Disclaimer: yeah…no…not mine…
Mine: Raiko Hattori, Professor Apperson, Alan Danes, and Robert Thayer. The plot and the overused plot device I plan on using in this chapter are also mine.
Dance is the hidden language of the soul. – Martha Graham
-
Draco stood with his back to the fire as the last of the girls filed into the Slytherin common room. "How many of you went to Hogsmeade today?"
Most of the girls raised their hands, but the seventh years felt the novelty had worn off. "If you haven't heard about Katie Bell, then you won't know that today's trip could possibly be the last of the year. Security has been heightened as of today, even more so than it already was."
The girls tittered in their groups and he waited for them to settle. After a moment he said, "But that is not why I asked you to come. For those of you who did not raise your hand, you may now go up to bed or stay, if you wish." A few of the girls went down to their room and he started again. "Which of you tripped a girl who was standing next to me today?"
No one said anything. "It really doesn't matter, for the message will reach you anyway." He glared at them, making eye contact with each. "Raiko Hattori is under my protection as of now. Anything you do to her will be seen as an insult against me. Should you fail to comply with this request, punishment will be severe. Snape agrees with me." The girls muttered incoherent babble to their neighbors. They looked to him again. "For tonight, that is all I have to say."
A week later, Draco ate his peanut butter and jelly sandwich slowly, deliberately. Raiko had told him about what Potty and the Golden Friends thought about the necklace attack, and Snape was quick to reprimand him further. Sure Potter was right, but that did not mean that he should not put up a distressed front. During his next break, Potter was going down.
Draco slung his bag onto his shoulder and exited the Great Hall. Double Potions with Gryffindor was like a carnival if you had Snape as a teacher. At least, it would be for the Slytherins. It continued to annoy him that Harry had been allowed into Potions. Draco wondered whether Dumbledore had hoisted Harry onto Snape just so he could become an auror.
Whatever, it did not matter. After lunch was when he would make his move.
-
Raiko looked at the flyer that Ginny had handed her.
Halloween Ball October 31, 2005There will be no afternoon classes on the day of the dance.
1st through 4th years: 6:oo p.m.- 8:oo p.m.
5th through 7th years: 8:oo p.m.- 12:00am
Formal dress robes required.
Masquerade masks required.
Any infractions of school rules between now and the dance could result in a suspension from the dance.
See your Head-of-House for a selection of multicolored masks, yours to decorate.
-
Raiko looked back at Ginny with a raised eyebrow. "What?" she asked before taking a bite out of an apple.
They were sitting in one of the courtyards off the Great Hall, doing some homework in the afternoon sun. This was a rarity, for the past week had been filled with storms. The benches had amazingly (or perhaps magically) dried in minutes of sunshine. Afternoon classes had already ended at four o'clock, surprisingly, and everyone was taking advantage of the weather.
Raiko waved the flier in front of Ginny's face. "What is this?"
"It's a dance. I think Dumbledore is trying to fit as much fun into our lives as possible before the war. It's supposed to make us forget about Voldemort and the Death Eaters, if only for a few hours." She took another bite of apple and then offered it to Raiko, who waved it away.
"Well then… are you going to go?"
Ginny nodded. "Yeah. Dean's already asked me and I've had to turn down a lot of requests."
Raiko looked at her slyly. She asked coyly, "Any from the Chosen One?"
Ginny blushed and coughed on her apple before swallowing it down. "Excuse me?" she squeaked.
Raiko grinned, "You heard me."
Ginny spluttered before muttering, "No, but I don't expect him to be there either. He'll probably stay in Gryffindor moping about Sirius until Hermione drags him down, in dress robes or not." She gave a sad laugh.
Raiko sighed. "In books, the two people who are meant for each other always secretly love the other but are never brave enough to confess. At the end of the book though, they always do."
"Yeah well. Real lives don't end once the bad guy is gone, and I'm not sure that we can defeat the Villain." Ginny looked at Raiko and smiled. "What about you? Any offers yet?"
Raiko shook her head. "I figure I'll just go alone so that way I can dance with whoever I please."
Ginny laughed. It was good to hear that sound again. "Well, if you do want a date, I'm sure Collin would love to go with you."
"No. I've got someone else in mind, but I don't think he'll ask me." Raiko looked around at the garden they were sitting in and thought about the boy she would like to dance with…
"Oh." Ginny was surprised. Raiko wasn't the type who dreamed of kissing or dancing with boys. "Who, pray tell, is the lucky guy?"
Raiko bent down to whisper and said, "You will never know."
Ginny moaned. "Aw, c'mon, Raiko." She leant back on the bench. "You have enough secrets to keep, why can't you tell me this one?"
Some clouds moved in and blocked the sun and a cold win started to blow. Raiko grabbed her papers and put them into her bag, making sure to put the dance one in her pocket. "We need to go." Ginny had her stuff all packed and Raiko grabbed her hand to pull her inside. Right before they reached the shelter of the castle, a bolt of lightning struck a tree next to them. It burst into flames and fell behind them as they ran through the door. They panted inside the Great Hall.
"What- was- that?" asked Ginny.
Raiko looked out the door they had just come through. Rain was now hurtling down in sheets. "The storms are converging here. They know things will be decided in this place. It's why we have been having so much rain. This is a crossroads into the next era, deciding whether it will be one of horror or peace is up to Harry-kun." A flash of lightning lit up the now dark courtyard and Raiko closed he heavy wooden door, struggling against the powerful rain. Ginny leant against the door to help. Once closed, they bolted it shut and grabbed their things.
Raiko asked Ginny, "Where to now?"
"Library, fourth floor."
Raiko followed Ginny up to the library, both deep in their thoughts.
Ginny's thoughts were on Harry's part in the final war against Voldemort. Raiko said that this was where everything would converge. Did that mean that this would be the site of the final battle? It sickened her to think that this hallowed school would become a place of death and destruction. Now that Voldemort had a physical body, how would Harry hope to defeat him? What other powers did Harry gain from the 'Dark Lord?' Unfortunately, none of the answers to Ginny's questions presented themselves as they walked.
Raiko was thinking of Draco Malfoy. In her dream, Draco was wearing muggle clothing. What did that mean for Draco? Could he be a muggle? Narcissa's bloodline was solid, so his muggle blood could not come from her. That left Lucius. Lucius was a tried and true Malfoy, whose bloodline was also assured. So then where did the muggle clothing come from?
As they rounded the corner to the fourth floor hall, Ginny and Raiko heard muted voices. They looked at one of the doors that were slightly ajar. Ginny pressed the door open further so they could take a peak into the classroom. Ron, Harry, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in an abandoned classroom. Stacked desks and chairs were lined up against the wall, covered in dusty cobwebs. Three wands were drawn and pointed at their targets.
"So, Potty. You still spend time with trashy blood traitors like Weasel here?"
Harry laughed. "You still only have one name for me, bastard? I'm afraid little kiddy insults won't faze me."
"What's wrong with being a weasel, Malfoy. If I remember correctly, you like being a ferret. Is that what your animagus is going to be?" Ron taunted wand still at the ready.
Draco sneered. "What about you? Are you going to be a spider or a slug?"
The stand off continued. From their hiding space, Ginny fumed and Raiko blanched.
"I'm surprised you asked to see us today, Draco. I figured you were scared of us now that daddy is behind bars. Do you plan on becoming a shoe-kisser to Voldemort too, or will you be a brown noser?"
Draco growled. "You're pretty brave from behind Dumbledore's robes, but what are you going to do when he isn't around to save you? Face it Potter, you are like poison. All those who get close to you, even you god-daddy the other blood traitor Sirius Black."
"Better a traitor than someone whose bloodlines are so polluted. You'll probably interbreed straight into an asylum. Besides, to you, a traitor is someone who doesn't prostrate themselves to Voldemort," Harry retorted. He smirked as Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle flinched. "Can't even say your master's name. You prats are worse than house elves to his every whim. What'll you do when he's gone and you lot have your asses placed in Azkaban? At least you'll be reunited with dear ole dad."
"At least I have a father to be reunited with. You've lost all of yours."
At this, Raiko burst into the room, revealing Ginny behind her. She clenched and unclenched her hands, wondering what she should say.
Draco used the moment for his own advantage and asked, "I told you to only bring Weasel, Potter. How come the Weaselette is also here? You need two fifth years to come to your assistance? Two fifth year girls no less?" He mentally rammed his head into the wall for allowing the two watchers stay, he had assumed they were Slytherin since they had not joined the fray.
Raiko called, "You have not insulted me yet, Malfoy-san. Have you not been able to give me a pet name like the others? My name is Hattori. Will you now proceed to call me the Mad Hatter?" She looked to Harry and Ron and said, "Malfoy-san is done with you now. You can leave." She took out her wand.
Ron and Harry filed out, but not before Ron showed a rude hand gesture and Harry called, "It's a good thing Raiko stepped in to save you." He put an arm around Ginny and they left. Ginny protested, but at a glance from Raiko, she left, trying not to lean on Harry.
She told Crabbe and Goyle, "Leave or I will curse you to kingdom come." They snickered from behind Draco. "One, two, three."
She moved her hand in a slashing motion and they started to shrink. Two small objects floated in the air for a second, before clacking onto the ground. She walked over to Draco and picked up two buttons: one was moon shaped and made of mother of pearl, the other was cupcake shaped (yellow cake with a purple paper). She put the buttons in her pocket before Draco had time to react. "You'll get your friends with the counter curse when I'm finished."
"You can do non verbal spells and human transfiguration?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes, but that is not the point. Why did you call them here Draco?" she yelled.
Draco looked at her as if she told him the sky was orange and purple polka dots. "I was teaching them a lesson. They thought I was behind the necklace incident. I wanted them to keep out of my business."
Her shoulders sagged. "Draco, you idiot," she whined. "You just confirmed his suspicions that you are a Death Eater! He's going to watch you now more than ever." She shook her head. "Why don't you talk to me? You don't have to get into a fight to get rid of excess emotion, that's what I'm here for!"
Draco shot back, "So, what, now you're a shrink? Is that it?"
Raiko glared. "No. I thought I was a friend, but obviously I'm just a wannabe ditz who dreams of nothing more than getting Harry in bed and getting knocked up with his child!" She grabbed the crumpled ball of a flier and put it in his hand. She also put the buttons with it. "The counter curse is 'Recessim genis.' Stay away from my spot tonight if you don't want to end up like them."
-
Draco watched as she walked away from him. He opened the small ball of paper and slipped the buttons in his pocket. He read what the note said and slumped against the wall. "A dance?" he asked the emptiness.
A dance. Was she going to ask him? Well, she certainly wouldn't after this. He put the paper in his pocket for later and his countenance hardened.
He just let a pathetic, fifth year, Ravenclaw girl tell him off. He strode to Slytherin with a stony façade. When he got there he shouted, "Pansy!"
She stood up and went over to him. She led him to he chair and was surprised when he pulled her into his lap and started nuzzling her neck. "Tomorrow's Saturday. Do you want to have a sleep over with me, tonight?"
She pulled away with a pouty face on. "But what about what's-her-name, the girl under your protection? I am not playing second fiddle."
He smirked at her and leant back into the chair. "After tonight, I could care less about her. If you want to do me a favor you could harass the little bitch for me."
"Oh, Draco," she sighed. "I would love to stay with you tonight. We can meet after dinner, right?"
He kissed her neck and nibbled at the tender skin. "Sure."
-
Raiko went to the Room of Requirement and asked for a room where she could be angry. Once the door appeared, she went inside. She grabbed a baseball bat hanging from the wall and swung it. She clapped and heavy metal music blasted from an unknown source. Cylindrical tables of stone stood in rows with fragile jars and vases and statuettes perched precariously on top. She swung the bat again; this time however, she hit a ceramic jar causing it to fly into another table.
She screamed and started the destruction.
-
Ginny watched as Raiko left the room that she had been in with Draco. She sighed in relief. She turned back to Harry, Ron, and Hermione who had met them in the library. "She left and she looks unharmed."
"Yeah, except for the fact that she looks like steam could come out of her ears," grumbled Harry.
Hermione looked worried. "Do you think we should go after her? She could be in trouble after angering Draco."
Ginny shook her head. "No, she is really angry. When she gets in these funks she usually goes into the Room of Requirement and starts breaking pottery and glassware. She'll come out for dinner, probably in the kitchen and then go back up to Ravenclaw and cry."
Ron scoffed. "Malfoy is nothing to cry over."
Again she shook her head. "You don't understand, Ron. When she helps people, she always has a barrier so that people can't get in. Eventually, some people get in and once you are in there, she's as vulnerable as a newborn. Inside those walls, she is a person who hates to hate.
"One time, after Christmas Break, Raiko came back to me and told me she had a fight with her mother. We found an abandoned classroom and she told me about the fight. By the end she was shouting 'I hate her' and crying at the same time.
"Raiko and her mom have never gotten along, but they never fought. This was something big. Even now, she hasn't totally forgiven her mother for what she did, but Raiko doesn't want to tell her dad.
"Raiko has talked to many people with broken families, including you Harry. While she knows that her mother will still be there to talk to her and reconcile, she still doesn't want to deal with that. Her dad is also deeply in love with her mother and she is afraid to destroy her father's picture of her mother."
They were silent for a moment. Then Hermione placed the tentative question, "Destroy? That is a pretty strong word."
Ginny nodded. "There is pretty strong justification."
"So then, what do we do?" whispered Ron, a hand on Hermione's shoulder, which she had yet to throw off.
"All we can do is wait for her."
-
Draco went to sleep on the night before the dance. He had so much homework to do it was awful. As his head hit the pillow, he fell into a distressed sleep.
Draco was in a large room. He left the room to find a hallway he was very familiar with. It was a dungeon corridor at Hogwarts. He went up the stairs and found the window he had come to many times. It was warm, and a wind was rattling on the pane, so he opened the window. Dark water rushed in through the window, and the sudden force destroyed Hogwarts.
Draco opened his eyes and found that he could breathe. There was no light anywhere, but he could see himself clearly. He swam upward towards the surface, but it never came. His feet kicked upward on a solid surface, but he was brought back down. Suddenly, the Dark Mark was visible in the distance.
"Somebody, help me!" He continued to call out into the darkness. He looked down at his hands and found he was holding a golden sphere, from which the light was coming. Tendrils of darkness tried to swallow the ball, but he held on tight. "I don't want to be alone anymore!"
In a minute, he felt small hands surround his. "Who are you? How come I can't see you?"
The golden globe was struggling against the darkness, but then another golden globe came into view. One of the hands left his and caught the ball floating in the darkness. Suddenly a girl came into view.
"My name is Raiko Hattori. We've met at school, and you talk to me sometimes. You know me pretty well, so we call each other friends."
"Are you going to help me? I don't want to be in the dark," he cried.
The girl nodded and put her sphere in his. They melded together and became a blinding light that pushed back the darkness. Raiko closed his hands around the ball, which made a twilight version of the darkness and his hands became red with blood veins. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered with her mouth next to his ear, "You'll find me soon, and then we can start to push the darkness away from you."
The next morning, Draco woke up with two things he rarely had after a night's sleep. He had no recollection of nightmares, calm and a sense of purpose for the day.
-
Raiko walked up the stairs to get out of the dungeons with a meat and cheese filled sandwich roll, an apple, and a small flagon of green tea. The last week had had more than the usual share of people following her where they should not. Thankfully she was a master of escape. It was 6:oo p.m. on Halloween. Raiko headed for Ravenclaw so she could get ready for the dance. She did not want to go, for fear of meeting up with Dr- Malfoy, but Luna was forcing her to go.
On the first floor, she decided to check the House Points. Slytherin was leading Gryffindor by a slim three points. After that, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were tied fifty points behind at 216. Some green stones flew down and some blue stones flew up. She wondered how Slytherin could be losing points when everyone was getting ready for the dance, or already dancing in the case of the younger students.
Raiko sighed and continued on to her house. She met only a few late third years heading to the dance on her way. Once in the safety of her room, she untied a package wrapped in brown traveling paper. She pulled the paper back and gasped. The dress robe (she had known what it would be, she had, after all, sent for it herself) had come out better than she designed it. After the Yule Ball had passed, Raiko had tried designing a Chinese style dress robe. It was navy blue and went all the way down to her ankles. Slits went all the way up to her knees with silver thread embroidering the edge. Silver clouds lined the bottom and top parts of her dress with lines of thunder connecting the two layers. The clasps all had silver tassels of the same thread. The clasps went from the left side of her neck all the way to where the right slit ended at her knee.
She folded it back up and put it in her trunk. Raiko rushed through her shower and dried her hair hastily. She then put on her dress. The sleeves went a little shorter than they should have, as they should have ended right above her elbow, but everything else was perfect. She brushed her hair free of tangles and put in a turtle shell comb for decoration. Next she put on her make up, just some mascara and lipstick.
Lastly, she put on her mask. It was navy blue with black sequins sewed onto the top. Once the black ribbon was tied, she flipped some of her hair over it to hide the ribbon.
Luna came up to find her at 7:45 p.m. and looked beautiful in a pale blue dress robe with a high collar. Her mask was white, but the ribbon was colored to match her hair to hide it easily. She offered the crook of her arm and said in a dignified voice, "Shall we go then."
"Yeah, but let's wait for every one else to leave. Then we can leave without being seen and use all of the secret passages to confuse people."
"Five more minutes?"
Raiko nodded. "That will be good."
When the five minutes were up, they left to find the common room empty. They walked through the unoccupied halls and secret passages until they were at the Great Hall. Raiko opened the door for Luna and bowed her through and then followed close behind.
As Raiko walked into the Great Hall, she thought Hagrid had outdone himself. Only one table remained for food, the rest were somewhere invisible to the naked eye. Opposite the teacher's table was an area of small tables and chairs. The Hall was awash in light from 13 chandeliers and small pieces of mirror hanging from the ceiling. A few pumpkins adorned the dance floor, each the size of a carriage (which caused Raiko to laugh in spite of herself). She saw that there was a new style for dress robes for guys. Now, they were knee length tunics with slits to right below the waist. Underneath were a pair of matching baggy pants that looked very comfortable.
Luna dragged her over to a table that Ginny had saved for them. She was sitting there with, whom Raiko had to assume was, Dean. Luna sat down, but Raiko continued to stand. Most of the students at the moment were standing around eating and talking. Raiko was bored already. The music started up and some feet tapped, but still no one danced.
Raiko walked over to the dance floor and started swaying to the music. This was not like the Yule Ball where the contestants had the first dance. Everyone was invited to the first dance this time. After a minute of dancing alone, someone came behind her. Raiko turned around to see whom her partner was and was surprised to see Harry.
"Hey," he said above the music.
"Harry? Hi!"
He shushed her and continued to dance. "Don't use my name. I don't want anyone to know it's me."
She laughed. "You should have combed your hair better then."
He shrugged. "I can't help it. It just does that. By the way, do I know you?"
By this time, a few more brave dancers had entered the dance floor. "Yes," she answered. "But not enough to recognize me in a crowd."
"The only ones I could recognize in a crowd would be a Weasley 'cause of their hair."
She nodded. "True." She moved to leave but he caught her arm.
"Keep dancing with me."
A slow song started playing and she shook her head. "Maybe later. Find me later."
He looked at her quizzically but nodded. "Fine, but your dress is pretty noticeable. I will find you."
She giggled. "I'll hold you to that." With that, she maneuvered her way between the many dancers. Since it was a slow song, many girls had dragged their partners onto the dance floor. She wound her way all the way to the wall and caught her breath. A boy in a black and white dress robe/tunic came over to her and she blanched.
"Hi! Would you like to dance?" he asked.
"I um…"
He gently grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the dance floor. From then until 9:35 p.m. she danced with what seemed like every guy without a partner in the entire school. Finally, she excused herself and made her way to the food table. Once there, she grabbed a tray of finger sandwiches filled with cream cheese, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes. She crawled under the table and ate a long awaited meal.
-
Harry danced with the girl in the blue dress until she left, leaving him disheartened. He looked over to where he saw Ginny and his heart leapt into his throat. She was beautiful in a dark green dress, which contrasted starkly with her hair. She was sitting with Dean and Luna. He watched as Neville asked Luna to dance and she accepted. For some reason, he wanted to punch Dean and ask Ginny to dance with him.
From above the younger and shorter students' heads, he watched as Hermione pulled Ron onto the dance floor.
He felt odd dancing slowly alone, so he left the dance floor to be a wall shrub (he is too macho to be a flower). He looked up at the starry ceiling and sighed. He missed Sirius, and he knew he would not see Sirius again until he died. It was too bad Raiko's theory would not come true, but he knew he had to face the facts. He went outside to the courtyard and cried beneath the clear night sky.
-
Ginny watched as a boy left the Great Hall. She noticed that he did not have a partner with him, which was odd. Most students who went to the courtyard during dances had partners on their arms, ready to kiss.
She turned beck to Dean. "Can we dance now?" she pleaded.
Dean glanced at her through his mask. "I don't like to dance, okay?"
Ginny turned away and said, "I'm getting a drink. She moved towards the food table and then went towards the courtyard door, where Raiko and she had been almost hit by lightning a week ago. That was the day that Raiko had told Malfoy off for being a git, a week ago. But Raiko still hadn't come out of her funk.
When she entered the courtyard, she shivered slightly in the cool air. She crossed her arms and looked around for Harry. She wound her way through a small maze of low hedges to the bench where she had sat many times. There was Harry, bawling. Ginny rushed up to him and put her arms around his racking figure. She slid onto the bench slowly and let him cry on her shoulder. "Oh Harry. Is this about Sirius?"
He nodded, but continued to cry. She let him cry like that for a while, playing with his hair. After a while, he muttered, "I'm glad you recognized me."
She gave a small smile and he did too. She stood up, brushed out the wrinkles on her dress robe and offered him a hand. They could still hear the music so she said, "Would you like to, um, dance with me?"
Harry took her hand and turned it in his. He put his other hand on the small of her back. Ginny grinned and placed her other hand on his shoulder. They started swaying to the music in the distance; both were oblivious to all but the one they were connected with.
-
Hermione had been so happy when Ron had asked her to the dance, but now she was not so sure. They were just standing near the food table, not even sitting.
"Ron, let's go dance."
"No way, 'Mione," he replied.
She growled. "Ron. Dance with me or I'll go find McLaggen and let you stand on your own."
Ron blanched. McLaggen had been bragging about how he was going to be keeper this year. He knew Harry was annoyed by the bragging, but if McLaggen was better than him…And McLaggen was sure to tell him all about how his date would have rather danced with 'a capable keeper' than a pathetic prefect.
"Sure Hermione."
Hermione beamed. She pulled him onto the dance floor. Just then a song finished, but rather than an upbeat song, it was slow. Hermione put her hand on his shoulder and waited for him to slip his hand in the one she held out. He got into position and they started the waltz together. After the Yule Ball, Mrs. Weasley had taught him many dance steps to make sure he would be fit for society, but he still felt his insides turn to the consistency of a roll in water.
"Thank you, Ron," whispered Hermione when the dance was done.
Ron listened to the new song as it started playing. "We can um… still dance if you, y'know, want to…"
Hermione listened to the song too. "Yeah let's stay on."
-
Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle sat at a table. They had been here for an hour, coming in half an hour late to make a big entrance. Unfortunately, everyone had already started dancing, so no one really noticed.
Draco stood up and grabbed his empty punch cup. "I'm going to get more to drink."
The rest of them nodded, but Pansy said, "Should I come with you?"
Draco glared at her. "I can find it fine by myself." He left the table in a flash of black and green dress robes. He wound his way through dancing couples and finally reached the food table. He looked at the many trays and picked up a pitcher of some kind of a juice and a single person chicken and put them on the floor. He scooted them under the floor length tablecloth and slid under himself.
A girl in blue and silver dress robes stared at him from the twilight of the table. He stared back. He saw a half eaten plate of finger sandwiches and he tried to see whom he was with.
"Hey," he smirked.
"Hi."
Wait a minute. He knew that voice! "Raiko?"
The girl nodded. "Hi Draco."
They sat in silence for a minute before Draco said, "I guess I'll just go-"
"No, don't," said Raiko worriedly as she grabbed his arm. "Stay with me. We need to talk."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "You realize those are the four worst words for a guy to hear, right?"
She gave a nervous laugh. "Okay, you don't have to talk. Just listen.
"I'm really sorry about last week. I got carried away." She looked meaningfully at Draco. "But you were scaring me, Draco. While Harry and Ron aren't my good friends, I feel honored to know them and it angers me when I see people make fun of them.
"But that wasn't the worst part. I wanted to be friends with you because I had a dream about you. I have had dreams of many people, so it's nothing special, but you were different. Draco, you should have seen yourself! You were so scared, I needed to find you quickly, but I didn't know who you were. I've always known whom I'm supposed to help. You were different. The darkness was closer to you than I have ever seen it to anyone else.
"For a long time I did not know how to help you, and I still don't. Still, for the last two months, I thought we were making good headway. I had never seen you hurt anyone, and you acted scared when I almost fell off the roof."
Draco gave a "Humph" to say he was not scared and Raiko continued. "When I saw you in that room, I thought all my work had gone. I was scared for you Draco. I don't want to lose you to the darkness." She started crying. "I won't allow you to lose to the darkness."
There was a long silence as Raiko and Draco had a stare down. Draco broke and said, "Do you want to dance?"
Raiko nodded and said breathlessly, "Yeah. I'd love to."
They crawled out from under the table and walked onto the dance floor, continuing to dance until midnight.
Wow! Now that was a doozy, doncha think? It was a lot longer than my normal length too.
Next Chapter: Part 9, Quidditch and Christmas
Yeah! Every one is happy. What is up with our pairs: Harry/Ginny, Hermione/Ron, Neville/Luna and last but not least, Draco/Raiko? Quidditch season is starting. What does that mean for Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw? What's up with Draco, anyway? Who are his two arm huggers? What does Christmas break mean for our favorite characters?
These questions and more answered in Chapter 9!
Please Review!