A/n: A very, very long time in the updating and not a particularly long chapter I am afraid to say, but the story is still moving on and I am hoping to get it into the next gritty bit A.S.A.P, so keep your eyes open for more updates in the not too distant future and I hope to keep them coming far more regularly than this one.

Disclaimers and various other things are the same as all previous chapters!

Out of the Cauldron, into the Fire

Their footsteps rang shrilly against the hard stone floors echoing through the narrow corridors and announcing the pairs presence. Rayne was taking no mind to sneak through the passageways, her blood still burned with a toxic mixture of rage and fear, nobody was about to prevent her from leaving Hogwarts when her very existence was hanging in the balance.

Draco followed a step or two behind the determined figure of Rayne, just about able to keep pace with her broad stride but all too quickly feeling the pull of fatigue telling him that he'd not be able to keep up with her like this all night.

"How exactly do you intend we get back 'home' as you so call it?" Draco intoned from behind Rayne, silently praying that walking would not be the answer.

On any other night Rayne may have strayed a glance back at her blonde companion, taken note of his delicately flushed pink cheeks and banked the knowledge of a new way in which Draco could be teased and tormented. That night however was different, her mind was worlds away from the dingy dungeon corridors and until he had spoken Rayne could have all but forgotten that Draco was even following her.

"Don't worry, it won't take long once we're out of the school grounds." She replied flatly, not once turning to glance back at him or allowing her step to falter.

"That's not what I asked." Draco hissed back, irritated that she continued to ignore him unless he probed her with questions.

Rayne sighed and rolled her crystal purple eyes. "Like apparition," She said her tone again blunt, "you know as well as anybody Draco that apparition does not work within the school grounds. Well the principle of how I 'apparate', as it were, is very much the same and so the charms prevent this also." This time, as Rayne paused in her words, she did slow her pace and turned back to face him continuing to walk though she could no longer see where she was headed. "Else I'd have been gone long before now." She finished softly, lingering a delicate look into his silver-grey eyes before turning back in a swirl of dark hair and resuming her quick pace.

They met not a soul on the long journey up from the dungeons, for which Draco was quietly grateful, Rayne however could feeling her fingers itching with the desire to meet an appropriate outlet for some of her rage. If only she'd not left Pansy behind back in the common room.

The eerie and deserted silence seemed to stretch up from the dank dungeons and out into the gleaming marble shine that was the entrance hall. The pair paused in the arched doorway, taking a moment to survey the vast splay of polished stone that stretched out before them.

"Looks deserted." Draco said softly, eager that they reach the large, heavy double doors and make it out into the relative freedom of the grounds.

Rayne too was keen to get away, after all it had been her plan to leave in the first place, but the abject lack of life in the castle was making her more than just a little suspicious. Yes the hour was late but there should have at least been the trace of a stray ghost here and there, no the quiet was all too discerning.

"Yes, but it shouldn't be." Rayne replied absently to Draco's comment, her pale brow furrowed in concern. She couldn't help but think that something was very wrong with the scene before them, but they couldn't stay standing in the doorway either. Rayne sighed and suddenly stepped out onto the polished stone floor signalling for Draco to follow her, the longer she lingered the greater the danger grew it was better to face it now that to wait for it to sneak up behind them.

"Come on, lets just get out of here." She hissed to Draco behind her as they began to hurry across the floor, "the sooner I see the back of this place is the sooner I can breath more easily."

Draco nodded and obediently followed, more than just a little keen to leave the school behind himself. Indeed being made a prefect that year had certainly been a novelty but there was no way of denying that deep down he was truly sick of the place. Draco craved excitement and action the kind of which would never be found in a school like Hogwarts, especially not with people like Potter and his friends lurking around, no perhaps going with Rayne would provide him with all of the excitement he so desired.

They flew across the highly polished floor with surprising ease and reached the doors, much to Rayne's surprise, without any hindrance.

Perhaps it was the threat that was looming over her head that caused her to be paranoid but Rayne could have sworn that someone, or something was waiting for them, lurking in the deathly silence. Yet the entrance hall remained still and quiet, the sound of their hurried footsteps fading into the background as they stood face to face with the large and heavy wooden doors. Rayne paused for yet another brief moment, casting a wary eye behind her simply unable to shake the feeling that they were being watched and followed.

"What are we waiting for?" Draco questioned impatiently, his arms poised to shove open the doors.

Rayne shook her head and turned back to her blonde companion, "nothing." She said determinedly gesturing for Draco to go ahead and throw open the doors and reveal the path to their escape.

Stepping out into the cold night air was like a wash of relief and reality as it hit Rayne's tension wracked body. She hissed in a breath through her teeth as the cold winters night bit delightfully painfully against her back where Snape's vile potion had slowed the healing in her wounds, but soon the cold grew soothing against the angry heat as her body grew accustomed to the biting temperature. She stood still for a few moments as the doors slowly crept shut behind her cutting off the main source of light to the grounds and Rayne inhaled great lungful's of the cold night air, she could feel herself become more invigorated, the aches and pains that still niggled at her seemed to lessen to all but nothing and she began to feel more alive.

Draco had moved a few steps on down the stone path before he realised that Rayne's footsteps were no longer mirroring his own. Turning swiftly Draco looked back to see where she was and, squinting into the dim light, saw her silhouetted against the darkness her pale flesh luminescent under the cold winters moonlight, her eyes were closed and she looked to be in some kind of trance.

He began to edge back towards her, a slight note of irritation in his cold grey eyes. "Rayne what are you doing?" He called out to her, stopping a meter or so away with the hope that it would encourage her to move again, and to think she was the one who was earlier insisting that they get away from Hogwarts so fast, just outside of the castle was not quite what he'd had in mind.

Rayne grimaced as Draco's voice dragged her back to earth. She shook her head, appreciating the new ease with which she could move, and opened her eyes to gaze through the darkness at Draco. Her amethyst orbs gleamed wildly in the moonlight as she stared at him, shining with every ounce of her newfound confidence coupled with the ever burning flames of rage in her blood and the still undeniable glint of fear that was driving her onwards. A soft shake of her head sent her long black hair swirling about her shoulders as she began to step slowly along the path towards Draco.

Drawing level with him Rayne leaned in close to his body and said to him, "Nothing." Before she gracefully strode away down the long path towards the schools tall iron gates.

Her voice was like black silk being dragged across his skin and the way her eyes gleamed made Draco shiver, that was more like the Rayne he had grown used to. Quickly turning to follow her rapid steps down the path Draco moved with a renewed sense of enthusiasm at Rayne's reclaimed spirits, his trip with her now surely did promise all that he had been anticipating.

Rayne had come to a halt in front of the gates and was almost scowling at the large heavy chain and lock that held them securely in place. They were enchanted naturally and by the time Draco reached her side she had already attempted a number of charms and hexes in a vain hope of cracking the lock.

"Have you tried the unlocking charm?" Draco asked as he drew level with her.

"Please Draco, they'd not be stupid enough to lock the school gates only to have them open so easily." Rayne replied a little exasperatedly. In truth it had been the first charm she had tried and then kicked herself for being so simple minded to think it would be that easy. "I should have known that they wouldn't just be left open, don't know what I was thinking."

"It was just a suggestion." Draco replied bitterly, he hated how she put him down like that but hated even more to admit that she was right. Not out loud of course, no Draco was far too proud to do that but it still pained him to admit it if only to himself.

"No I think the only way we're getting out of here is either over or under." Rayne said looking first up to viciously spiked tops of the gates, and then down to the barely inch gap where the iron ended and the hard ground began. "Pity you didn't bring your broom." She said turning to him and grinning, might as well make light of what seemed to be an increasingly desperate situation.

"Well you didn't exactly leave me much time to pack." Draco sneered sarcastically before drawing his wand out of his pocket. "Lucky for you I don't go anywhere without this." He added silkily before muttering a summoning charm under his breath, calling for a broom from the store Madam Hooch kept, best not to call his own it would draw far too much attention whizzing through the castle with no apparent rider.

After a moment or two from behind them a faint whistling sound could be heard as the broom picked up speed and hurtled towards the pair of them. Nonchalantly Draco reached out a hand and plucked the broom out of the air, "Madame," He said dramatically with a mock bow as he offered the broom to Rayne.

Rayne pouted at Draco's exaggerated, lordly tone but her sulky expression soon melted into a frown as she looked over the rather tatty and weather beaten broom that Draco proffered to her. "What exactly do you intend I do with that?" She asked in all seriousness as she looked on in horror at the broom in Draco's hands.

Draco too frowned, "What do you mean? It was your idea to fly over the gates."

"Yes, but you're the wizard flying is more your department." She replied with a slight quiver in her voice as she began to wonder whether such a flimsy looking piece of wood would actually support both of their weights. "The only demons that can fly are the ones born with wings." She said firmly.

"Then what exactly did you expect us to do with a broom? Sweep that path?" Draco responded with growing irritation in his voice.

"No," Rayne replied with a scowl, "I was thinking more that you would do the flying and I would just tag along."

"Oh I see," Draco said with a smirk, dropping the broom so that it swung casually from his left hand. "So you expect me to be your chauffeur now? And to think you were going to leave without me." He began to pace in a slow circle around Rayne, his voice singing with all of the smugness that was glowing on his face. "How would you have coped?"

Rayne didn't like his tone, nor the smug grin that was painted on his lips. She narrowed her eyes and responded in a blunt and dark tone, "I'd have found a way. There are other 'things' I could have done if you were not also tagging along."

"Oh really?" Draco asked sceptically, arching his thin pale eyebrows and pausing in his steps.

"Draco just stop it, we've wasted too much time I just want out of this place." Rayne eventually burst out growing exasperated with the banter which was getting them nowhere.

"We?" Draco said in an astonished voice, it seemed to him that since he had decided to join her it had been Rayne who had been holding them up, for instance by hanging around in the dark.

He was about to open his mouth and continue with the rant he could feel building up inside on him when Rayne held up a pale, slender hand and cut him off before he could begin. "Don't start Draco lets just go, please."

"Fine." He said with a sigh, moving to straddle the broom and wait for Rayne to join him. "Jump on then if you're in such a hurry."

Rayne swallowed hard and climbed awkwardly onto the broom behind Draco, it wasn't really big enough for the both of them to ride at once and, gripping Draco tightly around the waist, Rayne prayed that the bundle of wood and twigs wouldn't give out on them as they were above the gates leaving them to plunge to a painful and bloody death.

Draco could sense her apprehension and sniggered silently to himself. "Hope this broom will survive the both of us being on it." He said voicing aloud Rayne's silent fears and causing her to tense even more.

She gripped him all the tighter, her fingers threatening to mar his perfect porcelain flesh with garish purple bruises, and hissed through her teeth "Let's just go." Before burying her face into his shoulder as she felt them begin to rise up off of the ground.

A dark figure stood at one of the tall windows which lined the long stretch of castle wall, outlined by the warm and inviting glow of the lights within causing his face to be cast in shadow. Tension, though unreadable in his shadowed features, crackled through the air as he carefully studied the scene outside of the window with increasing anger. His evening had now just grown considerably worse, not only had his seemingly perfect plans been spoiled by some, albeit unforeseen, interference, but now the subject of his interest was running away and dragging with her his favourite student to boot.

With a shake of his head Snape stepped away from the window, the scowl now clearly readable on his face, and with a swirl of black robes he turned to stalk back down to his office in the dungeons. That damned insolent woman, if only she'd done as I'd asked, he raged in his head but then cut his own thoughts short with an exasperated sigh, If onlys would not get him anywhere, Rayne was gone and there was going to be no easy way to retrieve the information that he and Lucius sought from her.

Still though, Draco was with her. That could just prove to be one highlighting feature of it all, he would be considerably easier to find than she would be alone, especially for Lucius. "I shall have to contact his father, there may just be a chance." Snape muttered with a vague note of increased confidence, they would have their information one way or another, but then there was just one more thing that continued to trouble him that was perhaps even more pressing even than finding the wayward pair.

The exact reason why Rayne had so suddenly decided to flee was by no means entirely clear, but Snape had his suspicions. The unprompted attack earlier than night was curious enough but he had to wonder whether that alone was enough to send her running. A small spark of concern glowed in his mind with the suspicion that she had caught on to what he and Lucius had been planning and that she was running to protect what she knew. But this theory too posed some problems, firstly Rayne being violently attacked mid-detention, by one of her own kind no less, was terrible in itself but to Snape's logical and calculating mind not reason enough to lead her to flee for why did she not simply turn to the Professors for help. Hogwarts would surely have magic enough to hold back whatever threat was endangering her. No she must have felt that there was a greater reason to leave the castle, a reason not to trust them to protect her because there were those with ulterior motives.

But then how did she find out? Unfortunately the only answer to which Snape could fathom was that Draco had been displaying his loyalties in a way Snape never would have expected.

Opening the door to his office Snape headed swiftly over to the large grate set into the damp stone wall where the slowly dying embers of a never roaring fire still glowed, Lucius needed to hear his concerns. A swift flick of his wand boosted the flames and Snape reached for a small pinch of the glittering floo powder that sat in a dish on the mantelpiece. Tossing it into the flames so that they began to roar a sparkling emerald green Snape sighed and dropped to his knees on the dusty hearth. It was such an undignified way to communicate, let alone travel but it was certainly the quickest and most convenient for that moment besides he could almost guarantee that Lucius Malfoy would be waiting, however impatiently, beside his study fire waiting to hear news of Severus's progress as things with Rayne had not gone entirely to plan.

Trying in vain to find a comfortable position in which to kneel before the fire on the dusty, hard stone hearth, Snape plunged his head into the coolly flickering flames and commanded clearly the name and address of Lucius Malfoy whom he so urgently needed to speak to. The rushing of the flames began as various scenes blurred before his eyes before suddenly the fireplace seemed to come to a rest before the figure of Lucius sitting casually in his grand armchair naturally expecting the arrival of Snape.

"Severus." Came a familiar icy voice, muffled only slightly by the crackling of the flames surrounding Snape's ears.

"Lucius." Came his simple reply quickly being done with the short formalities of greeting.

"I had been wondering when you would rear your head." Lucius continued with not a hint of irony breaking his smooth and chilling tone. "I trust your evening has proven to be more successful since I left you earlier."

"I wouldn't be too overly confident in that respect Lucius." Snape replied darkly, "There have certainly been some more interesting developments, none of which unfortunately involved gaining any of the information we were looking for."

"What do you mean Severus? Did the girl die or something?" Lucius asked, a vague look of concern beginning to grow on his aristocratic features.

"Not die, no. She fled." Snape said simply.

"She ran away?!" Lucius exclaimed, rising from his chair and beginning to pace the room. "Now how on earth do you propose we find her? She could be anywhere Severus." He ranted his usual cool and suave exterior beginning to break down.

"Calm yourself Lucius. That may prove to be easier than you would imagine, you see not only has she left but she managed to tempt away none other than your son."

"Draco has gone with her?" Lucius stopped pacing, a scowl curling at his lips as he looked directly down into Snapes face with arched eyebrows.

"It appears so yes," Snape said smoothly, "What concerns me more however is why they chose to leave in the first place. I fear that she may have discovered our plans but one mean or another and that she will no longer be so easy to extract the information from. There is also little more that I can do from here so I am afraid that it may be up to you to find them Lucius."

Lucius sighed and sank back down into his chair, "Don't worry Severus I can find Draco I have no doubts about that we can just hope that she is still with him when I do find him, for both of their sakes. We'll have our information by any means necessary." Lucius finished a harsh and angry spark shining in his cold eyes, "I shall keep you informed of my progress Severus." He said in dismissal.

"Very well Lucius, I shall bid you goodnight." Snape said in farewell before pulling his head back out of the fire and watching the flames shrink back to glow orange and warm against the cold of the dungeon. If the look in Lucius's eye was anything to go by Snape would not like to be in either Rayne or Draco's shoes when he caught up with them, the chance to have it the easy way was gone now it was the hard way or nothing.

To come: Lucius is on the hunt and Rayne takes Draco to demon land will he fit in or find himself way out of his depth?