Warning: This story carries a Mature warning for a reason. If you are below 17 or not comfortable with graphic violence, please don't read. I can't stress this enough.
Monday morning at breakfast, the Gryffindors were back to being their animated selves. Even Sia had put behind her humiliation at Draco's hands the night before and was enjoying herself as Harry was pulling Ron's leg and Seamus was rolling in laughter beside her.
Just then, hundreds of owls swooped over their tables bearing letters and stuff, and Sia marveled at the sight eventhough she was becoming used to it now. At Beauxbatons, the house-elves were responsible for delivering your mail to you while you were fast asleep at night, so that when you woke up, it was the first thing you saw.
Not expecting anything for herself, Sia was surprised when a handsome eagle owl landed right beside her plate and considered her regally. Puzzled, Sia untied the small parcel and letter, not noticing the sudden hush that had fallen around her at first. She freed the owl from its burden and it flew away immediately. She opened the parcel first, and was amazed to find a velvet box inside. Opening it, she cried in delight as she saw her ring. She took it out immediately and kissed it in heartfelt relief and taking off her chain, slipped it on as a pendant and tucked the chain safely inside her robes, feeling the comforting warmth of the bejeweled metal against her skin. She was saved! She then turned her attention to the letter, wondering who had found it and was gracious enough to return it to her.
As she opened the letter and read the few words written on it, her world went blank for a few seconds. She stared at the words stupidly for sometime, unable to comprehend the meaning behind it all, and then as it dawned on her, she slowly looked up at the Slytherin table, where Draco was allowing the same owl to drink from his jug of milk. He looked up at her, smiled serenely, and went back to pampering his owl.
His owl. How could she have overlooked that! After Hedwig and Pigwidgeon, and possibly Fawkes, Draco's eagle owl was perhaps the most famous bird around Hogwarts. And now she looked around herself, she noticed the silence, the whispers, the pointing fingers. If anyone had been in doubt last night that there was something going on between them, now even they would be convinced.
She stared at the letter again, and found the words mocking her.
Raisingh, Say yes.
Draco.
A seal, the letters DM surrounded by two intertwined snakes, followed it. Suddenly, anger overwhelmed her and taking out her wand, she set fire to the letter and watched it turn to ashes in grim satisfaction. She could just see Draco writing it, tongue firmly in cheek. Damn him to hell, she was going to get him if it turned out to be the last thing she did, she vowed.
Beside her, Seamus shifted restlessly, and she turned to look at him with a stony face.
"So", he asked her, "Malfoy sent you a ring, huh! Can't say I'm surprised, after last nigh…"
He couldn't complete his sentence as Sia grabbed his robes from the collar and yanked him hard towards her so that his face was mere inches away. She glared at him fiercely and hissed, "That was my ring, to begin with, and he just returned it. And if you even dare to suggest anything between us, I'll Switch your tongue onto Neville's Mimbulus mimbletonia. Permanently. Get it?" and she gave him a little shake.
Seamus nodded dazedly, and Sia pushed him away. Anger flowed like hot lava within her and she didn't dare look at Draco again for fear that she might kill him. The nerve of the guy…first her wand, and now this! And he had the ring all along, while she was moving heaven and earth looking for it, no doubt entertaining him! Suddenly, her mind seized on a thought, and the lava within her froze. He had the ring all along. Which means, theres a good chance he might've tried to put it on…and if it is indeed so… a truly wicked smile spread across Sia's face and she looked at Harry who was watching her in concern.
"Eat up fast, guys…I have an account to settle, and you have a show to watch."
Sia left the great hall soon after, her head bowed, her pace quick. Draco smirked to himself as he saw her leave. That would teach Raisingh not to cross my path in future, he thought, and went back to paying as little attention to Pansy as possible while appearing interested.
After breakfast, he decided to take a walk in the cool, brisk air outside before going to Potions as there was still some time to the class. He got up from the table, and immediately Pansy followed him, unwilling to let him out of her sight. He scowled at her, but that did nothing to deter her; it rarely did.
He walked out of the double doors with her, not noticing when a spell hit him from behind, not doing anything except making his ring finger of left hand glow an eerie green for a moment. Pansy was too wrapped up in her own happiness to notice, anyway, and neither noticed a witch smile delightfully and gesture to her friends.
Suddenly, Draco's way was barred by Sia, who was smirking like a cat that has cornered the cream market. And just behind her were Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. The other three looked remarkably upbeat about something, while Hermione looked uncomfortable. Draco knew Sia would try to get back at him somehow, and braced himself.
"Malfoy…" Sia purred, her voice silken, "I just heard…oh, that was so sweet of you to do. I'm really, really impressed." She batted her eyelashes a couple of times.
Draco was nonplussed, but knew better than to ask what she was talking about, as he was sure he would find out soon enough. He was determined not to help Sia along the way and crossed his fingers secretly. But Pansy was there to compound his problems.
"What are you talking about, Raisingh?" she asked haughtily, clinging on to Draco's arm. By now a small crowd had gathered around them, to Sia's delight.
"Oh, don't you know?" Sia gushed at her. "He's been trying to court me, and now I hear he's even got my initials branded on his finger! How sweet!"
Draco raised his hands automatically and stared in horror even as Ginny and Ron sniggered at him, and sure enough, the place where Sia's ring had burned him was now red, and the letters SMR could be discerned quite easily against his pale skin. Pansy couldn't believe her eyes.
"How sweet…" Sia continued dreamily, "but I'm afraid…totally pointless. You are just not my type, Drrraco…I'm so sorry." She purred again.
The crowd around them was whispering furiously now. Sia smiled at him kindly, whispered "See you", and left with her friends, leaving a speechless Draco behind.
While waiting for Snape to open the door to the Potions classroom, Draco was no longer lounging against the wall. He was standing erect, arms crossed on his chest, glaring coldly at Sia and wondering how best to wipe her off the face of the earth. He had Disillusioned the letters burned on his finger, but somehow everyone of his classmates knew what was there and continued to shoot glances at him.
It wasn't just the fact that she had pulled this stunt on him; he had fully expected her to retaliate after humbling her twice. It was the fact that now he had her initials branded on his otherwise flawless skin, and there was nothing he could do about it. Now he would have to keep repeating the Disillusionment charm whenever it wore off for the rest of his life. And what would his father have to say about that if he came to know!
Sia stood right opposite him, almost mirroring his posture, looking back steadily at him with a small smirk on her face. He had literally brought it upon himself this time, she mused. Her charmed ring had burned him with her initials, and all it had taken was for her to lift the Concealment charm that revealed it. Maybe that would teach him to respect not just her, but her belongings as well.
Just then, Pansy arrived, her eyes red and her face a bit blotchy. Evidently, she had been crying her eyes out over Draco's supposed duplicity. The moment she saw Draco and Sia gazing at each other, she lost it.
"You!" she screamed wildly, running at Sia as though to claw her eyes out. Sia saw her coming and hit her with a whispered spell. Pansy stopped, confused; she had felt the spell hit her, but apart from a burning sensation in her throat, it had done nothing. Deciding that Sia had gone wrong with her spell, she started for her again, opening her mouth to mock her, but all that came out was a bark.
Pansy froze. Everyone looked at her in surprise. She took a deep breath and tried to say "Draco", but again, all that came out was 'woof woof'. She clapped her hands to her mouth in horror, tears starting to roll down her face, and turned to run away, but Draco stepped forward and pulled her to him. He took her face in his hands and tried to steady her even as the rest of the students fell apart laughing.
The Slytherins gathered round her, several of them pulling out their wands, muttering Finite Incantatem, but everytime Pansy tried to speak, she would bark.
Sia looked on in cruel amusement as the Slytherins tried to mollify Pansy. She continued to howl in Draco's arms till Snape opened the door, scowling at the commotion. Immediately, all the Slytherins started speaking at once, and Snape held up his hand and pointed to Draco.
Draco looked up at Sia, who was still smirking, and turned his gaze away, saying nothing. But Pansy rushed forward to Snape from his arms.
"Professor, professor! Please help me…I'm barking!" she howled, and the rest of the students burst into laughter once again as the Slytherins looked surprised. Snape glared around, and again there was silence.
"Barking!" he sneered at Pansy, his lip curling a little. "As in barking mad, Miss Parkinson?"
Pansy looked shocked, as she realized that she was no longer barking, and was lost for words.
"Enter!" was all Snape offered.
"How did you do it, Raisingh? More importantly, what did you do exactly?" Terry Boot asked Sia the next day as they were again standing outside Potions classroom. Draco opened his eyes and sent a frosty glare towards Boot before closing them again.
"Oh, it was just an example of Complex Spell" Sia tried to reply modestly, but couldn't quite keep the hint of pride out of her voice. "You know, a mix of two different branches of magic so that each one enhances a particular aspect of one while blunting the edge of rest."
"I'm not quite sure I follow", Boot told her, hanging onto her every word. And indeed, he was not alone as everyone, including Slytherins, wanted to know what exactly Sia had done to Pansy.
"Well, you mix a spell from say, Transfiguration, and restrain it with a Charm, so the end result, depending on what exactly you have tried to do and how well you have done it, is a combination of both. Both of them enhance the potency of the other, as well as control the power of each." Sia told him seriously.
"I've never heard of anything like that before, but sounds interesting, and pretty advanced" Boot told her, impressed.
"Well, you wouldn't have heard of it because its kind of experimental magic" Sia began carefully, refraining from adding that it was she who had done most of the experimenting; she didn't want to be thrown out of Hogwarts. "And yes, its advanced" she told him with a smirk directed at Slytherins. "Its well above the level of simpletons who don't know that Finite Incantatem is used to end a single spell, not two different streams of magic let loose together." Many Slytherins frowned at her.
"So how can a Complex spell be ended then?" Michael Corner asked her interestedly.
This was a gray area, and Sia spoke slowly, weighing her words. "The easiest way to end it is by using a Spell or Charm that is much more powerful in force than the combined magic. Otherwise, the caster has to be accomplished enough to know what he or she is doing and how exactly to take it back because they alone know what spell, charm, hex or jinx they have mixed."
The Ravenclaws, and indeed everyone around, looked suitably awed. It was quite a feat getting the brainy Ravenclaws to admit to being impressed, and Sia was relieved nobody had tried to ask her if using such spells was allowed.
"So, what did you mix yesterday?" Boot asked her, smiling a little.
Sia smiled at him, thinking she might as well begin to befriend him and opened her mouth to speak, but Ron beat her to it. "Incomplete Transfiguration aimed at changing the vocal chords, combined with the Chronox Charm to make it time-bound. That's how it ended by itself" he proclaimed proudly, as though it were his handiwork, and Hermione huffed angrily beside him, her posture rigid.
Sia sighed. Hermione had been as disapproving of her 'experimental magic' as Ron had been approving, with the result that they had had a row and were now no longer speaking. Such was the intensity of their quarrel that Harry, Ginny and she herself were reduced to mere bystanders while they had shaken the dust from the ceiling of the Gryffindor tower, or maybe it was the tower itself.
"You are a very smart witch, Raisingh" Boot told her seriously. "How come you are not in Ravenclaw?" he asked her, and Draco rolled his eyes.
Sia hid the smirk she felt ready to escape her behind a smile and looked steadily into Boot's eyes. "Oh, even I need help sometimes" she told him deeply, and Draco sniggered softly as he saw Boot falling for it, hook, line and sinker. Then he laughed outright as he pictured the scene in Gryffindor common room when Romilda Vane would find out that her boyfriend had been snatched right from under her nose. He looked at Boot and shook his head; the stupid fool didn't stand a chance.
The rest of the week seemed to pass in a blur, inspite of the fact that the Gryffindors were much in news. Ron and Hermione had had a row in a corridor this time, frightening many first and second years from other houses who had never seen Gryffindors in action before. If that hadn't been enough, Romilda Vane had paid a visit to the hospital wing for calling Sia some truly filthy names, and the hook-up of Sia and Terry Boot was on everyone's lips, specially after the supposed Sia-Draco hook-up which had turned out to be just a game of one-upmanship between them.
Sia had taken a lot of care to be seen everywhere with Boot; she wanted to let Draco know that there was no possibility of anything ever developing between them. But what bothered her was that she couldn't convince herself entirely of it. She didn't really feel anything for Boot yet, though she sincerely hoped she would, one day. For the time being, he was merely a tool in helping her keep Draco at a safe distance, a means to safeguard herself from being entangled in the web of sensations that his mere proximity aroused in her. Hopefully, with Boot's help, Draco would take the hint and stay well away. She was willing to even forget about their little games, however entertaining they might be, if that meant living in peace. After all, she had already had the last word in that.
Ron and Hermione's relationship, if it could be called that, had plunged to new depths. Both were angry at what they saw as the other's stubbornness and steadfast refusal to see light. Hermione was already not speaking to Draco for slighting Ginny, and her quarrel with Ron had upset her so much that she was now continually in a bad temper. Add to that the increased workload of being the Head Girl and the extra studying for NEWTs, and everyone, Gryffindors included, were afraid of approaching her. Even Sia and Ginny were giving her a wide berth, and Harry had, for the time being, given up trying to patch things up between his best friends. He knew that the majority of their problems would disappear the day Ron decided to open his mouth about his feelings rather than to call Hermione some cruel, albeit accurate, names.
Friday morning after Potions, they had a couple of periods off, and Harry and Sia were taking advantage of the temporary reprieve by laughing their heads off on Ron-Hermione fracas. Both of them were wondering when Ron would come to his senses and put Hermione out of her bad temper that had already seen two detentions that morning to two hapless souls. Hermione was most probably in the library, or her Head's dormitory, though neither was willing to find out exactly where, and Ron was nowhere to be seen.
Just then, the portrait hole opened and Ginny entered, and frowned as she saw Sia being quite cozy with Harry. As she made her way over to them, Harry turned to smile at her. She smiled back and was about to kiss him when he suddenly jumped up with a yelp.
"What happened?" Sia asked him.
"I almost forgot…I had to go see Dumbledore. See you in a bit, then. Bye Gin." And he disappeared through the portrait.
Ginny stared after him, a bit dazed at his rather hurried departure, and turned to Sia, who had stood up as well.
"I almost forgot too, I'd said I'd meet Terry. See you later, then." And she was gone too.
Ginny stared at the portrait hole for a few moments, her mind in turmoil. It always bothered her to watch Sia with Harry. True, her mind had been put to a bit of rest ever since Sia had suddenly discovered a lot of affection for Terry Boot, but the ease with which she had snared him from Romilda Vane had left her disturbed. It spoke of the undeniable attraction boys felt for her, and her utter lack of scruples. All in all, it didn't make her feel comfortable about Harry being in her company.
The portrait hole opened then, and Ron tumbled in. He looked terribly disturbed over something, and Ginny almost groaned in weariness, knowing this would be about Hermione. She decided not to ask this time, and maybe Ron would leave her alone. But Ron took the matter out of her hands by coming over to her directly.
"Hey Gin…nice day, huh?" he began awkwardly, and Ginny's senses perked up. Ron was not the type to beat about the bush with pleasantries; he plunged straight ahead.
"What happened, Ron?" she asked him quietly. "Hermione?"
He nodded miserably. "I was in the library just now and…" he began, and Ginny's eyes widened.
"You fought in the library this time? What did Madam Pince have to say to that?"
"We didn't fight" Ron told her a bit tersely. "She didn't even see me, I think. She was sitting with her usual pile of books, and there were…well, quite a few guys right behind her, all wanting to speak with her from the looks of it…"
"In her current mood? They want to commit suicide, do they?" Ginny asked wryly, but Ron seemed not to notice.
"Gin, I have to talk to her…before its too late." He was in real earnest now, and Ginny hid her smile of relief. "The only thing is…we are not even speaking right now…I don't know how…" he petered off dejectedly.
"You just need to calm down a little, Ron, and pluck up a bit of courage!" she told him bracingly, and suddenly Sia's bottle of Calming Draught swam before her eyes. She was curious why Sia was so possessive about it, and her last reaction when she had taken the bottle still rankled. Well, she was not about to disturb this time, Ginny mused, as she was probably snogging the life out of Boot somewhere, and Ron wanted to talk to Hermione. A little help was all he needed, she decided making up her mind.
Sia was standing leaning against a wall, while Terry was trying to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. The corridor wasn't deserted, Sia had seen to that, and there were several groups of girls standing about.
Sia was depressed and bored. Terry was intelligent, smart, even fairly good looking, but somehow his proximity didn't do anything for her. He made witty jokes and kept the conversation flowing smoothly, and yet his breath didn't tingle her senses, his eyes didn't drown her, his scent didn't enthrall her. He was pleasant, but he didn't electrify her. Sia didn't want to compare him to Draco, but it was kind of inevitable, she thought sadly. It was like floating in a paddle pool after being tossed around in the rough seas. Safe. Tame. And boring.
Just as Sia was wondering how best to make her escape when there was a considerable time to their next class, a frisson of excitement seemed to pass through the various groups of girls around them. Sia turned her head slightly to see what was going on, and was rewarded with the sight of Draco Malfoy striding down the corridor towards them. His robes were undone, billowing behind him, and his athletic form clad in Hogwarts uniform was open to scrutiny. The Head Boy badge winked saucily as he walked, and his hair were attractively windswept. The way he wore it, anyone might be forgiven for thinking the Hogwarts uniform was way too sexy for school kids. Was it him, or was it just her, Sia wondered. But oohs aahs and giggles coming from around them assured her it wasn't just her.
"He's very popular among the girls", a voice whispered in her ear and Sia nearly jumped out of her skin. She took a couple of deep breaths before turning to Terry.
"Is he?" she tried to sound bored while her insides were dancing to an incessant drumbeat.
"Hmm" Terry murmured, breathing in the scent of fresh peaches that seemed to come from her hair.
"Inspite of being a Slytherin? Some girls have strange tastes, I must say." She managed to sound disdainful, although the words felt foreign to her tongue.
"Slytherin?" Terry looked at her in surprise. "I didn't know Vance Jamison of the Dead Vibes was a Slytherin! Where did you read that?"
Vance Jamison of the Dead Vibes! Who the heck is he, Sia wondered. Some singer, most likely, as Terry was very interested in music. But it would certainly be beneficial to pay attention to what was being said to her in future, she thought. And then, Draco was upon them.
"Boot," he said brusquely after a curt nod to Sia, who suddenly felt empty. But wasn't this the way she wanted things between them! She tried not to feel bad about it, but now she felt even more depressed.
"Theres a Ravenclaw up at the Astronomy tower, threatening to jump, I've heard. You might want to check it out before the news reaches Granger." He told Terry casually, as though people threatening to commit suicide that way were everyday occurrence.
Terry was as stumped as Sia was aghast.
"What?!!!" they both blurted out at the same moment.
"Hmmm…I've heard he's quite upset over his girlfriend cheating on him or something…" Draco replied, brushing off an imaginary speck of dirt from his sleeve. "Seems she had a thing for another guy all along and then one day…" Draco shrugged his shoulders elegantly. "Granger might have plenty to say about the whole thing if the news reaches her, so I thought I'd better warn you first."
"Why…thanks. I'll just have a look." Terry was totally thrown off by Draco's gesture. But then he turned to Sia urgently. "Sia…I'll just be back…" but Sia held up her hand.
"Don't worry about it…and hurry up before…you know…" she trailed off, not daring to voice her thoughts. She was shaken by Draco's news.
Terry nodded gravely and left in a hurry. Sia was in a daze, her mind far off, when Draco's voice brought her back to reality.
"Congratulations," he said quietly. Sia looked up at him, confused. "You wanted to date Boot, and now you've got him" he elaborated.
Sia stared at him perplexedly. How could he make jokes at a time like this!
"Shouldn't you be there…you are the Head Boy, for Merlin's sake!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, don't worry about it." Draco told her lightly, "The boy's not going to jump right now."
"How can you be so sure?" Sia goggled at him. "Were you telling the truth or is it some sick joke of yours?"
"I hope, for Boot's sake, that it turns out to be a joke" he said cryptically. Sia stared at him, and he continued, "He doesn't know it, of course, but I just told him his future."
Sia's eyes widened as his meaning sank in, and then narrowed in anger.
"How can you speak of such serious things in jest? You don't value life, do you? Its all a game for you…" she would have gone on, but Draco spoke over her.
"It's a game for you, not for me. I might've exaggerated things a bit, but aren't you doing exactly what I told Boot? We both know you don't really feel anything for the poor sod, and the only reason we're standing two feet apart is that I choose not to close that distance." He finished in an annoyingly superior tone, and Sia was riled.
"Why are you wasting your time here studying for NEWTs when you already hold a Degree in Conceit?" she asked bitingly. "The reason we're not together is that I choose not to associate with you, and now I see it was a wise decision. You are sick." She told him, eyes flashing, and marched off.
Sia's head was pounding in anger. How could he make jokes like that? Didn't he realize such things could mean life and death for someone! Coming from a family of deatheaters, death was probably just a joke for him, she seethed, stomping violently down a deserted corridor without a thought to where she was going. Or maybe, he just didn't realize what he was talking about…after all, he had never seen what she had, and the thought suddenly made her want to throw up. She stopped and leaned against the wall for support, feeling dizzy. She closed her eyes, thinking back…she had vowed to herself not to think about it, ever, but found herself remembering…
A shadow fell across her face and she blinked her eyes open in alarm, then relaxed as she saw Ron. She felt almost giddy with relief that he had rescued her from her own thoughts.
"Hey Ron," she tried to smile, "Where have you been all morning? We didn't see you after Potions!"
Ron stared at her fixedly. "Oh, just here and there" he said vaguely. "Sia, listen, I want to talk to you. Now. Its urgent."
Sia really smiled this time at the earnestness in his voice. Obviously, they were going to have a little discussion concerning Hermione, she thought. About time!
"Sure" she replied, and he gestured to an empty classroom behind her. Sia walked into it and he followed her, and Sia had to stifle a laugh when he locked the door behind him, tickled by his need for secrecy.
She sat down on a dusty desk after Scourgifying it, and Ron's eyes followed her movement. She waited for him to begin, but he continued to stare.
"So," Sia began, feeling he wasn't really going to start talking soon, "we're going to talk about HG, right?"
"No", pat came his reply, and Sia raised her eyebrows.
"Still in denial, are we? But Ron, everyone knows what you two feel about each other, and just because you've had a fight is no reason to…"
"I told you, this is not about Hermione" Ron spoke over her forcefully, and Sia grew silent, slightly irritated at his stubbornness.
Silence began to fester between them, as Sia scowled at him and he continued to stare. Finally, when Sia, bored out of her mind, was examining her nails, he spoke up from right above her, startling her by his sudden proximity and his choice of words.
"Sia…you are so beautiful." It was a rather bland statement, and Sia stared at him.
"Did HG hit you over the head, or just Confund you?" she asked, piqued. She had received many compliments before this, but none had sounded like a weather report.
"I'm serious, Sia. You are very beautiful…very lovely…irresistible, almost." He murmured almost to himself, and Sia was unsure whether she had heard the last part right. "And stop mentioning Hermione." He spoke very loudly suddenly, making Sia flinch.
"Ron…" she began, looking at him curiously now, a small alarm beginning to ring in her head, "are you alright? You look a bit…strange."
"Is it strange to love you?" he asked her, holding her head in his hands, gazing intently into her eyes, and Sia was so surprised she jumped up from the desk, dislodging his hands and pushing him slightly away from her.
"Ron! What is the meaning of this funny business? If it's a joke, it has gone far enough!" Sia thundered at him and turned to walk to the door, and the next instant, one side of her face exploded in pain as Ron whacked her hard across the face. Dazed, she raised her hand to her cheek and spat out blood, staring at Ron stupidly.
"Funny? Do you find my love funny?" Ron asked her quietly, and there was a sinister note in his voice that sent a chill down Sia's spine. She slowly backed away from him and surreptitiously took out her wand, holding her burning cheek with one hand.
"Ron! Whats happened to you?" she asked quietly, trying to keep the note of panic from her voice and ignore the pain that stung her cheek.
Ron ignored her. "Who do you think is not funny? Terry Boot? Draco Malfoy? Harry Potter?" he asked in the same quiet voice, advancing on her.
Sia felt the desk she had sat on earlier behind her, and tried to skirt it, but Ron suddenly leaped on her, surprising her with his agility. As he collided with her, Sia fell back on the desk, and it toppled over with a crash, taking them both. Sia's head hit the ground hard and she was dazed for a few seconds, and Ron took this opportunity to clamber over her.
As though in a haze, Sia noticed that he was trying to kiss her, and revulsion erupted within her with a tempestuous force. In a reflex action, she gathered her knees to her and kicked out with all her might, and Ron was flung off from her violently with a cry of pain as he landed hard on a pile of unused desks in a corner. Sia took the opportunity to get up and look for her wand, which had been knocked out from her hands when she fell. Finding it, she turned to point it at Ron, expecting him to be lying winded after his fall, but froze in shock as she saw Ron standing before the pile of broken and toppled desks, looking a little worse for wear, but smiling at her almost genially, his wand pointing at her.
A spasm of fear went through Sia as she stared at him and his wand; she had never got the better of him in a duel even in a classroom, and that was when he wasn't trying to hurt her. But this was a different Ron, a deadly, sinister Ron, or maybe someone pretending to be Ron. Her eyes flitted to the door…there was no way she could make it out of the door without him getting to her first, and then she remembered that he had locked the door. He was standing out of the range of her kicks, and she was standing in a place where there was nothing nearby that she could use to launch herself at him, nothing that she could even throw at him to distract him. And he was much faster than she had ever seen him. Sia took a deep breath to calm herself.
As Sia calculated her chances, she saw quite clearly that they were very bad, but she braced herself for a fight nonetheless. All it would take is a slight mistake on his part, and she would pack him off to the Hospital Wing in no time. Maybe a little talk would distract him.
"Ron" she began in a calm voice, "What has happened to you? Why are you doing this? You like HG, remember?" Ron continued to smile at her, his wand pointing at her, his eyes alert. "Did you meet someone today, perhaps?" she suggested carefully, hoping to get a clue as to who had hexed him, if this person was indeed Ron. He ignored that. Sia felt a pang of fear travel down her spine…this Ron was much too focused, much too clever to fall for her ruse. "Ron, have you considered what Harry would think about this?" she asked in some desperation, hoping to get a response out of him.
"I don't need Harry's permission to go for what I want, Sia…and I want you, any which way." He told her quietly, still smiling his genial smile which, coupled with his words and her situation, was starting to look quite sinister. Sia gulped involuntarily, and knew there was only one way out.
"Stupefy!" she yelled suddenly, but Ron blocked her spell almost casually, smiling even more widely now. Sia panicked and threw one spell after another at him in quick succession, till he was forced to use the Shield charm. Now his smile was gone, and his face was contorted by an ugly sneer that was so unlike Ron that Sia was almost convinced he was someone else.
"You want to play rough, do you, my love?" he snarled, and Sia flinched at his words, "well then, rough is what you're going to get."
With that, in one swift motion he ended the Shield charm and Disarmed her, and Sia slipped off her robe to get ready for a dirty fight.
Ron seemed to find her gesture amusing, as he burst into laughter and pointing his wand at her discarded robe, set fire to it.
Sia forced her mind away from it and looked steadily at Ron, ready for whatever he threw at her. As Ron started raining spells at her, she concentrated on avoiding them, aiming to get close enough to him to knock his wand off him.
It seemed to work, as she got closer to Ron while avoiding his spells, close enough to lash out a well-aimed kick at his groin, but as she swung her leg, Ron was no longer there. Moving with surprising quickness, Ron anticipated her attack and side stepped her. Sia kicked at him again, but this time he caught her leg in mid-action and pushed her roughly away, and Sia crashed into a desk painfully.
Before she could recover, Ron hauled her up by her hair making her cry out in pain and threw her onto a couple of desks, and Sia saw stars swim in front of her eyes. She tried to raise herself, but Ron again grabbed a handful of her hair and banged her head against the desk before turning her over. She felt something sticky slide down her face, and realized with a pang that it would be her blood. Rage pulsed within her, and as she dimly saw Ron draw closer to her, she summoned every ounce of her will and strength and slapped him hard. Ron staggered a bit, and Sia kicked at his groin again, but this time her aim was bad and her kick lacked its usual power. Ron took her kick on his knee and fell forward towards her. Sia anticipated his fall and wanted to move away, but her battered body refused to obey her and Ron fell on her like a ton of bricks, knocking her breath out of her.
He lay quietly for a few moments, and Sia began to think that maybe he had passed out, but then he raised his head to peer into her face, and the expression in his blue eyes chilled her to the bone. Slowly, as though he had all the time in the world, Ron raised his wand and pressed it sharply against her chin, then whispered, "Just so you don't claw at me again, kitten", and just as she opened her mouth to scream, a purple jet of light went through her, paralyzing her.
Then Ron went berserk. It seemed as though he had been waiting to get hold of her so he could punish her for daring to reject his advances. He chewed her lips in a cruel mockery of a kiss, and pressed his finger almost gleefully into every wound he had just given her, watching her eyes water with pain with a twinkle in his eyes. Sia felt every bit of the pain he was inflicting on her, but could do nothing about it. Helpless, she tried to close her mind to what was happening to her, trying to concentrate on how to stop him. She started by thinking about the spell he had put her under; she could blink, she could open and close her mouth, her body wasn't stiff, so it wasn't the Full Body Bind. She couldn't speak, however, or move any other part of her body. Sia tried to think clearly as Ron hauled her up again by her hair, bringing fresh tears to her eyes, and propped her up by a wall. Her feet could support her weight, she found. She had never heard about such a spell…what was it!
And then with a blinding flash, it came to her. It was a Complex Spell, no wonder she couldn't place it. But she didn't know Ron could cast it…she hadn't taught him how, and he wasn't ingenious enough to figure it out on his own. Then how…unless…unless…and Sia knew then that she was gone. He had drunk the potion!
Tears ran down Sia's face as Ron kissed her mercilessly, sucking on her blood as though it was his only sustenance, holding her so hard she knew she'd be bruised for weeks. Why hadn't she thrown the bloody bottle away the day she had seen it in Ginny's hand! Hermione's face suddenly swam before her eyes, passionate in its indignation over Sia's 'experimental magic'. You were right, HG, she wanted to cry out, where are you now! But Hermione didn't know where she was, otherwise she would've come for her, Sia knew. And if she did come here, what would she see? Ron was no longer himself, but would she ever be able to forget what she saw? Forgive him? Forget that, would she even be able to believe what she saw? Would Harry believe it if he saw?
Oh, Harry, Sia thought, tears mingling with blood in her mouth as Ron ripped open her shirt, tearing it way from her. Harry, where are you, she cried silently. Harry would be able to find her, she thought suddenly, he had the Marauders' map! But Harry was with Dumbledore, he wouldn't even look at the map now, and her heart sank again. Ginny, Terry, anyone…would anyone bother to look for her, or for Ron even? And even if they did, she knew that before they got over the shock of seeing Ron in his sinister avatar, Ron would hex them, and get back to her.
Ron stepped away from her, looking down intently at her, as though he found her bruised, bloody face fascinating, and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. Please stop it Ron, she begged him silently with her eyes, you'll hate yourself when you come to your senses. But even if he could've heard her, he wouldn't have cared, Sia knew.
"If you'd listened to me, darling, none of this would've happened," he told her, the quietness in his voice in stark contrast to the violence of his actions, "but maybe you like getting hurt, do you? I won't disappoint you then", he said, and Sia nearly fainted as he enveloped her head in his arms, his hug promising even more violence. And then he again dove for her lips, his arms on both sides of her face.
Just then, the door swung open with a crash, and Sia's heart leaped. Ron turned his head towards the door, and Sia heard a familiar voice, "Oh, I'm sorry. Do carry on." And before the door shut again, from the thin crack between Ron's head and his arm, Sia saw a glimpse of platinum blond hair disappearing from view.
Malfoy, she wanted to scream…come back, please come back! But all she heard was the sound of his receding footsteps before the sound stopped altogether. Sia would've shrieked in despair if she could've. The only person she knew who would've hexed Ron first and asked questions later was walking away from her, thinking she was snogging Ron! Tears of rage, frustration, humiliation and pain continued to pour down her face as Ron returned to her.
"Annoying little ferret, isn't he, love?" he asked her lovingly, running a finger down her swollen cheek. "But I think you find him attractive, as do many girls here." His finger stopped at her neck, and he loosely looped his entire hand round it. He gazed at her intently with his clear blue eyes, and suddenly, Sia was reminded of another pair of blue eyes, with a blue so pale it was almost white. Was that why she was being punished like this, she wondered miserably. Hadn't she been punished enough? Evidently not, as Ron's gaze suddenly hardened and he tightened his fingers round her throat. "Who else do you find attractive, Sia, tell me!" he hissed venomously. "Terry Boot? that filthy Ravenclaw who thinks he's so smart! Or the sacred Harry Potter, who likes pawing my sister? You won't think him so holy if you knew what he does to her, you know. But Sia…nobody will touch you like this…not ever…I'll show you how much love can hurt."
And then his hands were everywhere, all over her, and Sia wanted to throw up. He bit her on her neck, her shoulders, her arms, her ears, and then his fingers traveled lower to hitch up her skirt and pinch her thighs. Sia felt a nauseating wave of revulsion and panic go through her. She wanted to press her legs together tightly, but the spell left her with no control over her body. Ron grasped one thigh in his hand and jerked it away from the other, making more room for his hand. Sia felt violated as his hand hooked onto the waistband of her panties and tore the lacy garment off of her. She wanted to scream at the top of her voice for help, for anyone, but it was useless.
Ron unzipped his pants, making his intentions clear, and Sia's mind suddenly conjured the picture of a man; a tall, dark man, with dark, wavy hair, piercing hazel eyes conveying a steely resolve. If he had been here, he would've killed Ron with bare hands, she knew. Father…please save me, she begged silently…but he was far away, and he didn't even know…nobody knew, Sia thought in despair as Ron pushed her to the floor roughly and clambered over her.
A/N: A lot of you have concerns that this story doesn't look like a DMHG story at all, or want to know when Dramione stuff will come up! All I can say is, its a very long story and it will turn into a DMHG story at some point. Draco has been brought up with the belief that muggles are inferior beings and muggleborns are mudbloods, and he can't change his beliefs at the drop of a hat just because he thinks Hermione is pretty and they share a dormitory. Similarly, Hermione, who has only known the bad side of Draco till now, can't abandon the boy she has had a crush on since her fourth year for an arrogant elitist. They have started accepting each other as someone more than what they originally thought, but realistically, it will take some more time for them to want to fall in each others' arms. But be warned, this is not a regular Dramione in any sense. Hope that satisfies everyone. Please review.