle and keeping the glass ball over their heads. By the time they had reached the portcullis, lightning had struck the glass nine times. Once under the shelter of the overhang, Raiko fell against a pillar and sat down on the stairs. Draco noticed this change in demeanor and sat down beside her.
Before he could say a word, Raiko put a finger over his lips. She stood up awkwardly away from the pillars and Draco held her around the waist to support her. She picked up the glass ball and swung it over their heads in a counter-clockwise motion. The ball started to shrink and was the size of a fist when it finally stopped. Inside was a storm that Draco had no doubt believing held the same amount of force as the storm they had just left.
Raiko tied the ball with its streamer back into her hair and then rested against Draco's chest. Her eyes closed from exhaustion before he heard, "Take me to the infirmary, kay?" Then she fell asleep beside him.
Draco shifted her body so he was carrying her bridal style. "Okay, but I'll take you some place better, first."
Author's note: Yeah! The next chapter is all about the trip to Hogsmeade. In creepy end-of-the-show/narrator voice. Will Raiko be able to make it? Will Madame Pomfrey even let her leave if she does? Where is Draco taking her? Until next time for chapter seven of, Where Lightning and Shadow Collide: Shady Workings. End creepy voice over.
I finished HP 6 on the Sunday after it came out. I thought the book was totally yeah, whatever. Personally, I think JK Rowling is losing her touch. In order of best to worst, I put:
3, 2) 1, 3) 2, 4) 4 & 6, 5) 5
Don't give me grief about it, that is just what I think.
Anyway, I'd like to say thank you to all those who reviewed. And for those readers who haven't- PLEASE START!
For the avid HP readers who have, of course, already finished the book, I would like to say a few things.
My prince is someone totally different than in the book.
Most of the stuff that happens to Harry and the rest of the Golden Trio happens unless I say it doesn't.
There are no Slug clubs (obviously).
The reason Draco does get to go to Hogsmeade is because, with Raiko, he finished all his homework, and I planned it that way.
For those who aren't avid readers and are still trying to finish (whether because you had to wait for others to read the book first, you are just a slow reader, or a combination of both) I trust that this will not spoil your read.
Any questions you have will be answered if you review ('cause otherwise, how will I know what your questions are?).
I hope you enjoy my story.
Has anybody figured out what Raiko means? If you want to find out, go to (If that does not work, try .com). You can find the meanings for the Japanese words I will use.