Harry Potter 1. When I First Saw Your Face

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

AN: The first few chapters will go pretty fast and go through a lot of time. My goal is to be up to 5th year by the third or fourth chapter. That's when the story gets juicy ;). What's going on now is back ground info you will need to know. Hope you enjoy!

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I had always been a quiet girl. I was prim and proper and only spoke when spoken too. That's what my father expected of me and I would give him no less. He was a big shot in the Wizarding world and I and my father were as pure as pure bloods could get, but we were blood traitors among our own. My father worked at the Ministry of Magic and was very vocal about the rights of muggle-borns. He had put away several Death Eaters in his day and had taught me to think exactly as he did.

The first time I saw the Hogwarts Express was a day I would remember forever.

The air was crisp I noticed as I looked up at the huge train. I was so nervous. I was starting Hogwarts a year later than everyone else. My father had home schooled me for the first year. Why that had been necessary I would probably never know. I had begged my father to go to Hogwarts with everyone else. The only thing he would say was that is was for the best.

I kept my head down trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Maybe I could just disappear into the background and no one would notice 'the new girl'. My father hadn't stuck around to see me off. I had asked him not to. His face was well known in the wizarding world and the last thing I needed was for everyone to know I was the daughter of Mr. Allan Sonders.

I walked into the train and found an empty compartment. _OK…if anyone comes in I'll just smile and stare out the window the whole time._ I hated that I was so shy, but I couldn't help it. That's how I had always been. I had a perfect childhood with a lot of love and was spoiled to death. I was just…shy.

"Hey, here's a compartment. It's the only one left that's not full." I heard a girl from the hall say. The compartment door opened and a girl with long frizzy brown hair walked in with a chubby boy trying to hold on to a frog that didn't seem to want to stay still.

"Oh, hello" The girl with the frizzy hair said as she spotted the nervous ball of flesh in the corner that was me.

"Hi" I gave a nervous smile.

"My name is Hermione and this is Neville. What's yours?" She held out her hand.

I took her hand and shook. "My name is Ray."

"Are you a first year? I don't believe I've seen you around." She and Neville took a seat across from me.

"No, I'll be starting in second year. I am new though. I was home schooled my first year." I was surprised at the fact I was actually talking and not having a mental melt down.

"Oh, that's so interesting! You must have brilliant parents. I've heard it's rare for the ministry to allow home schooling."

"Well, my father works for the ministry, so I'm sure he just pulled a few strings." I smiled hoping that would be the end of the conversation about my father.

"Does your mother work for the ministry as well?"

"No, my mother died when I was little. I don't even remember her." I shuffled in my seat not liking where the conversation was going.

"I'm so sorry…umm…What does your father do at the ministry?" Hermione was obviously trying to change the subject and for once I was glad to be asked something about my father.

"He is an advisor to the Minister and a big activist for muggle-born rights."

"Wait." She paused. "Are you the daughter of Allan Sonders?" Hermione's face was practically glowing.

"Yep, that's me." I gave a half hearted smile and practically rolled my eyes. I was really trying to down play the whole thing until I got a good look at Hermione's face. She was practically in tears.

"Your father is such a wonderful man. I'm a muggle-born you see, so I really appreciate how much your father cares. It seems like so many pure bloods would rather see us just disappear. It's just nice to have one on our side."

I was really moved by what she said. I knew what my father did, but I had never had a one on one encounter with someone that really cared so much about what he did. All I could do was smile. I wasn't sure what else to say.

The rest of the train ride was pretty uneventful. Neville had finally joined in on the conversation and I just mostly sat there and listened to them talk about the fact that there friends were missing. One of which was apparently Harry Potter.

After the train had arrived and we had our robes on I walked out onto the platform. I was greeted by the hugest man I had ever seen. He had to have giant blood in him. He smiled at me and asked "First year?"

"No, my name is Ray Sonders. I'm starting in second year."

"Oh! Of course, of course. Professor McGonagall is coming down to meet you. She didn't figure you'd want to be sorted with the first years. You just wait over there and she'll be right with ya."

I smiled and maneuvered myself over to the spot the giant man had indicated. I sat on a bench and watched the others exit the train. One boy caught my eye. He was of average height and had slicked back blond hair. It was obvious to me who he was. He was the spiting image of his father, a little Lucius Malfoy mini. _Hmm…I wonder what his name is_. I couldn't help but wonder. I had only met Lucius Malfoy once and he had never said anything about having a son. Although, at the time my father and he were in quite a heated discussion, so no pleasantries had been exchanged.

"Miss. Sonders I presume." A tall slender, very stern looking, woman approached me.

"Yes" I stood.

"Come with me. I'm Professor McGonagall. I'll be your Transfigurations professor. We will go and sort you in my office. Your father said you wouldn't want to be sorted with the first years." She began to walk and I followed after her.

When we arrived in her office she asked me to sit on a wooden stool. My father had told me about the sorting. He himself had been placed in Slytherin. I just hoped that it wasn't a family thing. The last place I wanted to end up was Slytherin. My father had been a different person then. He had changed after he had met my mother. She had been a pure blood, but cared deeply for her muggle-born friends. Sometimes I thought that she was the only reason for all that he did. Maybe it was his way of dealing with the loss of her. My mother had been in Ravenclaw and that was the house I was hoping for.

Professor McGonagall placed the hat on my head and it began to talk to me.

"Well, I see you want to be in Ravenclaw."

"Yes, I do very much." That was all I could think to say.

"I'm going to have to disagree with you. I see you in Slytherin."

I was pretty sure my heart stopped at that moment, but I couldn't be sure. "Please no. I'll get eaten alive in that house."

"Very well….RAVENCLAW!"

Until that moment I hadn't realized I had been holding my breath. I released the toxic air and breathed in sweet relief.

"Very good. Now if you will follow me Miss. Sonders I can show you to the Great Hall." Professor McGonagall led me from her office to the biggest double doors I had ever seen. "You will sit at the Ravenclaw table." She opened the door slightly just enough for me to slip in. I supposed she didn't want to give away the big surprise to the first years that were waiting in the front hall.

I spotted the Ravenclaw table and sat somewhere around in the middle. Only a couple of people had noticed me entering. My whole invisible tactic was working better than I thought. Unfortunately, one of the people that spotted me was the Malfoy kid.

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Draco POV:

"Who is that?" I motioned to the Ravenclaw table.

"Who is who?" Blaise barely looked up. He really annoyed me sometimes.

"The girl who just walked in, you git!" That unfortunately got Pansy's attention.

"What girl? Where? Is she pretty?" Pansy had a look of complete panic on her pug face.

I was seriously considering banging my head on the table when Blaise finally decided to grace us with more than three words. "You mean the new girl in Ravenclaw? The plain looking one?"

I looked at Blaise and then in the direction he was gesturing in. We were defiantly looking at the same girl, although, I wouldn't call her plain. She wasn't gorgeous or anything, but she had potential. "Yes, the new Ravenclaw."

"I heard that we were getting Allan Sonders' daughter this year. That must be her."

"Allan Sonders? That blood traitor?" My blood was boiling. That man had gotten my fathers house searched more times than any other. My father had even had to sell some of his things. So his daughter was here at Hogwarts. It was too good to be true. She was the perfect target for my anger to land on. I felt a sharp pain on my palm and realized I had squeezed my hand into a fist so hard that I practically made my hand bleed. I wanted to hurt her. I didn't even know why. Yes, her father was the enemy of my father, but it was more than that. The more I looked at her the more I wanted to make her life a living hell.

"Well, we'll just have to greet her properly." I looked over to see that Pansy had an incredibly mischievous grin on her face.

"No" I said the word before I even realized air was leaving my mouth.

"What?" Pansy looked shock and confused. Even Blaise set up and gave me a curious look.

I just looked at them direct and with authority. "I take care of this one myself."

AN: Hope you liked it. I'm going to try to have another chapter up by tomorrow. Reviews will motivate me ;)


	2. The Ravenclaw Mute

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN:** Thank you for the reviews and all the alerts.

**WARNING:** This chapter contains slight physical abuse. It's really not that bad AT ALL...very mild, but I still felt that you had the right to be warned.

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Ray POV:

The rest of that night was pretty uneventful. I hadn't made any friends, although, it was hard to make friends when you barely looked up from the ground. There was this nice girl named Luna who was a first year in my house, but she was a little weird even for my standards.

The next morning I woke with a smile on my face. Even though I was still a little tired I was really ready to get on to my classes. My studies had always been the one thing I was good at. Everything else I had tried in my life I had crashed and burned at. When I was five I told my Father that I wanted to be a famous Quidditch player, so he bought me a broom. It took four hours, five house elves, and seven different magical spells to get me untangled from the garden hose and off the roof of our mansion. When I was nine I told my father that I wanted to be a healer, so he bought me a kit of all sorts of magical potions and herbs. That's the day I learned the curtains in my bedroom were extremely flammable.

I decided to go down to the Common room and sit by the fire for a little while before class. I sat on a very plush chair and practically fell back asleep.

"Are you going to class Ray? My father says you should always get up two hours before any heavy learning or the Twinklies in your head will get very angry and bite your brain." I recognized the voice as Luna's and decided to open my eyes.

Luna looked positively dreamy eyed. Even though I had only met her last night I was pretty sure she always looked like that. "What's a Twinkly?"

Luna gave a huge sigh and then grinned. "It's right here in this issue of the Quibbler." She held up what looked to be a magazine. "Here." She handed it to me. "You can have this copy. I have another in my room." With that she left for what I assumed was the Great Hall.

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My classes had been going pretty well except for Potions. I had never been good at it and I was pretty certain that Professor Snape hated me. It was easy to see who his favorite student was about five minutes into class. It was that Malfoy kid who I had finally learned was named Draco. Only a guy named Lucius would come up with a name like Draco. I almost felt sorry for the guy. That is until he caught me staring at him. I hadn't even realized I was doing it until he looked at me and gave me a look of pure disgust. I turned my head down to my book so quickly I thought I might get whiplash.

After Potions I rushed off to Transfigurations. I could already tell that I was going to like this class and that Professor McGonagall was my kind of teacher. She seemed like she was direct, to the point, and would get right down to business.

I walked in and took a seat front and center. I was good at this. I had even impressed my father one time by turning our house cat into a water pitcher. Mr. Peepers the house cat, on the other hand, didn't seem so impressed, although, it's hard to be impressed when you're practically reduced to party supplies.

Class began and it was hard to ignore the fact that Draco was also good at this. A couple of times he even beat me in the amount of tries it took for us to get a spell right. No one, however, was as good as that Hermione girl that I had met on the train. She was like some kind of Wizard spell machine.

It was hard to say why I kept noticing Draco Malfoy. It was like my eyes had a mind of their own. I just kept watching him. I didn't really find him cute and I knew for a fact that he didn't like me looking at him. He had been pretty clear on that in Potions class. Yet I still stared. Maybe it was because he was one of the few people I could actually name.

After Transfigurations I had a break, so I decided to head to my dorm and take a quick power nap. I had made it half way there when I heard someone yell my last name.

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Draco POV:

I had been planning on waiting for this little meeting, but her staring was getting on my nerves and I wasn't sure how much more I could take. All she did was stare at me. It was like she was trying to burn a hole in the back of my head with her eyes.

"SONDERS!" I yelled so loud across the corridor I thought I saw a picture shake.

She turned to see me practically running after her. She looked like I had just shot her with the killing curse. She quickly looked at the ground standing so still I wasn't sure she was breathing. When I reached her I became certain that she wasn't breathing.

"Well, if it isn't the little Sonders girl."

She unfroze for a fraction of a second to look up at me and then back down at the ground turning back into stone.

"You think you're too good to speak to me?" My blood boiled even more when she still didn't speak. I grabbed her shoulders roughly and made her eyes meet mine. I kept my hands on her shoulders and squeezed. She would defiantly have bruises the next day.

I heard her take in a sharp breath. "What do you want?" I could tell she was in pain, but I didn't care. I did, however, remove my hands from her.

"I just wanted to warn you. I thought it was only fair. You might be a blood traitor, but you're still a pure blood." I realized I was sounding like my father and I liked it.

"Warn me of what?" She looked so innocent, almost like a kitten. I hated the looked. I wanted to wipe it from her face.

"I'm making it my personal mission to make your life hell."

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Ray POV:

Draco had kept his promise to me. He was defiantly trying to make my life a living hell and he seemed to be pretty good at it. Practically every day he found some new way to torture me either verbally or physically. His favorite form of torture seemed to be of the physical sort. He loved to grab my arm or push me into a wall, but nothing he ever did actually hurt. The worst he ever did was knock the wind out of me. He even made up a not so clever nickname for me, The Ravenclaw Mute.

So I didn't talk a lot, but I had made a few friends. I had hung out with Hermione a couple of times. Most of the time we were studying, but I still think that counted. I had also made friends with my roommates, Mandy and Lisa. All in all, I liked school except for the constant torture from Draco.

One day after about four months I had begun to realize that I was practically waiting for him each day. I had pretty much accepted the fact that I was going to be picked on everyday by him. I should have considered myself lucky. At least he never did it in front of any one and never through curses at me like he did Harry Potter. It was hard to miss their blatant dislike for each other. Sometimes it was hard for me to decide which one I wanted to win the battle. A normal person would root for Harry Potter, but for some reason he just rubbed me the wrong way. I had probably only spoken to him twice in four months, but for some reason I just got an uneasy feeling around him. That's why most of the time I secretly hoped that Draco would win when they got into an argument. Not because I liked Draco, but because I thought that maybe if he won with Harry that he might leave me alone at least for one day.

**Third Year:**

Draco POV:

Torturing Ray our second year had been quite amusing to me. I never actually hurt her. It was much more fun to make her think that I would. It had become a little game of mine that I liked to play with her. She was like a life sized rag doll that I could just bang against a wall when I got mad.

I was becoming more like my father everyday. I was his rag doll, so it wasn't such a far fetched notion that I would want one for myself. I would like to think that I took better care of mine, however. I had only given my doll bruises once and that was only because I was marking my territory. After that it wasn't necessary. I never humiliated mine in front of anyone unlike my father. That time was reserved for only me and my doll, but this year would be different. I had a new game to play.

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Ray POV:

"Ray!" I heard my name being called from one of the compartments in the Hogwarts Express. Hermione poked her head out of the compartment and waved at me. "Come and sit with us."

I smiled and made my way to the compartment. Mandy and Lisa had asked me to sit with them, but they had both gotten Ravenclaw boyfriends the year before and the last thing I wanted to do was watch them give googaly eyes at each other all the way to Hogwarts. I had also managed to avoid Draco thus far and I wasn't going to push my luck by sticking around in the middle of the train for much longer.

I walked into the compartment and saw that Harry and Ron had already made themselves comfortable. There was also a sleeping man in the corner that they had apparently decided to ignore, so I did the same. I did, however, gesture towards the man and then looked at Ron, but all he did was shrug, so I let it go. "Hi guys." I smiled and sat across from them. Hermione closed the compartment door and sat down beside me. I still got an uneasy feeling around Harry, but I had really wanted to be friends with Hermione and it seemed that these three came as a packaged deal.

"So how was your summer, Ray?" Harry smiled at me and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. This was going to be a long ride.

"Oh, it was pretty boring. I spent a lot of time in my father's office helping him file papers." I smiled back and tried to avoid his eyes. Looking him in the eyes always made the uneasy feeling worse.

The compartment door flew open and what I saw made my heart sink. It was Draco Malfoy. He had almost ruined my first year at Hogwarts, but I refused to let him ruin this one. The only problem was that I was completely terrified of him, so standing up to him was not going to be an easy task.

His eyes immediately went to me and I would have sworn that I saw a flash of hurt in them. It was so quick that I was sure I must have imagined it. Whatever it was it was quickly replaced with a smirk.

"Well, looks like The Ravenclaw Mute and the Golden Trio have made friends. How cute." He continued to smirk and look at me.

"Just go away Malfoy and leave her alone." Harry stood and glared at Draco.

"I'll see you later Sonders." Draco just kept smirking and staring at me. His eyes never left mine until he shut the compartment door.

"Am I the only one that thought that was weird?" Ron looked at all of us and then stared at me with a questioning look. "What's with you and Malfoy?"

I wasn't sure what to say. I hadn't told anyone about Draco's constant torture. Draco had told me not to tell anyone and I was too afraid of him to disobey. I hadn't even told my father. This was the first time Draco had ever said anything in front of anyone.

"I have no idea what that was about. I guess it's just Malfoy being Malfoy." I decided to call him Malfoy instead of Draco. It seemed like I was the only one other than his friends that called him Draco. I had called him Malfoy once to his face and he almost slapped me, but decided not to. He had told me that I was to address him by his first name or that I was to keep my mouth shut.

"I didn't know you had even ever talked to him." Hermione chimed in looking utterly confused.

"Well, I haven't, so that must be why he called me a mute." I tried to give a convincing laugh to accompany my not so funny joke.

They seemed to have found this explanation sufficient enough because they went back to making pleasantries with me. We talked the rest of the way about our summers and what classes we would most likely take. It had been a pleasant trip until the Dementors had boarded the train. They had scared me, but my reaction was nothing compared to what happened to Harry. He fainted and had to be helped by the man in the corner who had ended up being our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

**Later that Night:**

Ray POV:

When dinner was over I decided to take a walk around the castle. I would have to be careful not to get caught, but I just couldn't sit still. The last thing I wanted to do was sit in the common room or go to bed. I was a little freaked out about the prisoner that had escaped, but not enough to effect my decision about the walk. All I was going to do was walk around and look at the beautiful moving paintings. There was nothing wrong with that.

After changing into jeans and a black turtle neck I left the Ravenclaw tower. I had been walking for about five minutes when I started to get a really weird feeling like someone was following me. I turned around and saw nothing, so I chalked it up to paranoia. Another five minutes pasted and I just couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following me.

All of a sudden someone grabbed me from behind and put their hand over my mouth. I started struggling, but it was useless.

"Stop struggling, Sonders." I immediately recognized the voice and stopped moving. It was none other than Draco Malfoy.

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

_He started moving towards me and I kept on stepping back until I hit the wall. It was like his mood had switched faster than I could snap my fingers. One minute he had almost seemed nice and then the next murderous. He trapped me against the wall by putting his arms on either side of me. His face was about five inches from mine and I could feel his warm breath. I was horrified._

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**AN:** That was just a taste of the next chapter. I hope you liked it. I'll try to update soon. Sorry I left on a cliffhanger, but remember the more reviews I get the more modivated I am to update ;) ...Please review if you can. THANKS!


	3. Are You OK?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN: **I hope you liked the last chapter. Thank you for all the reviews and alerts.

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Ray POV:

All of a sudden someone grabbed me from behind and put their hand over my mouth. I started struggling, but it was useless.

"Stop struggling, Sonders." I immediately recognized the voice and stopped moving. It was none other than Draco Malfoy.

He let go of me and turned me to face him. He didn't say anything. He just looked at me like I had something wrong with me.

"You pierced your ears." He reached out and touched my left earlobe. It was a gentle touch that lingered a little too long for my comfort.

I stepped back out of the touch. "Yes, I got them done a couple of weeks ago."

He started moving towards me and I kept on stepping back until I hit the wall. It was like his mood had switched faster than I could snap my fingers. One minute he had almost seemed nice and then the next murderous. He trapped me against the wall by putting his arms on either side of me. His face was about five inches from mine and I could feel his warm breath. I was horrified.

"What were you doing sitting with Potter on the train?"

I swallowed hard and leaned back into the wall trying to distance myself from his narrowing eyes. "I…uh…I…" I was scared, but still found time to appreciate the irony of me getting in trouble for something I didn't even want to do in the first place.

"Spit it out, Sonders." His voice was venomous.

I shut my eyes and frantically began to blurt out everything I was thinking. I was so scared I couldn't control what was coming out of my mouth "I didn't want to, but I didn't want to sit with Mandy and Lisa because they would just be kissing their boyfriends the whole time, so when Hermione invited me in I said yes. I don't even like Harry. He sort of freaks me out for some reason. I mean I guess I could have sat somewhere else, but it's not like I know a lot of peo…." I stopped short and opened my eyes. I hadn't meant to spill my guts.

When I opened my eyes I was sure I was hallucinating. Draco was actually smiling. It wasn't a happy smile, but I smile of complete satisfaction. He moved away from me and just stared at me like he was contemplating something.

Until then I hadn't noticed what he was wearing. He had obviously gone back to the Slytherin house after dinner. We matched. He was also wearing jeans and a black turtle neck. I couldn't help but to laugh. After the chuckle left me I put my hand to my mouth and gasped. I was sure I was done for.

He stepped closer to me looking confused. "Why did you just laugh?" He stopped about two feet in front of me and crossed his arms behind his back.

"Umm…We…uh…we match."

He seemed OK with what I had said because he just smirked and moved away from me giving me his back.

"Go back to your room." He didn't turn to look at me when he said it, so it took me a minute to register what he had said.

"What? Why?" I was so confused.

He turned faster than I thought was possible and glared at me. "It doesn't matter why. Just do what I say."

All I did was nod and practically run back to Ravenclaw. He just stared after me.

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Draco POV:

I hadn't wanted her walking around at night by herself. Someone might take it upon themselves to think they had the right to hurt her. If anything was going to happen to her it was going to be done by me and me alone. She was mine to do with as I pleased and no one else's.

However, my doll would be no fun to play with if I broke her, so I would have to be gentle sometimes. That was hard for me. I didn't like to be gentle, especially when she wouldn't listen. I hated when I had to say things more than once. When I had told her to go back to the dorm she had actually had the nerve to question me.

I went back to the Slytherin common room and was planning to sit by the fire for a while when I saw that Pansy had waited for me.

"Where were you?" Pansy looked at me and frowned. "I missed you."

If I hadn't been afraid that I might mess up my new shoes I probably would have puked right then and there. Yes, technically she was my girlfriend, but that didn't mean I had to like her. It was more for keeping up appearances than anything else. She was who everyone expected me to be with, so that's who I would be with. It was as simple as that.

"I was taking a walk." I sat on the couch next to her and she immediately put her head on my shoulder. I shrugged it off. "I need my space Pansy. You should just go to bed. I don't feel like company tonight."

"Oh OK." She smiled, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and then went to her room.

After I saw that she had gone I wiped my cheek with my sleeve. I wasn't sure if Pansy knew how I really felt or if she would even care. She had always liked me. We had known each other since we were six and she had liked me from the start. My father had practically said that we would be married. She was from a prominent pure blood family that was known supporters of The Dark Lord. That was my fate and I had accepted it long ago, but I didn't have to like it.

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_**The Next Morning:**_

Ray POV:

"So is this Hagrid nice?" I asked Hermione. We were on our way to Care of Magical Creatures class and I was a little nervous about the new teacher. I had heard things about giants and it was pretty plain to see that our new professor was at least related to one.

"Oh he's wonderful. He's as kind as you can get." She smiled at me.

"Yeah, He's a cheerful bloke." Ron came up behind us with Harry not too far behind.

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"This here is Buckbeak. He's a hippogriff." Our new professor had a huge smile on his face as he introduced the huge half bird half horse creature. "Now, who wants to say hello?"

Everyone looked shocked and took a step back except for Harry. Poor guy had been a little too slow.

"Oh, Good! Harry!" Hagrid's smile seemed to grow even larger when he saw that Harry had volunteered. I had never seen Harry look so shell shock.

After a few tries Buckbeak seemed like he had warmed up to Harry to everyone's relief. Well, except for Draco. He had been standing there the whole time watching Harry like a hawk. I of course couldn't read his mind, but I was pretty sure he was standing there wishing Harry would get his teeth kicked in.

Draco hadn't exactly been thrilled when he saw me come down to class with Hermione, Ron, and Harry. He didn't say anything, but I could see it on his face and I knew I would have to pay for it later. He did, however, have a little tiff with Harry before class, but that was nothing new.

I watched Draco watching Harry as he flew off riding Buckbeak. I just couldn't take my eyes off him. He had changed his hair. I hadn't noticed the night before. I had been too frightened, but here in the safety of the sun and forty other students, I began to notice him. His hair was no longer slicked back. Instead, it now fell in his face. It looked really soft. I thought it might feel like silk.

"Ray?" I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Huh?" I turned around and saw that it was Hermione.

"Ray, are you OK? You seem a bit out of it."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just sort of got lost in my head for a minute. Sorry." I smiled at her hoping she hadn't noticed the person that I had been so engrossed in the minute before.

"What were you looking at?" She started looking in the direction I had been staring in.

"Nothing" I stepped in front of her to block her view. "I was just looking at a tree and thinking." It was a pathetic answer, but it was all I could come up with.

"OK" She raised an eyebrow. "If you say so." She turned from me to look at the flying Harry.

If I hadn't been in the middle of class I would have started to freak out. What had I been thinking? I was actually thinking about Draco's hair. What was wrong with me? What had been in that pumpkin juice this morning?

I started rubbing my eyes trying to wipe the image of him from my brain. I was going mental. I was sure of it.

"Well done Harry!" I turned to see that Harry had successfully made it back to the ground without killing himself. Professor Hagrid looked ecstatic as he helped Harry off Buckbeak.

I heard someone say ouch behind me and turned to see what all the commotion was about. I saw Draco pushing students aside, so that he could get to the hippogriff.

"Yes, you're not dangerous at all. Are you? You great ugly broot." Draco was making his way towards the hippogriff at an alarming speed. It was like watching a train accident unfold.

I heard the hippogriff growl and then it reared up on to its hind legs. It was going to attach Draco. I heard screams all around me, but I couldn't muster up enough air to scream.

I saw the whole thing in slow motion. Draco lifted his right arm to shield himself just as the animal came down. Its massive hoof slashed into his right arm and Draco fell to the ground. Professor Hagrid jumped in front of the animal to shield Draco from further harm.

Then everything seemed to speed up. Draco was being carted off by the professor to the Hospital wing and I was left trying to restart my heart.

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The day was half over and Draco was still in the hospital wing. He hadn't been in Potions or Charms class. He could have been in the Slytherin house, but I had over heard his girlfriend Pansy tell those big guys Crabbe and Goyle that he was still in the hospital wing. Well, saying I over heard might be a bit of a reach.

After Draco hadn't shown up for Potions I decided to follow Pansy to see if she was going to the hospital wing. That's when I had heard her talk to Crabbe and Goyle. After I heard their conversation I stopped following her and went to the Great Hall to meet Mandy and Lisa.

I wasn't sure why I had done it. I was going to chalk it up to curiosity. I was just curious. Yes, I was just curious. That's all it was.

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Draco POV:

I was still in the hospital wing. I was going to milk this for all it was worth. I had already sent an owl to my father about the whole thing and was awaiting his response. I heard the hospital door open and was surprised at who I saw.

"Oh, Hello Draco. I see you're still here." It was Ray and she had something in her hand.

"Well, look who we have here. Has The Ravenclaw Mute come to pay me a little visit?" I smirked and sat up in the bed.

"No" She narrowed her eyes. "Why would I do that? I'm delivering a letter from Professor McGonagall to Madam Pomfrey."

"Why wouldn't she just use an Owl? Well…" I paused for emphasis. "You do sort of look like one." I kept the smirk planted on my face.

Her face scrunched up and she gave me a deadly glare. I loved it.

"Fine, be that way. I'm not in the mood for your little games Draco. We're in the middle of the hospital wing and you can't do anything to me, so I'm not going to take it. I'm safe from you in here."

She was fighting with me and I surprisingly liked it. It was a nice change from the frightened little bird she usually was. I could feed on this.

"I can always come and find you later you know." I made my smirk more sinister looking and leaned forward in the bed.

"I am quite aware of that." Her face smoothed over and I could tell that she was running out of steam. "Where is Madam Pomfrey? I really need to give this to her and be on my way."

"She went to see Professor Snape. She said she would be gone for a while. You could just leave the letter with me. I'll give it to her." I reached out my hand and tried to give a convincing smile.

She took a step towards me and then hesitated.

"Come on Sonders. I won't bite…." _much_.

She walked slowly towards me. When she reached the side of the bed she hesitantly reached out her hand to give me the letter. I grabbed her wrist with my left hand and pulled her towards me. I wanted to use my right hand, but it was out of commission at the moment.

Her face was only about four inches from mine. She looked me in the eye and I could see the fear that I craved.

"You listen to me closely." I squeezed her wrist. "I can get you anywhere at anytime. Never think you are safe from me. I will always find you." I pushed her back from me and she stumbled into the bed next to mine. She rubbed her wrist and looked at me with an odd expression that I didn't understand.

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Ray POV:

The wrist squeeze hadn't hurt at all and I wondered if he had done that on purpose or if his left hand was really that much weaker than his right.

This had been a bad idea. When Professor McGonagall had come into the Great Hall looking for a volunteer to go to the hospital wing I had practically jumped over students to get to her. I'm sure Mandy and Lisa thought I had turned into a nutter.

When I had met them in the Great Hall I was totally out of it. I had just heard Pansy say that Draco was still in the hospital and it was driving me crazy. I just sat at the table like a zombie while they held a conversation with each other. They had given up on me joining in. Then when Professor McGonagall walked in I stood up like I had been electrocuted. Now I was thinking that I had made a grave mistake.

"Hey Mute!...Sonders!...Sonders! Is anyone home? RAY!"

I jumped when I heard my first name. I had been in my head again. I really needed to stop doing that when I was staring at him.

"Wake up and stop looking at me like that." Draco practically yelled.

"I'm sorry." I started to rub my eyes and realized that I had a splitting head ache. I stopped the rubbing and looked at Draco. "What?" He was looking at me with a confused expression.

"Are you sick or something?"

"No, why do you ask?" I looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"Well, for starters you're as white as a ghost and your hand is shaking." He started to rise from his bed.

"No, no, I'm fine." I rose from the bed I was sitting on and put about fifteen feet between Draco and me. "I'm just tired. That's all." I was feeling sick, but I didn't want him to know. I didn't know what was happening. I had been fine a second ago.

"Sonders sit down. You look like you're about to pass out."

I did as I was told and laid down in the bed that was next to his. I closed my eyes and put my hand to my forehead. I felt cold sweat. I was having a hard time breathing and I felt sick to my stomach.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" I heard frantic foot steps and then a door close. "Draco?" Silence "Draco?"

A couple minutes later I heard Madam Pomfrey and Draco talking. I couldn't tell what they were saying. All the words just flowed over me like water. I felt a hand on my shoulder and knew it was Madam Pomfrey. I felt her wand at my temple and I began to come out of the fog.

"Oh, dear, it's Pixie Fever. She's probably had it for weeks and just didn't realize it."

"How could she not know she was sick?" I heard Draco ask.

"You can carry Pixie Fever for months and not realize it. Most people never even realize they have it and it just clears up on its own. This only happens when the person's heart rate goes up to an alarming rate. What was she doing when this happened Mr. Malfoy?"

"I don't know. I found her in the hallway right outside the door." He lied. Of course he would. He couldn't exactly tell her that he had threatened me.

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_**Two Weeks Later:**_

Ray POV:

I was finally going to get out of the hospital wing and on my way back to Ravenclaw. Draco had left the hospital after he had made up the phony story about finding me in the hall and I hadn't seen him since. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me leave the hospital without telling her what had upset me so bad, so I had made up this elaborate story about Peeves.

Yes, I could have told her what Draco had done, but I hadn't wanted to and I still didn't. What good would it really do? All it would have done is made him mad. Besides, he hadn't really upset me that bad. Yes, I had been scared, but the heart rate had been for another reason entirely. I had scared myself.

When he had pulled me towards him, something inside of me snapped. I could barely register the words he had been saying. I knew they were threatening, but I didn't care. All I could think about in that moment was how good Draco smelled. It was overwhelming. I had never noticed it before. It was a very musky scent that practically put me into a lull.

After I realized what I had been thinking is when I had gotten scared. It was like I was someone else. How could I like a guy's hair and the way he smelled so much and still at the same time want to run and hide from him. It was nuts. I was turning into a nutter.

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Draco POV:

I hadn't seen Ray in two weeks and it was beginning to bother me. I had never realized until then how much she kept me in balance. I needed her to blow off steam. I needed her when I was at school. Pansy was always getting on my nerves and all my friends were complete idiots. School brought out the anger in me and she was the only one that could help me keep it in check. She was my outlet. Without her I had turned into a nervous wreck.

"Draco, what the hell is wrong with you?" Pansy looked at me. We were in Potions and unfortunately I had decided to sit next to Pansy.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine and even if I wasn't maybe you should mind your own business." I practically growled the last part and glared daggers at her.

Her eyes went wide. "Well excuse me. I just can't stand your incessant foot tapping anymore. It's driving me crazy!"

"What are you talking about? My foot isn't…." I looked down and saw that my foot was in fact tapping at a rapid pace. I immediately stopped and I heard Pansy give me a relieved thank you.

I needed to see Ray. I was going to go crazy if I didn't. I decided to go and asked those two girls she was always hanging out with when she was suppose to get out of the hospital.

I went out into the court yard to look for them. I saw them talking with their mudblood boyfriends. I would wait until the boys left. The less people that knew I was asking around the better. When the guys left I made my way over to the two girls. Saying that they looked surprised at my presence would be a grave understatement.

I looked them both in the eye and crossed my arms behind my back. "When do you expect Sonders back at school?" They both looked at me with confusion. This answered one of my questions. Ray had never told anyone about our little encounters, not even her best friends. I hadn't thought this through very well and I said the first thing that came to mind. "She was helping me in Transfigurations class. I would like to know when she is expected to return."

"I didn't even know you knew Ray. She's not exactly the most sociable girl in the world." She laughed and through her head back. "Hi, my name is Mandy." She gave me a flirty smile and put out her hand for me to shake. I ignored the hand and she eventually put it down looking defeated.

"And my name is Lisa." This one didn't try to shake my hand. She did, however, stick her breasts out and attempted a seductive smile.

I was getting increasingly frustrated. "When is she returning?" The Lisa girl gave me a fake frown. She was beginning to remind me of Pansy.

"I'm pretty good at Transfigurations. I'd be happy to help you out with that…." She paused. "Or anything else you might need help with." The Lisa girl smiled and looked me up and down.

"When is she expected to return?" I really wanted to punch her. I was getting angrier by the second which was not a good idea since I didn't have Ray to take it out on. I could see that the Mandy girl was starting to get scared. She could see my anger. I could see it in her eyes. Unfortunately, her little friend wasn't as observant as her.

"Oh, come on. What can Ray do for you that I can't?" Lisa moved closer to me. I didn't know how much more of this I could take. My anger was about to erupt.

"She'll be back later today. She's doing fine now. They just told her to take it easy for a couple of weeks and that any stress could bring on the Pixie Fever again." Mandy had stepped in-between me and Lisa. She had seen that I was about to snap.

I nodded my head to her and left in a hurry. I wanted to put as much distance between me and that Lisa girl as possible before I did something that would get me expelled.

I went back to the Slytherin common room. I decided that I was going to skip charms. I was a wreck and I thought sleep might tame the beast. I went up to my bed and shut my eyes. All I could think about was Ray.

Her friend had said that she couldn't get stressed. Where did that leave me? I was screwed. If I acted like I usually did with her I might send her right back to the hospital and then I would be right back to where I was now.

I sighed to myself and rolled over onto my side. I guess I would just have to play it by ear. I had to see her. There was no getting around that, but maybe I could hold back. It would be hard, but it was better than nothing. She was strong and I knew how much of me she could take. I just hoped that after two weeks of holding everything in that I had enough self control to hold myself back.

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Ray POV:

I was glad to be back in Ravenclaw. I decided to lay on my bed and stare at the ceiling.

"Ray you're back!" I lifted my head and saw Mandy enter the room. I smiled and got up from the bed to hug her.

"Yep, I'm finally back. I thought I was going to loose my mind in there. I am so ready for some human interaction. She practically had me on quarantine!"

"Ray….someone asked Lisa and I about you today."

"Who?" I sat on my bed and she sat next to me.

"Draco Malfoy" She looked at me questioningly. "He said that you were helping him with Transfigurations and that he wanted to know when you were returning."

I should have been scared. I should have wanted to crawl under my bed and hide, but instead I was happy. He had asked about me. I'm sure he just wanted to know when I would be back, so that he could torture me, but I didn't care. I wanted to see him. I had missed him for some reason. Maybe it was because I had gotten so use to seeing him everyday. That had to be it.

"Yes, I was helping him." I smiled and got up from the bed and headed for the door.

"Where are you going? Dinner is not for another hour." Mandy looked confused.

"I'm just going to take a walk. I've been stuck in a bed for two weeks. I want to stretch my legs." I smiled and left the room.

I didn't quite know where I was going. It's not like I knew where he was. This place was huge and he could have been in a million different places, but I was counting on him finding me. He always found me. I wasn't sure how he did it, but he could always find me no matter where I ended up.

After two weeks of being almost completely by myself I was ready for some interaction. I didn't feel like being the quiet little mute girl anymore. I just wanted to feel something other than bored and I knew Draco was the person that could help me with that. I still wasn't sure how I felt about him. Yes, I apparently found him attractive, but at the same time I thought he was a horrible person. How I felt about him didn't matter at the moment though. I just needed to see him.

"Well look whose back. It's The Ravenclaw Mute." I heard the voice behind me and smiled. He had found me just like I knew he would.

**NEXT CHAPTER: **

_"What? Do I not scare you anymore? You think I won't hurt you?" He brought his face close to mine, but this time I leaned forward instead of back. This time I was going to call his bluff. He had never really hurt me and I was beginning to think that he never would, so this time I was going to push him to his limit. I needed to know if he had it in him because if he did then maybe I could get past this need for him._

_**AN: **I am really enjoying writing this story. I hope you all are liking it. This story is on a lot of alert lists, but I'm still not getting very many reviews. Please review if you can. I would really appriciate it. I will try my hardest to get out the next chapter soon. Oh, and for the record....the next chapter is VERY juicy ;) Review please.  
_


	4. Disgracing My Family

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN:** Thank you so much for the reviews and alerts. Enjoy the new chapter! :)

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Ray POV:

"Well look whose back. It's The Ravenclaw Mute." I heard the voice behind me and smiled. He had found me like I knew he would.

On a whim I decided to act like I didn't hear him and keep walking. I had taken about five steps when I felt a hand grab my arm. It was surprisingly gentle, but still earnest.

"Didn't you hear me Sonders?" He turned me around to face him and I frowned.

He looked all wrong. His tie was too loose around his neck and the first few buttons of his shirt were undone. His hair was all out of place and his eyes looked bloodshot. "What happened to you? You look like you haven't slept in days." On pure impulse I reached up my hand and smoothed his hair. When I realized what I was doing I quickly retracted my hand. "Sorry"

He just stared at me. Then he did something that surprised me. He grabbed my hand, pulled me into an empty class room, and shut the door.

"Sit" He motioned to the floor. I sat on the floor and leaned back against the wall. I should have been scared, but I wasn't. He didn't look mad. He looked frustrated about something. He started to pace and run his hand through his hair.

"Draco?" I started to rise from the floor.

"Sit" He motioned to the floor again and then resumed his pacing. I positioned myself on the floor once again and watched him.

This went on for another couple of minutes before I said something. "Draco, what's going on with you?"

He stopped pacing and faced me. "Nothing" he sneered at me.

"Then why are you acting like this?" I paused and looked him up and down. "And why do you look like you've been run over by a train?" He came at me quickly with narrowed eyes and pulled me up off the floor by my shoulders. I just looked at him with a calm expression on my face.

"What? Do I not scare you anymore? You think I won't hurt you?" He brought his face close to mine, but this time I leaned forward instead of back. This time I was going to call his bluff. He had never really hurt me and I was beginning to think that he never would, so this time I was going to push him to his limit. I needed to know if he had it in him because if he did then maybe I could get past this need for him.

"No, I don't think you will. You're all bark and no bite." He stared at me with murderous eyes and started to squeeze my shoulders. It hurt a little, but not enough to make me scared. He was bluffing.

He pushed himself away from me and narrowed his eyes. "Get out!" He yelled so loud that it hurt my ears.

"Why? You can't handle me when I'm not some scared little puppy? Did you think I was just going to take it forever?" I was angry now. I hadn't expected his reaction. I wanted him to fight with me, not run away from me.

"I said get out!" He took a few steps towards me and pointed to the door. When I didn't move he started for the door, but I stepped in front of him. I wasn't sure what was happening to me. I had never been this confrontational before, but I liked the feeling of it.

"Get out of my way Sonders."

"No, I'm not moving. You're going to have to make me and I'm not going to make it easy for you." Part of me wanted him to hit me. I wanted to know for a fact that he was scum. If I knew that then I could stop thinking about how good he smelled and how wonderful his hair had felt beneath my hand.

He pushed me aside and went for the door, but I jumped in front of him again. I backed up into the closed door and crossed my arms in front of me. I shut my eyes and braced myself for what I thought he might do. When I didn't feel or hear anything I opened my eyes one at a time.

He was looking at me with anger in his eyes. "Are you trying to get sick again? I know you're not supposed to get stressed. Did you like the attention or something? I bet you did. Did you like me and everyone worrying about you?" He sneered. "Well, I can't handle you getting sick again. This was a bad idea. Just get out of my way."

My arms dropped to my sides and my eyes grew wide. "What? You're worried about me? You make my life a living hell all last year and now you're worried about me?" I started to stalk towards him and stopped when I got about a foot away. I was angry. He couldn't do this to me. He was supposed to do something to make me hate him, not make me think he could actually feel human emotion. "How dare you be worried! You have no right. You're not my friend. If anything, you hate me. You're a selfish arrogant jerk!" I glared at him.

He reached out and grabbed my upper arm pulling me into him. "You think you can speak to me that way?" He narrowed his eyes. "If you weren't scared before you should be now."

I stared him straight in the eyes trying to match his anger, but found it difficult. The more I tried the more defeated I felt. When I couldn't take looking into his eyes any longer I turned my head.

"Look at me!" His hold on my arm got tighter, but not enough to hurt.

I looked at him and began to feel hot tears enter my eyes.

When he saw that I was crying he quickly let go of me and began to pace again. I had never cried in front of him. In all the times he had been mean to me I had never cried. I had really never felt the need until this moment. I was crying because for the first time I realized that I didn't want to hate him. I wanted him to prove me wrong and I was afraid that he was about to prove me right.

He stopped pacing and came towards me. "Shut your eyes." His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked like he was pondering something.

I was shocked at the sudden request. I wiped the tears from my eyes. "Why?"

"Just do it Sonders." He sneered.

I had reservations about his motive, but decided that following his order would be the best route to take. "Fine" I sighed and did as I was told. Almost at once I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and opened my eyes.

"Keep them shut." He narrowed his eyes at me and I hesitantly shut them again. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.

The hand on my shoulder began to move and my breath hitched. It moved up into my hair and went to the back of my neck. Suddenly I was surrounded by his scent and I realized that he must have moved closer to me. When I felt his warm breath on my cheek I stopped breathing. I was trying to keep calm, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to control.

The warm breath moved to my ear and he began to talk in a low soft voice. "Ray, you need to breath." Until that moment I hadn't realized I was holding my breath. I started breathing again and tilted my head towards the voice. The hand on the back of my neck put my head back in place and the soft voice spoke again. "Be still, Ray."

Then I felt his lips on my cheek. The kiss on my cheek was gentle and slow. My mouth slightly fell open and a little sigh escaped my lips.

"Ray?" The hand on the back of my neck moved to cup my cheek.

"Yes Draco?" My voice was barely audible and I was having a problem remembering to breath.

That's when it happened. Draco Malfoy gave me my first kiss. He put his hand under my chin and tilted my head up. I felt his warm breath at my lips and then his lips touched mine. They were soft and he tasted like spearmint. It probably only lasted for about six seconds, but that's all I could have taken without having a heart attach.

Suddenly I felt his body leave mine and I opened my eyes. He was looking at me with anguish. He looked away from me and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I have to go." He walked passed me and began to open the door.

I ran after him and grabbed his arm. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

He shrugged out of my hold and opened the door. "I'll see you later, Sonders" At that he walked out of the room.

I was back to being called Sonders. I wanted to cry. He had called me Ray for the first time when he kissed me, but after the kiss it had reverted back to Sonders. What happened? Had I done something wrong? I didn't understand. Maybe I was a bad kisser. He had experience. I was sure he had to have snogged Pansy a thousands times, so maybe I was bad in comparison to her.

I wanted to go and jump off the Ravenclaw tower. How could I have gotten myself into this situation? I thought I was forcing him to show his true colors….and he did, just not in the way I had thought he would. I didn't know what to do. I had already been obsessed with his hair and his smell, but now I was thinking of everything, his soft lips touching mine, how his hand felt on my cheek. I couldn't handle this. I had to know why he walked out like that. I had to know.

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Draco POV:

What was wrong with me? What had I been thinking? I had let her know that her absence had affected me and then I had kissed her. I had been so stressed about not upsetting her too much that I had let my guard down. I went there to take my anger out on her, not to kiss her. Why had I done that? I didn't even think of her in that why. Did I?

I walked into the Slytherin Common room and started making my way to my room.

"Draco?" I turned to see Pansy looking at me with concern. I didn't need this. I needed to be by myself, so I could think.

I turned quickly to her and narrowed my eyes. "What Pansy? What do you want now? You always seem to want something, so what is it now?"

Her eyes went wide and I saw wetness fall onto her cheeks. She was crying and I didn't care. I couldn't handle anymore girls crying. One had been enough for a lifetime. I didn't do well when I saw tears. It brought back too many memories of my mother crying because of my father. Don't get me wrong, I liked to make people cry, but I never stuck around to watch them do it. They would either run off or I would walk away, but Ray had been in the way of my exit, so I had been forced to watch her.

"Draco? Why are you acting this way?" Pansy sniffled.

Her crying only made my anxiety level rise. I was mad at the world and unfortunately for Pansy she was the only one in front of me that I could take it out on. That's why I had wanted to see Ray, so that I could get my anger out, but instead I had done something so horrible that I didn't know what to do with myself. I couldn't kiss Ray. I couldn't like Ray. She was my enemy. She was the exact opposite of what I should like.

I needed to get to my room before I did something stupid. "I'm going to bed Pansy. I'm skipping dinner." I turned and quickly walked to my room.

I laid down on my bed and put my pillow over my head. I couldn't stop thinking about Ray. I had liked the kiss. There was no way around that realization, but just because you liked something didn't make it right. If my father ever found out about what I had done I would be dead. I had done one of the worst things I could do. I had kissed a blood traitor. It was only one step up from kissing a mudblood.

Now in the comfort of my bed I realized why I had done it. At first I had just wanted to see if she would still follow my orders, so I had told her to shut her eyes. Then something inside of me took over. I suspected that it was what my father had talked about last summer. He had said I was becoming a man and that sometimes my hormones might over take me. It had been one of the few personal talks we had ever had. Usually he was just shoving me around and barking orders.

I would have to stay away from her. I couldn't put myself in that situation again. I would just have to learn how to control my anger without her. I had done it for two weeks and I would eventually get use to it. Ray could no longer exist to me.

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Ray POV:

I was sitting at dinner and Draco was no where to be found. I had seen Pansy come in earlier with tears in her eyes and I had half wondered if he had told her that he kissed me, but considering I was still alive that was probably not the case.

"So Ray, What's up with that Malfoy guy and you? You don't have anything going on with him do you?" Lisa was looking at me with a mischievous smile.

"No, of course not! Why?" I answered too quickly.

"Oh, no reason, it's just that I think he's pretty cute and well if you don't…"

"No!" I yelled and half the student body looked at me.

Lisa looked shocked. "No, what?"

"Sorry, it's just that he has a girlfriend, so don't waste your time." I smiled and sipped my drink.

"Oh, well why didn't you just say so? You didn't have to yell."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Something got caught in my throat." I cleared my throat to make the lie more convincing.

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After dinner I decided to take a walk. The whole time I was peeking around corners and lingering in spots until I got too bored to stay. I was waiting for him to find me like he always did, but this time he didn't show.

I went back to my room and sat on my bed. All I could do was sit there and stare at the wall wondering what had happened.

"Ray, you OK?" Mandy came and sat on the bed beside me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I turned to her and tried to give a convincing smile.

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**Next Day:**

Ray POV:

I was determined to find out what had happened. I had thought at first that maybe he had scared himself and had to go off and think, but when I hadn't run into him on my walk I knew that there was something more to it. Yes, I shouldn't have liked the kiss, but I did. That kiss had been amazing, not to mention that it was my first one. I just couldn't let my first kiss end on that note. I didn't know if I liked him or not. I wasn't going to get ahead of myself just yet.

During Potions class I practically stared him down trying to catch his eye, but I never did. He was paying extra close attention to Professor Snape. I had never seen someone so focused on a teacher, not even him. He was doing it on purpose. I just knew it.

After class I told Hermione I would meet her later in the library. Then I proceeded to follow Draco and his posse making sure that I kept a good distance between us, so I wouldn't get caught. I felt like a stalker, but I couldn't help myself. You can't just kiss a person and then not talk to them after. That just didn't work for me. He was going to talk to me whether he wanted to or not.

I followed them into the court yard and sat far enough away where I could still see them, but not be so obvious about what I was doing there. I took out a book and faced myself towards them and pretended to read. I was going to wait until he was alone to approach him.

Draco, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing around talking. Draco had his arm around Pansy and I experienced a feeling that I had never felt before. My heart burned and it was hard to breath. Was I jealous? I rubbed my chest to try and get rid of the feeling, but it didn't work.

Then my heart stopped. Draco looked right at me and I froze. His eyes narrowed and then he said something to the laughing Pansy without taking his eyes off of me. His eyes closed and he leaned down and kissed her. Without warning tears invaded my eyes. After the kiss was over Pansy put her head on his chest and her arms around him. Then he looked at me and smirked. I had gotten my answer. I didn't need to hear the words. He hadn't liked the kiss with me and this was his way of telling me.

I wiped my eyes with my sleeve, gathered my things up, and practically ran away from the scene.

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Draco POV:

When I saw that Ray had gone I pushed Pansy away. Pansy had served her purpose and I was done with her for the moment. This had been the best way to rid myself of the Ray problem. I knew she had liked the kiss and I knew she would want to talk to me about it. I couldn't let that happen. The best thing for me to do was stay away from her. I knew if I hurt her that she would stay away from me and I could stop fighting my weakening will power.

I was a person that was use to getting what he wanted and I wanted Ray, at least to kiss. I had loved kissing her, but this time I couldn't have what I wanted. It had been fine when she had been an outlet for my anger, but now I wanted her for something more than that and I couldn't let that happen. I had dishonored my family by kissing her in the first place and I couldn't make that mistake again. I could not disgrace my family further by being with a blood traitor, even if all it ever amounted to was kissing.

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**__

_This year was going to be different. He had forced that upon me. I no longer felt like the shy scared little girl. I had anger inside of me that he had put there. I wanted to get revenge for what he had done. I felt like a toy that he had tossed aside. I wanted him to pay._

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**AN: **I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Please review. I'm begging you! lol. I'll try to update soon.


	5. What would you do?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN:** Thank you so much for all the reviews and alerts. This story is on a lot of peoples favorites and alerts, so I just wanted to say you guys are great :)

**Please Read: **The sneak peak for this chapter I gave you last time is wrong. I decided to go in a completely different direction, so sorry. I'll try to be more accurate on my sneak peaks from now on.

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_**Middle of Summer Break:**_

Ray POV:

Surrounded by people I didn't know I looked at his grave, my father's mother at my side with a scowl on her prim face. I didn't want to believe it was true. My father was dead. He had been murdered. No, assassinated would be a better word.

I couldn't bring myself to cry. I wanted to cry, but the tears failed to come. I felt emotionless, numb. I didn't understand why this had happened. Well, that's not entirely true. He had been killed because of what he believed. The Ministry wanted to call it an accident, but I knew better.

He had been on his way to a meeting with the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones. My father had heard rumors of mysterious muggle deaths and had come across some top secret information that he felt was urgent. I suppose no one would ever know what he had gone to tell her. The secret had died with him. One of our house elves found him in front of our house just one hour after he had left. It was obvious that he had never even had a chance to apparate.

The Ministry insisted that it had been some horrible accident. They had said that he accidentally killed himself. That he had seen something, which he fired a spell at, and that his wand back fired. I knew this was a lie. The Ministry just didn't want to get their hands dirty. My father had been killed because of the secret he had held. I just knew it. I felt it in my heart. My father had been a brilliant wizard and it was highly improbable that he had done it to himself.

I looked at the woman next to me, my father's mother, my Grandmother. I had only met the woman five times, but that had been plenty. She was your typical muggle hating pureblood, just as my father had been before meeting my mother. I couldn't help but to think of Draco. He was so like her in his thinking and how he spoke.

Draco seemed like a distant memory to me now. It felt like some childish game that I had played. It had seemed such a big thing to me when it had happened, but after my father died it just seemed so unimportant.

I never spoke to Draco after I saw the kiss with Pansy. That kiss had been a message to me to stay away, so that's what I had done. I hated him. He had taken something precious from me. A first kiss might seem minor to some people, but it had been a big deal to me. I had dreamed and fantasized about when a boy would finally kiss me. I had never imagined that it would be in an empty classroom with a boy that despised me, but none of that mattered anymore. My father was dead.

I looked down at my father's tomb stone wishing with all my might that I could cry, but I felt too numb and exhausted to even try. I had been up the previous night for hours packing my things into boxes with the help of our loyal house elves. I would be moving in with my Grandmother and she wanted to leave my father's house as soon as possible. She hadn't even wanted to stay for the funeral, but I had begged her to stay one more night, so that I could attend.

She had detested my mother for changing my father and had loathed my father for letting her change him. She had even made my father change his last name because she didn't want his father's name to be strewn through the mud. I, however, was still acceptable in her eyes. I believe she felt that she could change what she considered to be my poisoned mind, as she liked to call it. If my father had been alive she would have been the last person that he would have wanted me to be with, but there was no one else. My mother's family had died long ago and my grandmother was the only person on my father's side that would take me in. She was all the family I had, so I had to except her, but that didn't mean I had to agree with her.

After the funeral I went to my emptied room and lay on my stripped bed. The room looked like it had never been occupied, like there had been no memories made there, but I knew this wasn't true. I shut my eyes and pictured my father tucking me in every night, reading me bedtime stories, and kissing me goodnight. I could still see my fathers face as clear as day. I felt the sting of tears and I finally began to cry. I wanted him to walk into the room and tell me everything was OK, but I knew this would never be.

I heard my door open and saw my Grandmother walk in. I quickly wiped my tears away and looked at her. "Ray, I am ready to go. I have things I need to get done at home." She looked at me with an exasperated look. "Let us not wallow." She clapped her hands twice to indicate that I was to hop out of bed. "Now get up and let us be off." She walked from my room and I dragged myself out of the bed. I took one last look at my child hood and headed down to my Grandmother.

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_**One Month later:**_

Draco POV:

"You wished to see me father?" My father was in his favorite leather chair with a letter in his hand.

"Yes Draco. I have received a letter from Mrs. Holly Blackburn. Do you remember her?"

"Yes, father."

"Good. Her and her Granddaughter will be joining us for dinner. Her Granddaughter has recently moved in with her and she wishes to introduce her to the right people. I expect you to behave yourself tonight. The Blackburn's are one of the oldest pureblood families and have much pull with the Ministry. Do you understand, Draco? This is very important." He leaned forward in his chair.

"Yes, I understand father. If I may ask, why has Mrs. Blackburn's Granddaughter moved in with her?"

"Ah, yes, and now comes why I have asked to see you, Draco." My father paused and placed the letter on the side table. "The girl's father has recently died. You may know of the girl. She attends Hogwarts, except you would know her as having the last name of Sonders." My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my face as unreadable as stone. "Her father was that insufferable blood traitor that worked for the Ministry. Holly has hopes that she can correct the damage that the girl's father inflicted on her mind, but I have serious doubts that she will be able to accomplish this. Holly wishes to make sure that her Granddaughter makes the right sort of friends." He gestured to the chair in front of him indicating for me to sit down. I sat and he continued. "Do not misunderstand me, Draco. She is still the daughter of a blood traitor. You are not to trust her, but we must act as if we do."

"Yes father."

"I am told that she was very close to her father. That he was known to share things with her and ask her opinion. Before he died he came upon some information. I need to know what he found out, Draco. It could be damaging information for us. I want you to see if he told his daughter what he found out. Do whatever it takes."

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After I left my father I went back to my bedroom and sat by my window looking out at the garden. My heart felt like it was caught in my throat. I had never expected this. I thought I had rid myself of Ray. The last time I had spoken to her had been when I kissed her. We had not spoken since.

I had no desire to see her. It had been difficult enough the first time to wean myself from her. I was even nastier than usual for weeks after I stopped going to her to get my anger out, but I had eventually learned to control it on my own. However, I had not been able to stop my desire to want her in a different way. I still wanted to kiss her, to touch her. I still thought of her as mine, but in a different way than before and I hated it. I wanted the foreign feeling to go away.

My father wanted me to play nice with her so that I could get information out of her, but I wasn't sure if I could do that. I needed to stay away from her. After weeks of not speaking to her I came to realize that she had been like a drug that I had relied on and I no longer wanted that crutch. I did not need nor want anyone to lean or rely on, but I had to find out what she knew. If I didn't, my father would get involved and that would not be good for Ray or for me.

I had only consciously thought of her one time during the summer break and that had been when I heard of her father's death. I would have never thought that she was Mrs. Blackburn's Granddaughter. They were complete opposites. I couldn't help but wonder if Mrs. Blackburn had any chance of changing how Ray thought of muggles and Mud-bloods. The thought of Ray changing almost made me laugh. She was a quiet girl, but she was just as set in her ways as I was in mine.

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Ray POV:

"You look dreadful. You do not wear jeans to a dinner. Did your muggle loving father not teach you anything?" I winced. "Go and change into something more elegant." My Grandmother shooed me away to my new room.

I looked into my new closet and found nothing that appealed to me. I didn't care how I looked. I didn't care about anything. I simply wanted to be left alone. All I wanted to do was lie in bed and cry. That's all I had done for weeks and I was getting good at it. I knew it was driving my Grandmother batty, but I didn't care. I was beginning to think that I had died when my father had. The Ray I knew was gone and all that was left was the outside. The core of me had been buried with my father and all that was left were tears.

I didn't want to go to dinner and have to deal with Draco. I wanted to pretend he didn't exist. All he ever managed to do was make me feel worse and I was sure he was waiting to make my little visit to his house a memorable disaster.

I sighed and grabbed the first dress I saw. It was a black knee length sleeveless dress that my father had bought me in Italy. I slipped the dress on and walked into the living room.

"Much better Ray, but a smile would add so much more to the ensemble." She smiled and tapped me under my chin. I gave a fake smile to appease her and we were quickly off to the Malfoy Manor.

We rang the doorbell and waited to be let in. A little house elf answered the door and went into a low bow. "Welcome to Malfoy Manor Mrs. Blackburn and little Miss. Blackburn." The house elf rose from the bow. My Grandmother had obviously told them to address me as Blackburn and not Sonders. I felt a little jolt of anger.

Just beyond the little elf I saw Draco. He was wearing a black suit with a black shirt and tie. I felt my heart tighten and I felt sick to my stomach. He looked me straight in the eye and then quickly turned left out of my sight. I hadn't expected to feel so much emotion when I saw him, but I did. I still wanted him and still hated him all at the same time.

Draco avoided my eyes all through dinner and said very little. His father had tried to engage Draco and me into a conversation with each other, but it was to no avail. I didn't care enough to try and I suspected Draco just didn't want to.

After dinner was over Draco's parents and my Grandmother went into the library. Draco and I began to follow them in, but his father told Draco to show me the living room. I followed Draco into a huge room with an enormous fire place. We sat across from each other, I on the couch and he on a plushy looking chair. We sat there for what seemed like an eternity before either one of us said anything.

"Don't think just because my father seems to approve of you now that it means he really does. You're still the daughter of a blood traitor, so it changes nothing." He sneered and glared at me.

I stopped staring at the enormous fireplace and looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean? What does it not change?"

"It changes nothing between you and me." He narrowed his eyes.

I was still confused. "I never realized that your father had been a factor in your decision to…." I paused and thought of a good way to put it. "Kiss and run."

His face went from anger to confusion. "What did you think was the reason?"

"Well, I thought you not liking the kiss was reason enough, but if you insist on adding your father to the list that's no problem. The whole thing was silly really, a laps in judgment." I wanted to get this conversation out of the way, so that I could completely close the door on my feelings for him.

"Why did you think I disliked the kiss?"

I was shocked when he asked this. It almost sounded as if he had liked the kiss, but I didn't want to get ahead of myself. "The little display in the court yard with Pansy was a pretty good indication."

He smirked. "You saw that? I wasn't aware."

I rolled my eyes. "Liar"

"That little display, as you call it, wasn't to show you that I didn't like our kiss. It was to show you that you and I could never happen. That the kiss had been a mistake."

I raised an eyebrow. "So, you did like the kiss?"

"Does it really matter if I did? Either way, it can't happen again." He leaned back in his chair and looked quite comfortable.

"Yes, it does matter. It matters to me. It was my first kiss, Draco. The least you can do is tell me if I'm bad at it."

Both of his eyebrows rose in shock. "I was your first kiss?"

I felt my cheeks grow hot and I hoped that I wasn't blushing. "Yes"

He smirked. "Was it as good as you thought it would be?" He rose from his chair and began to come towards me. "Was it how you imagined?"

I got up from the couch and went to the other side of the room to get away from him, but he just followed me. "It was fine, Draco." He kept following me and blocking my way back to the couch. "Now back off and leave me alone." My voice had a tinge of panic in it.

I looked behind me and realized that he had strategically backed me into a corner. When he realized that he had me trapped, his smirk grew even wider. I didn't know how I felt. It was a mixture of fear and anticipation. I didn't quite know what Draco wanted, but I knew it could be nothing good.

I backed up until I felt the wall on my back. He came so close to me that I could smell his cologne. I had always loved the way he smelled and this time was no different. I wanted to shut my eyes and dive into the scent, but I knew better than to shut my eyes. I needed to watch him. I didn't know what he was about to do and the possibilities were endless.

The smirk left his face and was replaced with a mischievous smile. "What would you do if I kissed you right now?"

My eyes grew wide and I swallowed hard. "Excuse me?"

He leaned down until his face was merely inches from mine and put his arms on either side of me completely surrounding me. "What would you do?" His voice was almost a whisper.

We heard a door close in the distance and Draco was all the way across the room so fast that it looked like a blond streak had crossed the room. He sat back in the plushy chair and then looked at me with hard eyes. "Put yourself together and come sit down, now." He practically growled the word now.

I quickly straightened my dress and made my way back to the couch. Almost the second I sat down Draco's parents and my Grandmother entered the room. "Did we have a nice chat?" Draco's father looked at his son and then to me.

"Yes father."

"Good" His father smiled. "Maybe she should come over again tomorrow afternoon, so that you two can chat some more." He gave his son a look I didn't understand.

I was about to say no when my Grandmother chimed in. "She would love to. She will see you tomorrow."

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Draco POV:

After Ray and her Grandmother had left I said goodnight to my parents and retired to my room. I put on my green pajama bottoms and left my top half bare. It was too hot to wear a shirt. I slipped under my silk sheets and shut my eyes. I thought of Ray.

I loved the fact that I was the only one she had ever kissed. It meant a part of her belonged to me and only me. After hearing that I felt that I had to try and test myself. It had all been a test of willpower for me. I had wanted to see if I could control myself around her. I learned that I could. I still wanted her, but I could control it. I didn't need her like before. I could trust myself around her and this made me very happy. I involuntarily smirked.

This meant that I could have her. My father wanted me to get information out of her, so if my father found out about what Ray and I were doing I would just use that as an excuse. I would of course try to find out the information for my father, but I was glad I could use it to my advantage. The only problem with my plan was Ray herself. It was obvious that she didn't want to give into me, but I could get around that with a little work. My biggest problem with her was that I didn't want any messy emotions to get involved and girls were notorious for this. This was simply to be a physical thing and nothing more.

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_**Next Afternoon:**_

Draco POV:

My father had talk to me again that morning about how important it was to get the information out of Ray. My father was increasingly getting impatient and that was never a good thing. If I didn't get something out of Ray my father would take his frustration out on me and then move to Ray. I could tell my father wasn't going to let this go until he knew what Ray's father had known.

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Ray POV:

I didn't want to see Draco, especially after what had happened the night before. He had to have been messing with me. He had been trying to trick me. I didn't know what game he was playing, but I wasn't up for being a piece on his board game.

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

You find out what happens when Ray comes over and It will get into 4th year.

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**AN:** Hope you liked it. Please review. Sorry for the morbid chapter. Next chapter there will be A LOT of Draco/Ray. Remember, the more you review the more I'm motivated to update ;). I'll try to update soon :)


	6. The Maze

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN:** Thank you so much for the reviews. I'm glad you guys seem to be liking the story. I hope I don't disappoint :)

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Ray POV:

I didn't want to see Draco, especially after what had happened the night before. He had to have been messing with me. He had been trying to trick me. I didn't know what game he was playing, but I wasn't up for being a piece on his board game.

I didn't think for a second that he actually wanted me. He just liked messing with me. I was sure that he found it entertaining to try and make me think that he wanted me just so he could crush me again. I wasn't that stupid and I wasn't going to fall for it…again. I just wanted that him to leave me alone.

I looked at the grandfather clock in the hallway and saw that I only had an hour before I had to see Draco. I had one hour to get tough. I couldn't let him get to me. I just had to make up my mind that I wasn't going to give into his game and then stick to it. The only problem with this was that I didn't know if I could do it. He could scare me into submission and that was just a fact. Draco was as unpredictable as fire, warm and intense yet deadly and dangerous. I didn't want to get burned.

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"Hello Little Miss." The house elf from the night before greeted me at the door. My Grandmother had not come with me this time and I was extremely nervous. I felt very exposed. I didn't trust anyone in this house and had good reason not to.

"Are you coming in the house or are you planning to stand in the doorway all day?" I looked up from the elf to see Draco coming towards me. I walked in without saying a word. When he reached me he offered me his arm. I just stared at him blankly. "Just take it, Sonders." He sneered. I raised an eyebrow and finally threaded my arm through his.

He led me deeper and deeper into the house. I began to get nervous when there seemed to be no end to the hallways we went through. "Tell me where we're going."

He kept walking, leading me further into the house. "You're quite rude, you know that Sonders?"

I turned to look at him sharply and almost lost my balance, but he had a good enough hold on my arm where I could steady myself and still keep walking. "How am I rude?" I narrowed my eyes at him, but still looked forward now and then to keep from running into something.

"You come into my house and don't even bother to say hello, you almost refuse to take your host's arm, and then the first thing out of your mouth is a request. I would call that rude. Wouldn't you, Sonders?" He was smirking.

"OK, fine. I'm rude. Now, where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise. Don't worry, Sonders. You'll like it." We turned a corner and we started walking towards a very dark room. I didn't like the dark. It was on the huge list of things I was afraid of, right below clowns, but just above spiders.

He released my arm and pushed me into the room ahead of him by the small of my back. "Um…Draco…The dark and I don't mix well." I started backing up only to run into him.

He put his hands on my shoulders and pushed me with his whole body. "Come on, Sonders. It's just a little further." I swallowed hard and resisted him the whole way into the room. The dark for me was more of a phobia than a fear. I felt like an idiot for being so afraid, but I couldn't help it. "Now, shut your eyes."

"No! It's dark enough. Please turn on a light, Draco. I'm begging you. This isn't funny." My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.

He pressed his chest against my back and swept my hair to one side. I felt his warm breath at my ear and he began to speak in a low soft voice. "Ray, why are you afraid?"

I turned around quickly in his arms and buried my head in his chest. "That isn't going to work this time, Draco. The only reason I'm not running from you is because I'm more afraid of the dark than I am of you."

I heard him make a sigh that almost sounded like a growl. He left me quickly and almost at once I saw light. I turned around to see that he had swept aside heavy curtains to reveal glass doors leading out into a grandiose garden. "This is where I was taking you." He sneered. "Come on" He opened the glass doors.

We walked outside and I took in the beautiful garden. "It's lovely." There were white peacocks roaming around and a huge fountain that was in the center of it all. To the right I saw a huge stone wall that was covered in vines. "What's that?" I looked a Draco.

He was leaning against the house with his arms crossed in front of him watching me. "It's a maze...The walls are constantly changing, so it's quite hard to make it to the middle." He had a mischievous grin on his face. "Would you like to play a game?"

"Not really, I don't particularly like playing games with people I don't trust."

"Oh, You'll want to play this game…Let's make a little wager…There are four entrances to the maze. If you make it to the middle first then I'll leave you alone and will never bother you again, but if I make it to the middle first…" He trailed off and smirked.

I raised an eyebrow. I couldn't help but to be intrigued by the proposition he was proposing. If I won then I got rid of him, but I was afraid of what he might want if he won. "What would you want if you beat me?"

"Let's just say you have to do whatever I ask until…let's say Christmas day." He came towards me with his hand out.

I just looked at his hand and then to him. "And why exactly am I supposed to trust that you'll keep your promise if I win?"

He took his hand back and crossed his arms behind his back. He had a very casual air about him. "That's how the maze works. Who ever is last to get to the middle is bound to uphold the agreement, but we have to shake on it."

"What happens if you break the deal?"

"Nothing too serious, you'll lose a memory for every time you break the deal. So what's it going to be, Sonders?" He held out his hand again.

I didn't like the whole lose a memory thing, but if it got Draco away from me I thought it might be worth the risk. I took his hand. "Deal"

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Draco POV:

This was the perfect way to get what my father wanted and what I wanted all at the same time. This had been how my father had gotten my mother to marry him. My father had once told me that my mother was unsure on whether or not she wanted to marry him, so he tricked her into marrying him by using the maze.

The Malfoy family has had the maze just as long as we have had the manor. Only the males of the family are to know how it works. There are a series of taps you must make on the stone wall with your wand at the left back entrance. If you do this just right the walls shift into a straight line right to the center. The other person is left to wonder around aimlessly until they find their way. This is how he had tricked my mother.

He had told her that if she got to the middle first she could have all the time in the world to think on her decision to marry him, but if he made it there first she would have one week to marry him. For every day after that it would cost her a memory. She had taken two months to decide and had lost half her childhood memories in the process.

I took Ray to the front right entrance and told her to count to fifty, so that I could make it to my entrance. I walked up to the left back entrance and began the secret taps with my wand. The walls opened up and I could see the center of the maze up ahead.

I walked slowly and took my time. I was certain it would take Ray a while to get to the center. I had used the maze only two times before this with Crabbe and Blaise. The maze came in handy when you wanted something out of people that they weren't willing to give up. I reached the center and felt the familiar warm feeling go through my body. This meant that I had won. Now the only thing left to do was wait.

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Ray POV:

I was completely lost and confused. He hadn't been lying when he had said that the walls move. I couldn't tell where I was going or where I had come from. It was a creepy maze with statues around every corner. Most of the statues were of large snakes with their mouths agape in a striking position. I was really ready to get out of the maze and half thought about yelling out to Draco to help me, but on a second thought I decided not to. I wanted to finish this. I was pretty sure that at this point I had lost, but I at least wanted to make it to the middle on my own. Not to mention that I could be wrong. I might be pleasantly surprised and get there first.

One of the walls in front of me moved and I finally saw what I assumed was the middle of the maze. It was a large square area and Draco was standing in the middle. I was so happy to get out of the confusion I almost forgot about the bet, until I saw the look on Draco's face.

He had a face of complete satisfaction. I thought it might be the closest I would ever see to an actual smile on him. "Looks like I win, Sonders."

My heart sank. He started coming towards me and I looked around trying to find an exit. Until then I hadn't realized that the middle of the maze had completely closed around us with no way out. I decided that the best thing for me to do was stay in place and take my punishment. He kept coming towards me until he was only feet away.

"Now…for my first request." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and let his hand linger on my cheek before taking it away.

I swallowed hard. "What do you want, Draco?" I had no idea what he wanted, but I knew it would be something bad. I just hoped he didn't ask me to hurt someone.

Without saying a word he grabbed the back of my head and pulled me into a rough kiss. My eyes grew wide in shock and I pushed him away. "What do you think you're doing?" I paused to catch my breath. "You can have anything you want. Stop playing this stupid game with me. Just tell me what you want!"

"Are you really that stupid, Sonders? That is what I want!"

My mouth fell open and my eyebrows rose in shock. "Uh…You want to kiss me?"

"Yes, that's all I want…for now." He again came towards me.

I pushed him away. "No! I'm not going to kiss you!" All of a sudden my head felt like it was surrounded by water.

I saw an image of my father in his favorite green shirt. He was sitting on my bed with a book in his hand. It was my favorite story _The Warlock's Hairy Heart. _It was a disturbing story, but still my favorite. My father told me if I go and get ready for bed he'll read me a story. I realized it was the memory of the first time my father read to me.

The vision left me and I could no longer recall the images. It felt as though the memory wasn't real, as if I had read about it and not experienced it. My head was swimming and it was hard to see straight.

Draco came up beside me and I let him place me on the ground leaning against the stone wall. He sat next to me. "Hmm…I never really liked _The Warlock's Hairy Heart._"

I turned to look at him. "What? How did you…"

"Oh, did I not mention where the memories go when you lose them?" He tapped his temple. "Memories have to go somewhere."

"You get my memories?" I was in shock.

"Yes" He smirked.

Tears began to enter my eyes. "That was a memory of my father. How could you take that from me?"

He narrowed his eyes and I saw him reach for his wand. I shrank away from him and tried to get up, but I was still too dizzy. He grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him. "Calm down, Sonders." He put his wand to my temple and said something under his breath that I couldn't hear. He let go of my arm.

Almost at once I saw the vision of my father again, but this time when they left me I could recall the images. I had my memory back. "You gave it back? Why would you do that? I don't understand."

He sneered. "Don't think I'll keep giving them back. This was a one time thing. This was your warning." I wiped the tears from my eyes.

He put his wand away and leaned back against the wall. He sighed. "You sure cry a lot."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I do not! It's not my fault that you keep doing such horrible things."

He stood up without saying a word and offered me his hand. I took it and allowed him to pull me from the ground. "Now, back to what I wanted."

"Is that what you really want? I don't get it, Draco. Just yesterday you said we couldn't be together and now you're forcing it on me."

"Don't mistake this for more than it really is. I have no desire to be with you." He paused and smirked. "This is simply physical, no emotions involved. Got it?"

I was shocked and didn't know what to say, but felt I had to say something. "OK…" I trailed off. A thought came to mind and I couldn't stop myself from saying it aloud. "Aren't you still with Pansy? Couldn't you just…umm…kiss her?"

His eyes narrowed and I immediately realized that it had been the wrong thing to say. "Yes, I'm still with Pansy and I will remain with Pansy, but just because I'm with her doesn't mean I want to do anything with her."

Now I was really confused and once again couldn't control what came out of my mouth. "Why are you with her if you don't even like her?"

"You don't have to like someone to be with them, just as you don't have to like someone to want to be physical with them." He leaned in closer to me.

I nervously cleared my throat. "Why not be with someone you like?"

"Too messy" He backed me into the stone wall and put his hands on either side of my face. "Anymore questions?"

I looked him in the eye and had no doubt that he was about to take what he wanted, but I did want to know something before he took it. "Why me?"

He leaned in and touched his lips to mine. I felt his tongue trace my bottom lip and then he took it into his mouth and lightly grazed it with his teeth. My heart was pounding wildly and my body was as stiff as a board. He released me from the kiss and stood back to look at me. "That's why."

"Huh?" I was breathing hard and was trying to catch my breath.

"You can't hide anything from me. You're an open book. I like not having to figure out what you're thinking. Everything is always written all over you're face. For example…" He came towards me again until we were face to face, merely inches away from each other. I wanted him to kiss me again. I couldn't help it. I involuntarily leaned towards him. "See…It's so easy to tell you want me." He moved away from me and went across to the other wall. He started tapping his wand on the stone wall and it began to open. "Let's go"

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Draco POV:

She had not said a word since we had left the maze. We were sitting on the couch and she had made sure to seat herself as far away from me as possible. She was angry and I loved it. Ray hadn't liked my answer to her question of why, but I had answered honestly. After years of dealing with girls like Pansy, Ray was quite refreshing for me. With Pansy you could never tell if she was being fake, but with Ray everything was so simple to read. If she was scared she'd try to hide her face, if she was embarrassed she would turn a light shade of pink, if she was angry she'd ball her hands up into fists, and if she wanted me…she would cease to breath.

I looked at her. She had her hands balled up into fists in her lap and she was avoiding my eyes. "You didn't have to make the bet. You agreed to it. You can't be mad at me for expecting you to hold up to your end of the deal."

She turned to me sharply. "I'm not mad!"

I wanted to laugh at her obvious lie. I got up and sat closer to her. She tried to move away from me, but she was against the arm of the couch. She turned her head away from me. I grabbed her and turned her head roughly to look at me. "Be nice."

"Fine" I released her and I saw her hands loosen. This was not the time to get what my father wanted. She was too angry to talk to me and if I tried to force her she would probably opt to loose a memory.

I put my hand on her cheek and absent mindedly rubbed her cheek bone with my thumb. She was mine…at least until Christmas. I had picked Christmas for a reason. The enchantment on the maze only worked for half a year. This was another secret that was only entrusted to the Malfoy men. I would probably be sick of her by then anyway.

I leaned down closer to her face and she began to lean back from me. I placed the hand that had been on her cheek at the back of her neck and made her come closer to me.

"I really hate you." She narrowed her eyes at me.

I smirked. "I know."

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Ray POV:

I was happy to finally be back at my Grandmother's house and away from Draco. I sat on my bed and hugged one of my pillows. What had I gotten myself into?

He hadn't kissed me again after we had left the maze. He just kept touching my hair and face, almost petting me in a way. His touches had felt very territorial and they had made me feel uneasy. When I had been in the maze I had wanted him to kiss me again. I couldn't lie to myself. I was attracted to Draco, but I still hated him. I still wanted to be rid of him.

He had complete control and he was the type to abuse power. I didn't know what to do. He had given my memory back, but I believed him when he said it was a one time thing. I didn't know if I could handle losing any memories of my father. It had felt like losing him all over again.

It was only until Christmas. I had to keep telling myself that. I could do that. It wasn't that long in the grand scheme of things.

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_**Three Weeks Later:**_

Ray POV:

I had not seen nor heard from Draco in nearly three weeks. I had begun to think that maybe he had changed his mind about the whole thing. That is until I got a letter from him. It requested my presents at the Quidditch World Cup.

I had already been invited by Mandy's family and had told them that I would go with them. All his letter had said was that I had to be there. It didn't say who I had to be with. "Loop hole!" I shouted it out loud and then felt weird for talking to myself.

It started in three days. All I had to do was send a note back to Draco saying that I'd be there and maybe he wouldn't notice that I had found a way out of spending time with him there.

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_**Three Days Later:**_

Ray POV:

"Mandy!" I ran up to my friend and hugged her.

"Hey!" Mandy hugged me back and then released me. "Lisa will be here in just a little bit. She's running late as usual."

When Lisa arrived an hour late the three of us along with Mandy's parents took off for the Quidditch World Cup. When we arrived we saw loads of people. There were tents set up every where and it was hard to move about without running into someone or something. I had never seen so many people in my life. This gave me hope that it would be nearly impossible for Draco to find me and punish me for my use of a loop hole. I should have known better.

I had gone off on my own to try and find Hermione. I hadn't been able to talk to her all summer because of my Grandmother. In the huge mass of people I started to feel as if someone was following me. I had to be crazy. I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder and nearly screamed. I turned around quickly to see Draco with the scariest face I had ever seen him have. He was angry, real angry, but I just stared him down with equal anger in my eyes.

"You think you're so smart don't you, Sonders?" He grabbed my upper arm and pulled me towards him. No one around us seemed to notice, probably because of all the commotion. "I guess I need to start being more specific."

"Yes, that would help, and yes, I am quite smart. I fooled you, although, it wasn't really that difficult." His face went from anger, to shock, and then amazingly to amused.

"Aw, how cute, I'm rubbing off on you, Sonders."

I shrugged out of his hold and narrowed my eyes. "I'm nothing like you, Draco."

He smirked. "You're always so entertaining, Sonders. Now…I believe I requested to be with you today. Are you going to do what I ask or will you be losing a memory?"

I sighed. I felt completely defeated. It was hard to be tough when you had such a price hanging over your head. "Look…I came here with my friends. I can't just disappear. Can we maybe make some kind of a compromise?"

"OK, we can do that." I was shocked that he actually agreed to it. "Make sure you're out walking around tonight after the game."

"How will you find me?"

"Don't worry." He paused and ran his fingers through my hair. "I'll find you."

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Find out what happens later that night and school starts.

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**AN:** Hope you liked the chapter. Please review. I'm trying to update as often as I can. Your reviews are really motivating me...so keep them coming ;) THANKS!


	7. Water and Fire

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN:** Wow! You guys are being so great about reviewing. I love my readers! Anyway...A couple of you have asked some questions. I just want to let you know that all your questions will be answered eventually. This story is going to cover A LOT of time, so all your questions will be answered at some point. Thank you guys so much for the reviews and the alerts. I hope you like the new chapter.

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Ray POV:

After Draco had left me I continued my search for Hermione. She had said at the end of third year that she would be coming to the Quidditch World Cup. I just hoped she didn't hate me for not writing to her all summer.

"Ray?" I heard her familiar voice over the growing sounds of the crowd. I turned to see her running up to me with her arms out wide. Guess she wasn't mad. She hugged me and then stepped back to look at me like a mother would do. "You look wonderful, Ray. How are you? I heard about your father. I'm so sorry. Why haven't you written to me?"

"Slow down, Hermione, I can't understand anything you're saying!" I laughed.

"Sorry, it just seems like forever since I've seen you. I've been so worried."

I smiled. "I know. I'm so sorry I haven't been able to write. I've had to move in with my Grandmother. She…doesn't exactly like muggles, so she wouldn't let me write to you."

We spent the next ten minutes or so talking about my Grandmother. She hated the fact that I had to live with someone who had so obviously hated my father. I told her everything that was going on with me except for one thing, Draco. He hadn't told me not to, but I didn't really want anyone to know. It was embarrassing. I felt stupid for making a bet with Draco Malfoy. I should have known better.

"Hey, before you go back you should come say hello to Harry and Ron." She took my hand and started pulling me towards a tent.

"Oh…umm…OK." I didn't really want to see them. I had no problem with Ron. It was Harry. I had known him for two years and had yet to get over the odd feeling I got when I was around him. He had never done anything to make me think he was less than a wonderful person. It was just a weird feeling I got.

She pulled me into the tent. It was huge inside compared to the outside, but still smaller than Mandy's parent's tent. I saw Ron and Harry at a table playing wizard chess. "Hey, look who's finally resurfaced." Hermione smiled.

The two boys looked up from their game and both smiled widely at me. "Hi, Ray!" They said in almost perfect unison.

"Hey…" I gave a half hearted smile. I wanted to leave.

"Sorry to hear about your father, Ray." Harry turned towards me in his seat.

"Thank you, Harry." I gave an awkward smile and then turned to Hermione. "I've really got to go. The game starts in just a little bit and I told Mandy and Lisa I'd be back before the game."

She frowned. "Oh…OK…Well, we should all get together after the game."

"Umm…I sort of already made plans, Sorry."

She unfortunately looked intrigued. "What sort of plans? Oh…is it a boy?"

She nudged me playfully.

"No, nothing like that" I laughed nervously. "I, uh…just promised Mandy and Lisa they could have me the rest of the day and night. I didn't really talk to them this summer either, so they're kind of holding me hostage." I smiled hoping that she would buy the lie.

"Oh, well I understand. I'll see you at school then. You should sit with us on the train."

"I'll try." I waved goodbye to everyone and left.

It was a relief to be out of the tent. I really wanted to be friends with Hermione without having to deal with Harry, but I knew that it wasn't possible. I just wished that I could figure out why I felt so uneasy around him.

I put the thought to the back of my mind to think on later. I had other things to worry about for the time being. More important things, like what Draco was going to make me do after the game.

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Draco POV:

The time had come to try and get what my father wanted. He was growing steadily impatient with me and I wasn't sure how much longer he was willing to wait. This had been why I had been so quick to compromise with Ray.

I needed her to feel open with me. If she felt threatened when I asked her about her father she wouldn't tell me anything. Yes, I could force her, but I truly believed that if I pushed her too hard on the matter that she would give up a memory rather than give up any information.

I had to be careful as to how I approached the subject. I didn't want her knowing what I was doing. That could be dangerous for me and my family. If I started sounding too interested in her father's death she might start thinking I knew who had killed him. I knew the ministry had said it was an accident, but it was no secret that Ray thought other wise. She had been very vocal on the matter, especially when speaking to the Daily Prophet.

Yes, I would get what my father wanted, but I would also get what I wanted, and what I wanted was Ray.

"Draco" I turned to see my father. We were standing outside about to go into the stadium.

"Yes, father?"

He had a malicious smile on his face. "There has been a little change of plan for tonight."

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Ray POV:

The game was over and it was time to face Draco. I told Mandy and her family that I was going to go see Hermione and left the tent. I began to walk aimlessly around. He had told me to just walk around, but I had no clue how he was going to find me. The crowd was getting increasingly loader and I was bumping into people left and right. I was glad I wasn't claustrophobic.

Suddenly I felt someone grab my shoulder and I yelped in surprise. I turned to see Draco with a smirk on his face. "Glad to see you followed my orders, Sonders."

I narrowed my eyes. "Well, I didn't have much of a choice, did I?"

"No, I suppose not." He paused and looked around at the crowd. "Follow me." He didn't wait for me to respond or to move. He simply began to walk off. I supposed he knew I would follow. It's not as if I had another option.

I followed him into the woods that were just along the camp sites. We got just far enough in to where the moon no longer gave much light, but where you could still see the tents just beyond the trees. He stopped walking and turned to me with a mischievous grin on his face. My inner alert system was going off. This was not exactly the best situation to be in. I was alone in the dark woods with someone who could easily hurt me and who had complete control over me, although, I did have my limits on the control thing. There were some things that were worth giving up a memory for.

He started coming towards me and I decided to take a deep breath to try and calm myself. There was no need to get upset at the situation. It wouldn't help anything. He came closer to me until he was so close I could smell the cologne he wore. I loved the way he smelled…I gave myself a mental slap. I couldn't think things like that. He was the enemy.

He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "My plans for tonight have had to change." He paused. "I wouldn't have come at all, but I knew you'd be walking around and it's not going to be safe for you tonight." His grin grew more pronounced.

"What do you mean by not safe?"

"Lets just say you're about to watch a show where it's not very much fun to be the main attraction." He smirked.

"What does…" I suddenly heard screams of terror. I turned sharply from Draco to look at the camp sites. There was fire in the distance and people running from their tents frantically, but I couldn't tell what the cause of the sudden panic was. I turned to look at Draco. He looked utterly relaxed, as if nothing bad was happening. "What's going on, Draco?"

"Death Eater reunion, they're just having a little fun with some muggles." A chill ran through me at the word Death Eater. "Mudbloods won't be safe either and neither will muggle-lovers like you." My face had the look of complete terror. "Don't worry, Sonders. They're not planning to kill anyone, just having a bit of fun." He said it as if it were suppose to reassure me.

My first thought had been of my poor friends. There was no telling what was happening to them. I made a move to leave, but Draco roughly grabbed my arm. "What part of not safe aren't you getting, Sonders?"

I tried to get out of his grasp, but it was no use. He had my arm held so tightly that it began to hurt. I stopped struggling and locked eyes with him. He looked more determined than I had ever seen him and I began to realize that trying to get away from him would be completely useless. "Draco, you're hurting me."

His eyes softened slightly along with the hand on my arm, but he still didn't let go. "That's nothing compared to what they might do to you." He finally let go of my arm. "Just stay here with me, Sonders."

We both turned when there was a rustle in the trees. We began to see hoards of people coming into the shelter of the woods. No one seemed to notice our presence. They were to busy screaming and fighting their way through the thick brush. I turned to look at Draco and saw that his relaxed face had turned into a sneer. "What's wrong?"

"Your little friends are coming." I looked in the same direction as he was and saw Hermione, Ron, and Harry headed right towards us. "Go and hide behind that tree." He pointed to a huge tree about twenty feet away.

Without thinking I ran towards the tree to hide myself. I didn't want anyone seeing me with him and apparently he didn't want to be seen with me either. From my hiding place I could see that Draco had struck up a conversation with the three. I couldn't tell what they were saying, but I saw that it had turned hostile.

When the trio left him I thought about running away. He had turned his attention back to the commotion and was making no move to retrieve me. On a second thought, however, I thought it would be best to return to him. He for some reason seemed to want to protect me and he would defiantly be a good shield from the Death Eaters. They wouldn't hurt one of their precious sons. He had never come out and flatly said that his father was among the Death Eaters, but I thought it was pretty obvious that he was.

When I reached him I touched his arm to let him know I had returned. He didn't move a muscle. He was too engrossed in the uproar. "Draco?" I shook his shoulder.

He turned to look at me and had the look of someone who had just received twenty galleons. He was practically glowing with excitement. "Don't you want to watch the fun, Sonders?"

"Not really…" I suddenly heard something behind me and without thinking jumped into Draco's arms. I turned my head to see that it was just a rabbit jumping out of a bush. I felt stupid and relieved all at the same time. Then I heard someone laughing.

I looked up to see Draco having a laugh at my expense. "Don't worry, Sonders. I won't let the little bunny hurt you." He continued to laugh.

I narrowed my eyes. "It's not funny. I'm scared!" I heard someone in the distance scream. I gasped and brought myself tighter into Draco with my face buried in his chest. Death Eaters were no laughing matter and unfortunately Draco was the only kind of protection I had at the moment.

I felt his arms wrap around me and for some reason I took comfort from his closeness. "Come with me, Sonders."

I looked up at him. "Where?"

"Why do you insist on asking questions you know I won't answer?" He unwrapped himself from me and put his arm around my waist. He led me further into the woods, but not in the same direction as everyone else had gone.

All of a sudden there was a green light in the sky. I didn't know what is was at first, but then I realized, as I saw the skull form, that is was the Dark Mark. Screams began to come from all around us. I felt a panic run through me and I began to shake.

I felt Draco's arms pull me into him. He began to laugh softly. "Do you not understand that you're safe?"

"Why on earth would I feel safe? There are Death Eaters walking around and I feel like I have a target on my back." I looked up at the Dark Mark glowing green in the sky.

He put his hand under my chin and brought my eyes to meet his. "You're safe with me." He paused and smirked. "As long as you do what I say." He leaned down and placed his lips to mine. It was not hurried or rough. It was gentle, warm, and felt like the first time we had kissed. He pulled back and looked at me. I felt myself smile despite my efforts not to. I liked this and I couldn't help it. I felt myself start to completely loose all self control.

I closed my eyes and let him gently lead me to where my back was against a tree. He took my lips again, but more urgent this time. I felt his hand start to run up my side and I gasped. He took the opportunity to thrust his tongue in my mouth.

My eyes snapped open and I pushed him away from me. He was breathing hard and looked confused, but more frustrated than anything. "What's wrong now? Don't tell me you don't want to kiss me. I know you do."

"It's not that. It's…" I trailed off and nervously bit my bottom lip. I was glad it was dark because I was sure I was red.

"What?" He was starting to look angry.

"I've never…done that before. What if I do it wrong?" He started laughing and I narrowed my eyes. "It's not funny!"

He stopped laughing and smirked. "I'll show you what to do. Just follow my lead." He came at me and took my lips roughly. I didn't even have time to think. I felt his hand move to the back of my neck and he began to tangle his fingers in my hair. He licked my bottom lip and I instinctively opened my mouth. I felt his warm tongue. My mind was racing and I wasn't sure what to do. I started moving my tongue against his and I felt him moan in my mouth. It was encouraging, so I continued with the movements. He started to take control of the kiss and I gladly let him.

I had lost all restraint over myself. I put my arms around his neck and began to run my hands through his hair. I loved how his hair felt. It was as soft as his lips. He continued the kiss and started running his free hand along my back. I felt a chill go through me that had nothing to do with the cold.

After a while the kiss became more slow and calm. He lightly bit my bottom lip and broke the kiss. We were still entwined with each other and breathing very hard. "Not too…bad for your…first time, Sonders." He had to take breaths in-between words. I smiled and found myself on the verge of a laugh when he said something that was like a knife in my heart. "I mean…I've had much better, but you're not too bad, better than Pansy at least."

The realization of what had just happened suddenly hit me. I felt sick with myself. How could I have lost control like that? I had just snogged my enemy and liked it. I felt dirty, like I had given him something precious that I couldn't get back. I pulled away from him and walked several feet away from where he was standing.

I felt like crying. I didn't know why his words had hurt so much. No, that was a lie. I unfortunately knew exactly why they had hurt. I was starting to feel something for him. This realization only made me want to cry more. I needed to get my head examined. He would never think of me as more than a toy to play with when he was bored. He considered me to be a puppet and him the puppet master. I needed to find a way to cut the strings.

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Draco POV:

In a way I felt bad for what I had said to Ray, but it had to be done. I had lied when I said I thought her kiss was just OK. Yes, it was true that I had kissed a lot of girls. It was no secret that I wasn't exactly faithful to Pansy. However, Ray's kiss had been different from the others. I loved the fact that she had no experience. The thrill of being her teacher was almost more than I could take, but I needed to make it clear to her that there was to be no emotions involved in this.

I looked up to see that the Dark Mark was gone and realized that the screams had stopped, all was quiet. I had been confused when I saw the Dark Mark. My father hadn't said anything about them conjuring it, but I supposed they had decided to. I looked at Ray.

She had her back to me. I went over to her and grabbed her arm making her turn to me. Her nose was red and her cheeks were wet. She quickly wiped her eyes. She had been crying, but was trying to hide it from me. "Draco, let me out of the deal. You obviously don't like kissing me. Just please let me out of it."

"You made the deal, Sonders. You can't back out of it. A deal is a deal. Besides…" I moved the hand that was on her arm to her neck and leaned down close to her face. "I never said I didn't like it." I gave her a quick kiss on the lips. The face I saw on her when I pulled back amused me.

She was mad again and had her eyes narrowed. "Well…if you have all those girls that are so much better than me then maybe you should go and snog them!"

I smirked. "No, you'll do for the time being."

If looks could kill I would have been dead. She looked livid. She was actually quite cute when she was this angry. She was kind of like a kitten with claws, it posed no threat, but it was cute that it wanted to try.

She suddenly stepped back from me looking very calm. She looked into my eyes and smiled. I was completely confused. I saw her look to the right of her and I followed her gaze to see what she was looking at. All of a sudden I felt a sharp pain in my cheek and my jaw felt like it had just been hit with a mallet. She had slapped me, hard, very hard.

I looked at her and saw that she was still smiling. "Well, I feel better."

My blood boiled and I practically began to see red. I grabbed the sides of her arms and pushed her into a tree. I put my hand to her throat, but not too hard. I still wanted her to be able to speak for the time being.

She didn't look scared, but had a determination in her eyes. "Are you going to finally hurt me, Draco?"

I looked her deep in the eyes and a sudden cool feeling came over me that felt like a winter breeze. I took my hand from her throat. The anger in me felt like it was being washed away, like cool water being poured over a flame. It was the strangest thing I had ever felt and I had no idea what was happening.

"Draco?" She looked confused.

I stepped away from her no longer feeling any anger, but felt utterly relaxed. "Come with me. I'll take you back to your camp site." I took her hand and began to lead us through the trees.

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Ray POV:

I was completely confused. I had been sure that he was about to choke me. It had been very strange. When his hand had been at my throat I hadn't been scared at all. The only feeling I had felt was a cold chill. It had felt like ice running through my veins. Then he suddenly looked relaxed and the cold feeling was gone. I didn't understand it. One minute he had looked murderous and then the next completely relaxed.

I still couldn't believe that I had actually slapped him. I wasn't sure what had come over me, but it had felt great. I was just glad he hadn't hurt me because for a minute I thought he was going to. "Draco?"

"What?" His grip on my hand tightened for an instant when we stepped over a log.

"Umm…I'm glad that you stopped and all, but…you got pretty scary back there and then you were completely fine…"

He stopped walking and turned to me. "It was strange…I just…didn't feel angry anymore…But for the record…" He moved his hand to my wrist and pulled me roughly towards him. He sneered. "If you ever do that again you will regret it. You got that, Sonders?" My eyes went wide and I swallowed hard, all the courage I had from earlier left me. I just nodded and he let me go. He returned his hand to mine and began to walk again.

When we reached close enough to where I could see Mandy's tent he stopped walking and turned to me. He narrowed his eyes. "You are mine until Christmas. There is no way out of it. You're welcome to get angry, but don't blame me when you don't like the consequences of your anger." His eyes softened and he gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll see you later, Sonders." With that he left me.

I walked to the tent and realized for the first time that all was calm around me. The commotion was over. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts about Draco that I had almost completely forgotten what had gone on.

"Ray?" I saw Mandy and her mother running from the tent. They both hugged me hard. "We didn't know what had happened to you." Her mother hugged me again.

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_**One Week Later:**_

Ray POV:

I looked at the Hogwarts Express and sighed. This was the first time my father hadn't taken me. I had come very early and practically no one was there yet. I had told my Grandmother to go ahead and go home. It was actually quite nice to just sit there and think. My mind wondered to Draco.

I hadn't heard from him since the night of the Quidditch World Cup. I had no false fantasies about him changing his mind about our deal, but I was surprised that I hadn't heard from him.

More people began to show up and I saw Draco with his parents. He said goodbye to them and began to walk towards me. I sighed and leaned back into the bench I was sitting on. I had absolutely no desire to talk to him. He had hurt me and what was worse is that I had walked right into it. I knew better than to develop feelings for him, but I did it anyway and now I was a mess.

He sat on the bench next to me. I looked at him and saw that he had a smirk on his face. "This is going to be quite an entertaining year, Sonders...at least until Christmas."

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Fourth Year begins and Ray meets someone from Durmstrang....Is Draco jealous?

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**AN: **Hope you liked the chapter. I'll update as soon as I can. You guys reviews are really helping me remember to write...lol...So please keep reviewing. You guys are GREAT!


	8. Draco The Bouncing Ferret

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN:** WOW! You guys are so GREAT! I can't believe I got so many reviews! That's why I made this chapter extra long, just to say thanks ;) Thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts. You guys rock! Hope you enjoy the new chapter. :)

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Ray POV:

Draco sat on the bench next to me. I looked at him and saw that he had a smirk on his face. "This is going to be quite an entertaining year, Sonders...at least until Christmas."

A thought suddenly occurred to me. "And what happens after that?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"So after our bet is settled. You'll leave me alone?"

He smirked. "If you really want me to, although…" He paused and leaned in close to me. "I have a feeling that you might want me to stick around."

I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. "I wouldn't bet on it if I were you."

"We'll see." He rose from the bench and turned to me. "Oh, before I forget. Who are you sitting with on the train?"

"I don't know yet. Hermione asked me to at the Quidditch World Cup and I told her I'd try. Why?"

He sneered. "You are not to sit with them. That is an order. Understand?"

I shrugged and looked at the train. "Yep, that's one order I have no problem following."

"I thought you liked the little mudblood."

At this point, between Draco and my Grandmother, I was so use to hearing my friend be referred to as mudblood that it didn't even faze me. "I do like Hermione…I just…Don't really care for Harry." I looked at Draco.

He was smiling, a real smile. I thought I was hallucinating for a second. "You don't like Potter? But everyone loves Potter." He practically spit the name. "Why don't you? I thought you of all people would be kissing his arse."

I had to hold back a laugh. He really hated Harry and I could tell he loved the fact that I didn't like him either. Jeez, I guess we finally found something we had in common. "I just don't feel comfortable around him. That's all."

He smirked. "Good." With that he walked away to meet his friends.

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I had managed to avoid running into Hermione or one of the boys. I ended up sitting with Mandy and Lisa on the train. They had both broken up with their boyfriends over the summer, so it was just us three in the compartment.

"So I saw you talking to Draco Malfoy. What has he been up to?" Lisa mischievously smiled.

I had to keep telling myself that she was my friend so that I wouldn't hit her. It was pretty obvious that she liked Draco and it really bothered me. "He's fine. He was just telling me about his summer with his girlfriend." I emphasized girlfriend.

She laughed. "I know he has a girlfriend, Ray, but I heard that he has no problem cheating on her."

"So that makes it right? You wouldn't…would you?" I couldn't even bring myself to say it.

"No, of course not, Ray." I knew she was lying. I could see it in her eyes, but I couldn't say anything. I couldn't let her or anyone know how I felt about Draco…not even Draco.

"Yeah, if you say so, Lisa." I looked out the window to watch the scenery pass by and began to think.

So it was true about him being with a lot of other girls. I couldn't help but to sit there and wonder who else, other than me, he was messing around with. I of course knew he was still with Pansy, but I wanted to know if I was his only…side dish.

I had to just except the fact that I liked him. I didn't even know why I liked him. Well, that wasn't completely true. He was of course attractive, but it was more than that. He made me feel alive. Yes, he was a scary git, but when he kissed me it felt like I was on fire…in a good way.

I didn't know what I should do. There was no point in liking him. He'd never return the feelings and I would just end up with egg on my face if I told him how I felt. I had to try and get past my feelings for him, but that was going to be hard considering I was being forced to snog the guy.

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At dinner I found myself gazing over at the Slytherin table more than I ever had. He was of course sitting right next to Pansy. I put my elbows on the table and rested my head in my hands.

"What's wrong, Ray? You look a little down." Mandy could always tell when there was something wrong. It was usually nice, but not this time.

I removed my elbows from the table, sat up straight, and tried to look perky. "Nothing, I just must be tired." I smiled.

She raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't born yesterday, Ray. I know something's up. Now tell me what's wrong."

I sighed and looked to the left of me. I saw that Lisa wasn't paying any attention to Mandy and I. She was too busy flirting with the fifth year seated next to her. I looked back to Mandy. "I'll tell you later, but you have to promise not to tell anyone, especially, not Lisa."

"OK, I promise, but when are you going to tell me?"

"I'll tell you tonight after dinner. I promise. I just don't want anyone over hearing." I continued eating and thought about what I was going to tell Mandy. I really needed to have someone to talk to about what was going on. If I didn't I was afraid that I might go nutty. I decided I'd tell her everything and swear her to secrecy. She was pretty trust worthy as far as I could tell.

After a few minutes had passed I felt a small hand tap me on the shoulder. I turned around to see a Slytherin girl who had to either be a first or second year. "Sonders?"

I raised both my eyebrows. "Uh…yes?" The small girl handed me a note and then walked away back to her table. I looked at Mandy. "That was weird." I looked around and realized that no one but Mandy and I had noticed my visitor. Everyone was too caught up with the news of the Triwizard Tournament being held at Hogwarts and the students from different schools that would be joining us in a month.

"Well, open it!" Mandy practically shook me.

I swatted her away laughing. "OK." I opened the letter and read:

_**Sonders,**_

_**Go on a walk after dinner. 5**__**th**__** floor.**_

_**D**_

That's all it said. I knew it was Draco. Who else could _D_ be? I didn't want to see Draco, but I knew I had to do what he said.

Mandy made a grab for the letter, but I moved it away and put it in my robes. "Who's it from? Come on, tell me."

"I'll tell you when I tell you about the other thing."

I heard her sigh. "Fine"

After a long stretch of silence I decided to try and make conversation. I looked at her and saw that she was looking to her right. I was about to ask her what she was looking so intensely at when she suddenly turned back to me. "That weird Stephen guy is staring at you."

I looked in the direction she had been looking and indeed saw that Stephen was staring at me. He had always creeped me and the other girls out. He was a Ravenclaw in my year, a big guy, about six feet tall with long stringy brown hair. He didn't talk much and wasn't exactly known for his intelligence. It was well known that his father bought his son's way out of trouble. We all just tried to avoid him as much as possible. He just seemed like someone you wouldn't want to run into in a dark alley.

I quickly looked away from him and back to Mandy. "Weird…"

She laughed. "Maybe he likes you."

"Don't even joke about that. I have enough problems as it is."

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After dinner I went to my room to change cloths. Draco could wait long enough to let me get into something more comfortable. I put on some jeans and a red sweater.

"Ray, where are you going? I thought we were going to talk." Mandy put her hands on her hips.

"I have to go do something first. I promise I'll tell you when I get back. Trust me…I'll probably have more to complain about when I get back." I waved goodbye to her and made my way out of the Ravenclaw tower.

I walked down the spiral staircase to the fifth floor and saw Draco standing in the middle of the corridor with a sneer on his face. "Took you long enough, Sonders. I believe I told you to come after dinner, did I not?" He had obviously been waiting there for a while. He still had his robes on so I knew he hadn't gone back to his room.

"Sorry, I just wanted to change." I walked towards him, but stopped when I got a few feet away.

He stepped towards me and closed the gap between us. He roughly grabbed my jaw and tilted my head up to meet his eyes. "You need to start following orders a little better, Sonders. Got it?" I just nodded and he let me go. He smirked. "Come on, Sonders. It's time to pay a little of your debt to me." He took my hand and started pulling me towards the same empty class room we had our first kiss in. When we entered he shut the door and turned to look at me. "Come here, Sonders."

I did as I was told and walked towards him. I didn't want this to be happening, but I also did in a way. I loved kissing Draco, but I knew it would just lead to me liking him more which would lead to me having a broken heart.

When I reached him he put his hands on the sides of my face and leaned down to kiss me. He took my lower lip into his mouth and lightly sucked. It felt amazing. He parted my lips with his tongue and began to roam my mouth. After a while of this I heard a moan and realized that it was me. I once again felt myself start to lose all self control. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me.

He broke the kiss and pulled back. He laughed. "Enjoying yourself, Sonders?" I felt heat rush to my face and knew I had to be red. I removed my arms from his neck and began to step back, but he grabbed my waist with both hands and pulled me into him. He kissed my cheek and trailed light kisses to my ear where he whispered softly. "Ray, I'm glad you like it. Don't move away from me."

His breath in my ear sent chills up my spine. I had to make this stop. "Draco?"

He began to kiss his way to my neck. My head dropped back automatically to allow him better access. "Yes?"

I was breathing so hard I was embarrassed, but I couldn't stop. "I…uh…I…uh…forgot."

I heard him laugh at my neck. "Come on…what were you going to say?" he continued to kiss my neck.

"I…think I was going to tell you to stop."

He bit my earlobe and a small yelp escaped my lips. "I'll decide when to stop." He looked me in the eyes and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "You don't really want me to stop, do you Sonders?"

"No" My voice came out in a whisper.

He suddenly looked at me with an intensity I had never seen him have. "Just remember…No emotions, got it?"

"Got it" I lied.

-------------------------

As I walked back to my room I felt disgusted with myself. I had once again lost control with him. I just couldn't seem to control my body or my brain functions around him. I just had to keep telling myself that it was just until Christmas. Then it would be over and done with. I could get over my feelings for Draco if I didn't have to kiss him…I hoped.

When I got to my room I saw that everyone was fast asleep except for Mandy. She had obviously waited up for me. "You want to go talk in the common room?" I whispered, so as not to wake anyone. She nodded and followed me to the common room.

We sat on the couch and I turned from her to stare at the fire place. I just couldn't bare to look at her while I spilled my guts. I began to tell her everything without sparing any details. The information just spilled out of me like water out of a pitcher. I actually felt better after I told her everything.

I looked at her for the first time and saw that her mouth was agape in shock. "So that's why you don't want Lisa talking to him?"

"Pretty much"

We talked for hours about every excruciating detail of the whole thing. She had four million questions and it seemed that she expected me to answer them all in one night. We stayed up until three in the morning talking. I had never had a friend I felt this comfortable with. I was glad I had decided to confide in her. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

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Draco POV:

I laid on my bed with my hands behind my head and just stared at the ceiling. I turned to look at the clock. I only had two more hours before I was supposed to get out of bed and I had yet to fall asleep. I couldn't stop thinking about Ray.

I turned over onto my side and felt the silk sheets run across my bare chest. The sheets felt like Ray's skin, soft and smooth. I grunted to myself and fisted the sheets. I rolled over onto my back and buried my face in my pillow.

I had been doing this all night. I just kept tossing and turning trying to think of something other than Ray's skin, Ray's lips, Ray's…everything. Thinking of her was driving me mental. Her kisses were addictive.

I had done this very thing after the night in the woods with her. That's why I hadn't contacted her for a while after. I didn't like feeling like this. I didn't like feeling a need for her. I thought about calling the whole thing off, but I was in far too deep. I wanted her too much to stop at this point.

I would be tired of her by Christmas. I knew I would be. I had never messed around with a girl for more than two weeks. It was not possible that I would still want her after Christmas. I would take what I wanted from her and then be done with it, just like I did with all the others.

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Ray POV:

Breakfast the next morning was rough. I had only gotten about two hours of sleep thanks to Mandy questioning me all night, but I was still glad I had told her. It felt nice to have a friend to confide in and I really did believe I could trust her.

I looked up to see owls rushing into the Great Hall to deliver the mail. I wasn't personally expecting anything, so I was greatly surprised when I looked up and saw a brown owl land in front of me with a letter in its mouth. I immediately recognized it as my Grandmother's owl. I took the letter, fed it a little of what was on my plate, and watched it fly away.

I looked to the Slytherin table to see that Draco had also received mail. His owl landed on his shoulder and for some reason I found myself thinking he looked quite cute with an owl on his shoulder. I shook my head to try and get the thought out of my brain. I opened the letter and read:

_**Ray,**_

_**I have received an offer for your father's house that I find to be quite adequate. The elves that still remain at the house have gathered the remainder of your father's things and are sending them to me. During your Christmas break I would like you to go through the things and decide what you would like to keep. The rest will be thrown out. Also, your father's house elves will be sent to Hogwarts to work in the kitchen as you requested. **_

_**I expect nothing but excellent grades from you, Ray, so keep up with your studies and do well. **_

_**Grandmother Blackburn**_

I sighed and put the letter in my robes along side the note from Draco. My Grandmother had been quite cooperative about what I wanted to do about my father's house. I believed it was only because she didn't care to deal with it herself, but it didn't matter. I was getting what I wanted and what my father would have wanted. I would be getting whatever money came out of the sell and the house elves that I had grown to think of as family would be set free to work at Hogwarts where they would get paid and be taken care of. However, I wasn't looking forward to going through my father's things. I had no idea how I would decide what to throw out and what to keep. I put the thought to the back of my mind to think on later and headed to class.

--------------------------------

The day had been pretty uneventful and I couldn't believe it was already time for dinner. I was running a little late because I had been cornered by that creepy guy Stephen. He had just randomly started talking to me about dragons of all things. Maybe Mandy was right about him liking me. If he did, I needed to stop it quickly. The last thing I needed was some weird psychopathic guy liking me.

I ran down the stairs to the Entrance Hall and saw the strangest thing I had ever seen, a bouncing white ferret.

It slammed into the floor and cried out in pain. The animal lover inside of me screamed. I looked around frantically trying to figure out what was going on. I finally saw Professor Moody with his wand out and I connected the dots. I ran up to the teacher. "What are you doing, professor? You're hurting the poor thing!" I watched it once again hit the hard floor and bounce back up into the air.

"Ah, I'm just teaching a wand happy student a lesson." He grinned.

My eyes grew wide and I looked back at the bouncing ferret. "That's a student?" I heard someone behind me say Malfoy and I immediately understood what was going on. I stared at the ferret in shock as it hit the floor with a thud and once again flew back into the air. It was Draco Malfoy.

I was about to give Professor Moody a piece of my mind when I heard Professor McGonagall calling out to him to stop. She got her own wand out and turned it to the ferret. In an instant the ferret turned into a red faced Draco. I had the urge to run up to him and make sure he was OK, but I held myself back. I figured he wouldn't like that.

I heard Draco say something under his breath about his father. I was sure he was threatening Moody with his father. I, however, wanted to hurt Moody myself. That had been completely irresponsible and he could have really hurt Draco. I found myself picturing me punching him in his weird swirling eye. I had never had such thoughts and I was shocked at myself.

Professor Moody went up to Draco, took his upper arm, and dragged him off to see Professor Snape. I just stared after them until I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Ray?" I turned to see Mandy.

"Hey Mandy, lets just go get some dinner."

All anyone could seem to talk about during dinner was Draco the bouncing ferret. Mandy told me that Draco had called Ron's mother fat and that he had tried to hurt Harry. Yes, that had been cruel, but it hadn't merited him being turned into an animal and being slammed into the floor repeatedly by a teacher.

I knew he was probably OK. He had looked fine when he had been taken away by Professor Moody, but I still wanted to see him and ask him myself if he was alright.

I looked at Mandy. "I think I'm going to head to bed."

"Ray, don't leave. You've barely eaten anything. I'm sure he's fine." She leaned close to me and started to whisper. "I know you like him, but he kind of deserved it."

I whispered back. "He could have seriously been hurt Mandy. Professor Moody went too far."

I heard her sigh. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I'll see you later, Mandy." I got up from the table and left the Great Hall.

I made it all the way to the fourth floor when I suddenly felt like someone was following me. I knew who it was and I knew he was trying to scare me. "Draco…I know it's you."

I suddenly felt arms wrap around me from behind. I didn't even need to turn around to know it was him. I could smell his cologne that I loved so much. "I suppose you saw what happened in the Entrance Hall." His voice sounded angry and harsh, but the arms around me felt gentle, so I wasn't scared of his temper.

I tried to turn in his arms to look at him, but he held me in place. "Yes, I saw. I didn't know it was you at first. I just thought he was being mean to a ferret, so I yelled at him to stop. Then I found out it was you, but Professor McGonagall came before I could say something to him."

I heard him lightly laugh. "You were going to try and make him stop? Yeah…I'm sure he would have been terrified of you, Sonders." He said sarcastically.

I tried to turn once again, but to no avail. I narrowed my eyes at the wall since I couldn't look at him. "Fine, I'll just let him keep slamming you on the floor next time."

He stopped laughing and suddenly his voice became serious. "My father will take care of him." I couldn't see him, but I knew he must be sneering.

"I'd rather hit him myself. He could have seriously hurt you." I went stiff when I realized that I had said it aloud.

He began to laugh harder than he had before and kept the sarcastic tone. "Were you worried about me, Sonders? How cute!" He continued to laugh.

He finally lightened his grip on me enough to where I could turn in his arms. I looked at him and narrowed my eyes. "No! I wasn't worried about you! He shouldn't have done that to any student."

"Whatever you say, Sonders." He leaned down and kissed my lips briefly.

I hadn't really seen him all day, so this was the first time I had gotten a good look at him. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was slightly out of place. "You look positively exhausted."

He sneered. "I didn't sleep well."

I was confused at his sudden change in expression. "Why not?"

"Mind your own business, Sonders." He removed his arms from around me and took my hand. His sneer suddenly turned into a smirk. "Let's go to our regular place, Sonders. We're a little too exposed here." He started pulling me towards the stairs and I wordlessly followed. There was no need to protest. For one thing he would just make me do it anyway and I hated to admit it to myself, but I wanted to go with him.

He led me up the stairs and into the empty class room we always seemed to use. Without saying a word he shut the door and came at me pushing me against the wall. He took my lips roughly. I started to put my arms around his neck, but he stopped me by pinning my hands to the wall above my head with his right hand. With his free hand he ran his fingers lightly up and down my side. He trialed kisses to my neck and started to suck at the tender flesh.

Before I completely lost all restraint I wanted to know something. "Draco?" It came out as more of a moan than a word.

He lifted his head from my neck and looked at me with a smirk. "Yes, Ray?"

"How many others are there?"

He freed my hands and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "How many, what?"

I started to think more clearly since he had let up on my neck. "How many girls are you currently…with…like this?"

He once again smirked. "School just started, Sonders. I haven't had time to pick and choose who I want yet." He leaned in close to my face. "Besides…like I said before…" He kissed my lips and pulled back quickly. "You'll do for now."

I had the sudden urge to slap him, but considering how that had gone the last time I decided not to. I would just have to accept this little arrangement of ours. It would only be about three more months. I could do that. It might kill me inside, but I could do it.

He began to kiss me again. I shut my eyes and tried to forget what he had just said.

-----------------------

_**One Month Later:**_

Ray POV:

It had been a month since school had started. The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students had finally arrived and everyone was buzzing with excitement, well, except for me.

Mine and Draco's arrangement was really starting to get to me. He was beginning to act somewhat sweet with me and it had begun to feel like a real relationship other than the fact that is was secret. It was making me feel confused all the time and Mandy was starting to get concerned about my mental health.

I walked out into the court yard to sit and study for the potions quiz the next day. When I arrived and sat my books down I looked up to see Draco across the way with his arm around Pansy. I couldn't help, but to feel jealous. I wanted it to be me that he had his arm around, but I knew that would never happen. His voice saying 'No emotions, Sonders, no emotions' ran through my head.

I began to study when I suddenly heard a low deep voice. "Hello, my name is Michel. I am from Durmstrang. May I ask your name?" I looked up to see the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen in my life. He had dark black hair and piercing blue eyes with a body that put most Greek statues to shame. I looked around me to see who he was talking to when I heard a low chuckle. "I was speaking to you." I looked back at him to see that he was looking right at me. "I saw you from across the court yard and I could not help but to come and say hello." He had a slight accent that I couldn't quite place.

"Uh…Hi, I'm Ray."

---------------------------

Draco POV:

I turned to see Ray talking to some Durmstrang guy and saw that she seemed to be enjoying herself. My blood boiled. She was mine and this git was trying to take her from me. I could tell he wanted her. I could see it in the way he smiled at her. He sat next to her and I began to picture ripping his throat out.

The last month had been amazing. We had gone to the empty class room on the fifth floor every night since school had started and I wanted it to remain that way. I loved kissing her. I was starting to realize that she was once again becoming an addiction for me. I still hadn't asked her about what my father wanted to know. There just never seemed to be enough time between kisses to ask.

I saw the guy put his hand on her shoulder and she laughed. I practically growled. I had to admit that I was insanely jealous, but only because she belonged to me. I owned her until Christmas. She was my property and he was trying to steal it away. I couldn't allow that to happen. I had to stop him…

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Michel and Ray become closer while Draco tries to stop it and Stephen gets a little too friendly.

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**AN: **Hope you guys liked the chapter. Please remember to review. It really motivates me to write. I'll try to update as soon as possible. You guys are GREAT!


	9. I Can't Do This Anymore

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN: **Thank you guys so much for all the reviews. I'm glad you are all enjoying the story. I finished this chapter faster than I had anticipated, so you're getting it quicker than usual. I've even got the next chapter mostly done...Anyway...Thank you all for the reviews, favorites, and alerts. Hope you enjoy the new chapter.

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Ray POV:

"Uh…Hi, I'm Ray."

"Hello, Ray. What an unusual name for a girl." Michel smiled and sat beside me.

"Well, my name is actually Rayna, but people just call me Ray for short…I don't mean to pry, but I can't quite place your accent. Where are you from?"

He chuckled. "You may ask me anything you wish, dear Rayna. My family has moved around quite a lot and it has colored my speech, but I consider my home to be France."

It was odd to hear someone say my real name, especially since I didn't like my real name, but I let it slide since it was said by an Adonis. "I've never been to France, but I've heard that it's lovely."

"Yes, it is a beautiful country."

"Can you say something in French for me?" I smiled for encouragement.

He put his hand on my shoulder and looked me deep in the eyes. "Vous êtes belle." He smiled.

I laughed. "What does that mean?"

He lightly brushed a piece of hair out of my face. "It means you are beautiful, my dear Rayna." I found myself involuntarily giggling. Was this guy for real? I was starting to feel like I was in some kind of romance novel.

I was about to look around and see if he had a white horse when I heard a familiar voice behind me. "Sonders, I need to speak with you."

I turned to see Draco with his arms crossed in the front and a pissed expression on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him. How dare he interrupt my perfect romance novel moment. "What do you want?"

Draco's face turned to shock, probably because of the harsh tone of my voice. I saw him glance at Michel and then back to me. "I need help with my Transfigurations homework."

Michel put his hand on my arm and I turned to him. "Go and help your friend. We can talk later. Would you like that?" He flashed his brilliant white teeth at me. I just nodded since I couldn't seem to form words. He laughed. "I will see you later then, my dear Rayna." He rose from beside me and gave a friendly nod to Draco which was returned with a sneer.

I watched as he walked away and I felt Draco take Michel's seat beside me. "Rayna?"

I turned to Draco. "That's my real name…Please don't call me that. I hate it."

He smirked. "I prefer Sonders…So, who is he?"

"He's one of the students from Durmstrang."

He sneered. "I know that! I meant, why is he talking to you?"

I stood and quickly gathered my things. I looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Not everyone is ashamed to be seen talking to me, Draco. That's just you." I turned and started to walk away when I felt his hand grab my arm and pull me back into a seated position.

He tugged on my arm to make me look at him. "I'm not ashamed to be seen with you. I'm doing it right now."

I just glared at him. "What was the excuse you made to your friends as to why you had to come over here?"

He looked confused. "I told them what I always tell them. That I needed help in Transfigurations."

"Exactly"

His hand tightened around my arm. "You know our arrangement, Sonders."

"Yeah…I know." I shrugged out of his hold.

He smirked. "Tonight then?"

"Yeah…"

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After I left Draco I walked to the Library to get some more studying done. It was Sunday, so when I arrived I was the only one there. I sat at a table and began to pull my books out of my bag.

"Hi, Ray." I looked up to see Hermione take the seat across from me.

"Hey Hermione…So what does Harry think of being chosen for the Triwizard tournament?"

She sighed. "He has no idea how his name got in there and now him and Ron are arguing because Ron doesn't believe him…They're both driving me crazy."

I laughed. "I'm sorry…but you know they'll make up eventually."

We sat there and talked for a while about Harry. She still knew nothing about Draco. The only person I had told was Mandy. Hermione would have been the last person in the world I would have told. I was afraid that she would hate me if she knew.

When Hermione left I stayed for a couple more hours and finished my studying. It was getting close to dinner, so I decided to go back to my room to find Mandy. When I reached the Entrance Hall I heard a low voice call my name. "Rayna!" I turned to see Michel coming towards me. When he reached me he took my hand and kissed it. "I am happy to see you again. May we talk now?"

"Uh…sure." I had no idea why this guy wanted to talk to me. No guy, other that Draco, had ever shown any interest in me…I didn't count Stephen. So I just couldn't figure out why this gorgeous guy wanted to spend his time with me.

He offered me his arm and I took it with no hesitation. I let him lead me outside the castle and we began to walk the extensive grounds. "Tell me all about yourself, dear Rayna."

"Umm…Can I ask you a question first?" I bit my lip.

"Certainly" He smiled.

"Why are you talking to me?"

He stopped walking and raised both his eyebrows. "What do you mean? Why would I not want to talk with you?"

"Uh…I mean…There are prettier girls around here. My roommate Mandy is really--" He cut me off by putting his fingers to my lips.

He laughed. "My dear Rayna, You are quite charming and quite beautiful if I do say so myself, but your eyes have sadness in them. That is why I came to you in the first place. I wanted to make your eyes smile." He removed his fingers from my lips and leaned in close to me. My heart started beating rapidly and I thought that he might kiss me. He came close to my face and kissed me on the cheek. He pulled back and smiled. "May we continue our walk?"

I smiled widely. "Sure."

We walked the grounds and talked about our families and our lives. He was also a pure blood and had many Muggle born friends. We had so much in common that it was scary. We liked the same music, the same books, and he believed in the same things I did.

He smiled at me. "May I sit with you at dinner?"

"Sure, I'd like that" I couldn't stop smiling around this guy. He was so sweet and nice, perfect.

We walked into the Great Hall and sat at the Ravenclaw table, Mandy at my right, Michel at my left. Mandy smiled. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Michel." I looked at him. "And this is my best friend Mandy."

Michel took her hand and shook. "Very nice to meet you, dear Mandy."

All during dinner I felt eyes on me and I knew exactly who they belonged to, Draco. I looked up at the Slytherin table and saw that he looked positively murderous.

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Draco POV:

I could have killed someone right then and there if I could have gotten away with it. He was sitting with her, flirting with her and she was enjoying every second of it. I had never seen her so giggly. As a matter of fact I don't recall her ever giggling. It wasn't her. She didn't do that. I had heard her laugh, but never that fake giggle crap that she was doing with him.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Pansy put her hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged it off. "Don't touch me right now, Pansy." I looked at her. "Go sit with Millicent. I want to be left alone."

She looked at me shocked. "Oh…OK Draco…" She rose from her seat and left.

"So what's up with you?" Blaise had his eyebrows raised. He was sitting across from me and had seen the whole thing.

"None of your business, Blaise." I practically growled.

I returned to staring at Ray and saw Blaise follow my gaze. "Do we have a crush on our Transfigurations tutor?" He smirked.

I turned sharply to him. "No! I just don't get why that guy seems to like the little Muggle lover." I sneered.

"Well…she has gotten quite lovely this past year. Too bad she's a blood traitor." He looked at me questioningly. "You know…I didn't even know you were bad at Transfigurations until you told me that the Professor had assigned you a tutor…."

I narrowed my eyes. "Well I am. Got a problem with it?"

He raised his eyebrows and his hands in a surrendering manner. "It was just a statement, Mate. No need to get defensive."

I had enough of people at this point and just wanted to leave. I got up from my seat and left without another word. When I got to the Entrance Hall I decided to head to the fifth floor. Ray and I were supposed to meet after dinner, so I would wait for her. I knew she would come. She had to come or she would lose a memory. I smiled to myself.

I didn't need to worry about that other guy taking her from me. I owned her memories. She wouldn't leave me.

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Ray POV:

"It was lovely having dinner with you, dear Rayna. We must do it again." Michel smiled and kissed my hand.

I giggled. "I'd love to." He left the Great Hall and I saw him join a group of his friends.

What the hell was wrong with me? I was beginning to annoy myself. All through dinner all I had said was 'sure', 'that's lovely', 'you're so funny', and giggled. That just wasn't me and I wasn't sure where this new me was coming from. I was acting like…Lisa. The thought sent chills up my spine. I just couldn't seem to act like myself around this guy and I needed to figure out how to quick before he started to think I only had four brain cells.

As I was leaving the Great Hall I saw Stephen coming towards me. "Hello, Ray."

"Hi Stephen" I was trying to be nice, but this guy really gave me the creeps.

"Is that your new boyfriend?"

I raised my eyebrow at his random question. "Umm…no we're just friends…look…I have to go. I'm meeting someone. I'll see you later Stephen.

I saw anger briefly flash in his eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. "Later then…"

I quickly left and headed to the fifth floor to meet Draco. I didn't want to see him. I was so tired of having to hide my feelings. I just didn't know if the pain of it all was worth the feeling I got when I was with him. He could make me feel amazing and horrible all at the same time. He had become so loving with me and it was confusing. I didn't know if I could do it anymore without going insane.

I made my way to the empty class room and opened the door. Draco was already there leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front. He smirked. "Hello, Sonders, nice of you to join me." He pushed himself from the wall and walked towards me. He quickly wrapped me in his arms and started kissing my neck. I shut my eyes and gave a sad sigh. I felt him move to my ear and talk softly. "What's wrong, Ray?" He kissed right below my ear and then pulled back.

I opened my eyes to see him looking at me with confusion. "Nothing's wrong…Why do you think something's wrong?"

He reached out his hand and palmed my cheek. "You look sad." This was exactly what drove me crazy about him. He had become so gentle and loving with me that I was having a hard time not falling for him. I honestly wished that he would start acting like a jerk again. The no emotions rule was still in place and he made sure to remind me of that often.

I felt anger start to rise in me. "Just do what you want and let me leave. I have studying to do."

He looked shocked and stepped back from me. When the shock wore off he narrowed his eyes. "Why are you acting like this?"

I realized that this was the time to finally tell him how I felt. I had reached my breaking point and I knew it. I looked at him with as calm a face as I could come up with. "I'm sick of being your lap dog. If that means you take memories away then so be it, but I can't do this anymore."

He looked shocked and angry. "Why can't you? What…some guy talks to you and you suddenly think you're better than me?"

"It has nothing to do with him. I've felt like this for a while. I just…can't do this anymore, Draco. I'm confused all the time. I can't handle my feelings for you anymore." I was holding back tears.

"I own you until Christmas, Sonders...and I said no emotions. What part of that didn't you understand?" He came closer to me.

I felt the tears enter my eyes. "I tried…"

He looked vicious and came at me pushing me against the wall. He put his hand to my throat, but didn't squeeze. "I'll take your memories. You know I will and I won't give them back this time."

"Then take them because I can't do this anymore."

His eyes turned malicious and I started to worry that he would hurt me. I felt a sudden chill run through me and I began to shiver. It felt like the feeling that I had gotten in the woods the last time I thought he would hurt me. I saw his eyes go blank and then turn to confusion. He took his hand from my throat and moved away from me. He looked at me with anguish. "Leave, now!" I just stood there trying to figure out what had happened. He quickly came at me and screamed. "Leave!"

I shrunk back from him and ran to the door. I gave him one last look and quickly left the room.

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Draco POV:

How could she do this? She was mine. I felt my blood boil and I felt the need to hit something. I looked around frantically trying to find something to take my anger out on and saw a nearby chair. I through the chair at the wall and it broke into pieces, hitting the floor with a loud bang. I needed to calm down.

I gritted my teeth and started to try and regulate my breathing. I stood there and tried to sort through what had just happened. When I had my hand at her throat it had suddenly felt like the night in the woods. A sudden cold calm had washed over me, but this time when I had let her go the anger had returned in a great wave. That's why I had told her to leave. I had been afraid I would hurt her…badly.

I ran my hand through my hair and left the room. I had lost her and there was nothing I could do about it. If she didn't care about her memories then I had no hold over her. I had to find a way to get her back. She had become like a drug and I didn't know what I would do if I didn't get my fix. A thought suddenly occurred to me and I smiled to myself. I knew exactly what would make her come back.

She had said that she had feelings for me. I had suspected this for some time, but since I didn't share her feelings I chose to ignore it. The last thing I wanted was someone to care for. I simply wanted her back because she was mine and I enjoyed the way she made me feel. It was purely physical.

She had asked me several times about other girls and I had always given her some smart ass answer about it being none of her business. The truth was that there was no one else. I hadn't even kissed Pansy in a month, but I knew Ray was jealous of her, so I put on little shows with Pansy to try and piss Ray off, just for fun. I loved seeing Ray jealous and that was exactly how I would get her back, by making her jealous. That would make her come back to me.

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_**Twelve Days Later:**_

Ray POV:

I hadn't spoken to Draco in almost two weeks and I had started to feel like my old self again. It felt freeing not to have him hovering over me and the greatest part of it was that he had apparently chosen to just let the whole thing go. He hadn't even attempted to talk to me, so all my memories were still intact.

Michel and I were getting closer and I was starting to finally be able to act like myself around him. We hadn't kissed yet, but I was impatiently waiting for it. I really liked Michel and he was perfect for me…but…I still found myself thinking of Draco. I wasn't going to lie to myself and say I didn't still have feelings for him, I did, but I knew that there was no future in the affection I held for Draco, so I would like Michel. Michel was…perfect.

I was heading to charms from potions when I realized I had left my book behind in the class room. I sighed and started running back to the dungeons. When I arrived I saw a huge group of Slytherins surrounding Harry and Hermione and I decided to approach the scene with caution. As I got closer I saw that Draco was the leader of the group and that they all had matching badges that said _POTTER STINKS. _I rolled my eyes and started to make my way to the class room when I saw Harry take out his wand. I stopped mid walk and froze. This was going to be bad.

"Go on, then, Potter." Draco took out his wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now, do it, if you've got the guts…"

They just stared at each other and I took the opportunity to slip into the class room. There was a loud bang behind me in the corridor. I grabbed my book and saw Professor Snape walk out into the commotion. I followed him into the corridor and was horrified by what I saw. Hermione was holding her mouth trying to hide her enormous teeth, Goyle had boils all over his face, and I saw pug faced Pansy and her friends on the side lines laughing it up at Hermione. I had the distinct urge to punch Pansy in the face…and if I were going to be honest with myself it wasn't only because of her laughing at Hermione.

Before I could go and check on Hermione I saw her run down the corridor breaking out in tears. I decided to stay and watch the disaster unfold. Snape gave Harry and Ron detention and then walked back into the class room while Goyle made his way to the hospital wing. I briefly looked at Draco, but he completely ignored my presents. It was as if I wasn't there at all. I heard Pansy continue to laugh.

I went up to her and she looked shocked at my sudden presents. "Can I help you?" She laughed and looked to her friends then back to me.

"Why don't you just shut your pie hole, Pansy."

She laughed and narrowed her eyes. "Oh look girls…It's the little blood traitor that's in love with Draco."

My heart skipped a beat and my eyes grew wide. "What are you talking about?"

She stepped closer to me and her voice turned deadly. "Do you not think I can see the way you look at him? You need to wise up and get that he will never love you back. You're nothing but I low class, muggle loving, blood traitor, whore."

I felt something inside of me snap and an eerie calm came over me. I looked at her straight in the eye. "You're right Pansy…Draco would never love me. You two are perfect for each other. After all…They do say opposites attract. He's attractive, intelligent, and cultured…your perfect opposite."

She pulled her wand on me so quick I didn't even have time to blink, but before I could reach for my own wand I heard Draco's voice. "Pansy, stop!" She withdrew her wand and narrowed her eyes at me. I turned to see Draco approach the two of us. He put his arm around Pansy and looked at me with a sneer. He began to speak to Pansy. "Don't waist your time on this blood traitor. It's not worth it."

If I hadn't of known Draco so well I would have taken his words as an insult, but I did know him and I knew that what he had just said was a load of crap. He knew it and he knew I knew it. That was the last thing he believed. He would have given his right arm to be able to curse a blood traitor, but because it was me he had chosen to save me from Pansy's wrath.

Draco looked down at Pansy. "Go to class. It's about to start. I'll be there in a minute."

She sighed and looked up at him lovingly. "OK, Draco" She gave me one last murderous look and left with her friends to enter the class room.

Draco turned his attention to me and narrowed his eyes. "Don't think just because I helped you that it means I care about your safety." He smirked. "I just wanted to have the pleasure of hurting you myself. "He leaned in close to me. "And trust me, Sonders…I will get you back for breaking our deal."

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Draco POV:

I couldn't bring myself to concentrate in potions. I kept wanting to kill the girl beside me for almost hurting Ray. I had found their little fight quite entertaining until Pansy had brought her wand out. Ray had even called me attractive, intelligent, and cultured. I smiled to myself. She still liked me.

I had spent the better part of two weeks trying to hash out a plan to make her jealous and after watching her closely I had finally picked who I would use as a pawn, her friend Lisa.

She was perfect. I could tell that the Lisa girl liked me and it wasn't hard to see that Ray and her friend Mandy found Lisa to be less than wholesome around men. Anyone with eyes could see that. Yes, Lisa would do quite nicely.

------------------------

_**One Week Later:**_

"My dear Rayna, would you like to spend the day with me tomorrow? A Hogsmeade trip is scheduled." Michel smiled at me and squeezed my hand that he was holding. We had yet to kiss, but we had moved on to the hand holding stage. He was eating dinner with me once again as he had most nights.

"That sounds fun. I'd love to."

"Ray...Ray!" I turned to see Lisa running into the Great Hall with a huge smile on her face. Mandy was not too far behind her looking worried and nervous. Lisa quickly sat beside me and Mandy took the seat next to her. Lisa looked at me with a giddy smile on her face. "You will never guess who just asked me to Hogsmeade tomorrow!"

I laughed. "Who, is it that fifth year you've been working on?"

"No, he's small potatoes compared to what I just caught."

I glanced at Mandy and saw that she was biting her lip and looking at me like someone had just killed my puppy. I swallowed hard and looked back at Lisa. "Draco?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

I quickly looked at Mandy and then back to Lisa. "Lucky guess…"

"Is that your Transfigurations friend?" Oh joy…Michel wanted in on the conversation.

I turned to him and tried to muster up a smile. "Yes…That's him."

He looked at Lisa. "He did not seem very nice, dear Lisa. Would it not be better to choose more wisely?"

She looked at him and laughed. "He's rich and hot…What more could I possible ask for?"

I let go of Michel's hand and got up from the table. I just couldn't stand listening to her talk about going out with Draco anymore. "I've got a headache…I think I'm going to head up to bed."

"Are you alright, dear Rayna?" Michel took my hand.

"Yeah…I'll be fine…I just need some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow Michel." I looked at Lisa. "Have fun tomorrow." I took my hand back from Michel and left the Great Hall.

As I was walking up the staircase I began to feel like someone was following me. I turned and looked around, but saw nothing. I kept walking until I made it to a long corridor on the fifth floor and saw the class room Draco and I had always used. I sighed and began to lazily walk around and look at the moving paintings.

After a few minutes had passed I began to get a strange feeling, like something was wrong. I had the oddest feeling that I was being watched. I would have liked to have chalked it up to being Draco trying to scare me, but considering I hadn't spoken to him in a week and that I had apparently been replaced, I had serious doubts that it was him.

"So, why did you leave in such a hurry? Your boyfriend make you mad?" I quickly turned to see Stephen.

"Uh…Hi, Stephen…I was just taking a walk. What are you doing?"

"I just saw you leave and was curious about where you were going." He took a step towards me.

I took a step back. "Uh…so you followed me?" He started coming towards me with a malevolent smile. I back away from him and reached for my wand, but realized that I must have left it in my robes when I went to change earlier. I felt trapped. I never realized until this moment that being approached like this was extremely scary. I had never been this scared with Draco. Probably because no matter what Draco did I had always still felt some semblance of safety.

"Why are you backing up? You're not scared of me, are you?" He laughed maliciously and kept coming towards me. "I bet you're lots of fun. Don't you want to have fun with me?" I swallowed hard and continued to back away from him. "I was just sitting in the Great Hall bored out of my mind and then I saw you and thought...hmm...I bet she'd be fun to play with."

For the first time in my life I decided to run instead of stick around. I at least somewhat knew what to expect from Draco. Stephen, on the other hand, I had no clue what would take place if I stayed.

I looked him straight in the eye and braced myself to run. I took a deep breath and then bolted down the hall.

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Find out what happens to Ray after she runs...among other interesting things involving a stressed out Draco and a concerned Michel.

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**AN: **I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Like I said before...I have a lot of the next chapter done, so if I get a good amount of reveiws on this chapter I'm going to try and really buckle down to get the next chappter out really quickly cause I hate to leave you guys at a cliffhanger. Please reveiw and either way...I'll update as soon as possible.


	10. A Sting In My Heart

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN:** Thank you guys so much for all the reviews. I really buckled down so you guys could get this chapter quick, so I hope you enjoy :)

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Draco POV:

I saw Ray quickly leave the Great Hall after she talked to Lisa. I smiled to myself. My plan was working perfectly.

"Draco, why can't I go to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Pansy looked at me with sad pleading eyes.

I looked at her. "Because I want a day to myself, Pansy."

"Well…I just don't get why you...." Pansy's voice faded away and I had a sudden sharp pain at my right temple. I put my hand to my temple and started to rub.

I wanted to cry out in pain it hurt so badly. "I…I'm going to bed." I said through gritted teeth. I got up from the table and quickly made my way out of the Great Hall.

When I stepped through the double doors the pain started to subside and I sighed with relief. I wasn't sure what to do at this point. I was afraid that if I went back into the Great Hall that the pain would come back and it was much too early to go to bed. I decided to take a walk. I started walking towards the Dungeons, but I took a sudden left and started walking up the stairs. It almost felt as if my feet were leading me and not my brain.

I found myself on the fifth floor with no recollection of intending to end up there. I smirked when I saw the empty class room Ray and I always used. It would be used again and soon if I had anything to say about it. I heard a sudden short scream coming from down the corridor. It sounded like…Ray?

------------------------------

Ray POV:

I ran down the corridor as fast as I could, which was amazingly faster than I thought possible for me. I could hear Stephen's heavy foot falls behind me and I could tell that he was catching up. I made a sharp right to try and ditch him, but that only slowed me down enough for him to catch me.

He grabbed my hair and slammed me against the stone wall. My head bounced off the stone like a rubber ball. I started to screamed, but he put his hand over my mouth before it could get loud enough to get anyone's attention. I felt hot tears enter my eyes and I found myself trying to yell Draco's, not Michel's, but Draco's name through my covered mouth. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to ignore the pain in my head and the hand that was making its way up my shirt. Draco had never even gotten this far with me. All of a sudden I felt the hand on my mouth removed and the invading body move away from me.

I opened my eyes to see Draco with his wand at Stephen's temple. "I neither know nor care who you are, but if you ever so much as look at Ray again you're going to have the whole house of Slytherin to deal with." Draco pushed his wand harder into Stephen's temple. "You know who I am and I'm sure you're quite aware that I can do it. Now leave before I change my mind about not using the Cruciatus Curse on you."

Stephen started to back away from me slowly with his hands in the air. He looked at me. "I'll see you later, Ray."

Draco moved his wand to Stephan's throat. "No you won't. I'd start running if I were you." Draco was practically growling his words.

Stephen took one more look at me and then proceeded to run. I was so overcome with relief that I felt myself start slipping down the wall. I landed on the floor with a soft thud. I wiped my eyes and tried to take deep breaths.

I looked up to see Draco pacing in front of me. He was angry, really angry. "How dare he think he can touch you!" His hand was wrapped so tightly around his wand I thought it might snap. He turned to me sharply. He looked positively scary. "Who is he?"

"Uh…he's a Ravenclaw named Stephen." I was still trying to take a deep breath, but all I could manage were shaky ones. My vision was becoming blurry and my head was throbbing.

He looked in the direction Stephan had run and sneered. "Come and tell me if he bothers you again." He turned back to me. "I'd be more than happy to teach him a lesson he's not soon to forget."

What had just about happened suddenly hit me and I began to feel like I was having a panic attack. My breaths came in short spurts and my heart was beating so hard I could hear it in my ears.

Draco looked down at me. "Sonders, you need to go report him to a teacher." He bent down and took both of my hands in his. He pulled me off the floor and placed me in front of him. My legs felt like jelly and my head felt like someone was beating it like a conga drum. I felt myself begin to sway. He grabbed me around the waist just in time before I hit the floor. He was practically the only thing holding me up.

I looked up into his eyes and surprisingly saw worry in them. "Can I sit down, please?"

"You need to go and find a teacher, Sonders."

I looked at him with pleading eyes. "Can't I sit, just for a minute?" I felt dizzy and I wasn't sure I could make it anywhere without resting first. I had hit my head hard and I was starting to fear I had a concussion. I knew I needed to go to the hospital wing, but I wasn't ready to face what had just happened and Draco didn't seem to realize that I was hurt. He probably just thought I was in shock. "Please?"

Without saying a word he put my right arm around his neck and kept his left arm tightly attached to my waist. He led me to the nearest empty class room, which incidentally was the one we always used. He lowered me to the floor and sat behind me with his back against the wall. I wasn't sure what he was doing at first, but then I felt him pull me towards him. He placed me in-between his legs with my back at his chest.

I was completely surrounded by his scent and I felt my body inadvertently relax against him. He began to stroke my hair in a rhythmic manner. After a while of this I started to feel exhausted and just felt like sleeping. I knew I shouldn't if I had a concussion, but I felt myself slipping into a sleeping state.

He wrapped his arms around me and I felt his warm breath at my ear. "Better?"

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Draco POV:

"Yeah…" She sighed. "Thank you…Draco." Her words came out a bit slurred and I realized she was half asleep. I kissed her neck and then leaned back against the wall.

I was so angry I could have killed something. I had images of snapping that Stephen guy in half with my bare hands. I should have done something more to him than just scare him, but all I had cared about at that moment had been getting him far away from Ray. I would have to get back at him later and I knew I would. There was no doubt in my mind that he would regret attacking something that belonged to me, but I had to remain calm for the time being. After what Ray had just gone through I was pretty certain that she wouldn't be able to handle my anger along with whatever else she was feeling.

She probably wanted it to be Michel holding her, but I didn't care. I had saved her and I deserved to get the fix I hadn't had in weeks. I held on to her tighter and buried my face in her hair taking her scent into me.

I felt Ray move in my arms. "Draco?"

I lifted my head from her hair. "Yes?"

"Why, Lisa?" She started nervously playing with her hands.

I looked down at her with surprise. "You're asking me that after what you just went through?"

She looked up at me. "I'm trying to get my mind off of it and that was the first thing that popped into my head to talk about. So…are you going to answer the question?"

This would have been the perfect opportunity to make her jealous. I should have told her that I had lots of girls and that Lisa was just one of many, but somehow I found myself answering honestly. "I knew that she was the one that would bother you the most."

I felt her body shake before I heard her laugh. "You were trying to make me jealous?" She continued to laugh her perfectly genuine laugh. Not that giggle crap she did with Michel. This was my laugh. Ray stopped laughing and I heard her give a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness…" I felt her once again relax against me and felt her begin to rub her head on my chest as a kitten would do. It felt amazing and I started to feel a sting in my heart that I didn't recognize. It was starting to feel a little too cozy, a little too comfortable. This had to stop. I was beginning to break my own no emotions rule.

I placed my hands udder her arms and pulled her up off the floor with me. She moaned in protest. "I was comfortable...Whoa…is the room spinning or is it just me?" She put her hand on the back of her head.

"Did you hit your head?" I was struggling to keep her on her feet. I turned her around and put her arms around my neck, so that I could hold her up more easily.

"Yeah…It really hurt…" She looked up at me. "I don't feel so well, Draco." She put her head on my chest and shut her eyes.

I needed to get her to the hospital wing, but I wasn't sure how to. I didn't think I could carry her the whole way. I thought about leaving her there and going to get help, but I was afraid that Stephen might come back. I decided to throw her arm over my shoulders and hang on to her waist. I started to lead her through the corridors and down the stairs.

When we finally made it to the third floor I started to walk faster, practically dragging her. She hadn't said anything the whole time we were walking and I was beginning to worry that she had passed out. I came up to the double doors of the hospital wing and opened them quickly. I placed Ray on the nearest bed.

"Madam Pomfrey!" I yelled as loud as I could.

"What? What's going on?" Madam Pomfrey came out looking frantic. "Mr. Malfoy?"

I told her what had happened to Ray and she began to heal her and give her some sort of medicine. Madam Pomfrey looked up from Ray and saw that I was still there.

She raised both her eyebrows and began to look very stern. "Mr. Malfoy, none of you should have been out roaming the castle."

"Draco…." Both Madam Pomfrey and I looked down at the bed where the small weak voice had come from. "Draco…"

Madam Pomfrey sighed and looked at me. "Come here, Mr. Malfoy and watch her while I go and get your heads of houses. She'll be fine…She just needs some sleep, but I don't want her to be alone right now incase she wakes up. I gave her some heavy sleep medicine, so she'll be a bit out of it for a while." She rose from Ray's bed side and came towards me. "Now go on." She started pushing me towards Ray's bed. I went over to the bed and heard Madam Pomfrey leave.

I sat in the chair that was beside the bed and looked at Ray. She was sleeping, but she didn't look peaceful. Her face was scrunched up in worry and she was taking in sharp breaths. I ran my hand through my hair and looked down at my hands. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't good at this.

"Draco…" I quickly looked up at Ray and saw that she was still sleeping. I realized that she must be dreaming and it seemed like it was a nightmare. Of course she would have a nightmare about me. I had done nothing but torture her for as long as I had known her. She moved to her side facing me and opened her eyes. I wasn't sure at first if she was aware of what she was doing. Her eyes looked dead and blank. She quickly blinked and life seemed to suddenly enter her eyes. She focused on me and smiled. "You're still here."

"Do you want me to leave?"

She lightly laughed. "Of course not, silly."

I started to quickly realize that she was slightly off in the head. Whatever medicine Madam Pomfrey had given her was making her loopy. I began to wonder if she even realized who I was.

"Draco…Why are you all the way over there?" She playfully frowned.

Guess she knew who I was. I rose from the chair and went to her bed side. "Do you need something?"

She grabbed my shirt and started pulling me down to her. It was a weak attempt and I could have easily resisted her pull, but I didn't. With my feet still on the floor I let her pull my upper body to meet hers. I put my hands on each side of her on the bed to hold myself above her. She smiled at me. "Are you going to kiss me or just stare at me?" I felt myself smirk.

I leaned the rest of the way down and took her lips. I knew I shouldn't. She had no idea what she was doing, but I really didn't care and I doubted I'd feel bad about it later. After all, she technically owed me this. I would just think of this as payment. I slipped my tongue in her mouth and she gladly took it. I shivered from the pleasure it gave me. Until that moment I hadn't realized how much I had missed kissing her. I shifted my weight to my right hand and started running my left hand through her hair. A thought suddenly entered my mind.

Madam Pomfrey would be back with the Professors soon and this was the last position I wanted to be caught in. I reluctantly pulled back from her and tried to rise completely, but she still had a strong hold on my shirt. "Come back…"

I leaned down and kissed her lips while I untangled her fingers from my shirt. I broke the kiss and stood up straight, but sill held on to the hand I had taken from my shirt. I heard the door open and saw Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape walk in with Professor Flitwick not too far behind. I quickly let go of Ray's hand and stepped back from the bed.

Professor Snape came up to the bed and looked down at Ray. I followed his eyes and saw that Ray had fallen back asleep. He looked back up at me. "Mr. Malfoy, would you care to explain what happen?"

I recounted the story to Professor Snape and Professor Flitwick and they both had a look of shock on their faces. Professor Snape told Madam Pomfrey to get Professor Dumbledore and told me to leave. I didn't want to leave her, but Professor Snape didn't give me much of a choice.

I headed for the door and said nothing, but took one last look at Ray laying on the bed and left through the huge double doors.

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_**Morning:**_

Ray POV:

Whatever Madam Pomfrey had given me had knocked me out cold. By the time I woke up I could see the sun through the windows.

"Oh, look who's finally awake." Madam Pomfrey came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder. "How are you feeling this morning?"

I sat up in the bed and realized I felt completely healed. "Yeah, I feel fine."

"Mr. Malfoy has already informed us of what took place last night. Mr. Stephen Cornfoot has been sent to the head master for punishment. He is the one that attacked you, correct?"

"Yes" I started to get up from the bed. I didn't want to think about the night before. I could barely remember anything and I wanted to keep it that way. "Would it be alright if I left?"

She looked at me surprised. "Yes, however, I'm sure your head of house will want to talk to you about this later."

"Alright" I got up from the bed and left.

As I was walking to the Ravenclaw tower I heard someone yell my name. "Rayna!"

I looked to see Michel run up to me. He grabbed me in a huge hug that pulled me off the floor. "Hi, Michel…I can't breathe."

He put me down and stepped back. "Oh, sorry…I just heard what happened. Are you alright dear Rayna? What happened? I just heard you were attacked."

I started thinking about the night before and realized that I didn't remember much. I remembered running away from Stephen and him banging my head against the wall. There was also a very blurry image of Draco. He must have been the one who saved me, but for the life of me I couldn't remember. "Honestly…I don't remember much of anything…"

He took me in his arms. "That is alright dear Rayna." He stepped back from me. "Do you still want to go to Hogsmeade?"

The image of Draco and Lisa entered my mind. "No…not really. I think I should just go and rest. Is that OK?"

"Of course, I will see you later then." He kissed me on the cheek and walked down the stairs.

When I got to my room I was surprised by what I saw. Lisa was on her bed crying and Mandy was huddled next to her, comforting her. "Uh…What's going on?"

Mandy looked up and immediately lunged herself at me. She hugged me tightly. "Ray, we heard what happened. Are you OK? It must have been horrible!" She let me go and looked at me.

"I'm fine Mandy…jeez…Does everyone know?"

She sat on her bed. "No, Professor Flitwick came and told me and I told Lisa and Michel."

"Umm…Speaking of Lisa." I looked at the crying girl in the corner. "What's wrong with her?"

Lisa rose from her bed and came towards me. She had tears in her eyes and an angry edge to her. "That bastard said he doesn't want to go to Hogsmeade with me anymore because I was…I was…low class…and ugly." She burst out into hard tears. I probably should have comforted her, but considering I wanted to jump for joy that probably wasn't a good idea.

"I'm really sorry, Lisa." I patted her on the back and looked at Mandy. "I'm going to the common room." I turned to leave and I heard Lisa let out a sharp breath.

I looked at her and saw that she looked like I had just slapped her in the face. "Do you not even care that he said that to me? You're just going to leave?"

I felt anger rise in me. "Lisa…Do you have any idea what I just went through? You'll have to excuse me if I couldn't care less what some guy, that you shouldn't have been going out with in the first place, said to you." I turned and left for the common room.

I sat on the couch and started to try and piece together the night before. I started to remember Draco. He saved me…and then…nothing. I didn't even remember how I got to the hospital wing. I just couldn't seem to bring it out. Everything was a complete blur. However, I did at least remember Draco saving me and I knew I should probably go and say thank you to him.

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Draco POV:

I hadn't seen Ray since the night before and it was starting to drive me crazy. I had no idea what she would remember, so just incase she did remember everything I broke the date with Lisa. I had admitted to Ray that I had only asked Lisa out to make her jealous, so there was no point in having to endure that insufferable girl if Ray knew my plan.

I had heard nothing about the attack. It was obvious that the school was trying to keep it hushed. I couldn't stand not knowing how she was anymore. I got up from the couch and quickly made my way to exit the common room.

"Draco…Where are you going? You said we could go to Hogsmeade now?" I turned to see Pansy looking at me with a frown.

"I changed my mind. Go on ahead Pansy. I'm not going." With that I left and made my way to the hospital wing.

---------------------

Ray POV:

I wanted to leave Ravenclaw tower, but I was actually a little scared to walk around by myself. I knew I was probably being irrational. After all, Stephen was probably still in with Professor Dumbledore if he was even still at the school at all. I knew it was probably perfectly safe, but I still felt a little apprehensive about leaving.

I could hear Lisa still crying up stairs and it was really starting to bother me. I probably shouldn't have been so harsh with her, but I was really starting to speak before thinking lately. I had even gone up to Pansy and insulted her. I didn't know what was happening to me, but I sure knew I wasn't the same person I used to be. I had come out of my shell…no, more like burst out of my shell and if I was going to be honest with myself it was all thanks to Draco. Even though he was a huge git, he had really helped me in some odd way to become a stronger person.

I looked up when I heard the door open and saw Luna walk in. I hadn't really gotten to know her since she was a year below me, but she seemed pretty nice, weird, but nice. "Ray…Draco Malfoy is outside asking for you. He says you have a tutoring session scheduled for today…" She looked at me questioningly.

"Uh…yeah…I forgot…I'll just go out there and see him." I was more than a little surprised to hear that Draco was outside asking for me. I hadn't spoken to him in a week. I supposed he just wanted to make sure I was OK. I got up from the couch and went to the door. "Thanks Luna." I opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. I saw Draco standing there waiting for me. He looked nervous and I could tell he had run his hand through his hair several times. "Draco…you asked for me?"

"What do you remember about last night?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Not much actually…Why?"

He ignored my question. "Are you alright?"

"Yes"

"Alright then…" He turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" He turned and looked at me with surprise. "Could you order me to take a walk with you?"

"You want to take a walk with me?"

"Not really…Lisa is driving me crazy in here because you upset her, so you kind of owe me." He raised both his eyebrows and I sighed. "Look…She's driving me crazy and I really want to leave, but I'm too nervous to walk around by myself…"

"Where's your boyfriend?"

"Hogsmeade…I think…just…never mind…It was a stupid idea." I turned from him and started to walk back to the door when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Walk with me. That's an order."

I turned around and let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you…"

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Find out what happens on Ray and Draco's walk and Ray has a little alone time with Michel where...she realizes something...read to find out what it is ;)

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**AN: **Hope you guy enjoyed the chapter. PLEASE REVIEW...You guys are so good about that ;) ...I'm working on the next chapter now, so I'll get it out as soon as possible. The more you review the more motivated I get. Thanks. You guys ROCK!


	11. What Is Love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN:** Thanks so much for the reviews. I'm glad you guys are liking the story. Hope you like the new Chapter.

**WARNING:** There is a very intense kissing scene, so I just felt the need to warn.

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Ray POV:

"Walk with me. That's an order."

I turned around and let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you…"

He offered me his arm, but I walked past him. I really didn't feel like being touched by anyone at the moment. I felt completely violated because of the night before and the last thing I wanted was to be touched by a guy. I had let Michel when I had first gotten out of the Hospital wing, but that was only because I had been too out of it at the time to care, but now the thought of a guy touching me just sent shivers down my spine, and not in a good way.

I heard Draco sigh and fall instep beside me. We walked down the stairs, but when we reached the fifth floor he stopped. He looked at me. "Where do you want to go?"

"Can we go somewhere quiet? I'd like you to tell me what went on last night. I don't really remember much of anything…"

He smirked. "How about our regular place?"

"We can go in there, but just to talk. If you're wanting more than that you can just take a memory." Without saying a word he walked towards the class room and I followed. When we were both inside he shut the door and sat on the floor. I decided to sit next to him, but not close enough to touch. "So…Could you please tell me about last night?"

He looked at me and reached out his hand to touch my hair, but I backed away. He sighed and retracted his hand. "I heard you scream, so I ran to you and saw that Stephen had you against the wall. I threatened him…he ran…then I left you with Madam Pomfrey."

I raised my eyebrow. "That's all? I feel like you're leaving something out…"

He looked at me with an expression I didn't understand. It almost looked…sad. "You really don't remember anything?"

He was acting strangely nice. It was like he was a completely different person. "No, is there something I should remember?"

He sighed. "No, that's about it." He ran his hand through his hair.

I didn't really want to think about the night before anymore. It made me feel sick and I just wanted to think about something else. A change of subject was what was needed. "So…why'd you break the date with Lisa?" I was incredibly curious, although, not as curious as I was to know why he had asked her in the first place.

He sneered. "That's none of your business, Sonders."

I laughed. "Now there's the Draco I know and love. I was starting to think you were going soft on me."

He smirked. "Oh, so you love me?"

I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean, Draco."

"Maybe I don't, Sonders." He started leaning towards me.

A sudden flash of Stephan's face coming towards me entered my mind and I began to feel panicked. "Don't, Draco."

He paused in his movements and looked at me confused. "Is the thought of kissing me really that horrifying to you?"

"Look…After last night the idea of being touched by a guy just…revolts me."

He leaned back and narrowed his eyes. "I bet you'd let Michel touch you."

I narrowed my eyes right back. "Not that it's any of your concern, but no, I wouldn't even let Michel."

His pissed expression suddenly turned to a smirk. "OK then…How do you feel about you doing the touching?"

I raised my eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I'll just sit here and keep my hands to myself while you do whatever you want to me."

I laughed. "Trust me…You wouldn't like anything I'd want to do to you."

His smirk became more pronounced. "Come now, Sonders. Let us not play games. You want me…you know it and I know it."

I narrowed my eyes. "You are so full of yourself, you know that?"

"Yes, I'm quite aware of that…now…do we have an agreement?"

He was right. I did still want him and the idea of me being in charge for once was quite intriguing, but I didn't know if it was a good idea for two reasons. One, I was suppose to be trying to get over Draco and here I was thinking about snogging him. Two, I didn't know if I trusted Draco enough to believe that he wouldn't touch me. I decided to throw number one out the window and focus on number two for the time being. "I don't trust that you won't touch me..."

His face suddenly became serious. "I was there last night…If you don't want to be touched then I won't touch you. I promise." He placed his hands on the floor at either side of him in a gesture to show me that they would remain there.

All I could do was sit there and stare at him. I had no idea what I should do. I knew what my body wanted me to do and my heart seemed to be agreeing with it, but it was my pesky brain that was getting in the way. It was presenting me with images of the perfect Michel and all the crappy mean things Draco had done to me over the years, but then another image came to mind that I wasn't sure if my heart was feeding me or my brain. It was of Draco lovingly stroking my hair while I was laying in-between his legs with my back at his chest. I didn't recognize the image and I was starting to wonder if my heart was trying to tell me lies, but it didn't matter. That image of such a loving Draco had etched itself into my brain.

With all thoughts of Michel and mean Draco pushed to the back of my mind I hesitantly scooted closer to Draco. I had tried for weeks to get over him and it just wasn't happening. I was drawn to him like a magnet and I was beginning to think it would just be easier to give into the pull.

I tentatively turned into him and reached my hand up to run my fingers through his hair. He relaxed his back against the wall, but still had his eyes glued to me, watching every movement I made. It was making me incredibly nervous. I bit my lip. "Shut your eyes." I almost laughed when I saw him obey me immediately. I couldn't even count how many times he had said those exact words to me.

I moved the hand that was in his hair slowly down to his nose, running my fingers lightly over his skin. When I reached his lips I ran my fingers over the soft skin. His lips parted and I could feel his warm wet breath at my finger tips. I continued on to his chin and down his neck until I reached his tie.

When I began to untie the tie his eyes shot open and he smirked. "You move fast, Sonders. I should have let you be in charge ages ago."

I narrowed my eyes and tightened the tie so that it would choke him, but all he did was continue to smirk. He made no movement to remove my hand and I realized that he was keeping his promise to not touch me. "Do you want me to keep going or not, Draco? If you want me to continue I suggest you keep the commentary to yourself."

"Please continue" He shut his eyes.

I was immensely enjoying the power he was giving me. I had never gotten to explore him, or anyone for that matter, and the idea that I was able to do anything I wanted excited me. I had never really been able to touch him other than his hair or wrapping my arms around his neck. He had always been the one doing the touching.

I went back to untying his tie. When it was undone I slipped it off his neck and put it next to me on the floor. I unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt and ran circles over the revealed pale skin with my fingers. His breathing was becoming heavy and I could tell he was struggling not to touch me. His hands were balled up into fists so tightly that his knuckles were pure white. I smiled to myself. I really liked this whole control thing.

I started to feel a little braver, so I leaned in and quickly kissed his neck. His breath hitched. "Please let me touch you." His voice sounded strained. I started kissing his neck more fervently and he arched his back in protest. "Please, Ray. I don't know how much more I can take." I smiled. It was time for a little revenge. I started undoing more buttons on his shirt while I continued to nuzzle and kiss the skin on his neck. I ran my hand over his chest and I heard him make a moan that sounded more like a growl. "Ray, I'm about to break my promise…"

I kissed up to his ear. "Then break it."

He moved so fast I barely registered that he was moving me. He grabbed my arms and moved me on top of him so that I was straddling his legs. He pulled me down to him and fiercely took my lips. Any rational thought had completely left me. He licked my bottom lip and I gladly opened my mouth to allow him entrance. I moved my tongue against his and for the first time ever I fought for dominance. I could feel him let me take control for a minute, but then he quickly took it back. I started to run my hands over his chest and up his neck, whatever bit of skin I could get to. I felt him run his hands up my back and grab onto my hair.

After a while of this I started to feel like my heart was going to explode out of my chest and became aware that I couldn't breathe. I broke the kiss and leaned back onto his legs. The only sounds in the room were our heavy shallow breaths.

I looked at him and saw that he was smirking. "That was fun, Sonders."

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Draco POV:

She was still on top of me and I was in no hurry to remove her. She was welcome to permanently weld herself there after what she had just done. I looked at her and saw that she looked exhausted. I pulled her to me and laid her head in the crook of my neck. I felt her pull her legs off of me and position herself beside me with her head still at my neck. She put her hand on my bare chest and started to absent mindedly draw circles over the skin. She completely relaxed against me and I heard her breathing become deep and even.

I was starting to feel the sting in my heart again as I had the night before, but this time I let it come. I was too tired and too contented with her at the moment to fight it. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into me closer. I kissed her hair and rubbed my hand up and down her back. She let out a sigh that sounded like a purr and shut her eyes.

I sat there and watched her sleep until I myself felt my eyelids become heavy. I was blinking repeatedly to try and keep them open and after a few minutes I began to feel myself lose the fight. I shut my eyes and drifted off into unconsciousness.

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Ray POV:

I opened my eyes and became aware that I must have fallen asleep. I had no idea how long I had been out. I still had my head at his neck and my arm was wrapped around his waist. He was breathing in slow deep breaths and I realized that he was asleep. I nuzzled up closer to him and smiled. I had never felt this safe and happy. Our kiss had felt so different this time. It had felt equal and like it had meant more. I could of course be wrong, but it had felt like he was beginning to feel something more for me than just lust. I wished with all my being that I was right. I wanted to be with him.

I slowly positioned myself so that I could look at the clock on the wall without waking him. I sat up so fast it was like I had been hit by lightning. "We've been here for four hours!"

He sat up and frantically blinked his eyes. "What?"

I turned to him. "We've been here for four hours!"

He rubbed his eyes to try and wake up more fully. "Why are you freaking out?"

"Madam Pomfrey said that they would want to talk to me about Stephen today. What if they tried to find me?"

He reached out his hand and grabbed my arm pulling me back into him. "Calm down, Ray." He wrapped his arms around me and briefly kissed my lips.

When he pulled back to look at me I raised an eyebrow at him. "You called me Ray…"

He started running his fingers through my hair. "I've called you Ray before."

"Not really…only when you're trying to make me do something you know I don't want to do."

He stopped his movements and sneered. "What? Would you rather I call you Rayna like you're stupid boyfriend?"

"No" I bit my lip. "Draco…What would you say if I told you that I didn't want him to be my boyfriend anymore?"

"I would say I was glad."

I took a deep breath to try and get the tension to leave my body. I wanted to know how he felt about me. It had felt so…meaningful this time and I couldn't help but wonder if he had developed some kind of feelings for me. "And why would you be glad?" I swallowed hard.

I could see realization enter his eyes and I knew that he knew what I was really asking. "It doesn't matter, Sonders. You and I will never be more than this right here."

I felt my eyes burn. "Why?"

His eyes suddenly turned cold. "You're a blood traitor just like your father and one day you'll end up just like him, dead."

I took in a sharp breath and pushed him away from me. I couldn't let him see me cry. I had to get out of there. I quickly got up off the floor and looked down at him. "Don't ever talk to me again, Draco. Don't ever come near me." I turned to leave and headed for the door.

When I had my hand on the knob I felt him grab my arm and turn me around to face him. His face was contorted in anger. "You will never feel the way you do with me when you're with Michel." He tightened his grip on me. "So why don't you just accept this and let me give you what you know you want?"

I couldn't hold the tears back any longer and I felt them start running down my face. "Maybe it won't feel the same, but he can give me the one thing I want that you will never be able to give me."

He sneered. "And what's that?"

"Love" I jerked my arm out of his hand and walked out of the room.

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Draco POV:

Love? What did that even mean? Yes, I'll admit that I had begun to feel…something for her, but I wasn't sure what it was. It sure as hell wasn't love though.

She would come back. She always did and now I knew how to get her back. Give her a little control. She had loved it and I had to admit that I had enjoyed her exploration of me. She would come back begging for more and I would happily give it to her, but she needed to understand that all we could ever be was what we were already. My father would kill me before he let me have a relationship with a blood traitor. He was already pissed at me about taking so long to get the information out of Ray. I had ended up lying to him and telling him that she knew nothing. If she had known something that would have been damaging to my family then she would have used it already.

I left the room and started heading to the dungeons. When I reached the Entrance Hall I saw Michel walk in with some of his buddies. I wanted to strangle him. He had left Ray to go and have fun while she was left, too scared to even leave the Ravenclaw tower. He didn't care for her the way I did. Yes, I cared for her. That was a good way to put how I felt about her. I was protective of her, fiercely protective.

Michel started walking towards me. "Hello, Draco is it?"

I sneered. "That's Malfoy to you."

He raised his eyebrows. "Alright, Malfoy it is. I was wondering if you had seen my dear Rayna. Everyone is looking for her."

I narrowed my eyes. "Her name is Ray and she isn't yours." He was much taller than me and I had to look up at him, but I was more than willing to take him on.

"I am aware that people call her Ray, but I will have to disagree with you on the second point. Rayna is my girlfriend after all. Therefore she is mine." He looked me up and down. "And no one else's."

I was about to lunge at him when I heard Ray's voice. "Michel?"

We both turned to see Ray coming down the stairs. She passed right by me without a glance in my direction and went straight to Michel hugging on to his waist. He wrapped his arms around her and smirked at me. If Ray hadn't have been in-between us I would have taken my wand out and blasted him across the room.

She pulled away from him and he looked down at her. "Would you like to go and talk my dear Rayna?"

I saw her look up at him. "Sure"

She took his arm and I watched them walk away.

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Ray POV:

I was very aware of Draco's eyes on me as Michel and I walked away. I had made a point not to look at him. He didn't deserve to look in my eyes. After I had left him in the class room my sadness had turned into anger. I was pissed. I was so sick of him treating my emotions like a yoyo. One minute he made me think he wanted to be with me and then the next he acted like I meant nothing to him.

I let Michel lead me out into the court yard and we sat on a stone bench. He looked me deep in the eyes and smiled. "My dear Rayna, may I kiss you?"

I raised both my eyebrows. We had never kissed before and I was shocked at his sudden question, but I wanted this. I wanted to feel with him the way I did about Draco and maybe kissing him was the answer. "Yes"

He leaned down and touched his lips to mine. He licked my bottom lip, so I opened my mouth. His tongue entered and the first thing that came to my mind was that it felt like a wet banana. I felt nothing, but a bit grossed out. I pulled back and looked at him.

He looked surprised at my sudden break of the kiss. "What is wrong dear Rayna?"

I looked up into his eyes and smiled. I reached my hand up and touched his cheek. "Michel, you are the perfect guy. You are smart and funny, sweet and kind, but you just aren't the perfect guy for me. I'm so sorry, Michel." I retracted my hand.

He looked hurt. "Is it Malfoy you love?"

"No, I don't love Draco!"

He sighed and turned away from me. "Yes you do dear Rayna and him you. I was trying to ignore it, but I can not any longer."

"Michel I'm so sorry…"

He rose from the bench and looked down at me. "Make sure he treats you well dear Rayna." He leaned down and kissed my cheek. Then turned and walked away.

So Draco was right. I would never feel the same about Michel as I did for him. I sighed and got up from the bench. I didn't know what to do at this point. I wanted to be with Draco, but all he wanted from me was for me to be his kissing buddy. I needed more than that from him. Michel thought Draco loved me. I didn't think that it went that far, but I was pretty sure that Draco at least cared about me. I was still mad at him for what he had said, but somewhere deep down inside of me I knew he was just trying to push me away with his words. He wanted to keep me at arms length with me always trying to grab a hold of him. I needed to find a way to get him to at least admit to me how he felt, then we would go from there.

I walked back into the castle and saw Professor Flitwick coming towards me. "Mrs. Sonders, Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you in his office."

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Find out what happens to Stephen, Find out who Ray's date is for the Yule ball, and Ray gets a special package from her Grandmother that just might explain everything.

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**AN:** Hope you guys liked the new chapter. The next chapter is going to go through a bit more time than these last few chapters have. FYI: I've now started school so it's going to be more difficult for me to update, so PLEASE review because it really does motivate me to go to the computer and write. I'll update as soon as I can. Please reveiw. You guys ROCK!


	12. My Last Ditch Effort

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN:** I'm so glad you guys are liking the story. Thank you so much for the reviews.

**PLEASE READ:** I changed a little about what I was going to do with the chapter, so the preview for this chapter is a little wrong, but still pretty close. Anyway...enjoy the new chapter!

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Ray POV:

I walked back into the castle and saw Professor Flitwick coming towards me. "Miss. Sonders, Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you in his office. Please follow me and I will take you."

I followed him to the seventh floor until we reached a statue of a large gargoyle. Professor Flitwick turned to the massive piece of stone. "Treacle tart" The gargoyle leapt aside and the stone wall behind it began to split. A stair case was revealed and it began to move in an upward motion, sort of like the escalators that the muggles used. Professor Flitwick looked at me. "Please step on the stairs and it will take you to Professor Dumbledore."

I looked down at my head of house. "Yes, sir" I stepped onto the moving stairs and began to ascend upward until I reached a large polished oak door. I grabbed the knocker, which I noticed was in the shape of a Griffin, and hit the brass against the wood of the door. I had heard about Professor Dumbledore's office from Harry and I was very excited about being able to see inside of it. I just wished I was coming under more pleasurable circumstances.

I heard a stoic voice on the other side. "Come in"

I walked in to see an eclectic looking office. It was grand and yet still intimate looking. The Head Master was behind a large desk that was twice the size of what my fathers had been. He smiled at me and gestured to the seat in front of his desk. "Please have a seat Miss. Sonders or do you prefer Miss. Blackburn now that you have moved in with your grandmother?"

I sat in the chair indicated to me and looked up into the wise looking eyes of the Head Master. "Actually I prefer Ray."

He smiled and for a second it almost seemed as if his eyes twinkled. "Then Ray it is." He leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desk with his fingers intertwined. "I have spoken to Mr. Cornfoot and he is fervently denying your accusations towards him."

I frantically set up in my chair and gave him a pleading look. "Sir, I'm telling the truth. If Draco hadn't of come when he did then…" I looked down at my lap. "I don't know what would have happened."

"Do not worry Ray. I am inclined to believe you, but I do need to hear the story in your own words. I have only heard what the young Mr. Malfoy told Professor Snape." I looked up at him and began to tell him all about the night before, or at least what I could remember of it. When I was done with the story he leaned back into his chair. "I see, I will need to talk to Mr. Malfoy of course, but I assure you that I will do all in my power to expel Mr. Cornfoot."

My eyes grew wide. "What do you mean? He's not already expelled?"

He sighed. "I am afraid that since this is such a serious accusation that it is up to the Ministry on whether or not he will be expelled."

A panic came over me. "You mean he's still here?"

"No, he is suspended for the time being while the Ministry makes its decision, but I do feel the need to warn you. Mr. Cornfoot's father is very close friends with Minister Fudge."

I felt tears start to sting my eyes. "So you're saying that he most likely will come back…"

"Yes, I am afraid so, but I will try everything I can to make sure that does not happen." He looked at me with an intense stare. "If you know someone that could have influence on the Ministry's decision, such as the eldest Mr. Malfoy, I would use them to my advantage."

I looked at him with confusion. "Excuse me sir, but why would you think Lucius Malfoy would help me? My father and he hated each other and I'm pretty sure he only tolerates me because of my Grandmother."

He raised his eyebrows. "I'm sorry. I was under the impression that you and the young Mr. Malfoy were very close to one another. Madam Pomfrey told me that he was being extremely protective of you and that you were calling his name in your sleep." All I could do was sit there and stare at the Head Master. I had no clue what to say. "Is this not correct?"

"Uh…It's complicated."

He gave me an all knowing smile and looked up as if thinking back to another time. "Ah yes, young love it always complicated."

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_**Three Weeks Later:**_

Draco POV:

I had not spoken to Ray in three weeks and I was going out of my mind. I thought she would have come back to me already at this point. All I could think about was kissing her, holding her, smelling her, touching her.

When I had heard about her breaking up with Michel I was so certain that she would come crawling back to me, but she hadn't. As a matter of fact, she hadn't even looked at me. She was making a point to ignore me and I knew it. I would just stare at her for hours and she never even glanced in my direction. She was trying to make me crazy and I had to admit that it was working.

---------------------------------

Ray POV:

I hadn't spoken to Draco in three weeks. I wasn't going back to him so easily this time. It was his turn to come to me and I was pretty sure he would eventually. I was basically ignoring him on purpose, just to bother him and I knew it was working. I made sure I didn't look at him when I knew he was looking at me, but I still watched him. He looked like he was losing his mind. It made me smile and it felt good to smile about something. I wasn't doing a lot of that since hearing that Stephen might be coming back.

The Ministry was supposed to reach a decision in one week and I was nervous about what decision they might come to. I hadn't told anyone about the fact that Stephen might come back. Draco didn't even know. Professor Dumbledore had told me that he hadn't told Draco when he had asked him to tell his side of the story. I didn't want anyone to know. I didn't want everyone fussing over me, worrying about me. However, I wouldn't have minded Draco fussing over me.

I missed him so much. I wanted him to hold me and tell me everything was going to be alright. I wanted to feel safe and warm in his arms, but I wanted him to come to me this time. I had to get him to see he cared about me and ignoring him was the only thing I could think to do.

"Ray…Ray!" I turned to see Mandy running into our room. "Did you hear?"

I looked up from the book I was reading. "Hear about what?"

She was practically jumping up and down. "There's going to be a dance, the Yule Ball!"

I laughed at her excitement. "Mandy calm down…Now, what's the Yule Ball?"

"It's a dance that happens when the Tri Wizard Tournament is going on. It will be held on Christmas night. Isn't that romantic?" She looked at the ceiling and sighed.

I rolled my eyes. "Not really…"

"You are such a guy."

I laughed. "Why, because I'm not jumping up and down about some stupid dance?" In all honesty the reason I wasn't all excited about it was because I wasn't going to have a date.

"You're just mad because you don't know who you can go with." She knew me too well.

"Yeah, you're right."

She sighed and sat on my bed next to me. "Maybe you shouldn't have broken up with Michel."

I gave her an exasperated look. "I didn't like Michel."

"Why not? He was so perfect! He was cute and sweet…and did I mention cute?" She laughed.

I laughed with her. "If you think he's so great then why don't you go with him to the dance? I think you guys would look cute together."

She raised her eyebrow. "Seriously?"

I smiled. "Seriously, go for it, really. You are such a great friend to me. You deserve a perfect guy."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm very sure. Now, go and ask him before he gets scoped up by some other less deserving girl." I laughed and pushed her playfully.

"Thanks Ray" She hugged me and left the room.

I really did think Michel and Mandy would make a cute couple. I would honestly be happy if they got together because she was a great girl and he was a great guy. I really hoped that they went to the dace together. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that I would end up either not going to the dance at all or that I would go alone. Draco would take Pansy, of course, and that left me high and dry. I hated dances anyway. I couldn't even dance.

Dinner would be soon and I had finished my homework hours before so I decided to go to the courtyard to sit for a while before dinner. I left the Ravenclaw tower and made my way down the stairs.

When I arrived in the courtyard I was surprised by what I saw. Draco was sitting there on one of the stone benches with his arms crossed in front glaring at me. It almost looked like he had been waiting for me.

I found myself not being able to take my eyes away from his. They were drawing me into him and I was in front of him before I even realized I had taken a step forward. He looked up at me with narrowed eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I looked at him with confusion and decided to sit beside him as close as I could get without actually touching him. "Tell you what?"

"About Stephen possibly coming back."

I bit my lip. "Oh that…How did you find out?"

"My father found out when he was at the Ministry yesterday…Why didn't you come and tell me?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Why would I? You don't care about me, remember? So why on earth would I tell you anything?"

He sneered. "I never said that!"

My eyes grew wide. "What?"

"I do care about you…like a master cares for his pet."

I felt like screaming. "Draco, when you want to admit how you feel you know where to find me, but until then don't bother talking to me." I leaned in and quickly kissed him on the lips, more for my own sanity than his. I needed it and I didn't care if it took a little of the ice out of my statement. When I pulled back I saw that he looked shocked. I smirked for the first time in my life. "Well, I'll see you later, Draco. Just come and find me when you're ready." I got up and left without another glance back at him.

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Draco POV:

I watched her walk away. I had to make her come back. That little kiss had opened the flood gates inside of me and I wasn't sure if I could just let her walk away from me.

I decided to use the one small bit of power I had left over her. "Come back. That's an order!" She wouldn't choose to lose a memory for such a small request.

She turned around and glared at me. She started walking towards me until she was standing in front of me with her arms crossed in the front and narrowed eyes. "What, Draco?"

I smirked and rose from the bench. "It's nice to see that you can still follow orders well, Sonders." I looked around and saw that there was no one in the courtyard, but the two of us. I quickly closed the gap between us and fiercely took her lips. She aggressively pushed at me, but it was to no avail. I had my arms wrapped around her so tightly there was no possible escape. With my lips still fastened to hers I led us behind a pillar that would hide us if anyone should decide to join us in the courtyard. She continued to fight against me and wouldn't allow me entrance to her mouth. I pulled back to look at her. She stopped struggling, so I leaned my face back into hers and touched my nose to hers with our lips so close I could almost taste them. "Kiss me."

She narrowed her eyes, but surprisingly let me remain at her face. "Is that a question or an order?"

At this point I thought I would try my whole give her a little control and she'll come back plan. "It's a question."

She leaned her head to the right and then forward to kiss my cheek. She then wrapped her arms around me and started to kiss and nuzzle my neck. My eyes practically rolled into the back of my head I was so overcome with pleasure. She so reminded me of a kitten, she always had. I felt her kiss up to my ear and wispier softly. "Then tell me how you feel about me and I'll kiss you the way you want."

"I already did."

She sighed in my ear and it sent a shiver down my spine. "Then that's just too damn bad for you." She quickly kissed my cheek and pushed me away so hard it shocked me into releasing her from my arms. "Like I said before, come and find me when you're ready to tell me the truth." With that she walked away from me and went into the castle.

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Ray POV:

It had taken all the willpower in me that I could muster up to leave him like I had. It had killed me to leave him. I had wanted to kiss him so badly I felt it down in my soul, but I couldn't do that. I wasn't going to settle for being his snogging buddy. I wanted to be with him completely and in every aspect or not at all.

I walked into the Entrance Hall and started to make my way to the Great Hall for dinner. As I was about to walk into the Great Hall I saw Mandy running towards me with a huge smile on her face. "Ray! He said yes! Can you believe it? Michel actually said yes."

I smiled at her. "I'm so happy for you. I told you that you guys would make a cute couple."

She suddenly looked at me with worry in her eyes. "Are you sure this is alright with you? I mean…he's your ex…Aren't I breaking some kind of girl rule?"

"Mandy…I really don't have a problem with it. I'm all for it, really. I'm happy for you."

She sighed. "Well…If you're sure…"

I smiled. "I am…now let's go get some dinner."

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_**One Week Later:**_

Ray POV:

It was finally time to find out if Stephen was going to be allowed to come back. I had been told to go to the Head Master's office and now I was there sitting in the same seat I had been in a month ago, looking at the old wise Head Master, waiting to find out if he was going to tell me something that would tear me apart.

The Head Master sighed. "I am afraid I have bad news, Ray." I felt my heart beat become faster. "Mr. Cornfoot will be back for the spring term and is being allowed to attend the Yule Ball."

Tears started to fall from my eyes. "Please, you can't let this happen. Don't you realize that we're in the same house? I'll have to see him all the time. What if he tries to attack me again? What am I suppose to do?"

"I am so sorry, Ray. I will do all I can to make sure that you are safe."

----------------------

Twenty minutes later I found myself leaving Professor Dumbledore's office. I wasn't even sure I was really walking. I saw that I was moving forward, but I couldn't feel the ground beneath my feet. It felt like my whole world was crashing around me and I had no shield to cover myself from the debris.

I walked into Charms ten minutes late and took the seat next to Mandy. "Ray, are you alright?" She spoke in a whisper. "Why are you late?" She still didn't know about Stephen possibly coming back, so I hadn't told her that I was going to the Head Master's office. I supposed I would have to tell her all about it now that Stephen was coming back.

I looked at her and whispered back. "I'll explain later."

She looked at me and I saw shock in her eyes. "Ray, you've been crying. What happened?"

"Later"

I turned my attention to Professor Flitwick and wiped under my eyes to try and hide the fact that I had been crying. I glanced over in the direction I knew Draco usually sat in and saw that he was looking at me intensely with worried eyes. I must have looked worse than I thought. It's not like I had looked in a mirror before coming to class from talking to Professor Dumbledore, but I never thought I looked as bad as Draco and Mandy seemed to think. By the way they were both looking at me you would think I looked like I was falling apart.

Between Draco and Mandy staring at me and the news of Stephen I began to feel like the room was closing in on me. I had no clue why I had come to class in the first place. Professor Dumbledore had said that I could have the day off to collect myself, but at the time I hadn't felt like being alone, but now I wanted out. I started to feel like I couldn't breath and I was beginning to realize I was having a panic attack. I had to get out. I grabbed my things and ran out of the room. I saw shocked faces as I ran past everyone. When I got halfway down the corridor I stopped running and leaned against the wall to try and catch my breath.

I let myself slide down the wall to sit on the floor. I began to quietly sob. I didn't know what I was going to do. Stephen was in my house. It's not like I could avoid him. He would always be there watching me.

"Sonders?" I looked up to see Draco looking down at me. He knelt beside me and stroked my hair while he kissed my temple.

I felt myself begin to calm. "How did you get out of class?"

He continued the stroking of my hair and talked in a soft soothing tone. "I said I had to go to the toilet."

"Mm hmm…OK…"I felt my eyes go heavy. His incessant stroking was putting me into a lull.

"Come on; let's get out of the corridor and you can tell me what's wrong." He rose from beside me and pulled me up off the floor with him.

"Where are we going?" I leaned against him.

"Do you have your coat with you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes" I pointed to the pile of my stuff lying on the floor.

"Good, put it on and follow me."

I put the coat on and started following him through the corridors and up the stairs. After a while of walking I finally figured out where he was taking me, the Astronomy tower. When we walked out into the cold air of the open tower, a shiver came over me. I looked at Draco and realized he had no coat on, only his school robes. "Draco! You're going to freeze to death!"

He turned to look at me. "I'll be fine. I left my stuff in the class room, so I couldn't exactly go back and get it, now could I?"

"Yeah, speaking of that, Aren't you going to get in trouble for not going back?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe" He walked to the edge of the tower and looked out at the extensive grounds. "Come here, Sonders." I wasn't sure if that had been an order or not, but it really didn't matter at this point. I needed him right now. I was scared and felt I would never be safe again. I walked over to him and he went behind me, wrapping his arms around me with my back pressed against his chest. We both looked out at the grounds while he held me tight. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong, Sonders?"

I tried to turn is his arms to face him, but he was holding me too tightly. When he realized what I was trying to do he loosened his hold on me and let me turn. I put my head on his chest and stuck my hands in his robes to warm them. "Stephen is coming back." I felt tears enter my eyes. "The Ministry didn't believe me and since you didn't really see the attack, only him with me against the wall, they're saying you simply saw a fight between school mates."

He ran his hand up and down my back. "When?"

"He'll be back for spring term and he's coming to the Yule Ball." I looked up at him with my tear stained face.

He leaned down and started kissing the tears away. "I won't let him touch you. I'll kill him if I have to." He continued to kiss all over my face.

"Draco…don't joke about that. You're scaring me."

He pulled back and looked at me with a stare so intense that it made my heart skip a beat. "I'm not joking. No one is going to touch you. You are mine." He quickly leaned down and roughly took my lips. This time when he wanted entrance to my mouth I happily let him in.

He ran his hands through my hair while continuing his exploration of my mouth. He broke the kiss and started kissing down to my neck where he began to nibble and lick the skin. A soft moan escaped my lips. I couldn't let this continue until I got an answer from him. I needed it more than ever. "Draco, how do you feel about me?"

He stopped the assault on my neck and sighed. I felt his warm breath on my skin and it sent a shiver down my spine. "Why do you have to ruin everything with questions about stupid emotions? Just relax and let me make you feel good." He went back to kissing my neck.

I pushed him away from me and looked at him with anguish in my eyes. "Draco…Why can't you just admit how you feel?"

He sneered. "I don't feel anything, but ownership."

"Fine" I walked past him to leave, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into him.

He narrowed his eyes. "You can be mad at me all you want, but you come and tell me if that scum even looks at you. Do you understand me?"

My eyes grew wide. He still wanted to protect me. "Uh…I will."

He jerked my arm and tightened the hold on my wrist. "Promise me"

"I promise" He let me go and I quickly left the Astronomy tower.

---------------------------

Draco POV:

Why did she have to keep trying to complicate things with emotions? Why couldn't she just be happy with what she had with me already? Emotions always destroyed everything. I refused to let myself love Ray. I couldn't love Ray. She was a blood traitor. I just…wanted her, that's all. I just wanted to hold her, kiss her, touch her, protect her, and talk to her. That wasn't love…it was…something else. It couldn't be love.

I walked out of the Astronomy tower and headed back to class. By the time I got back it was over and the students were pouring out of the class room. I saw Ray's friend Mandy approach me. She narrowed her eyes. "What did you do to her?"

I sneered. "I didn't do anything."

"Then why was she crying?"

My eyes grew wide. "She didn't tell you about Stephen coming back?"

Her mouth opened in shock. "What? Oh my…I didn't know. Do you know where she is?"

I let my face soften. I actually liked Mandy. She seemed to care about Ray and I could appreciate that. "She probably went back to her room. Look…I told her this already, but she's mad at me…again. So I'm telling you this also. If Stephen gets near her I want to know about it. Either you or her come and get me and I'll take care of it. Got it?"

She looked at me with complete shock on her face and then it turned to a fiery anger. "Why do you want to help her? You treat her like crap and now you want to protect her?"

I narrowed my eyes. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that she needs protection and I'm willing to give it, so just let me know if and when she needs it." With that I walked away from Mandy and made my way to Pansy who had just walked out of the class room. I saw that she had my stuff that I had left.

When she saw me she quickly turned and stomped her way to me with her eyes narrowed. "Where the hell did you go? You just left class and didn't come back. You didn't go after that little blood traitor whore, did you?"

I quickly grabbed my stuff out of her grasp and looked at her with a murderous glare. "Let's get one thing straight, Pansy. You don't own me and I can do whatever the hell I want. I don't even like you. You disgust me and the only reason I'm taking you to the Yule Ball is because my father is forcing me to." She looked shocked at my outburst, but I continued anyway. "We're going to have to deal with each other for a long time because of our parents, but don't ever think for a second that you mean anything to me. I will never be yours and I sure as hell don't want you, so it doesn't matter where I was or if I went after another girl because there will always be another girl." I grinned at her shocked face. "So, now that we have that straight, let's go get something to eat."

------------------------

Ray POV:

I sat on my bed and stared out the window. I felt lost and confused. Maybe I should just accept that Draco didn't feel anything for me, but lust and ownership. That's what he kept saying, so maybe I should just accept the fact that he was telling the truth.

"Ray!" I heard Mandy's voice coming up the stairs to our room. I turned when I heard her enter. She had a package in her hand. "Ray, why didn't you tell me?" She came over to me and gave me a hug. "You don't always have to bear everything on your own." She pulled back and sat beside me on the bed.

"I take it that you heard about Stephen coming back…" She nodded. "How'd you find out?"

"Umm…Draco kind of told me when I yelled at him in the hallway…"

I laughed. "You what?"

"Well…I thought he's the one who had upset you, so I sort of confronted him in the charms corridor."

I stopped laughing and looked at her. "Mandy, that is incredibly sweet, but please don't do that again. Draco looks harmless enough, but he's not and I don't want you getting hurt, OK?"

"Actually…He was sort of nice. Well, for it being Draco Malfoy. He told me to come and get him if Stephen came near you."

I sighed. "Yeah, he told me that to."

"Well, I'd take him up on that if I were you, Ray."

I gave a solemn smile. "I will…So what's in the package?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. It's yours; I found it down in the common room." She handed it to me.

I saw the head writing on the note outside the package and saw it was from my Grandmother. I hadn't really spoken to her in a while, but I was sure the Ministry had contacted her about Stephen returning. I read the note:

_**Ray,**_

_**I know times are tough for you right now, but I assure you that all things will work out for the best. Here is a little present to cheer you up. Enjoy the dance and make sure to have a proper escort.**_

_**Grandmother Blackburn**_

I sighed and looked at Mandy. "I'm apparently supposed to have a proper escort, aka no muggle-borns or blood traitors…"

"So…Why don't you ask Draco?"

I gave a humorless laugh. "I'll bet you five galleons that's he's already asked Pansy, besides, he wouldn't want to go with me anyway. He probably won't even look in my direction at the Yule Ball. I think it's just time for me to accept that he really doesn't like me like I do him…"

She sighed. "I'm sorry Ray…Well, Open your package. Maybe it'll make you feel better." I started ripping the paper around the package and saw something white with a shine to it. I tore at the paper more ardently and pulled out the most beautiful white silk dress I had ever seen. "Oh wow Ray…It's perfect for the dance."

I smiled at the dress and hugged it to me. Then a sudden thought occurred to me that ruined the perfect moment. I sighed. "Yeah…too bad I don't have a date…"

---------------------

I walked down the stairs to go to the Great Hall. It was time for dinner and I was starving. When I reached the second floor I heard someone call my name. I turned to see a Slytherin guy that I had never talked to and was having trouble drumming up his name in my head. He was defiantly not one of Draco's friends. He was extremely lanky and somewhat attractive. When he approached me he smiled and held out his hand. When I didn't take it he retracted it and crossed his arms behind his back. "Hello, Ray."

"Uh…Hi...Can I help you with something?"

He smirked. "As a matter of fact you can."

I politely smiled. "I'm sorry…I can't seem to recall your name. It's been a long day. I'm surprised I can remember my own." I lightly laughed.

"Theodore Nott"

After hearing the name I immediately realized who he was and felt stupid for not remembering his name. I had always gotten the impression that Draco felt threatened by this guy. I had no clue why. Draco was more handsome, had way more muscle, and had a group of people that worshiped him. This guy was just OK looking, had almost no muscle, and I had never even once seen him hang out with anyone. I looked at him and smiled. I wasn't really getting a bad feeling off of this guy, so I felt pretty safe staying and talking to him. "So…What can I help you with?"

"I've watched you and Draco Malfoy for a while now and it's not hard to see that you two have something going on."

I nervously laughed. "I don't know what you're talking about…I'm his Transfigurations tutor."

He laughed. "He might be a git, but he's not stupid and neither am I. I know there's something going on between you two."

I decided to drop the act. "OK fine…maybe there is, but why does it matter to you?"

"I suppose you know that he has asked Pansy to the Yule Ball…"

I shrugged. "No, I wasn't sure, but I figured as much."

He raised his eyebrows. "That doesn't bother you?"

At this point I decided I might as well be honest. "Yeah, it does, but it's not like I can do something about it."

He smirked. "What if there was a way to make him feel just as bad as you do?"

"I don't know what you're getting at, but I'm not helping you hurt Draco…"

He smiled. "Just hear me out before you make your decision."

I raised an eyebrow. "OK…"

"I hear you need a date for the Yule Ball and it just so happens that I need one also."

My mouth fell open. "Uh…You want to take me to the Ball? Why?"

"He'll hate it if you go with me. You want to make him jealous, don't you? I'm the perfect person to rub in his face."

I looked at him with confusion on my face. "I don't get it…what do you get out of this?"

"That's not your concern."

I looked at him with a serious glare. "Look…I care about him. If you're trying to hurt him then be assured that I'll hurt you before you hurt him."

He laughed. "My my, aren't we protective of our little Draco."

I narrowed my eyes. "Yes, I am."

"Well, don't worry Ray. I'm not trying to physically hurt him. I'm talking more psychological hurt."

I looked at him with curiosity. "But why? What did he do to you?"

He looked very blasé. "I hate him and he needs to learn his place. It's as simple as that. He thinks he owns the house of Slytherin and I just want to show him that there are some things he can't control, such as me."

I raised my eyebrow. "Did he try to control you or something?"

"He's told every one of the guys in Slytherin that they aren't allowed anywhere near you, so I just want to show him that he can't control me."

I was shocked. "He said that?"

"Well, it was under the pretense that you were a blood traitor and no one is to be with a blood traitor, but I knew why he really said it."

I sighed. "Look…He doesn't care about me. You're wasting your time. He won't care if I go to the dance with you."

"Trust me…He likes you, if not more than that. So, am I your date for the Ball?"

I decided that this would be my last ditch effort to try and get Draco to admit he liked me. Maybe if I made him really jealous he would finally tell me how he felt and if it didn't work then I would just accept that he didn't feel that way about me. "You've got yourself a date, Nott."

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Ray gets something from someone unexpected that will change the way she thinks about everything and the Yule Ball happens with an unexpected result.

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**AN: **I hope you liked the new chapter. PLEASE PLEASE review. It motivates me ;) ....Thanks! You guys ROCK!


	13. What I Didn't Say

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN:** Thank you for all the reviews. You guys are so great! I have the best readers! I really hope you like the new chapter. Sorry that it's so long, but I had a lot that I wanted to fit into this chapter, so I hope you enjoy the extra extra long chapter. ENJOY!

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_**Week of the Yule Ball:**_

Ray POV:

I would be staying at school for the Christmas break. I just didn't think that I could face the pile of my father's things that were waiting to be sort through at my Grandmother's house. Mandy was staying as well along with most of the school, so I would be in good company.

It was three more days until the Yule Ball and the only people who knew I was going with Nott was Nott himself and Mandy. Nott and I had decided that it would be more of a shock to Draco's heart if we let it be a surprise. We would walk in together, arm in arm, and act like we were the perfect little couple. I was to completely avoid Draco until the Yule Ball so that mine and Nott's fake relationship would look more legitimate. I had to admit that it was a brilliant plan, but I still couldn't help feeling like I had made a deal with the devil. I didn't want to hurt Draco like Nott did. My ultimate goal was to get him to admit that he had feelings for me. That's all I wanted. If I could have thought of another way to get him to admit it I would have gladly done something else. I wasn't exactly looking forward to the Yule Ball. First of all, I couldn't dance and second of all, Stephen was going to be there.

I had been told that Stephen would arrive the day before the Yule Ball. He wouldn't be staying in the Ravenclaw tower. Dumbledore had pulled some strings and made it to where Stephen would get a private room. Dumbledore had told the Ministry that it would be awkward for the two of us to have to be in the same house together after I had accused him of something so horrible. This meant that I could at least feel safe when I was in my dormitory. I wanted to get out as much as I could before Stephen arrived, so Mandy, Lisa, and I were going to Hogsmeade to look for dresses for the Yule Ball.

I already had the one my Grandmother had sent, but Lisa and Mandy still needed to get one. Mine and Lisa's friendship was still a little strained because of are little argument the day after I had been attacked, but I didn't want to stay cooped up in my room all day, so I decided to go.

I saw Mandy walk into our room. "Ray, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go."

------------------------

Four hours later and we were still in the dress shop. I felt like pulling my hair out and screaming. It's not that I hated shopping, but four hours in the same shop was pushing the limits of sanity.

I looked at Mandy who was practically being swallowed whole by the pink chiffon dress she was wearing. "Mandy, I'm going to go walk around for a bit and get some fresh air."

"Ray, it's snowing outside! Just stay here…We won't be much longer."

I raised an eyebrow. "You said that two hours ago…Really, it's fine. I'll be back. Take all the time you need."

She gave an exasperated sigh. "Alright, but before you leave, tell me if you like this dress." She spun around with her arms out to give me a good look.

It was hard not to laugh. "Honestly Mandy…You look like a pink powder puff."

She laughed. "See…That's why you can't leave. You'll tell me the truth."

I laughed with her. "I'll be back. Just make sure you don't buy anything until I see it first."

I waved goodbye and walked out of the store. When I walked outside the cold air hit me like a hammer. I bundled myself as much as I could in my coat and decided to walk to Honeydukes. As I trudged through the snow I saw a lot of Hogwarts students walking around trying to decide where to go so that they could get out of the snow.

I arrived at Honeydukes and quickly made my way inside. Once inside I shook off the snow that had collected in my hair and on my coat. I took in a deep breath and smelled all the sugary goodness around me. The smells brought back memories of eating fudge with my father and it brought a smile to my face. The place was filled with students as it always was. I loved Honeydukes, but sometimes it made me feel slightly claustrophobic. I made my way through the crowd and walked over to pick out some homemade fudge. It had always been my favorite.

I started to get the feeling that someone was behind me, but before I could turn around to look I felt a hand run through my hair. I couldn't help but smile. It must be Draco. I swiftly turned around ready to look up into the grey eyes that I loved and screamed so loud it hurt my ears. It was Stephen.

He maliciously smiled. "It's nice to see you too, Ray."

I backed away from him and accidentally knocked over a display of Chocolate Frogs. The room was suddenly filled with the sounds of hopping frogs going ribbit. "Get away from me Stephen!"

"What the bloody hell is going on over there?" Mr. Flume, the shop owner, came rushing over with his arms flailing about looking incredibly pissed at the mess I had made.

I looked back at Stephen and saw that he had his attention on the screaming man coming towards us. I took the opportunity of his momentary distraction to run. I ran past him and the shop owner in a flash and hurried out the door. I ran down the street aimlessly. I just wanted to get away as fast as I could. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going.I started to slow and looked around me. I had somehow run down the street that led to the Shrieking Shack.

I started to pick up my pace again when I suddenly felt my legs lock together. I fell forward and hit the ground so hard that it knocked the wind out of me. I quickly turned my body around so that I could look in the direction I had run from. I saw Stephen coming down the street towards me, his wand out in front of him and a malevolent smile on his face. I tried to get off the ground to run, but my legs were still tightly bound together. He must have put a binding spell on me. I reached for my wand and pulled it out, only to see that I had apparently broken it in the fall. It was completely broken in two, only being held together by the core of unicorn's hair.

I put the broken wand back in my coat and began to do the only thing I could think of, crawl. After I had only managed to go a few feet I looked back and saw that Stephen was about to reach me. He was taking his own sweet time getting to me, probably to prolong my fear and his enjoyment. There was no point in screaming. There was no one close enough to be able to hear me over the violent wind and people didn't go down this street because of the Shrieking Shack. I looked past Stephen and up the street for any sign of rescue. I saw none and began to quietly sob.

I suddenly saw a flash of yellow in the far distance through the blur of my tears. I rapidly blinked and wiped at my eyes to make the blur go away. I focused my eyes on the yellow and realized that is was a head of platinum blond hair. I was pretty sure it was Draco, but the blonde's face was too far away for me to be able to tell. I decided that I would try and get the blonde's attention and hope that it was either Draco or someone that would be willing to help. I wasn't sure if they would be able to hear me, but it was worth a try.

I took in a deep breath and screamed as loud as I could. "Draco... Draco...Draco!"

I saw the blond start to run towards me and I felt hope run through me. I looked back at Stephen to see that he was looking behind him in the direction I had yelled. He froze in his tracks and tightened his grip on his wand when he saw the running figure that was about to reach us. I let out the air in my lungs and looked back at my rescuer. It only took seconds more for me to realize that it was in fact Draco.

When he reached us he went for Stephen with his wand out pointed at Stephen's heart. They both stared each other down ready to strike the other. I saw Draco's eyes narrow into murderous slits. "I warned you. Now you're going to pay the price for not listening to me."

Stephen scoffed. "You think I'm scared of you Malfoy? The only reason I ran the last time was because you had your wand out first, but not this time. This time you're the one that's going to run away with his tail between his legs."

They both took in deep breaths and the battle began. Spell after spell was thrown, each one being dodged or reflected. All I could do was sit in the cold snow and hope with all my might that Draco won. I saw one of Stephen's spells fly so close to Draco that for a second I thought he had been hit, but Draco had ducked just in time. Stephen immediately yelled out and Draco was suddenly disarmed, his wand flying through the air.

Stephen held his wand to Draco's throat and laughed. "Malfoy, you should have minded your own business."

Draco surprisingly did not look scared, but instead looked incredibly pissed. "Do your worst, but trust me. I'll get you back."

Stephen continued to laugh. "You think I'm going to give you a chance to get back at me?" Stephen narrowed his eyes and gave an evil grin. "I'm going to hurt you so bad you'll wish you were dead and then I'm going to have a little fun with your girlfriend while you watch."

I looked at Draco and finally saw fear enter his eyes. I cried out. "Stephen, leave him alone! Please, I'll do anything, just please don't hurt him."

Stephen looked away from Draco to look at me, but kept his wand at Draco's throat. "Don't worry Ray. You'll get your turn." He turned back to Draco and laughed so wickedly that the sound chilled me to the bone.

I had to do something. I reached in my coat pocket to take out my wand. I wanted to cry when I saw it. I had forgotten that it was broken. I frantically began to look around for Draco's fallen wand. I had seen it fly out of his hand in my direction, but failed to see where it had landed. I finally saw it several feet away from me. I began to try and rise from the ground, but my bound legs prevented me. I looked back at Stephen and Draco. Stephen was continuing to taunt Draco, no doubt to prolong the torture. I looked back at the wand and began to crawl towards it. I had almost reached it when I heard Stephen pause in his taunts. I looked back at them and saw that Stephen was getting ready to hit Draco with some sort of spell. I reached out my hand, but was just short of reaching the wand. I closed my eyes and reached out my hand as far as it would go. I found myself start to say please over and over in my head. Suddenly I felt the wand in my hand as if it had come to me of its own will. I quickly opened my eyes and turned to point the wand at Stephen. I knew other people's wands didn't work as well when wielded by another person, but for some reason Draco's wand felt like it was my own.

Stephen began to say the Cruciatus curse and I quickly screamed over his voice. "Petrificus Totalus!" His body suddenly went rigid and he fell to the ground landing on his back with a great thud. I pointed Draco's wand at my legs and took the binding spell off.

Draco quickly ran to me and knelt down in front of me. I looked up into his eyes and was sure at that moment that I had never seen someone so beautiful in my life, not handsome, but beautiful. Handsome just didn't seem like a strong enough word to describe how I saw him. He picked me up off the ground with no effort on my part and pulled me into his arms.

Draco began to squeeze me tight to him. "Ouch!"

His eyes grew wide and then turned to a fierce anger. "Are you hurt?"

"Stephen put a binding spell on my legs and I fell. I think I'm just a little banged up from the fall."

He practically growled. "I'm going to kill him!"

He made a move to leave me, but I grabbed his arm. "Draco, he's not worth it." He shrugged out of my hold and I grabbed his coat. "Please"

He turned to me and held out his hand. "Wand" I looked into his eyes and hesitantly handed him his wand. He went over to Stephen and pointed his wand down at the frozen boy. I heard Draco mutter a spell and suddenly Stephen was unfrozen. "I suggest you run before I do something nasty to you. Be glad she's around. I don't want her to see the horrific things I'd like to do to you." Stephen rose from the ground and ran up the street towards the castle. Draco walked back to me and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Are you alright?"

I nodded and through myself into his arms. He quickly wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. My teeth began to chatter. I was practically soaking wet from the snow and the cold wind was making my coat feel like I was wearing a solid piece of ice. I tried to speak through my chattering mouth. "Th...Th…thank…yo…you...Draco."

He started rubbing up and down my back in a fast motion. "No, thank you. You're the one that saved me…Are you cold?"

"Yes…" I felt him kiss the top of my head again.

"Let's go get you a butterbeer to warm you up."

I sighed. I was upset by what had just happened and I really wanted to be with Draco, but I needed to stay away from him until the Yule Ball if I wanted mine and Nott's plan to work. "Well, thank you, Draco, but the butterbeer is really not necessary. I'll be fine. I'm just going to go back to the dress shop to get the girls and then head back to Hogwarts." I made a move to leave, but the arms that had been gently around me were now holding me in a death grip. His arms were so tight around me that it was becoming difficult to breathe. "Draco, I won't go anywhere, just please loosen the grip a bit. I can't breathe."

He slowly loosened his hold on me, but only slightly. "You're not going anywhere. I'm not letting you out of my sight until I physically see you walk into your dormitory."

"Draco I'll be fine. I just--" He cut my words off by placing his lips to mine. All thought of what I had been planning to say left me.

He pulled back and smirked. "Now, let's go get us a Butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks." When I started to protest again he removed his arms from around me only to grab my upper arm to practically drag me down the street. He wasn't hurting me and he had a good enough hold on me that if I tripped he could catch me easily, but I still felt somewhat like a rag doll. When we reached the door of The Three Broomsticks he let go of my arm and opened the door. Warm fragrant air hit my nose and I felt instantly warmed. He looked down at me after he had shut the door behind us. "Go and find a table. I'll be there in a minute."

I looked around and was surprised to see that the place was pretty empty except for a few students, all of which were giving me weird looks. I sat in the far back in the corner and tried to ignore the piercing stares of everyone. I looked up to see Draco coming towards our table with two Butterbeers in hand. He placed them on the table and took the seat across from me. I looked around again only to see that the students had stopped staring only to start whispering to each other.

I looked at Draco. "Are you aware that everyone is looking at us?"

"What's your point?" He took a sip of his drink.

"Aren't you afraid of what your friends will think if they see us together?"

He shrugged. "Crabbe and Goyle already know about our little arrangement and as for everyone else, I can always say I owed you a drink for all of the tutoring sessions."

I raised my eyebrows. "You told Crabbe and Goyle?"

"You told Mandy about me. Did you not think I would tell someone about you?"

I was completely surprised. "Uh…actually I didn't think you would tell anyone."

"When I knew you would be needing protection I had to get more people involved. Crabbe and Goyle follow orders well. They won't say anything to anyone."

"Yeah…I suppose not." I took a drink of Butterbeer and let the soothing liquid warm me.

"Now" He leaned forward in his chair and looked at me intensely. "Would you like to tell me why the bloody hell you were walking around by yourself when Stephen is back?"

"I didn't know he was in town. I was told he'd be back the day before the Ball."

He ran his hand through his hair and leaned back. "You need to be more careful, Sonders. You should tell Dumbledore about today."

"Why? What good would that do? What he did could easily be chalked up to a prank. The worst he'll get is detention. His father is close friends with the Minister, so….yeah….no point."

He sighed in defeat. "Sonders, I don't want you walking around by yourself, understand?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care? You don't even like me, remember?"

He sneered."Do you really want to get into this again?"

"No, I suppose not." I took a drink.

We sat there the rest of the time in silence staring at each other drinking our Butterbeer. It was a comfortable silence. The only thing that was making me feel uncomfortable was the staring eyes of our fellow class mates.

When I took my last drink of Butterbeer I looked to see if he was done and saw that he was. "Can we go? I'm not sure how much more of the curious eyes I can take."

He lightly laughed. "Alright, Sonders." He rose from his seat and waited for me to get out of mine.

When we walked out of the door we saw that the snow had stopped falling and the wind had desisted. I looked up at him. "Umm…Well…I guess I'm going to go meet up with Mandy and Lisa. Thanks for the Butterbeer, Draco."

He sneered and grabbed my arm. "What part of I'm not letting you out of my sight don't you get?"

I rolled my eyes. "Draco, you're being ridiculous. I'll walk back with Mandy and Lisa. I'll be fine."

He narrowed his eyes. "You're walking back with me. That's an order."

I sighed. "Fine, Draco, but I do need to at least tell Mandy where I am so she doesn't worry. OK?"

His face softened. "Fine, let's go now." He pulled me along by the arm, but more slowly and gently than he had earlier.

When we reached the dress shop he opened the door and pulled me inside. I saw Mandy looking in a mirror at the blue silk dress she had on. "That one looks great on you, Mandy."

She turned and smiled, but her smile quickly turned into confusion when she saw who I was with. "Uh…Ray, what's going on?"

I smiled to try and ease her. "Everything's fine."

"She's lying." I looked up at Draco to see that he was talking to Mandy. "Stephen is back and he tried to get to her again."

Mandy's eyes grew wide. "Oh my…Are you alright, Ray?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I just came to tell you that--"

"I'll be taking her back to the castle." Draco finished my sentence.

Mandy looked surprised. "Oh, alright."

I looked around. "Where is Lisa?"

She sighed. "She went off with that Durmstrang student that she's going to the Ball with."

"Oh, well do you want me to stay? I don't want you to have to walk back by yourself."

She smiled. "No, I'm fine. Lisa and I are meeting at The Three Broomsticks in an hour."

"OK, be careful. I'll see you later, Mandy. Oh, and you should buy that dress. It looks great on you." I waved goodbye and Draco and I walked out of the dress shop with his hand still attached to my arm.

When we got outside he looked down at me and smirked. "So, are you going to the dance?"

I smiled up at him. "Of course"

"I thought you might not go considering you don't have a date."

I kept smiling. "Oh, I have a date."

His eyes grew wide and then narrowed. "Who?"

I smirked. "You'll see."

--------------------------

Draco POV:

I had to find out who she was going with. I tightened my grip on her arm. "Tell me, Sonders."

She smiled and tilted her head to the side in a playful manner. "Is that an order, Draco?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Would you tell me who you were going with if it was?"

"Nope"

I gave a defeated sigh. "Then it's a question." I didn't want her to lose any memories. She didn't deserve that after all she'd been through.

She lightly laughed. "You're going soft on me, Draco."

Unfortunately, she was right, but it still made me mad. "No, I just like my things to be intact. If you lose a memory you're damaged goods." I smirked when I saw that she looked pissed at what I had said. "Oh loosen up, Sonders. Take a joke."

"I'll take a joke when you actually manage to tell one."

I kept the smirk on my face. "That was cute, Sonders. Now…Let's go for a walk around the lake and see if I can get the information out of you by other means."

She raised her eyebrows. "What is that suppose to mean?"

I looked around us to make sure no one was looking and leaned down next to her ear. I bit her earlobe and heard her take in a sharp breath. I whispered softly letting my voice become very breathy in her ear. "I know what buttons to push to make you talk and trust me..." I licked her neck just below her ear. "I don't mind pushing them."

I pulled back to look at her and surprisingly saw that she had a mischievous grin on her face. "OK, Draco, let's go for a walk." She walked past me without another word in the direction of the lake. I followed a few feet behind her watching her walk. She walked with a kind of grace that yet seemed quite clumsy. I kept walking quietly behind her until we reached the lake.

She turned to me and smiled. "So what were these other means you spoke of…hmm?"

I came at her quickly and tried to kiss her lips, but she turned her head, giving me her cheek. I growled. "Sonders let me have you." I kissed her neck and up to her ear, leaving little bites along the way. "Please" I heard her laugh, so I pulled back to glare at her. "What's so funny?"

"You" She continued to laugh.

I roughly grabbed her shoulders. "Are you trying to piss me off, Sonders?"

"No" She stopped laughing and put her hands on the collar of my coat. I let her pull me down to her. "Shut your eyes."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

She smiled. "Please?"

After a few seconds I finally complied with her request. I felt her kiss my cheek and then move away from me. I felt out in front of me, but she was completely gone. I opened my eyes just as I saw a flying snowball headed my way. I ducked and it flew over my head. I heard laughing and looked up to see that it was Ray, another snow ball in hand.

I quickly bent down and grabbed my own pack of snow. I looked at her and smirked. "You want to play, Sonders?"

She smirked right back at me. "That's the idea."

We just stared at one another, waiting for the other to make the first move. In a flash she raised her arm, the snow ball flying towards me. I tried to dodge it, but it hit my left shoulder. I actually felt myself begin to laugh. I was having…fun. Yes, I was having fun with her and it didn't even involve touching her.

-------------------------------

Ray POV:

I laughed harder than I had in a long time. I knew that I should probably be ignoring him like mine and Nott's plan had originally stated, but I was having too much fun to care. I saw him raise his arm to throw his snow ball at me, so I turned to shield my front from the blast. It hit me on my right upper arm. I laughed and started to run away. I turned around to see that Draco was close behind me laughing just as hard as I was. I bent down while still running and scooped up another handful of snow. I turned around and saw that Draco was almost upon me. I through the snow at him right before he reached me. He tackled me to the ground, both of us laughing as we fell, him on top of me.

He hovered over me and smirked. "I win." He leaned down to kiss me, but I once again turned my head. I wasn't going to let him kiss me so easily. I heard him sigh as he got off of me. I looked up at him to see that he had his hand reached out to me. I took his hand and he pulled me off the cold snow. He held on to my hand and looked at me. "Why won't you kiss me, Sonders?"

I raised both my eyebrows in shock. He really sounded like he cared. "Because I need more than that."

He sneered and quickly released my hand as if it were on fire. "That's never going to happen, Sonders, so you just need to get that out of your head right now."

I narrowed my eyes. "Then don't expect me to kiss you." With that I turned and headed towards the castle with Draco not too far behind.

When we reached the inside of the castle I went quickly for the stairs, ready to get away from Draco, but I heard him following me all the way up to the third floor. I turned on him quickly and glared down at him. "I'm not a child. I can make it back to my room just fine. I don't want nor need your help. Just leave me alone Draco."

He narrowed his eyes and started to ascend the stairs towards me, but stopped when he was a few feet away. "I said I was walking you back all the way and that's what I intend to do."

I angrily groaned. "Fine!" I turned quickly and started taking the steps two at a time.

I heard him close behind me. "You're going to hurt yourself, Sonders. Slow down!"

I continued my incessant climb up the stairs. "I don't care…and neither do you, so just shut your pie hole." As the words left my mouth I felt my wet shoes slip on the wood of the stairs. I started to fall backwards when strong arms wrapped themselves around me forming a safe cage.

Draco whispered in my ear. "I told you to slow down. You should have listened to me and for the record…" He kissed my hair. "I do care if you hurt yourself."

That was the last straw. I was so sick of being manipulated by this guy. I found my balance and roughly shrugged out of his arms. I turned around to look at him. "Stop it Draco. Just Stop it. If you don't care about me then don't act like you do because I can't take the back and forth crap anymore." I turned around and started climbing the stairs again, but more slowly this time. I still heard him behind me, but he wasn't as close as he had been before. We made it to the door of my dormitory and I turned to look at him. He looked distracted, like he was in deep thought. "Well…Thank you for coming to my rescue. Sorry, if it was an inconvenience on your day."

He looked at me. "Why can't you just be happy with what I'm willing to give you?"

I somberly smiled. "I guess I just want more than that…"

He sneered. "And I suppose that your Yule Ball date will give you what you want?"

"Maybe…"

I saw him look around at the empty corridor. When he saw that we were alone he quickly came at me and pushed me against the wall with his arms pinning me in. He put his forehead to mine and looked into my eyes. "Who are you going to the Ball with?"

My heart started to beat faster and faster. I could feel his warm breath on my face. It smelled of butterbeer and made me think of how his lips would taste. I swallowed hard and I could see in his eyes that he could tell my strength was faltering. He leaned down and kissed my lips so gently that I barely registered that he had kissed me at all. He lingered at my mouth, lightly brushing his lips over mine.

I lost all control over myself and closed the gap between us. I took his bottom lip into my mouth and ran my tongue over the smooth skin. He moaned and deepened the kiss, our tongues battling for dominance. I knew I shouldn't be doing this. This wasn't in the plan, but I couldn't help myself. When I was around him I lost all sense of self.

We suddenly heard a pop sound next to us and quickly separated. I looked down to see Dumby my father's old house elf that had been sent to Hogwarts. "Dumby?"

"Hello Miss. Ray, I am sorry to disturb, but Dumby must speak to Miss. Ray."

I knelt down so that I would be at his level. "Is everything alright? Are they treating you well here?"

"Oh yes, Miss. Ray. Dumby loves Hogwarts."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "Then what's wrong, Dumby. Why do you need to speak with me?"

I saw Dumby look up at Draco and then back to me. "Dumby must speak to Miss. Ray alone."

I heard Draco make a growling sound. I looked up at him to see that he was looking at Dumby with murder in his eyes. "She's not going anywhere without me."

Dumby looked up at him with fear. "But those are Dumby's orders. Dumby was told to speak to Miss. Ray alone."

I raised my eyebrows. "Ordered? Dumby you're free. Who's giving you orders?"

The little elf looked back and forth from me to Draco several times before he spoke. "Dumby must not say in front of anyone, but Miss. Ray."

I sighed and rose from my kneeling position. "Dumby, meet me in the Ravenclaw common room in ten minutes, alright?"

"Yes, Miss. Ray." With that he left in a pop.

I looked at Draco. "I…uh…need to go."

He came at me quickly and pushed me back against the wall. He smirked. "But we weren't finished with what we were doing."

He leaned down to take my lips, but I quickly turned my head giving him my cheek. "This was a bad idea, Draco. I'm just going to go."

I moved to leave his arms, but he held me against the wall and narrowed his eyes. "You'll come back. You always do."

"Not this time." I left his arms and walked to the door of the Ravenclaw dormitory. I answered the question and walked inside without another glance at Draco.

I sat on the couch and waited for Dumby to arrive. I had no idea what he could possibly want. He had been set free and sent to Hogwarts. I heard a pop to the left of me and jumped. I looked to see that it was Dumby. He had an incredibly large book with him; the weight of it seemed to be making it difficult for him to walk. "Dumby, what is that?"

"It is what Dumby must speak to Miss. Ray about." Dumby stumbled over to me and placed the book on the couch next to me. He then climbed on the couch and sat next to the book. "Dumby was told to give this to Miss. Ray if Dumby ever saw that Miss. Ray loved a bad wizard."

I raised both my eyebrows. "Who told you to do this?"

"Master Sonders"

My eyes grew wide. "My father?"

"Yes, Miss. Ray, the night Master died. Right before Master left that night Master gave Dumby this book and explained to Dumby what must be told to Miss. Ray if anything bad should happen to Master."

I swallowed hard. "You mean…he knew something bad might happen to him?"

"Yes, Miss. Ray. Master seemed very certain of it." Dumby picked up the book and held it out to me. "Please read Miss."

I took the book from his trembling hands and sat it in my lap. It was a beautifully old book, black leather binding with gold embroidery all around. I opened the book to the first page and saw the most stunning hand writing I had ever seen. The writing was gentle and smooth looking, like it had been written with great care. I read:

**_To my beautiful baby girl,_**

**_You are eleven years old today. I wish so much that I could be with you, but I know your father is taking good care of you. I am sure you are wondering why you are not being allowed to attend school this year, but I assure you that you will be able to the next year. I wish that I could be there in person to help you through this confusing time, but I am hoping that this diary will help you through what you need to know. This book is the diary of my life starting when I turned twelve. I know that this will not be enough to explain everything, but I know your father will help you through what you're about to have to go through. The best advice I can give you is to follow your heart. It will always tell you the right thing to do. I love you so much my sweet little Rayna._**

**_Alice Sonders_**

I looked at Dumby with confusion. "My mother wrote this?"

He nodded. "Yes, Miss. Ray."

I looked back at the writing. "I was supposed to get this when I turned eleven." I looked back at Dumby. "Why would my father keep this from me?"

"Master said that he had hoped Miss. Ray would not be like Mistress Sonders."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "What does that mean? What exactly did my father tell you, Dumby?"

I could tell that Dumby was getting nervous. "Master said that he did not want Miss. Ray to know until Master was sure that Miss was like her mother. Master said that since Miss. Ray had not said anything about a boy that Miss. Ray might not be like her mother."

"But what does that mean, Dumby? How am I like my mother?"

Dumby swallowed hard and nervously played with his hands. "Master told Dumby to tell Miss. Ray to read the book. That book would explain everything to Miss. Ray."

I wanted to pull my hair out. "Explain what?"

"Master told Dumby to ask Miss. Ray questions…When Miss. Ray feels threatened by the one she loves does Miss. Ray get very cold? Does evil boy stop threatening Miss. Ray? Does it seem like evil boy always knows where Miss. Ray is? Does Miss. Ray feel funny around Harry Potter?"

Images of the night in the woods and in the class room with Draco flooded my mind. I had been so sure that he was about to hurt me when all of a sudden I would feel a cold chill enter my body and then he would suddenly be fine, no longer threatening. Then there was the always knowing where I was thing. I started to think about it and realized that it had always seemed like Draco knew exactly where I was. He had managed to find me twice in a crowd of thousands of people at the Quidditch World Cup. He had found me both times Stephen had attached me. He seemed to always be there when I needed him or when he simply wanted to find me. Then the Harry thing, I had always wondered why I felt so uneasy around him. Could I finally be getting my answer? I looked at Dumby. "Yes, but what does it all mean?"

"Master said that if Miss answered yes to the questions that Miss should read Mistress's book."

I sighed in frustration. "Can't you just tell me what's going on?"

"I am sorry Miss. Ray, but I have told Miss all that Dumby knows."

I tried to muster up a smile, only to come up short. "That's alright Dumby."

---------------------------------

**_Day of the Yule Ball:_**

Ray POV:

I had spent the past two days buried in my mother's diary and had read nothing that explained anything. I was on page twenty and it was still talking about her first week at Hogwarts. It had said something of interest though. It had somewhat explained why I hadn't attended Hogwarts when I had turned eleven. Apparently no women on my mother's side had. It had been an interesting passage. It had read:

**_I am sure you want to know why you are missing your first year of school. I also did not attend my first year and neither did any other women in my family. It is a very dangerous time for you right now. My great aunt learned this the hard way. She did attend school when she was eleven and was killed by the one person that she was suppose to be able to trust. This will all be explained as you read on. There is so much to tell you._**

That's all it had said about it. This diary was bringing up more questions than it was answers. I just hoped that if I read on that everything Dumby had mentioned would be explained, but I couldn't read any further at the moment. The Ball was in four hours and I had yet to start to get ready. Yes, four hours might seem a bit extreme. On a normal day it took me all of fifteen minutes, but the Yule Ball was special. Not to mention that I wanted to look my absolute best. It would make mine and Nott's plan work better…If it was going to work at all. I still wasn't quite convinced that Draco felt the same way about me as I did about him, but I supposed that the Yule Ball was going to be the ultimate test.

I got off my bed and put the book in my trunk where I had been keeping it. I looked up to see Mandy walk in, her hands in her hair trying to pin up her curls that she had made with a spell. "Ray, I can't figure this out. Help…"

I laughed. "Come sit on the bed and I'll do it."

She sat on the bed and I got behind her. I started pinning her hair. "So, Ray, do you really think Draco is going to be jealous of Nott?"

I sighed. "I don't know. I'm just going to hope for the best and let the chips fall where they may."

"Ray…you do know he loves you, right? You know it's just that he doesn't want to admit it."

When the words hit me I accidentally stuck a pin hard into her head. She flinched. I gasped and began to frantically say sorry. "Sorry! Oh my…did I hurt you? I'm so sorry!"

She laughed. "Ray, it's OK…now, stop avoiding the question. You do know he loves you, right?"

"Mandy, why would I think that? He has never said anything to make me think he loves me. He keeps saying that he's protective of his property, maybe that's really all it is."

Mandy turned around and looked at me with annoyed disbelief. "Ray, Seriously? I'm not sure how much more obvious it could be. Have you seen the way he looks at you? I have never seen someone look at someone like he looks at you. My father doesn't even look at my mother like that and they've been married for thirty years. He looks at you like he's looking at his whole world, like you're the only thing in existence."

I raised an eyebrow. "Mandy, you're exaggerating."

She laughed. "The funny thing is that I'm not, not even a little. Ask anyone that has seen you two together. They'll say the same thing I just did. That's why I was pushing Michel so hard on you. The way Draco looks at you scares me. It's so…intense."

I smiled. "Well, thanks for the concern, Mandy, but I really don't think you have anything to worry about. Now turn around and let me finish your hair."

She sighed in defeat and turned around. I continued to pin her hair in silence. Mandy was crazy if she thought Draco looked at me like that. At the most he looked at me like I was a piece of meat. I would hope I would be a high quality piece of meat though, maybe a fillet minion. I laughed internally to myself. I didn't want Mandy knowing that I thought her analysis of Draco was simply foolish.

-------------------------

Draco POV:

I hadn't seen Ray since the day in Hogsmeade. She hadn't left the Ravenclaw tower since then. I didn't know how I knew this, I just did. I had barely left my room myself. Other than for food, I really didn't feel a need to leave if there was no possibility I could run into Ray. There were no classes to attend, so I mostly stayed in my room and lay on my bed thinking of Ray.

The dance was in two hours and I wasn't exactly looking forward to it. My date was an overbearing whore and Ray was apparently going with someone she liked enough to not want to kiss me. Had she fallen for someone else? I mean…I didn't like her that way, but I liked that she felt that way about me. Who could she possibly be going with? I hadn't seen her with anyone other than her girlfriends, so who could she have fallen for so quickly?

I lifted my head from my pillow when I heard someone enter the room. It was Nott dressed in black dress robes with gold cuffs. I lifted myself into a seated position and looked at Nott who was straightening his tie. "So who are you going with? You said I would find out today, so who is it?"

He looked up from his tie to look at me with a smirk. "You'll see who at the dance." He looked back down at his tie.

My insides started to feel like I had eaten boulders. Nott was either trying to get me worked up over nothing or he was going with Ray. It was something that would piss me off. He looked far too pleased with himself for it not to be.

I got up from the bed and walked over to Nott. I maliciously smiled and started straightening his tie. "Nott…who are you going with? You're not going with some blood traitor are you?" I jerked his tie to the right and let go.

He just simply looked at me and smiled. "I think who I go with is my business." He walked away from me and headed towards the door. "See you at the dance." With that he left the room.

--------------------------

Ray POV:

I had my beautiful silk white dress on that my grandmother had sent me and my hair in loose curls half of which were pinned on top of my head. I felt happy with the end result. Nott was going to meet me outside of the Ravenclaw dormitory and escort me to the Ball. We had it all planned out. If Draco had any feelings for me at all there was no way he wasn't going to be jealous.

Mandy walked in the room and smiled at me. "Ray, you look beautiful!"

I smiled back at her. "You do too, Mandy. Michel's going to be all over you." I laughed and playfully winked.

She laughed. "You dork! Hey…Nott is outside waiting for you. Are you ready to do this? Are you sure you want to do this?"

I sighed. "Yep, it's too late to back out now."

"No it's not, Ray. This could end really badly. I don't want you to get hurt."

I smiled. "Mandy, I have to know how he feels and this is the only way I'll find out."

"But what if he doesn't admit he likes you?"

I felt my heart become heavy. "Then I'll try to move on…"

-------------------

I took Nott's arm and we made our way down the stairs. "Are you excited about the dance, Ray?"

I answered without looking at him. "I guess…"

"Nervous about how Draco will act?"

I sighed. "Yes…What if he doesn't even care?"

He laughed. "Oh he cares and he suspects that I'm your date."

I stopped walking. "What?"

He turned to look at me. "Yeah, he practically threatened me when I wouldn't tell him who I was going with and then he said that I better not be going with a blood traitor, so yeah…he cares."

I couldn't help but smile. I laced my arm through Nott's again. "Let's go."

When we arrived at the entrance to the great double doors everyone stared at us with shock in their eyes. As we walked into the Great Hall whispers followed us. I felt like I was on display at a zoo. Unfortunately, the cold grey eyes I wanted to be on me were no where to be found. I looked around almost frantically wanting to lock eyes with the only reason I came to the stupid Ball in the first place. I so didn't want to be there. I couldn't dance and I knew Stephen was close by. I could feel it in my bones.

The Great Hall was enchantingly beautiful. It looked like the sky had opened up and poured all the snow it had onto everything in the room. Nott and I set at a table with a couple of other Slytherins I didn't know. They also looked at us strangely, but for some reason I got the feeling that we would have no trouble from them. You could see in their eyes that they either respected or feared Nott. I wasn't sure which. I personally had no idea why someone would fear him. As far as I knew he was a pretty nice guy, a little vengeful towards Draco, but other than that a nice guy.

I looked up just as Draco walked into the room, Pansy on his arm. We locked eyes almost instantly; like we were magnets that had just felt that their mate was near. I saw him shift his eyes to the side of me at Nott and then back to me, anger flooded his eyes. Pansy and he sat a few tables down from us, his eyes never leaving mine.

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Draco POV:

How could she do this? She knew I hated Nott. How could she fall for Nott? My insides felt twisted and I wanted to punch something. That or grab Ray and have my way with her. Either one would work. She looked so exquisite in her silk white dress. She looked like the pictures I had seen of angels, beautifully mysterious and so very untouchable.

I wanted so badly to touch her. It seemed that every cell in my body was pulling me towards her, but I had to resist. With all the sheer will I could muster up I looked away from her and to Pansy. "Are you having a good time?"

She looked at me with narrowed eyes. She still hadn't quite gotten over my blatant honesty from the week before, but she was grinning and bearing it because she knew I was right. We were going to have to deal with each other because of our parents, so we might as well be civil to one another. "Yes, Draco" She quickly turned from me.

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Ray POV:

It was twenty minutes into the dance and nothing of interest had happened, other than the entering of the champions with their dates. I had been surprised to see Hermione with Krum, but not as surprised as she had been to see who my date was, so I was avoiding her like the plague. I only had enough strength to deal with one drama in my life at a time and the Yule Ball was specifically all about my Draco drama. On a good note, Stephen was no where to be found. I supposed he was too afraid to show his face after the day in Hogsmeade.

Draco had yet to say a word to me. He just kept staring at me with murder in his eyes. So the answer to my question was yes, he did care about me enough to not like the fact that I was with Nott, but did he care about me enough to admit his feelings? That was the real question.

Nott had asked me several times to dance and each time I had to explain to him that unless he wanted to be sent to the Hospital Wing that it was a bad idea. I was never even able to dance with my father without hurting him. I was a clutz and a half on the dance floor. I always tended to want to lead and two leaders dancing together equaled disaster. My father had said that it was because I was too independent to be led by any man and that when I found a guy that could lead me that I knew I had found the right guy for me. I had always laughed at this. He always knew how to make me feel better about the things I wasn't good at. He always had a special way of spinning them into something positive.

The loveliest song I had ever heard began to play and I found myself swaying in my chair to the music. This was the kind of song that made me wish that I could dance.

I saw Nott look at me. "Are you sure you don't want to dance? You sure look like you do."

I smiled. "Sure, why not…"

I took Nott's hand and he led me onto the dance floor. I could feel Draco's eyes on me the whole way. Nott and I stood facing each other in the middle of the dance floor. I put my right hand in his left and my left hand on his shoulder. I felt him put his right hand on my waist. He smiled and began to move. I was doing fine for a second, but was soon finding myself stumbling around trying to let him take the lead, but having difficulty not letting my body do its own thing.

I stepped on his foot with my heel and he cried out. "Ouch!"

I gasped. "I'm so sorry! I told you I couldn't dance."

"May I cut in?" I turned to see Draco smirking.

Nott grunted in pain. "Please do, but I hope your feet are made of steel." He stumbled off to our table.

I looked at Draco. "Trust me; you don't want to dance with me. I'm a walking hazard."

He kept the smirk on his face and held out his hand to me. "I'm sure I'll be fine. It's all about who you dance with. A strong girl needs a strong leader."

I smiled at his words that so very much sounded like what my father use to say. I took his hand and let him place me in the right position, our hands together, his right hand on my waist and my left at his shoulder. I closed my eyes and wished with all my might that I wouldn't make a fool of myself with him.

He stepped forward and I stepped back. He stepped to the side and I stepped with him. I opened my eyes one at a time and saw that he was smiling down at me. "Ray, relax. I have you. You're doing perfect."

I took in a deep breath and let him lead me all along the dance floor. He had me so securely in his arms that I wasn't even sure that my feet were really touching the floor. I felt completely safe in his arms. I had no fear that I would trip or fall. I didn't even care that almost everyone was looking at us with complete confusion. He was leading me and my body had decided to let him. I took in a deep breath and reveled in the sensation of being led. It felt like the rush you got when you were a little kid, spinning around until you got dizzy and falling to the ground in glorious laughter. It was exhilarating.

As we continued to dance he began to talk to me. "So are you and Nott together now?"

The rush I was feeling made me answer honestly. "No"

He spun me and then brought me back into his safe secure arms. He smirked. "Then why are you here with him?"

"To make you jealous…to make you admit that you care for me…"

He brought me in close to him and whispered in my ear, still keeping in perfect time to the music. "No more games, Ray. I want you and you want me."

I took in a shaky breath. "I need more than that…"

He tightened his grip on my waist. "What if I told you that I loved you?"

My eyes grew wide and I pulled back to look at him, still remaining in his arms, never missing a step in the dance. He was not smirking nor grinning. His eyes were not narrowed and there was no sneer on his perfectly pale face. He looked like he was sincerely waiting for me to answer. "I would…I would…I don't know…"

He pulled me back into him where I could no longer see his face. I felt his mouth at my ear. "I love you." I tried to pull back to look at him, but he wasn't allowing me.

The song came to an end and he pulled back, letting me out of his arms. All I could do was look at him with shock and all he seemed to be able to do was stare at me with his eyebrows furrowed. A fast song began to play and the dance floor was suddenly filled with people. I was pushed back from him and the space in-between us became full of people, every second the two of us becoming more separated. I snapped out of my shock and tried to get to him, but it was too late. He had walked away and was no where in sight.

I made my way back to Nott. "Did you see where Draco went?" I looked at him with frantic eyes.

"After you two got done dancing I saw him walk out of the Great Hall. He looked upset. What did you say?" He smirked.

My heart began to feel heavy. "I think it was more about what I didn't say…" I turned from Nott and made my way to the great double doors. I had to find him.

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Find out what happens after Ray leaves the Great Hall. Does she find Draco or someone else? Find out how Draco feels about what he said and why he said it. Find out more about what Alice Sonder's diary contains.

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**AN:** I really hope you enjoyed the chapter. PLEASE REVIEW! It's what's keeping me motivated to write even though I have homework and exams. So please please please review. You guys ROCK!


	14. Can I Say I Love You?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**AN:** Thank you so much for all of the reviews. Sorry that it took me longer to update this time. I hope you like the new chapter. It's quite fluffy, but I feel you needed a break from the angst, but don't worry...it'll be back next chapter. ENJOY!

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Draco POV:

Why the blood hell had I told her that? What had I been thinking? Had I completely lost my mind? I had no idea why I had said that. I didn't love her…did I?

I made my way to the empty courtyard and sat on one of the cold stone benches. I ran my hand through my hair and let out a great sigh, watching my smoke like breath billow upward in the chilly air. It was cold, but I didn't care. I wanted to feel numb.

I desperately didn't want to love her. With every fiber of my being I didn't want it. I would have given up anything not to love her…except for her. I supposed that answered my question. I did love her. I wasn't sure when it had happened, but it apparently had.

I had felt the most intense jealousy when I had seen Nott take her in his arms. I had watched them dance, the heat in me rising rapidly, and then I had seen her start to stumble. Nott wasn't able to lead her. This made me happier than anything possibly could. I had gone over to them because I had wanted to prove that I could lead her, that in my arms she could dance perfectly. It had all been about pissing off Nott, but when I had taken her in my arms my motives seemed to change in an instant. I had begun to simply want to hold her close, to have her look beautiful and graceful. It had suddenly become all about her. That's when it had happened.

I had felt her warm in my arms and had felt such a peace in it. I had never felt so at ease in my life. That's when those three little words had come out of my mouth of their own accord. I hadn't meant to say any of it, but I had and now I had to deal with the aftermath of it.

It was obvious that she didn't feel the same way about me as I did for her. She hadn't said I love you. Maybe if I had said it sooner she would have loved me back. Maybe I had finally pushed her away, but I didn't want that now. I had really screwed up and I had no clue what to do. I wanted to be with her. I wanted to touch her, to hold her, kiss her. I felt like I was losing my mind. If I had been less of a man I would have cried.

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Ray POV:

I didn't even know where to begin to look for Draco. He could always find me, but I certainly couldn't find him. I just hoped that he hadn't gone back to his dormitory. That was the one place I didn't have access to.

I had looked all around the castle, or at least it seemed like it. I had been at it for at least two hours. The dance would be over soon and I couldn't think of anywhere else to look. I was giving up. I would just have to find him the next day. Perhaps he would come back to the Great Hall. He wouldn't leave his precious Pansy alone all night.

There was no way that he really loved me. This had to be some sort of ploy to get me to start kissing him again. He had no more control over me. It was Christmas. The enchantment was broken, so maybe this was the only way he could think of to keep me around. Yes, I will admit that at first I believed him, but only for a second. I felt foolish for believing him even for that short second, but you couldn't blame me. He had looked so sincere. I had seen love in his eyes, but I knew now that all that had been was something that I had cooked up in my head because it had been what I wanted to see.

I was so glad I had been too shocked to say that I loved him too. I wanted my first time of saying it to be special and not wasted on some little prick who was trying to trick me. I was angry. He knew I wanted to hear those words. Hell, I would have been happy with a simple I like you, but no, he had to choose the three words he knew I wanted to hear more than anything and just throw them around like they meant nothing.

I walked past the entrance to the courtyard and heard a noise that made me jump. Images of Stephen came flooding to my mind. I had been so caught up in finding Draco that I had completely forgotten that I shouldn't be walking around by myself. I felt a panic run through me. I still had no wand. My Grandmother hadn't sent me a new one yet, so I was completely defenseless.

I heard the noise again, but this time it was more pronounced. It was a painful sounding moan. It had sounded like…Draco, but that was crazy. No one in their right mind would go outside right now. It was freezing and I knew for a fact that he didn't have a coat on. I heard the painful moan again.

I had no idea what to do. I had no coat and my dress barely had sleeves. I would freeze to death if I went out there, but what if it was Draco? He sounded like he was hurt. I couldn't leave without at least checking it out.

I took my last deep breath of reasonably warm air and walked out into the courtyard. I felt the cold air hit my body and felt my breath hitch. This was crazy and I knew it. No sane person would come out here without a coat.

I quickly looked around, rubbing my arms to get some semblance of warmth. I was about to give up when I saw a figure behind one of the pillars. I hesitantly began to walk towards the dark form. "Draco?"

The dark figure moaned and I could immediately tell that it was him, but something was wrong. I ran to him, all thought of being cold left me. When I reached him I was horrified by what I saw. He was lying on the ground with his arms wrapped around himself, violently shivering.

"Draco, what happened?" I bent down and helped him get onto the nearby bench. I knelt down in front of him and took his face in my hands; the feel of it frightened me. His face was as cold as ice and had lost all its color. There was a faint shadow at his eye and his mouth had blood at the corner. I put my face close to his and tried to get him to look me in the eyes.

When I finally captured his eyes with mine I saw that his eyes were unfocused and foggy. He leaned forward and kissed my lips; they felt like cold stone and had the faint taste of blood to them. He weakly smiled. "It worked…"

I hugged him close to me to try and warm him. "What worked?"

He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me so close that I could feel his heartbeat. It was slow and irregular. "I wished you would find me and you did…" His words were slightly slurred. I had to get him out of the cold and back into the castle.

I tried to pull away from him, but he had me tight in his arms. I was really beginning to feel the cold myself and had begun to shiver. "Draco, please, let's go back in the castle. It's too cold out here." He held onto me even tighter. "Come on, Draco."

I roughly jerked myself out of his hold and pulled him off the bench. It took all the strength I had in me, but I eventually got him standing up straight and leaning against me. He felt so cold. I had no idea how long he had been like that. I was just hoping it hadn't been the whole two hours I had been looking for him. I could tell that his body had become weak and that he wasn't exactly lucid. He kept mumbling things I didn't understand and was swaying in my arms.

I practically dragged him the last few steps back into the castle. Once inside I leaned him against the nearest wall and watched as he slid to the floor, his head slumping forward. I dropped to the floor in front of him and grabbed his face, bringing it up to look at me. "Draco, are you alright? Please be alright…" He looked up at me and quickly grabbed my head, pulling me to him. He took my lips roughly and hard. I couldn't help but to let myself lean into him completely. He was so cold. I pulled back. "Draco, you need to go to the Hospital Wing."

His eyes filled with fire and he roughly pulled me back to him. "What I need is right here."

He was scaring me. He wasn't at all right in the head. I decided to start talking to him like he was a child, very soothing and slowly. "OK, Draco, you can have me, but first let's take you to the Hospital Wing, alright?" I nodded and he followed my movements with his own nod. "I'll be right back, Draco. I have to go and get Madam Pomfrey from the Ball, OK?

He grabbed my arm so tightly that it hurt. "No, you won't come back. You don't love me…"

My eyes grew wide. "Draco, I do, it's just..."

He narrowed his eyes. "Then say it…"

"Draco let me go get you some help." He might have been acting like a child, but his strength was that of an adult.

He jerked my arm. "Say it"

"No…" I roughly yanked my arm out of his hold and got off the floor. I looked down at him. He actually looked…sad. Had he really meant what he had said? I would worry about that later. I had to go and get him help.

I ran as fast as I could to the Great Hall. When I arrived I saw that a good amount of the students had left. Probably because there was only about thirty minutes of the dance left. I looked around frantically for Madam Pomfrey and finally spotted her talking to Professor Snape.

I ran to her and grabbed her arm. I put my hand to my heart to try and catch my breath. "Madam Pomfrey you have to help."

Her eyes grew wide. "What's wrong?"

"Draco…" It was all I could get out through my sporadic breathing.

I saw Professor Snape look at me with shock. "What has happened to Draco?"

I took in a deep breath. "Follow me." I began to run back to Draco, Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape close behind me.

When we finally reached Draco I wanted to cry out. He was lying on the floor; his eyes closed looking of death. Madam Pomfrey knelt down beside him. I saw her put her hand on his cheek. She looked at Professor Snape. "Help me get him to the Hospital Wing. He's hypothermic and has been badly beaten. I need to give him a warming potion and fast."

Professor Snape quickly bent down and scooped Draco off the floor like he weighed nothing. The two adults began to run up the stairs with Draco and without thinking I followed behind them.

When we arrived in the Hospital Professor Snape laid Draco on a bed, Madam Pomfrey running to her potions. I just stood there at the door and watched them try to help Draco. I felt completely helpless. This was my fault. He did love me. I knew that now. I should have said I love you back and then none of this would have happened. He wouldn't have left the dance and this horrible thing wouldn't have been done to him.

When they were done helping Draco and all had become quiet, Professor Snape looked up and saw that I was there. "Do you have information about what happened to him?"

"No sir, I don't"

He looked at me dismissively. "You're no longer needed then, Miss. Sonders. You can leave."

"No…" I said in such a weak voice I wasn't sure he had heard.

He looked shocked. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not leaving him…"

He started walking towards me in a threatening manner. "I'm afraid you're incorrect."

I felt my resolve strengthen. "I'm not leaving him."

He raised his eyebrows. "Yes, you are. Do you want a detention? I'll be more than happy to give you one."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Fine, give me a detention, but you're going to have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming if you still want me to leave."

"Would you two be quiet? Mr. Malfoy needs to sleep." We both looked at Madam Pomfrey who was covering Draco with more blankets. "Just let the girl stay if she wants. It's fine with me. I just want quiet in my hospital."

Without taking another look at Snape I walked past him to Draco's bedside. I looked at Madam Pomfrey and mouthed a thank you. She smiled and winked at me. I was pretty sure she knew something was going on with Draco and I. She apparently approved.

I heard Professor Snape clear his throat. "You have detention Miss. Sonders, first thing when term starts."

Without turning from Draco I answered him. "Fine" I heard the door to the Hospital Wing open and close. He had left.

Madam Pomfrey rose from beside Draco's bed and smiled at me. "He's going to be fine. I gave him something to warm him and now all he needs to do is sleep it off. He was beaten pretty badly. He had internal bleeding, but I was able to fix it. Will you two be alright out here? I need to go and do some paper work."

I smiled. "Yes, we'll be fine." She turned from the bed and left to go into her office.

I leaned down and kissed Draco's forehead, his nose, and then his lips. I pulled back and looked at him. The color in his face was returning and the faint bruise on his eye, along with the bloody lip were gone. I gave a relieved sigh and pulled up a chair close to his bed. I started stroking his hair and humming a tuneless song while I watched him sleep.

I looked up when I heard the Hospital door open. It was Mandy. "Ray are you alright?" Her eyes grew wide when she saw Draco on the bed. She gasped. "What happened?" She ran over to my side.

I looked up at her, but still continued stroking Draco's hair. "I don't know, Mandy. He just…I don't know. I really don't want to talk about it right now. How did you know I was here?"

"Michel and I saw you run out of the Great Hall with Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey. We followed you guys up here, but hung back until we saw Professor Snape leave."

I looked around. "Where's Michel?"

"I made him wait outside. Ray…Are you ready to go? Michel and I can walk you back to the dormitory…"

I instinctively moved closer to Draco. "No, I'm staying here."

She looked down at me with worried eyes. "Ray, you can't stay in here all night…"

"Yes, I can."

She sighed in defeat. "Alright Ray…Do you need me to bring you anything?"

I bit my lip. "Actually there is something…Can you bring me a change of clothes?"

She smiled. "Sure" She made her way to the door. "I'll be right back."

I smiled. "Thank you"

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Draco POV:

I could feel Ray next to me, knew she was touching me. I felt too peaceful for it not to be Ray. My head was swimming and I felt like I was in a sleep I couldn't come out of. What had happened?

The last thing I remembered was that I had been sitting in the courtyard, cold and alone, feeling sorry for myself. I had been out there for about twenty minutes when I had heard someone behind me. I had turned around and had seen…it was a blank. That's all I remembered. Everything was a complete blank after that. The only thing I could recall after was little snippets of Ray's face and being brought to the Hospital. Ray must have been the one who found me.

"Draco?" I heard Ray's soft voice in my ear. "Are you awake?"

I tried to open my eyes, but found that I didn't have the strength. I tilted my head towards where I knew she was. "Sort of…" I was shocked at how my voice sounded. It was weak and scratchy. I suddenly felt frantic little kisses all over my face and found myself weakly smirk. "Ray?"

She stopped her kisses. "Yes? Do you need anything?" Her voice was full of worry.

"Kiss me"

I felt her lean over me and her lips touch mine. Her hands moved to my face, her thumbs running back and forth over my cheek bones. I wanted so badly to deepen the kiss, but I couldn't gather up enough strength to open my eyes, much less move my arms.

She pulled back, her hands still at my face. "Draco, are you alright? What happened?"

I tried to open my eyes again and grunted in frustration when I couldn't. "I don't know"

She began to run her fingers through my hair. "That's alright, Draco. Just go back to sleep." Her voice was soothing and I felt myself falling back into the darkness I had come from. "I love you…" That was the last thing I heard before slipping back into unconsciousness.

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Ray POV:

I was sitting on the side of Draco's bed lovingly stroking his hair, watching him sleep. I had finally told him that I loved him, although, I wasn't really sure if he had heard it. During his short spurt of consciousness he hadn't seemed completely coherent.

Mandy had come and gone long ago. It was nice to be out of my dress and into some jeans and a t-shirt. It was four in the morning and I had yet to sleep, but I wasn't tired or bored. I had spent the better part of the night staring at and touching Draco, running my fingers through his hair for hours, kissing his face and his neck, putting my ear to his chest and listening to his strong steady heart beat. He looked so peaceful in his sleep.

I placed my hand on his chest, letting my fingers run over the smooth skin. I leaned down and quickly kissed his lips. I got off of the bed and sat in the chair, pulling his robe over my shoulders for warmth. I could feel sleep start to creep up on me and I decided to let it take me. I got in the most comfortable position I could in the hard chair and placed my head on the bed next to where his hand was. I shut my eyes and let darkness take me.

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I woke up to the feeling of someone touching my hair. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the hospital beds that were surrounding me, everything from the night before flooded back to my mind. I sat up so quickly that I almost fell out of the chair. I turned to Draco and saw that he was sitting up, his hand where my head had been…he must have been the one playing with my hair. He looked healthy, but still had a weak air about him. I blinked my eyes several times to try and fight away the sleep. It was obviously morning because the sun was brightly shining through the windows.

He smirked. "Finally decide to wake up?" I through myself at him before I even realized what I was doing. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "So you love me…huh?"

I bit my lip and pulled back slowly to look at him. He was still smirking. "I was kind of hoping you didn't hear that…"

He raised his eyebrows. "So do you or do you not love me?"

I sat up all the way on the side of his bed and looked at him with nervous eyes. "You answer first."

He shrugged and relaxed back against his pillow. "Yes, I suppose I do." He smirked.

I narrowed my eyes. "You're an ass."

"Yes, but you love this ass."

I raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"

He sneered and roughly grabbed my arm to pull me down to him. "No more games, Ray."

I smiled and quickly kissed his lip. "You're so cute when you're mad."

He narrowed his eyes. "Do you love me or not?"

I smiled. "Yes" He pulled me closer to him so that I was completely on the bed with him, my head on his chest. "So…What exactly does this mean?"

He started rubbing up and down my arm. "What do you mean?"

"Well…are we…together?"

He stopped in his movements. "No more than we were before."

I rose from his chest and looked at him. "What does that mean?"

"We can't be together, Ray. I have to be with Pansy. My father would never approve of you." It felt like my heart was caught in my throat and I felt anger rise in me. I started to get completely off the bed, but he wrapped his arms around me so tightly that I couldn't move. "Let me finish, Ray."

"Fine…" I angrily groaned.

"I'll make a deal with you. Things remain as they are now with a couple of slight differences. Neither I nor you will be with anyone else but each other, although, I will still have to look like I'm with Pansy." I started struggling in his arms and he jerked me still. "I haven't kissed Pansy in months and I don't plan to start now if that's what you're worried about." I calmed and he continued. "Do we have a deal?"

I started rubbing my head on his chest. "I think I can live with that." I lifted my head to look at him. "It's not exactly like I wanted people to know about us either."

He narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"

I lightly laughed. "Draco…you're not exactly well liked among the bulk of my friends."

He sneered. "Maybe you should get better friends, ones who aren't mudbloods."

I rolled my eyes. There was no point in getting mad at him. It wouldn't do anything and considering he was in a hospital bed, he could say anything he wanted to me. I was just happy he was alright.

I heard the Hospital door begin to open, so I quickly got off the bed. I turned to see that it was Madam Pomfrey. "And how is our patient this morning?"

I heard Draco clear his throat. "Tired"

She came over to his bed and I stepped out of her way to allow her access to him. She ran her wand over his body and gave him some more of the potion that she had given him the night before. I saw him slip down in the bed and close his eyes, his breathing becoming heavy and even.

She looked at me. "He's going to be asleep for a while, but you're still welcome to stay." She started going into her office and I followed. She sat at a white metal desk and looked up at me. "Yes?"

"Uh…I was just wondering why you're so…alright with me staying in here with him. You usually kick people out after a five minute visit. I mean…I really appreciate it…I'm just curious."

She gestured to the seat in front of her desk. "Have a seat." I sat down in the hard metal chair and waited for her to answer me. "Has anyone ever told you that you are a lot like your mother?"

I raised my eyebrows. "No, I've always been told I was like my father."

She laughed. "Oh, not at all, perhaps in his later years, but certainly not when he was at Hogwarts. If anyone is like your father it is the young Mr. Malfoy."

"Really?"

She smiled. "Yes, very much so, well…until your mother got a hold of him. They were the sweetest little couple. I'm the one that delivered you. Did you know that?"

My eyes widened. "No, I had no idea."

She continued to smile. "Yes, I was very close to your mother. She had been interested in becoming a healer when she was at Hogwarts. She used to come in here every day and help me out. She was such a sweet girl. Since her mother died when she was only one I think she was looking for someone to be a mother figure to her."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "My grandmother died when my mother was one? My mother died when I was one…"

She frowned. "Yes, her death was so sad. I just wished there had been something we could have done. We tried to figure out what was wrong with her that entire year, but we just couldn't figure it out."

"I didn't know all of that. My father just told me that she had gotten sick after I was born."

She nervously smiled. I could tell she was getting uncomfortable with the conversation. "Yes, very sad. Well…anyway…That's why I let you stay last night. You remind me of your mother and well…it was nice to think part of her is still here…in you."

I had a feeling that she wasn't telling me the whole story, but I decided to let it go for the time being. It was obvious that there was a need to change the direction of the conversation. "So…Did you know my father well when he attended Hogwarts?"

She leaned back in her chair. "No, not really, I got to know him better after your parents were married. If you want to know more about your father while he was at Hogwarts you might want to talk to Lucius Malfoy."

My eyes grew wide. "Why would he know about my father? She tilted her head in confusion at me. "They were best friends in school, practically inseparable. Didn't you know?"

"Uh…no…can't say that I did..."

She raised her eyebrows. "Hmm…I'm surprised your father never mentioned it…Oh well." She shrugged her shoulders. "Well…I have work to do…"

I shook my head to get the image of my father and Lucius Malfoy chumming it up out of my head. "Oh yes, of course. I'll leave you to it then." I got up from the seat and went back to sit next to Draco.

I was really going to have to start getting more into my mother's diary. There were apparently a lot of things I wasn't informed of. My father and Lucius Malfoy were friends...Really? That was just too weird to comprehend. I decided to put it to the back of my mind to think on later. I was very tired. I had only gotten about four hours of sleep, so I shut my eyes and tried to think of pleasant things.

---------------------

"Ray…Ray?" I felt someone shake me. "Ray?"

I opened my eyes one at a time to see Draco staring down at me. I shot up like a lightning bolt. "What? Do you need something?" I rubbed my eyes.

He looked at me with worried eyes. "Ray, go back to your dormitory. You look exhausted. You need to go and sleep in a bed."

"You want me to leave…"

He sighed in frustration. "I don't want you to leave, you need to leave. You need to go and get some rest. Madam Pomfrey said I would be out of here by tonight, so I'm fine. Go and get some rest, so we can have a little fun tonight." He smirked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not just trying to get rid of me?"

He laughed. "Yes, now go." I got up from the chair and leaned down to kiss him goodbye. He put his hand behind my neck and held me in place at his lips.

After a few minutes he let me go and I pulled back. I didn't know if I should say I love you. I was use to saying I love you to my father when we separated, but I wasn't sure if Draco was that type of guy or if he even knew what type of guy he was. I decided not to risk it. "Well…I'll see you later."

I turned and headed for the door. "Wait!" I turned to look at Draco. "Hand me my robe." I went over to him and handed him his robe. He rummaged through the pockets and brought out his wand. "Take this."

My eyebrows furrowed and my mouth fell open. "What? Why?"

"Has your Grandmother sent you a new wand yet?"

I bit my lip. "No"

He reached out the wand to me. "That's why."

"Uh…You're the one that got attacked, so you're the one that needs the wand."

He narrowed his eyes. "Just take it, Ray." A thought occurred to me and I laughed. "What's so funny?"

I continued to laugh. "I just realized that you've been calling me Ray and not Sonders."

He smirked. "Well, considering I told you that I loved you I thought the formality was no longer necessary. Now…Take the wand."

I sighed. "Fine" I took the wand from his hand and turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist.

I turned to see that he was smirking. "Aren't you going to thank me?" He pulled me down to him and roughly took my lips. He bit my bottom lip and let me go. "You're welcome."

I smiled and headed towards the door, but took one last look at Draco before I walked out.

When I arrived in my room I took out my mother's diary from my trunk and decided to read for a while. I was very curious about my father and Lucius Malfoy's friendship. My mother hadn't really mentioned my father a lot in her diary as of yet, but I was only half way through her first year at Hogwarts. I opened the diary to where I had left off and began to read.

--------------

Two hours later and I was still reading, having been engrossed in the diary. It had finally begun to talk about my father and I had been shocked at how my father had treated my mother. He had been a complete jerk. I found myself hating the man I was reading about until a realization hit me so hard that it literally knocked the breath out of me. He had been exactly like Draco. My father had treated my mother the same exact way Draco had treated me during my first year at Hogwarts. It was like reading about a totally different man. This was not the father I had grown up with. My father had been sweet and doted on me. He had been the perfect father.

I continued to read until I reached the end of my mother's first year at Hogwarts. My eyes were growing heavy and I knew I wasn't going to be able to stay awake for much longer. I shut the diary and returned it back to its place in my trunk. I laid down on my bed and let the sleep take me.

----------------------

I woke up a couple of hours later, safe and warm in my bed. I looked at the clock beside my bed and saw that it was almost time for dinner. I rose from the bed and reached under my pillow to retrieve Draco's wand, putting it in my jacket pocket. I ran my fingers though my hair to undo the tangles that had formed while I slept and left the dormitory.

When I walked into the Great Hall I saw Mandy already at the Ravenclaw table. I plopped down beside her and she turned to me. "Hi Ray. I was beginning to think you weren't going to come to dinner. You seemed pretty knocked out when I left the room."

"Yeah, I really needed some sleep after last night."

She smiled "So…How is Draco?"

I sighed. "I'm not sure. I haven't seen him since I left the Hospital Wing. He said he was supposed to get out tonight." Almost the instant after the words had left my lips I saw Draco enter the Great Hall with Blaise at his side. I felt my body instantly relax. It felt like a missing piece of me had suddenly found its way back to me.

They sat at the Slytherin table beside Crabbe and Goyle. I looked around for Pansy, but saw that she was no where in sight. I looked back at Draco and saw that he was looking right at me. He smirked and then went back to talking to his friends, his eyes leaving mine.

"I forgot to give you something." I looked back at Mandy. "When I sat down to dinner there was a note addressed to you on the table. "Here" She handed it to me and smiled. "I bet it's from Draco."

I smiled widely and opened the note. It read:

**_I'm watching you._**

A chill ran down my spine. This was not Draco's handwriting and I had a feeling as to who's it was…Stephen.

"Ray? Are you alright? You're as pale as a ghost." I handed her the note. She looked down at it and read. "Odd note…Kind of creepy…What's with Draco?" She looked back up at me.

I looked at her with terror in my eyes. "It's not from Draco…"

She looked down at the note and then back to me. I saw realization enter her eyes. "Stephen?"

"Yes" I put my hand to my heart to try and rub the anxiety away. "I need Draco."

------------------------

Draco POV:

I looked at Ray and saw that she looked worried. She was hugging herself and biting her lip. Our eyes met and I could see terror in her eyes. I felt myself rise from my seat.

"Where are you going?" I looked down to see that Blaise was looking at me with a questioning look.

I sat back down, my eyes going back and forth between Blaise and Ray. "No where…" I ran my hand through my hair. I wanted to go to her so badly, but I couldn't with everyone around.

"So what was with you and the blood traitor last night? You two seemed pretty cozy on the dance floor and then you didn't come back to our room until late this afternoon. Where the heck were you?"

I had decided to keep the attack a secret. My father knew of course. He had been the one to tell me to keep it under wraps. The attack made me look weak. I had let someone get the better of me while my back was turned. "None of that is your business, Blaise. What I do with my time and who I do it with is of my own concern, not yours."

He raised his eyebrows. "Fine, sorry I asked."

I looked back to Ray and saw that she looked even worse than she had the last time I looked at her. I caught her eyes and quickly jerked my head towards the door of the Great Hall. She nodded and rose from her seat, walking out of the Great Hall without hesitation. I rose from my own seat and looked down at Blaise. "I'm not feeling well. I'm going back to bed." With that I walked out of the Great Hall.

When I was outside of the Great Hall I looked around and saw Ray at the foot of the stairs. After taking a quick look around to make sure no one was there but the two of us, I quickly went to her and kissed her lips. I pulled back to look at her worried face. "What's wrong?" She held out a shaky hand to me which held a note. I took the note letting my fingers linger on hers for longer than necessary and read the contents. I looked at her. "Is this from Stephen?" She nodded her head and I saw her eyes begin to water, a small tear escaping her eye. I leaned down and kissed the tear from her cheek, kissing my way to her ear. "Classroom" I pulled back and took her hand, beginning to lead her up the stairs.

When we arrived on the fifth floor I pulled her into the classroom we always used and shut the door behind us. I came at her and took her in my arms, rubbing up and down her back in a rhythmic motion. I was trying to be as comforting as I could, but I wasn't good at this sort of thing. I had no idea how any of this was suppose to work. Did I tell her that I loved her even though she already knew? Were you supposed to do that sort of thing or did you only say it once and that was the end of it?

I looked down at the girl in my arms and saw that she was breathing easy, her eyes closed and her face smoothed of all worry. I must have been doing something right. I leaned down and kissed the top of her head, smelling the intoxicating scent of her hair. I began to feel my body want her. I had to get a grip on myself. She didn't want me right now and I certainly didn't need to push the issue. She was upset and I was supposed to be comforting her not groping her.

---------------------------

Ray POV:

I wanted him and I was getting frustrated at him for not trying something. He always tried something. Hell, he had asked me to kiss him when he could barely move in a hospital bed, so why wasn't he trying something now.

He had finally said I love you, but now that I had him emotionally he wasn't giving me him physically. I pulled back a little so that I could run my right hand up his chest. I heard his breath hitch and I couldn't help but to smile. If he wasn't going to try something then I was. I pulled back completely to look into his eyes. I could tell that he was trying extremely hard not to attack me. His eyes had a frantic edge to them and his hands were balled up into fists. I had no idea why he was holding back, but I was going to take the situation into my own hands. I put both of my hands on his chest and lightly ran my hands down until I reached the top of his pants. I grabbed the bottom of his shirt and began to pull it from his pants.

When the shirt was completely untucked I looked up at him and saw that he was smirking. "Please…continue."

I bit my lip and looked at his tie. I brought my hands up and began to undo the knotted fabric. After it was untied I slipped it from around his neck and dropped it to the floor. I started to unbutton his shirt slowly, revealing his smooth pale skin. When I undid the last button I put my hands inside his shirt around his waist and brought my face into his chest. I started kissing the soft skin while running my hands along his bare back. I heard him give a frustrated sounding moan and I suddenly felt him start to walk forward, bringing my back against the wall.

He roughly grabbed my arms from around his waist and pinned them on the wall on each side of my head. He put his forehead to mine and looked at me intensely. His eyes looked like they were on fire. "Don't start something you can't finish."

I smirked and closed the gap between us, taking his lips. He took my bottom lip into his mouth, sucking until I felt a strange mix of pleasure and pain. My heart was beating so fast that it was becoming hard to breath. He pulled back from my lips only to move to my neck. A moan escaped my lips. "Draco, let go of my hands. I want to touch you."

He nipped my neck and pulled back to look at me. He smirked. "You want to touch me?"

I tried to free my arms from his hold, but he held them too tightly. "Yes" I whined.

He slowly let go of my arms and put his hands on my waist. "Better?"

I smiled. "Uh huh" I put my right hand on his chest and traced little patterns on the smooth skin with my fingers.

He shut his eyes. "I want you." I leaned into him and began to kiss his chest, slowly making my way to his neck. He cleared his throat. "Ray?"

I continued to kiss his neck. "Yes?"

"I want to give you something."

I pulled back and smiled up at him. "Really? What?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny black box. "I had this made for you."

I raised my eyebrows. "When?"

He smirked. "A while ago, I was planning to give you this in hopes that you would keep snogging me, but there's no reason you can't still have it just because I love you now."

I lightly laughed. "What interesting logic, Draco." He handed me the box and I slowly opened it. I gasped when I saw the contents of the box. It was a necklace in the shape of a circle with green and blue liquid moving in a circular motion around each other, never touching. I looked up at him. "It's beautiful."

"Put it on and I'll show you how it works." I raised an eyebrow, but did as he said. I put the delicate silver chain around my neck and watched the beautiful pendant fall perfectly between my breasts. I looked up at him and saw that he was smiling. He leaned down and kissed my lips gently. He lingered there rubbing his lips against mine for a few seconds before he pulled back. "Look at the necklace."

I took the necklace in my hand and brought it up to my face. The green and blue liquid like substances were beginning to mix, creating a turquoise color. I smiled and looked up at him, dropping the necklace so that it fell back in place.

This felt right to me, being here with him. It finally felt good and complete. There was no longer any question of how he felt about me. Yes, there were still things we would have to work through, like his father, but for now this was enough. I looked into his eyes and felt like melting to the floor. "Can I…say that I love you?"

He raised both of his eyebrows. "Why would you think you couldn't?"

"I don't know…I don't want to…scare you off."

He laughed. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." He leaned down and kissed my lips gently at first, but as the kiss continued became more fervent. He ran his tongue over my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I allowed him in and our tongues began to battle for dominance. I loved the taste of him. His mouth was like my favorite candy that I could never get enough of. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, trying to deepen the kiss even more.

I felt him start to run his hands down my sides until they rested on my hips. He left my lips and kissed down to my neck, leaving little bite marks along the way. I moaned and felt his hands grip my hips tighter. His right hand started to move up my hips until his hand reached the bottom of my shirt. I felt his hand start to move under the fabric and I jumped, but found myself not stopping him.

He stopped moving his hand when he reached my stomach. He kissed to my ear. "Relax, Ray." He sucked on my earlobe and whispered again. "Just relax."

I took in a shaky breath. "OK"

His hand began to move farther up my shirt, lifting it from my skin. I felt the air hit my bare stomach and felt a chill run through me. My body began to shake and it was becoming very difficult to get a good breath. I was so nervous that it was becoming difficult to stay on my feet.

He stopped his hand when he reached the bottom of my bra and pulled back from my neck to look at me. He kept his right hand in place under my shirt, but brought his left hand up to run his fingers through my hair. "Do you want me to stop?" He didn't look angry or put out. He looked genuinely concerned.

I took in a sharp breath. "Yes"

He removed his hand quickly and kissed my lips. "It's alright, Ray."

I bit my lip. "I'm sorry. I'm just not ready to go that far."

"Come here" He took me in his arms and switched our positions so that he was the one against the wall. He started to slide down to the floor with me still tightly in his arms. When we reached the floor he sat, his back against the wall with his legs straight out. He placed me so that I was sitting on his lap and put his hand on my head, bringing my head down to lay on his bare chest. He began to stroke my hair. "This right here is enough…" He paused and kissed my forehead. "For now"

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Term begins. Stephen finally shows himself. Draco and Ray's secret relationship continues, but something bigger than the both of them may get in the way of their new found love. The diary reveals a terrible fact.

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**AN: **Please review. You guys are keeping me very motivated with the reviews ;). Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. I'll update as soon as I can. You guys ROCK!


	15. What's Real and What's Not

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter

**AN**: I want to say sorry for taking so long to update. Thank you so much for sticking with me and for the encouragement. I had some family and school things going on and this story had to take a back seat to those things. Anyway, Here is the next chapter. I'll try not to go away again for such a long time.

* * *

**_One Day before First Day of Term:_**

Ray POV:

For now…That's all I had been thinking about for two weeks. Was there some kind of time limit I was under? What exactly did that mean? Would he leave me if I didn't let things get more physical? I didn't know what to do. I certainly wasn't ready to get more intimate, but I wasn't willing to lose him either.

Draco was the perfect boyfriend. There was no denying it. I had never felt so spoiled in my life. He gave me flowers, jewelry, candy, but the thing I really wanted was simply him, and he gave that as well. He never denied me time with him. He gave me everything I wanted, but that wasn't the only thing that made him perfect. He loved me. There was no doubt in my mind. He could make me feel like I was the only person in the world, like there was no one but the two of us. Yes, we were sneaking around, but it actually wasn't as difficult as one might think.

During the break it had been extraordinarily easy to see each other. We spent most of our time in the empty classroom on the fifth floor. We would spend hours kissing, touching, and simply holding each other. It was pure heaven. We would also talk, a lot. That had been a big change for us, the talking. I hadn't noticed before, but we had never really held a serious conversation, but to my surprise we were quite good at it. Talking to him was like talking to myself, like talking to a part of me that wasn't necessarily attached, but was just as vital to me as any other part.

We could talk for hours on end about anything. The more I got to know him, the real him, the more I felt myself fall deeper in-love. There was just one thing I was still having difficulty with and that was trusting him. He had lied to me so many times that it was hard to believe him about anything. Yes, I knew he loved me, that I felt, but as far as anything he told me, I always found myself second guessing him.

* * *

Draco POV:

I wanted Ray. It's all I could think about. Yes, I had her, but I wanted more of her. I wanted her completely, in every way. It was becoming very difficult for me to be understanding about her reservations to get more physical with me. I didn't understand it. I had said I loved her. What more did she want? What could I give her to make her trust me enough to let me have her the way I wanted?

For the last couple of weeks I had spoiled her, given her everything she could possibly want or need. I had given her flowers, jewelry, candy, but the thing she had really wanted I had gladly given. All she had ever really asked for was me, the other things were just things I felt I was supposed to do. I had no idea how this boyfriend thing was suppose to work. I had never had a real girlfriend, or at least not one that I liked, much less loved. I wasn't quite sure how the mechanics of it went. How did you treat someone you really loved? I loved Ray. There was no way around that fact and I was beginning to get use to the idea. It was becoming easier to admit to myself that I had fallen for a blood traitor. It felt as though she completed me, like she was a part of me. The next day school would start and it would become more difficult for Ray and I to see each other, so tonight I was going to make sure I had my fill of her.

* * *

Ray POV:

After dinner I headed to the empty classroom like Draco and I had planned. I made it to the fifth floor when I felt that someone was watching me. I placed my hand on my new wand and looked around. I saw nothing. Perhaps I was just being paranoid. I hadn't really seen Stephen a lot during the break. He had rarely come down to dinner and I never saw him walking in the corridors. I didn't know if he was trying to give me a false sense of security, but he was greatly wrong if he thought I was going to let my guard down for even a second.

I heard something behind me and I drew my wand, pointing it at the source of the noise. It was Draco standing there with his hands up and a smirk on his face. "Trying to kill me now, Ray? Already sick of me?"

I let out a sigh of relief and put my wand back in my pocket. "You should know better than to sneak up on me. I could have really hurt you."

He just stood there staring at me, a smirk on his perfect pale face. "Yes, exactly, you could have really hurt me." He began to walk towards me. "I think you owe me an apology."

I smiled and kissed his cheek when he reached me. "I'm sorry"

He had a calculating look on his face. "I'm afraid that's not good enough."

I raised my eyebrows. "What do you want?"

He took me by the waist and pulled me into the empty class room, shutting the door and putting me up against the wall. He roughly took my lips and I happily let him. If this is what he wanted for an apology I was going to have to think of more ways to offend him.

He kissed me deep and hard. I couldn't think straight. All I could feel and think about was how his tongue was pleasuring my mouth. I barely even registered that he was unbuttoning my shirt. However, I did notice when he tried to unsnap my bra. I squirmed in his arms. "Draco, don't"

He slowed in his movements, but didn't stop. He kissed to my ear and whispered. "Shh…just relax." He kissed my cheek and finished unsnapping the fabric. I jumped, but he held me firmly against the wall. "Just relax, Ray. I love you…Don't you trust me?" That was a low blow on his part, but it did make me let him continue. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I didn't trust him and he knew that. He was taking advantage of my insecurity and I knew it. He moved his hand to my bare stomach, sending a chill down my spine. "See…just relax and enjoy."

He began to kiss my neck while moving his hand over my skin. I breathed in deep, trying to relax myself. I felt myself begin to let go of all my reservation and the tension in my body. I shut my eyes and let him explore what he wished. I loved him and I was ready to let him go this far, but not any further. I wasn't ready to go any further, but I could give him this one thing. I let out a deep sigh and began to let myself focus on his roaming hands. His hands were so soft. I shut my eyes and imaged that silk was touching my bare skin.

What seemed like far too soon, he stopped his exploration and kissed my lips gently while re-buttoning my shirt. He was so gentle. I could tell that he was happy and pleased. I could feel myself blush as he finished putting me back together. He smirked. "Why are you blushing?"

I bit my lip and tried to avoid his eyes. "I'm not…"

He lightly laughed and leaned down next to my ear. "Yes, you are, Ray. Now…" He bit my earlobe, as he so often did. "Why are you embarrassed?"

I tried to take in deep breaths as he started kissing my neck. "Umm…You've been with a lot of girls…"

He stopped the invasion on my neck and grabbed my face to make me look him in the eyes. "What's your point?"

"It's just hard…knowing that I'm being compared to so many…"

His face turned hard. "When are you going to start understanding that there is no comparison? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to tell you how I felt?"

My eyes grew wide. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to upset you."

He narrowed his eyes. "When are you going to trust me?"

I sighed. "I'm trying…"

He put his forehead to mine and looked deep in my eyes. They had a definite edge to them. "Try harder." He kissed my temple and started to bring us down to the floor. We sat with his back against the wall and me in his lap, my head on his shoulder.

* * *

Draco POV:

I kissed her hair and gently held her close to me. She had finally let me explore her. I would have liked to have gone further, but I didn't want to push her too hard just yet. She was so innocent and I wanted her to remain that way. I wanted to be the only one that ever got to touch her. I hated the fact that she had kissed Michel. I had never felt so possessive over someone. I could kill for her. There was no doubt in my mind about that. That was why Stephen was lucky he hadn't tried anything. I was fully prepared to take him out and was practically begging for the opportunity.

* * *

Ray POV:

After leaving Draco I went back to my room. I lay on my bed and began to let my mind wonder back to the time I had just spent with Draco. I smiled and licked my lips trying to remember exactly how he tasted. I sighed in remembrance and sat up. I couldn't sleep. I took my mothers diary out as I did every night and began to read:

**_I never knew my mother. She died when I was only one. My father had rarely talked about her. All I knew was that she had been a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts. My father and I were very close. I could talk to him about anything and he was always there for me. He was the perfect father, the perfect man. __When I was a little girl my father would tell me bedtime stories, but out of all of these there was one that stood out. My father called it 'The Curse of Love'. He never read it from a book, but somehow always said the same exact words every time he told it. I heard the story so many times that I had it memorized. The story went like this: _**

**In the year 1642 there was a beautiful young witch named Gwyneth and a young wizard by the name of Alexios. They were both eleven when they met and hated each other from the start. **

**Alexios was a cruel and evil boy. He bossed everyone around and thought he was better than everyone else. Gwyneth, on the other hand, was a sweet and quiet girl, someone who always thought of others before herself and unlike Alexios, Gwyneth was special. She had a talent that all of the women in her family possessed. She could sense evil. She could tell if someone had evil inside of them or if someone had been touched by a great dark power and from the moment she had met Alexios she sensed a great evil within him. **

**The two met in the great wizarding school of Hogwarts. He was sorted into Slytherin and her in Ravenclaw. They were as different as different could be and the two truly hated each other. From the moment they met Alexios enjoyed torturing Gwyneth. He would taunt her endlessly. She didn't know how to make it stop, so she took his cruelty.**

** As the years past, the two began to feel more than just hate for one another. There was still hate between them, but somehow love had crept in. Alexios was no longer cruel to Gwyneth and began to truly love her. When they were fourteen the two began to love each other so deeply that they could sense how the other felt and always knew where the other was. They were soul mates. There was no other way to describe it. However, Alexios was still a cruel and evil young man, just not to his beloved Gwyneth. **

**When he turned seventeen he made his first kill. It was a muggle. Alexios had killed the poor man for no other reason than he had wanted to have a little fun. It had horrified Gwyneth, but her heart was in too deep to leave him. She wished with all her might that she could change him, but she knew there was no changing the darkness that resided in Alexios's heart. **

**Despite his dark ways the two were wed a few months later, after the two had completed their schooling at Hogwarts. Almost two years to the day they added a little girl to their family whom they named Rose. Even through all the happiness, Alexios still remained an evil man. He killed for fun and enjoyed every second of it. Alexios might have been cruel, but never to his family. He loved them dearly and that is why Gwyneth could not bring herself to leave him. They held such a connection with the other that it was almost certain that one could not survive without the other. **

**Six months after little Rose was born, Alexios was killed because of his cruel ways. He had been torturing a muggle when another wizard had happened by and had tried to stop Alexios. The two dueled and Alexios fell. When the beautiful young mother had been told that her husband had been killed and why he had been killed she felt herself die inside. She had fallen to the floor and was not able to move for hours.**

** In the weeks after, Gwyneth found herself pregnant once again, but this time she would have to go through it without her Alexios. She found herself cursing the day she had met him. She began to feel herself hate him for leaving her on this earth without him. If he had been a better man he would have still been alive. She could feel the hatred in her blood, running cold through her. She wanted to lie down and die, but she didn't. She wouldn't let herself. She had a life in her, a life that was a part of Alexios. **

**During the next nine months she took care of herself well, but still felt the intense hatred and heartache. Her blood ran cold within her and her heart had turned to ice. When the new little girl was born Gwyneth named her Elizabeth. Gwyneth could see Alexios in her. She had his eyes and his hair. Gwyneth could not look at the child without feeling sick. It hurt too much to see Alexios in the little baby's eyes. **

**Over the next year Gwyneth became sicker and sicker until finally, exactly one year after Elizabeth was born, she died. The town's people said that she died of a broken heart. Legend has it that the hatred she had felt while she was with child had been so great that it had cursed her very blood which she then passed on to the little Elizabeth. It is said that all the descendants of Elizabeth are cursed with Gwyneth's cold blood. The cursed blood is very powerful. It is attracted to pure evil and will make the owner of the blood very attracted to wickedness. That is the curse of Gwyneth's blood. It makes all of Elizabeth's descendants fall in love with men who are truly evil like her Alexios, but it will never be true love like the love Gwyneth and Alexios had. The two were soul mates, but Elizabeth's descendants are cursed to fall in love with whom ever the blood chooses and the men can not help but to be pulled in by Gwyneth's blood. **

**The power is very potent when they are eleven and can be so powerful that the evil boy might end up killing the girl because he will not be able to control himself around her. However, the blood also gives the owner a gift. It has the power to change the evil inside of the man they love just like Gwyneth had wished she could do for Alexios, but the blood comes with a very heavy price. One year after the owner of the blood gives birth to a little girl, after the curse has past on to the next generation, the owner of the cursed blood will die, leaving their baby girl to the evil man they had changed into the perfect male. A descendant of Elizabeth can not give birth to a boy. It is said that the descendants of Rose, Gwyneth's first child, was born with a way to break the curse. The only problem with this is that no one knows where any descendants of Rose are. After Gwyneth's death, the two little girls were separated. Now, every descendant of Elizabeth searches for a descendant of Rose in hopes of breaking the curse of Gwyneth's cold blood. **

_**During my first summer break my father told me that the bedtime story that he had been telling me for years was about my family, that I was a descendant of Elizabeth and that the mean boy I had met at school, Allan, was the one I was suppose to fall in-love with.** _

I was in complete shock when I read this. It explained everything. Why I loved Draco of all people and why whenever he started acting like he was going to hurt me that I felt a cold chill right before he stopped. It must have been Gwyneth's blood changing him like the story said. It also explained why I felt so uneasy around Harry. I must have been sensing the dark magic left on him by You Know Who, a talent that was apparently passed on. I really wished I hadn't read what I had read. Yes, it explained things, but it really put mine and Draco's relationship into perspective. I didn't really love him and he didn't really love me. It was this stupid curse. The problem was that it felt so real. I truly felt like I loved him, but according to the story…it wasn't real. I didn't know what to do. My mother had obviously accepted her fate and let the curse take her, but I wasn't so sure I was willing to do this. There had to be a way to change it. That is when I started reading more fervently. I noticed a small note at the side of the diary specifically addressed to me.

_**I didn't want to just accept my fate, so I went in search of a descendant of Rose. It took several years, but I finally found one who knew the secret. It is your choice on whether or not you chose to find her or not. Your father knows where she is, so if you choose to try and find her he will tell you how. After meeting her I found out there was no hope for me, but you might still have a chance. Seek her out.** _

The problem was that my father was gone and I had no way of getting that information. I vowed to myself that I would find a way, but until then I was keeping my newly discovered history to myself. Even though I knew our love wasn't real I still knew I wouldn't be able to stay away from Draco. I would keep this bottled up inside of me while secretly trying to find a way out of my family's curse.

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Things get messy when Stephen tries to hurt Ray. Ray begins to try and find a descendant for Rose.

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**AN:**

I'll try and update as soon as I can. The more reviews I get the quicker it will probably be. Don't worry. I haven't given up on this story, so I hope you all haven't either. **  
**


	16. Honesty is the Best Policy…I Think

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter

**AN**: Hello all my wonderful readers. I know it's been a long time, but I hope you all are ready for the next chapter! Much love!

**WARNING: **Sexual situation coming up.

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Ray POV:

The days went by fast and before I knew it the first week of school had past. I'd like to think I hadn't let on that something was wrong, but I could tell that Draco had noticed me acting a bit off. I tried so hard to act normal, but when you find out that you're basically being forced into loving the man you love, you are bound to act a little different.

Draco POV:

Ray had been acting strange all week. I couldn't figure out what was going on, but there was definitely something off about her. It had occurred so suddenly. I would repeatedly ask her what was wrong, but she just kept saying that it was nothing and that I shouldn't worry about it. I wasn't really sure what to do. I had never had to deal with this or care about things like this before. If any other girl had acted this way I would have chalk it up to them being psycho, but I couldn't do that to Ray. Something was obviously wrong and I was determined to get to the bottom of things.

We had planned to meet after dinner as usual, but I wasn't sure that I could wait that long. She had been acting distant from me and I couldn't take it anymore. She was in Ravenclaw tower. I didn't know how I knew, I just did. I had to see her.

I left my room and headed towards the Ravenclaw tower. If someone asked me where I was going I would say that I was going for a walk. Besides, no one had the right to question me. I am Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin prince, son of Lucius Malfoy. Just because I was in love didn't mean I was planning on going soft.

She needed to be taught who was the boss in this relationship and now was the time to do it.

Ray POV:

I was lying on my bed staring at the ceiling when I heard a loud pop. I bolted out of bed and began to look around for the source of the noise. "Miss. Ray?"

I looked down to see the familiar face of Dumby. I smiled warmly and knelt down to his level as I always did. "Hi, Dumby, is everything alright? Do you still like it here?"

He began to shake his head up and down. "Oh yes Miss. Ray. Dumby likes it very much."

"So what is it that I can do for you, Dumby?"

Fright entered Dumby's eyes. "Dumby has done something horrible! Dumby is very bad, so very bad!" He quickly snatched my shoe off the floor and began to bang himself in the head with it.

My eyes grew wide and I promptly took the shoe from him. "Dumby don't do that! Nothing could be that bad. Now, tell me what you did that was so horrible…and do it without the shoe this time."

Dumby shut his eyes and began to wildly shake his head back and forth. "Dumby made a mistake when he gave Miss. Ray her mother's book." Even though his eyes were shut tight I could see tears running down his face. "Dumby forgot…"

"Forgot what?"

He sniffed. "There was a page that Master had stuck in the book. It had fallen out on my way to give it to Miss. Ray. Dumby lost it and was too afraid to tell Miss. Ray." Dumby suddenly stopped shaking his head and moved to take something out of the rags he called clothes. He pulled out a piece of paper and held it out to me. "But Dumby found it today."

I took it from his hand and smiled at him. "Thank you, Dumby. It's OK that you lost it. The important thing is that you found it."

"Dumby is very sorry Miss." He began to hysterically cry.

I sighed. "Dumby, it is alright. Don't worry about it. OK?"

He sniffed a couple of times and wiped his eyes. "Thank you, Miss. Miss. Ray is too kind." With that he popped out of sight.

I sat on my bed and began to read the piece of paper that was obviously written by my father. I would have recognized the handwriting anywhere. It read:

_**Rose Clark - Urbania, Italy**_

I scrunched up my face in confusion. That's all it said? Wait…Was this the descendent of Rose my mother had found? But it couldn't be…How likely was it that a decedent of Rose would also be named Rose? I had to find out, but I had no clue how to even begin to check this bit of information out. I buried my face in my hands and began to rack my brain for an idea.

There was no phone number or address, so I would have to ask around to find this woman. It then suddenly occurred to me. I would wait until the end of the school year and then take a trip to Urbania. I would just ask around. Someone was bound to know who she was. I could wait that long…I hoped.

With that resolved I rose from my bed and began to walk down the stairs to the common room. Halfway down I saw Mandy looking up at me with frightened eyes.

She quickly made her way up to meet me on the staircase. When she reached me she leaned in and whispered, so that no one else could hear. "I was on my way back to the dorm when I ran into Malfoy. He looks really upset and he was headed this way. I ran back here when I saw him. He'll be here any minute."

I knew why he was mad. He had sensed my distance, but I wasn't going to tell Mandy that. I hadn't even told her about what I had read in my mother's diary. I wasn't going to tell anyone until I met this Rose woman.

I smiled to give her comfort. "I'll just go and meet him outside."

Her eyes widened. "Ray, I don't think you understand. I've never seen him look so angry and that's saying something considering we're talking about Draco Malfoy."

"Mandy, it's fine." I winked to lighten the mood. "I know how to handle him."

I began to walk past her when she grabbed my arm. "Just be careful, Ray. You might not be able to handle him as easily as you think."

I pulled my arm from her loose grasp. "I'll be fine, Mandy."

I heard her sigh as I made my way down the rest of the stairs and to the door leading to where Draco surely was.

When I made it outside into the corridor I saw no one. It was still a couple of hours before dinner and most people would either be in the library studying or in their rooms. I began to walk around wondering to myself if I really wanted to find Draco, but it didn't take long for me to find him.

He was leaning with his back against the wall, his arms folded and his head lowered to the ground. Without looking up he spoke. "Hello, Ray." His voice sounded so cold that I barely recognized it.

I gulped and moved slowly towards him. "Draco." I paused. "Mandy said you looked angry." I stopped several feet away from him.

He gave a cold chuckle still never taking his eyes from the floor. "No, not at all, Ray." I could hear the sarcastic tone in his voice. "Come here." I slowly began to move. "Faster"

I quickly made my way to stand in front of him. "Draco…" I trailed off when he started to raise his head to look at me. His eyes were on fire. If I didn't know better I would have sworn I saw actual flames.

He began to lift one of his hands to me and I flinched. "Ray, did you think I was going to hit you?" The hand he had raised went into my hair onto the nape of my neck and gently began to massage.

I didn't trust it. He was angry and I knew it. "Draco" He began to pull me into him until I was completely engulfed by his arms. I stiffened. He was up to something.

He moved his head to my neck and began to kiss and lick the tender flesh, but somehow this time felt different. My heart didn't stop like it usually did. My breath didn't hitch. If anything, I felt a little queasy. I didn't understand it. I tried to move away, but the hand that was on my neck moved into my hair and began to tangle its fingers through my strands. I suddenly felt the hand tighten and quickly jerk my head back with the handful of hair that had been collected.

I immediately brought my hands up to his and began to try and make him release me. "Draco?" Tears started to form in my eyes from the pain. "You're hurting me." I looked up into his narrowed eyes with a pleading face.

He quickly let me go and I began to back away from him. "You're not the one in control here." He scoffed. "I am."

I backed up as far as I could go until my back hit the wall opposite of the one Draco was now leaning against. I was scared. He had never acted this way before and for some reason Gwyneth's blood wasn't protecting me from him like it usually did.

He began to slowly creep towards me, making me feel like a gazelle caught in the penetrating glare of a lion. "Draco, please don't hurt me." I had to get away. There was no doubt in my mind that he would hurt me if I stayed. I took a deep breath and bolted to the right. I ran as fast as I could, hearing the increasing speed of the footsteps behind me.

I didn't look. I knew he was there. I could hear his heavy footsteps and his growling breaths, but then the footsteps gradually began to get slower until I didn't hear them at all. I slowed to a fast jog and chanced a look behind me. There was no one there. Suddenly I felt myself hit a hard object. I began to fall back, but arms caught me and held me in place.

I looked up to see Draco with a worried expression on his face. "Why are you running?" I began to struggle to get out of his arms, but he held me tight. "What's wrong?"

I jerked hard and was finally out of his grasp. I began to back up, never taking my eyes from him. "Stay away from me!"

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and began to move towards me. "Why? What did I do?"

I stopped in my retreat and stared him down. "How can you say that? You know exactly what you did. Not even five minutes ago you attacked me. Did you already forget?"

When he reached me he put his hands on my shoulders. I didn't back away because for some reason it felt different. I felt warm and safe. I was utterly confused.

"What are you talking about? I haven't even seen you tonight." He slowly brought me into his arms, kissing my forehead.

"But…but…you attacked me." I shut my eyes and sighed when his scent hit my nose. I moved in closer to him, putting my arms around his waist. A sudden realization hit me and I opened my eyes in horror. "You didn't smell the same."

"What?" He rubbed up and down my back.

I pulled back to look at him. "The person that attacked me…They looked like you, but…they didn't smell like you."

"What are you saying?"

My eyes grew wide. "I think someone might have used Polyjuice Potion."

Draco POV:

The thought of someone posing as me made my blood boil. I needed to find out who it was and fast.

I looked down into Ray's eyes and saw that they had begun to water. She was obviously trying not to cry. "Don't worry Ray. I'm going to find out who did this to you and make them pay."

"Do you think it was Stephen?"

I looked up in thought. "That is a possibility. The only problem with that theory is that the great ugly brut isn't smart enough to make Polyjuice Potion."

* * *

_**One Week Later:**_

Draco POV:

One week had passed and we had yet to catch the person that was posing as me. There had been no more attacks, but I was still on my guard. I had concluded that it must have been Steven, but there was no way to prove it, and besides, that wasn't who I was worried about. It was the much smarter someone who had to have helped Steven. It had to be a person that I was close enough to that they could gather some of my hair for the potion.

I had begun to find myself being suspicious of everyone around me, not that I had ever trusted anyone in the first place, but now it was worse than it had ever been. I at least knew I could still trust that Crabbe and Goyle hadn't done it. They were simply too stupid, but Blaise on the other hand had the opportunity and the means to devise something like this. The only question was why he would do it…

Ray POV:

The whole mother's diary thing had been put on hold for the time being. I was too busy looking over my shoulder to worry about the fact that my love for Draco was all an illusion. There was plenty of time to worry about that later. Someone was after me and I could use all the protection I could get. Our love might not be real, but I was planning on taking advantage of the fact that Draco would do anything to protect me. No, it probably didn't make me the greatest person in the world, using Draco like that, but desperate people do desperate things. I'm sure the proper thing to do would be to tell Draco what my mother's diary had said, but I was too afraid. Even if it wasn't real it still felt like it was and the thought of losing him was painful.

Draco and I had both decided that the attacker was Steven, but Draco was worried that he hadn't worked alone. The whole thing just made me sick to my stomach. I found myself not trusting anyone including Mandy. I was always afraid that it wasn't really her, so Draco and I came up with a plan to put me at ease. I gave Mandy and Draco a number to remember and before I would go off alone with them they had to tell me their number, so that I was sure it was them. Draco's number was 56 and Mandy's number was 47. For now those were the only people I felt comfortable going off with alone.

Draco POV:

It was time for dinner in the Great Hall and all I found myself doing was staring at Blaise. I suppose I thought if I stared at him long enough I could read his mind and find out his motives. I hadn't told Ray about my Blaise theory. I wanted to be sure before I made her even more paranoid than she already was.

Blaise raised his eyebrow. "Why do you keep looking at me?"

I quickly looked at my food. "What are you talking about?"

"You've been staring at me for the past twenty minutes and I can't take it anymore!"

I scoffed. "Don't be so paranoid, Blaise. I was simply staring at the hot girl behind you." Blaise turned to look. I was banking on the fact that Blaise pretty much found any girl that moved attractive because in reality, I had no idea who was behind him.

Blaise turned back to me. "She's a bit of a Doris, but I guess she's OK."

I gave an internal sigh of relief. The last thing I needed was for Blaise to think I was on to him and if it wasn't him I didn't want him thinking I was a headcase.

I spent the rest of dinner looking at my food. The more and more I thought about it the whole Blaise theory made no sense. He had no reason to do it and frankly he was too afraid of me to do something so foolish.

When dinner was over I headed to the empty classroom to meet Ray. We were still meeting every night after dinner, but something still seemed to be wrong with her. She was so distant. I'd like to be able to say it was because of the attack, but she was acting like this before the attack. I hadn't pushed her about it because I didn't want to stress her more than she already was, but my patience was about to run out. I didn't know how much more of her coldness I could take before I lost it. I didn't like to be played with and I certainly didn't like someone else having the control. It was time to take it back.

Ray POV:

On my way to meet Draco I began to feel more and more guilty about keeping my big secret from him. The attack was buying me time and I knew it, but I also knew that my time was running out. I wasn't going to kid myself into thinking I was acting normal with him. I was jumpy when he touched me and for the last couple of weeks it was taking him a long time to coax me into kissing him. It just felt wrong to be messing around with someone I didn't really care about, even if it did feel like I did.

I just had to buy a little more time, so I could figure this whole thing out.

I suddenly felt like someone was behind me. I turned to see Draco, but after the other night I felt no relief. "What's your number?"

He didn't respond right away, but as he got closer I began to smell his scent and my body relaxed. "56. You really should have run when I didn't answer. That wasn't very smart, Ray. You failed my test miserably."

"Honestly, I don't even know why you need a number. I can always tell it's you because of the way you smell."

"Yes, but by the time someone has gotten close enough to you for you to sniff them, it's too late." He was a foot away from me now, but he made no move to touch me. That's how it had been for the last couple of weeks, ever since I had begun to act different. He had sort of started treating me like a skittish deer he didn't want to scare off.

I reached up my hand and placed it on his cheek. He shut his eyes and leaned his head into my hand. "When was the last time you slept? You look exhausted."

He took so long to answer that I had begun to think he had fallen asleep standing up. He opened his eyes to look at me, but didn't move his cheek from my hand. "How can I sleep knowing someone in my room is taking my hair and making Polyjuice potion with it?"

I felt so bad for him. He had looked positively frantic all week. I had tried to ignore it because I knew I was probably adding to his stress by acting weird, but I couldn't deny it any longer. He was losing it and it was my fault. I felt an intense need to touch him and comfort him. I took a deep breath and decided that I was going to put my reservations about being with him on hold for the night. He needed me right now and in all honesty I needed him. I removed my hand from his face and took his hand. "Come on."

He followed me into the classroom and I shut the door behind us. He looked shocked at my, unusual of late, proactive move. "What are you up to?"

I let go of his hand and sat on the floor with my back against the wall. "OK, now come here." I stretched my arms out to beckon him to me. He sat down beside me, but far enough away that he wouldn't touch me. I frowned. "I meant come here as in my arms not the wall five feet away from me!"

His eyes grew narrow. "How was I to know? You've barely let me touch you for the past two weeks!"

I could tell this could quickly become an argument that would lead to me having to tell him what was going on. I had to put out the flame before it got out of control. If he wouldn't come to me then I would just go to him.

I scooted myself next to him. His eyes grew softer, but they still had an edge to them. He smirked. "Oh, so now you want me? What makes you think you can have me?"

He was being playful and that was a good sign. I gave a seductive smile and leaned my body into him so that my face was just inches away from his. "Well, I don't want to make any assumptions, so I'll just ask. May I kiss you?" I gave my own smirk and began to move in before he had time to answer. When our lips were about to touch he laughed and turned his head. The intense feeling of rejection washed over me. I wasn't sure if he was just playing with me or if he was serious. "Why did you turn away? Do you not want to kiss me?"

"Why would I? You've been acting weird for two weeks and now you just expect me to forget about it and pretend everything is alright?"

I sighed and moved away from him. It was time for some honesty. Maybe not complete honesty, but at least some. "Yes, that is exactly what I expect you to do because I need you right now and I'm not ready to tell you what's going on, but I will. I promise. You just have to give me a little more time, but right now I really need you and I think you need me too."

Draco narrowed his eyes and grabbed my upper arms pulling me on top of him where I was straddling his lap facing him. It wasn't exactly lady like considering I was wearing a skirt, but I was too focused on the hands on my arms getting tighter and tighter to worry about it. "So you just want me to act like nothing is wrong? I can't do that!"

I'll never be able to explain the feeling I had at that moment. I was so close to him that the need to kiss him became so great that I could literally feel every cell in my body begging for it. "Please, just for now…please?"

He loosened his hold on my arms and smirked. "So you really want me right now? What exactly are you willing to do to have me?"

Before I could think about the consequences of my answer I opened my mouth. "Anything"

"Just remember you said that." The hands on my arms moved to my hips and I felt myself being moved up and down on the spot between his legs.

Saying that the friction I was getting from his movements felt amazing would have been a gross understatement. My breathing started to become heavy and I couldn't see straight. I leaned into him continuing to let him move my hips. "Now can you kiss me?"

Without saying a word he grabbed the back of my neck with his right hand, keeping his left firmly on my hip. He pulled me into him and our lips finally touched. I ran my hands through his hair as the ecstasy of the situation took over every part of my brain that could think.

A flash of my mother's diary entered my mind and I began to feel utterly sick at what I was doing. These feelings weren't real and if they weren't real then going this far was wrong. I pulled back from him and he froze in shock. My nose and eyes began to burn with the tears I was holding back. "I'm sorry. I can't do this."

I moved to leave him, but he quickly grabbed my waist and held me tightly in place. "If you leave we're through." He let go of my waist and took hold of my face. "Just go back to the way you use to be and we can be happy again. Why can't you do that for me? I love you. You said you loved me. I don't understand why you're acting this way."

Tears began to stream down my face. "Because none of this is real" I started uncontrollably sobbing.

"Ray, what are you talking about?" He pulled me into him where my head was on his chest. He began to stroke my hair. "Tell me what's going on. I can't help if you don't tell me."

I put my hands around him and squeezed so tight that I was afraid he couldn't breathe, but he just held me with equal strength. I buried my face in his neck and breathed in his scent. "There's something I have to tell you." My words were muffled, but I knew he heard me.

He kissed my hair. "What is it? Whatever it is I can fix it."

I shook my head frantically back and forth. "No you can't. Not this time. This isn't fixable."

He removed his arms from around me and moved to grasp my arms. He gently lifted me from him so that I could look him in the eyes. "You could at least give me the chance to try."

I blinked to get the tears out of my eyes and sighed. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

I got up from his lap and this time he let me go. "Why? Where are you going?"

I gave a somber smile as I felt more tears run down my cheeks. "I'm going to get someone that can explain it better than I ever could."

He looked up at me in confusion. "Who?"

"My mother" Before he had a chance to say anything else. I left the room and shut the door behind me.

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**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Find out how Draco feels about the diary and who helped Stephen. Most likely a time jump will also take place that will take us to the end of the year.

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**AN: **

Thanks for reading. I hope you liked the new chapter. Please review. It helps keep me going. I know I'm slow to update, but I always will. Don't worry!**  
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	17. It's For The Best

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter!

**AN:** Sorry it has taken me so long to update, but as I have said before I am in school, but I'll always update as fast as I can until this sucker is finished!lol. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy this extra long chapter! MUCH LOVE!

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Ray POV:

As I was walking to my room I began to wonder if I was too young to have an actual heart attack. My heart was beating so fast that I thought it might literally jump out of my chest. I didn't want to tell Draco. I wasn't ready to tell Draco, but it was too late to go back now. I had made my choice. I was going to lose him either way. He had been all set to breakup with me before I started hysterically crying. It was going to happen and I just had to accept it.

I had no idea how he would take the news. I was just glad I had Gwyneth's blood protecting me because I had a feeling that the next few hours were going to be violent ones.

* * *

Draco POV:

What did she mean by mother? Wasn't her mother dead? How could she go and get her?

I felt a strange mixture of confusion, worry, and anger. It was an interesting combination. Ray certainly knew how to drive me batty. Whatever it was that was bothering her couldn't be that bad. It couldn't be. Ray and I had gone through so much together already. I felt almost certain that we could conquer anything. I had never felt this way for another person and I wasn't willing to give that up. Yes, I had threatened to breakup with her, but I didn't mean it for a second. I was just trying to get her to go back to the Ray I wanted. I thought that if I scared her it would snap her back to her old self. I would have never guessed that she would react the way she had. There was obviously something big going on with her and I was about to find out what it was, but no matter what it ended up being I was planning on sticking around. There was no way I was going to let her push me away.

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Ray POV:

I had gone back to my room and retrieved the diary. When I arrived back at the classroom door I found that I couldn't move. I was actually so afraid I couldn't move. It felt like all the blood had been drained out of me. I'm sure if I had a mirror in front of me I would have thought I was staring at a ghost. All I could do was look at the door.

I was surprised when the door opened on its own to reveal Draco. He had a smile on his handsome face, I'm sure to try and reassure me, but his eyes had worry in them. "Ray, are you going to come back in or are you planning to set up camp outside the door?"

I took in a shaky breath. "Yes, I'm coming." I tried to move my feet, but they wouldn't move. It was like I was glued to the floor.

Draco sighed. "I'm sure you're working yourself up for nothing. I told you whatever it was that I will fix it."

That had done it. I could feel all the emotions I had been holding back come rushing to the surface. It was a mixture of anger, worry, and confusion. I could tell that whatever was about to come out of my mouth was going to be in the form of a yell, but I couldn't help it. "How many times do I have to tell you that you can't fix this? You don't even know what it is that's wrong! You can't fix everything with money, Draco!" I practically growled out his name.

For a minute I thought he might actually remain calm, but I couldn't have been more wrong. The few seconds before he lost it was like the calm before a storm, deafeningly quiet and terrifying. Without warning he harshly grabbed my wrist, pulling me into him. The sudden jerk made me drop my mother's diary to the floor with a loud bang that echoed throughout the corridor. "How dare you yell at me! Who do you think you are?"

I had two choices here. I could try and match his anger with my own, which would probably end very badly, or I could give in and let him vent all of his anger out without saying a word. I decided to go with the latter…at least for now.

He shook me. "Answer me! What made you think you could yell at me? Especially considering how you've been acting, Ray. I think I have been more than patient with you."

I took a deep breath and tried to keep my cool. There needed to be at least one relatively calm person in this conversation. "You're right, Draco. I'm sorry."

He looked shocked at my sudden calm. "That's it? No argument?"

I looked up at him and sighed. "No argument. Honestly, I just want to get this over with." I backed away from him and picked up the diary from the floor. "Let's go into the room before we get caught." I passed by him into the room. I turned to see him follow after me and shut the door behind him.

He looked at me with narrowed eyes. "Well, what is it?"

I shut my eyes and bit my lip. I'm not sure why, but I felt that it would be easier to tell him if I couldn't see his face. I squeezed my eyes shut as hard as I could and balled my free hand into a fist so tight I thought I might draw blood. "We're not really in-love. It's all some horrible family curse. Here…" I opened my eyes just long enough to look at the diary and turn to the place with the story. I shut my eyes again and held out the book to him. "Read it…it will explain everything."

I heard him walk towards me and stop when he reached me. I expected him to take the diary from my hands, but he didn't. He just stood there. Even with my eyes closed I could feel his penetrating stare. I chanced a peek by slightly opening one of my eyes. He had his arms crossed and a look on his face that said you're crazy.

I opened my eyes fully and practically shoved the diary at him. He refused to take it, keeping his arms perfectly crossed in front of him. I began to get angry. "Draco, take it. This is no joke."

He suddenly grabbed the diary from my hands and shut it. He threw it across the room where it landed face down in a corner. "You've finally lost it, Ray. Stop all this."

I felt myself begin to cry as I quickly ran to the diary. I sat on the floor next to it and brought it into my lap. I ran my hand across the old leather. "Draco, this is real. I'm not making this up." I looked up at him. "I know it sounds crazy, but if you would just read…"

He narrowed his eyes and came towards me. He sat next to me and held out his hand. "Fine, I'll humor you, anything to get you to act normal again." He took it from my hand and began to read the page I had indicated.

As he read I began to think of all the wonderful times Draco and I had shared. Yes, there were defiantly a lot of bad times, but we had a lot of good ones too. I would miss him, but I knew this had to happen. We couldn't be together. It wasn't real…

* * *

Draco POV:

As I read I could feel my heart breaking. I didn't know how, but I knew this was real. It all made too much sense not to be real. It explained all the weird feelings I had felt when I was angry at her. It explained why I could find her no matter where she was. It explained…everything.

* * *

Ray POV:

He shut the diary and looked at me. "When are you planning to start looking for a descendent of Rose? Or have you already found one?"

I was so shocked by his words that all I could do was stutter something incoherent. I had expected him to get angry or sad, something, but not this. He was…calm. "I..I..I…"

He looked at me with an expression so emotionless that it scared me. "Answer me, Ray."

I swallowed hard. "I think… my father left a note for me that said something about a Rose in Urbania, Italy. I'm planning on trying to find her at the end of the school year."

He looked away from me and looked down at the diary in his lap. "That's fine. I should be able to go with you then. I'll just have to make up a really good excuse so my father won't be suspicious."

My eyes grew wide and I looked at him with utter disbelief. "What?"

He looked up at me with an almost confused expression. "What did you not understand? I said I could go with you. Is that not what you wanted?"

I was so confused that I felt like I was in that muggle show Twilight Zone. "Draco, why would you go with me? Don't you get it? It's not real. None of this is real."

His expression suddenly turned to anger. "I'm not stupid, Ray. I can read. Did you think that I would read this and my feelings for you would just go away? It doesn't really matter if they're real. Real or not they're there and until we can break it they'll remain there."

He was right of course. I had honestly never thought about how he would feel after he read it. I figured he would be relieved that he didn't really love a blood traitor or maybe be so mad that he punched a hole in something, but I never considered this possibility. It never occurred to me that he felt he loved me so much that he couldn't leave me, even with this realization.

I felt so comforted that he was going to stick around that I hurled myself at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. I felt him place his arms at my sides and gently push me off of him. I looked at him with uncertainty. "What's wrong?"

"Ray, just because I'm not going to completely abandon you doesn't mean that everything is going to remain the same until we break the curse." He smirked, but not his cute smirk. This was a look that I knew all too well. A look that I had gotten many times before he admitted he loved me. "I mean…we can still have fun every once in a while." He brought his hand up to my neck and slowly ran it down to my chest.

I quickly backed away from him. "Why are you acting like this?"

He scoffed. "How did you want me to react, Ray?" All I could do was look into his cold eyes. "Now, this is how it's going to be. Considering that it's your family curse I believe that you're the only one that should be punished here. I've done nothing wrong, so why should I suffer? So…I will do whatever I please and you will also do whatever I please."

"What exactly does that mean?"

He continued to smirk. "Well, you can't expect me to be exclusive with you anymore, can you? I will have to have someone lined up for when the curse is broken, so I need to start getting on that."

I felt like crying, but there was no way I was going to do it in front of this Draco. "So…you want to see other people now?"

The laugh he gave was so cold I literally felt a chill. "No no, you misunderstand me. I will see other people. You, however, will remain faithful to me, at least until the curse is broken."

I was so angry I thought my head might explode. I roughly grabbed my mother's diary from him and rose from the floor. "Draco, if you're kidding you better let me know now before I say something we might both regret."

He got up from the floor and stood so close to me that I could feel his breath on my face. "Don't worry, Ray. I said we could still have some fun."

I screamed and felt myself slap him before the thought even reached my brain. "I'm so glad that this isn't real. I should have known all along. How could I ever love someone like you? You are scum, no, lower than scum. Don't ever speak to me again! Do you understand me? Don't even look at me!"

I turned to storm out of the room when I felt his hand grab my arm and pull me towards him. "That's fine, but I'm still going with you to see this Rose woman. I'm not leaving the whole thing up to you. You're not the only one that has to deal with this. Got it?"

"Fine, just let me go!" He released my arm and I left the room.

* * *

Draco POV:

After Ray left I went to the door to watch her walk down the hall. When she turned a corner and I could no longer see her I went back into the classroom and shut the door. I fell to my knees and screamed as loud as I could. The pain I felt was so overwhelming that I couldn't breathe. I refused to cry. I wouldn't cry. Malfoy men don't cry.

I had hated to say all those things to Ray, but it had to be done. We couldn't be together. Not after what I had read. If it wasn't real then what was the point of continuing? But I couldn't break it off. I knew the only way it was going to happen was if I made Ray so mad at me that she couldn't stand me.

If what the diary said was true, I was poison to Ray. A year after we had a child together she would die. I couldn't let that happen. Real or not, I still felt love for Ray and I would rather be miserable without her and her be alive than be miserable without her because she was dead. Just the thought of her being dead made my heart sink.

But how could this not be real? It felt so real. I had felt so empty before I was with her and now being without her I could feel the emptiness returning. In some ways it felt like an old friend coming back. It had felt confusing when I was with Ray. Like I was a different person, but now that she was gone I could feel my old self reemerging. I didn't understand how it could happen so quickly. It couldn't have been five minutes since she left the room, but to my heart it felt like an eternity.

I got up from the floor and brushed myself off. I realized that I wasn't over it. If anything I was greatly suppressing how I felt, but that was how I dealt with things. I would bury my pain so deep that it would never be able to surface again.

I still had every intention of going with her to see the woman named Rose. I wanted this curse to be removed and quickly. No matter how much a buried the pain I was still bound to want Ray. All I could do was try and stay away from her until the end of school. Then we could break the curse and I could have my normal life back, my life before I felt all of these foreign feelings such as love and devotion.

* * *

Ray POV:

I don't think I had ever cried so much in my life. As I was walking back to my dorm I could barely see through all my tears.

When I rounded one of the corners half way between the classroom and the entrance to Ravenclaw tower I saw Mandy. I ran to her and started hysterically crying. "It's over. We broke up."

She wrapped her arms around me and stroked my hair. "Shh, it will be alright. I'm here." She began to stroke my back and kissed my head. "Yes, I'm here."

Something felt very wrong and very weird. I quickly backed away from her. "Mandy?"

She laughed. "I'm sorry. Mandy's not here right now."

I gasped. "What…What do you mean?"

Mandy gave a chilling smile and took out a wand I didn't recognize as hers. "Let's see. First I played your boy friend, but that didn't work so well, so now I'm your best friend. Maybe we can have fun this way."

I took in a shaky breathe and found myself screaming Draco's name in my head, but I had a feeling that this time he wouldn't come. Why would he? He no longer had any reason to protect me.

I looked around me and realized that the Mandy impostor had worked it out, so that I was trapped in a corner. There was nowhere to run this time and the impostor had their wand out, so there was no point in trying to get mine. I wasn't that quick.

As the Mandy impostor began to get near me I felt myself slide down the wall. The only thing I could think to do was ball myself up into the corner. I knew it would do no good, but there was nothing else to do. I pulled my legs up to my chest and buried my face in my knees with my arms over my head. I began to cry and beg. "Please don't hurt me. Please, I'll do anything. Just please leave me alone."

"Drop the wand!" I quickly looked up at the sound of Draco's voice. He had his wand pointed at the fake Mandy who still had her wand pointed at me.

The impostor laughed. "You are so predictable Malfoy."

Out of nowhere I heard "Crucio", but it came from neither Draco nor the impostor.

Draco dropped to the floor and began to scream in agony.

At that moment something inside of me snapped. I no longer cared that the fake Mandy had her wand pointed at me or that there was someone else, I couldn't see, that was obviously capable of killing both Draco and I.

I grabbed my wand just as the fake Mandy began to say a spell. I yelled as loud as I could the first spell that came to mind. "Expelliarmus!" The fake Mandy flew back and hit her head on the adjacent wall, falling unconscious.

I looked over at Draco to see that he was still writhing in pain. I looked around me, but still saw no one. "Please stop it! Please! Whoever you are, please leave him alone!"

I ran to Draco's side, but he was thrashing around too much for me to take hold of him. It never even occurred to me that I was in danger. I was too focused on the man I loved being tortured. I would have rather it had been me.

I took my wand and started pointing in all directions while screaming "Expelliarmus" at the top of my lungs.

"What is going on here?" I turned to see Professor McGonagall with a face of pure shock.

I looked down at Draco and saw that he was now still…too still. "Draco?" I took his face in my hands. "Draco, open your eyes!"

I heard McGonagall gasp. "What happened here Miss. Sonders?"

I looked up at her with tears in my eyes. "I'll explain everything, but we have to get Draco to the hospital wing. Please." She looked over at the unconscious fake Mandy. "That's not really her."

Her eyes went wide. "What?"

_**

* * *

**_

**_Two Hours Later:_**

Ray POV:

Not too long after we all arrived in the hospital wing the Polyjuice potion wore off the fake Mandy to reveal a much disheveled looking Steven. When he finally awoke he was immediately taken to the headmaster's office. That left an unconscious Draco, a confused Professor McGonagall, and a very angry looking Professor Snape. Then there was me, who was left to try and explain everything that happened without giving too much away about Draco and me.

Snape cleared his throat to once again get my attention away from the sleeping Draco. "So let me get this straight. You were walking back from the library by yourself when you thought you saw your friend, who ended up being Mr. Steven Cornfoot. Then Mr. Malfoy suddenly appeared to try and stop what he thought was a fight between two friends and then…now stop me if I'm wrong." He was being sarcastic at this point. "You then think the invisible man used the Cruciatus curse to try and kill Mr. Malfoy?" He didn't even try to hide the grin on his pointy face. It wasn't that he didn't care about Draco; it was that my story, even to me, sounded bizarre.

"I never said the invisible man. I said I didn't see who it was."

Snape narrowed his eyes. "And how are we to be sure you didn't do it? Are we to just take your word for it?"

I stood up from the chair beside Draco's bed and stared Professor Snape down. "How could you even think that? Why would I do that to someone I lo…consider a friend." I was hoping that Snape was too angry to figure out what I had been about to say. The last thing Draco and I needed was a third party getting mixed up in the mess that was our relationship or lack thereof.

Before Snape could get in another word an owl came into the room through the window. It landed on Professor McGonagall's shoulder and dropped a note into her hand. After she had read the tiny piece of paper she retrieved some kind of treat from her robes and fed it to the owl. She looked up at me. "Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you immediately."

I instantly backed away to get closer to Draco's sleeping form and grabbed his hand. "I'm not leaving him." Both Professors looked shocked, but at that moment I didn't care. I had almost lost Draco and I wasn't letting him out of my sight.

McGonagall began to come towards me. "I'm afraid you have no choice."

I began to wildly shake my head back and forth. "If you want me to leave him then you're going to have to drag me there."

Snape stepped forward with his wand out. "That can be arranged."

"Now Now Severus, there's no need for that." I looked at the door to see Professor Dumbledore. "It's understandable if the child doesn't want to leave her friend. Now…" He looked at the two professors. "If everyone could leave us alone for a little while I'm sure we can get this whole mess all figured out."

Without a word, but not lacking in mean looks, Snape left the hospital wing with McGonagall not far behind him. Madam Pomfrey who had been in her office the whole time suddenly popped her head around the corner. "Do you need me to also leave?"

Dumbledore smiled. "No, you may continue your work in your office." With that she went back to her work.

When Dumbledore didn't start to immediately talk to me I decided to go back to what I had been doing the whole time before all the teachers started to interrogate me. I went to Draco's bed side and began to run my hands through his hair, with my other hand holding on tightly to his limp one.

Dumbledore finally spoke. "He will be alright. He just needs some rest. We do not believe he was exposed long enough to cause permanent damage and rest be assured, Steven will be expelled this time. Unfortunately, he is not giving up who his accomplice was."

Without taking my eyes from Draco I spoke in a soft tone, so as not to disturb him. "I don't care about Steven anymore. Who did this to Draco? I want to know who. I want to know first."

"Why do you want to know so badly?"

I sharply looked at him. "Because whoever did this is going to pay by my hands."

"Revenge never did anyone any good."

I gave a humorless laugh. "You think it is revenge I want? No, you're wrong. It's all about self-preservation. Whoever this nutter is, they are bound and determined to hurt Draco and me. I just want to get to them before they do anymore damage."

He sighed. "I will not allow violence in my school, but I do promise you this, I will make sure whomever did this is caught and punished accordingly."

_**

* * *

The Next Morning:**_

Draco POV:

My head felt like it had been bashed into a wall over and over again. I slowly opened my eyes to reveal where I was…the hospital wing. The night before came rushing into my memory. Someone had attacked me with the Cruciatus curse. The pain had been unbearable, but I'd have to say it was less painful than losing Ray.

Ray…just the thought of her name made me want to scream.

"Draco, you're awake!" I looked to the right of me to see Ray lying on the bed next to mine.

I scoffed and quickly turned my eyes to the ceiling. "What are you doing here?"

I heard her bed creak and knew that she must have gotten off the bed. "Do you not remember what happened to you? You were attacked."

I sharply turned to her to see that she was now standing over me. "I am quite aware of what happened, but that still doesn't explain why you are here."

She looked as though I had slapped her across the face, but I was too hurt to care. "I'm sorry…I just thought…You were hurt, I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Well, as you can see I'm fine, so please feel free to leave."

She stepped back. "Oh...okay…I guess I'll see you later then…" She quickly made her way to the door.

"Ray, wait."

She turned to look at me. "Yes?"

"I think we can skip the see you later bit, don't you? We both know that this is over, so let's not pretend like it's not. I say we just ignore each other until the end of the school year. Then we can go and break the curse." I hated to act this way with her, but it was for the best. She needed to hate me.

I could see tears begin to form in her eyes, but she turned away from me before they fell. "Fine, Draco. Whatever you say." With that she left the room.

This was for the best. I had to keep telling myself that. This is what had to be done.

* * *

Ray POV:

I knew Draco was right. We probably should stay apart, but I wasn't sure I could do it. I guess I didn't have much of a choice though. If he didn't want to be around me then I would have to stay away. I was just so ready for the school year to be over. Then we could break the curse and we could both move on with our lives.

_**

* * *

4 Weeks until End of School Year:**_

Ray POV:

I hadn't spoken to Draco since the day in the hospital. It had been the longest three months of my life. I had basically been hiding in my room the whole time. I would go to class and come down to meal times, just to grab something to take back to my room, but other than that I was in my room blocking out the world. I just couldn't handle seeing him.

Only twelve hours after I left him I saw him with Pansy laughing it up. It was as though our relationship had never happened. He had gone back to the way things were before we had been together in mere hours. I couldn't believe it. It was like our relationship together had meant nothing to him.

I didn't understand how he could have gotten over it so quickly. The curse was still in effect, so how could he just go about like we meant nothing to each other?

* * *

Draco POV:

The past few months had been excruciating. I had tried to put all my energy into going back to the way things had been before being with Ray. I had even gotten back together with Pansy. The problem was that I didn't know myself anymore without Ray. I felt like I was half a person, just walking around going through the motions of everyday life.

Sometimes I thought that maybe it didn't matter if it was real or not, that maybe we should be with each other and forget all about what we had read in her mother's diary, but then I would remember what else it had said. If we had a child together Ray would die within a year.

"Draco?" I opened my eyes and lifted my head from my pillow to see Pansy. I had been laying in bed a lot lately. I had no reason to be awake anymore. "What are you doing?"

I gave her the most annoyed look I could muster up, but somehow it felt empty as everything had recently. "What does it look like I'm doing? I was relaxing until you rudely interrupted me."

She quickly made her way to the bed and sat on her knees slightly bouncing up and down. "Well, now you're not. Why don't we have a little fun?" She leaned down until her face was inches from mine. "Sound fun?"

I turned my head away from her. "Go away, Pansy."

"Oh come on." She moved into me and began to kiss my neck. "I'm your girlfriend. Don't I deserve a little physical attention? You barely touch me. Let me make you feel good." She continued her attack on my neck with her mouth and tongue.

Everything that I had been suppressing came rushing to the surface, all of the loss, the frustration. I roughly grabbed her and forced my way on top of her, although, saying forced was a gross exaggeration. She was more than happy to have me on top of her.

She smiled. "Now that's more like it."

I practically growled and pushed her more into the bed with my hands on her arms. "You want some physical attention, do you?"

She looked up at me with horror in her eyes. "Draco, you're hurting me!"

I ignored her plea and moved my hands to her shirt. It wasn't that I wanted Pansy. It was more about getting some peace. Maybe if I had some kind of release I would feel better.

As I unbuttoned her shirt I could see the horror in her eyes be replaced by lust. "Oh, is that what you wanted? I didn't know you liked it rough." She batted her eyelashes.

"Really, Malfoy, This is what you have lowered yourself to?" I quickly moved off of Pansy and looked over my shoulder to see Nott standing just feet from the bed. I couldn't believe I hadn't heard him come in.

Pansy set up. "What is that suppose to mean?"

Nott smirked. "Just that Malfoy has certainly downgraded from his last girl."

Pansy sharply looked at me. "What is he talking about, Draco?"

I narrowed my eyes at Nott. "Nothing, Pansy. Leave us."

"But…I"

I swiftly looked at her. "I said leave!"

She huffed and whined as she always did. "Fine Draco Malfoy, but if you want to ever touch me again you better buy me something really expensive after this!"

Nott laughed. "I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you, Pansy."

She practically snarled at Nott and quickly made her way out of the room, buttoning her shirt in the process.

I looked at Nott. "So…you know about Ray and me? What do you want in exchange for your silence?"

"Hmm…Nothing really…well…" He crossed his arms in front of him. "There is one thing."

I got up from the bed and made my way to stand facing him, trying to make myself look authoritative. "What is it Nott, Money?"

He laughed. "Don't insult me, Malfoy. I don't need your dirty money. I want something much more…sinister." He smirked.

I narrowed my eyes. "Just spit it out already! I don't have all day!"

"You see, my plan didn't pan out as I had wanted. I really must be more careful who I choose to use as a pawn next time." I looked at him with confusion. "I had hoped that you would have figured out that it was me in the corridor that night. You truly are thick, Malfoy."

I grabbed my wand from my pocket and pointed it at him, he seemed unfazed. "It was you that used the Cruciatus curse on me? But why?"

"To get you and Ray back together. I knew it was only a matter of time before she showed you that damn diary. My thought was that if one of you was hurt that you two would stay together. I obviously underestimated your stubbornness and pride." He started pacing the room and looking angry, it was as if he didn't even notice I still had my wand on him. "There never should have been a diary. Not one other woman in that family had ever written one. Why did her stupid mother have to?" It was as if he was talking more to himself than to me.

I had never felt more confused in my life. "I don't understand. How do you know about all of this and why do you care?"

He suddenly turned to me. "It is my job to care!"

"I don't understand."

I could see the anger practically pouring out of him. "When you were reading that lovely fabricated story in the diary did you ever think to wonder what happened to Alexios's family? Did you even bother to think about them? Or were you only concerned for the poor little witch?

My eyes grew wide. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that my family is directly descended from Alexios's brother, Tommy, and that sweet little story in the diary is a lie!"

I felt like I had been hit in the gut with a ton of bricks. "What?" I lowered my wand and backed up until I hit my bed. I sat and looked at Nott with bewilderment.

He looked annoyed. "What do you not get, Malfoy?"

I rubbed my temple with my free hand. "Everything…"

"Fine, let me break it down for you." He sat on the bed opposite me and began to spin his tale. "The story in the diary is a lie. Did you ever think it was strange that it just said that some wizard killed Alexios? It was really Gwyneth. Alexios's brother, Tommy, saw the whole thing. Alexios and Tommy had been torturing some stupid muggle, but who cares, right? It was just some random muggle, but Gwyneth walked up on them and tried to stop them. Tommy was only 13 at the time and could do nothing to help his older brother. Gwyneth knew that Alexios would never hurt her and she took advantage of that. She killed him in cold blood right in front of his little brother."

"But she died of a broken heart. I don't think she would have killed him."

He scoffed. "I told you, Malfoy, it's all a lie. She didn't die from a broken heart. If anything she died from guilt or her karma took hold of her, at least that's what my family believes."

"If the brother saw the whole thing then why was she never arrested?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Who do you think they were more willing to believe, a 13 year old trouble maker or a well brought up woman?"

I was starting to get annoyed. "None of this explains why you want Ray and me back together."

"Ah, yes, and now comes the part about what I want for my silence. We wouldn't want your father to find out about your little fling with a blood-traitor." He smirked. "You see, I've been planning this for years, just as everyone in my family does. When Tommy saw that Gwyneth was going to get away with killing his brother he swore that he would get revenge. He just never imagined that Gwyneth would make it so easy. Once he realized how the curse worked all he had to do was make sure every descendant of Elizabeth had a child with the right man, and then they would die."

"But that was his family too. It was his niece."

He groaned. "That's debatable, but honestly it doesn't matter. Generation after generation of my family have made sure that the curse stays intact and I'm not about to be the one that stops the tradition."

I was angry now. It all finally came together in my head. He wanted Ray dead without getting his hands dirty. "What makes you think I would help you kill her? You must be crazy."

He laughed and got up from the bed. "They never found who killed her father, did they?"

My eyes grew wide. "It was…you?"

"Well, no, it wasn't personally me, but there are a lot of people in my family involved in this, a lot of powerful witches and wizards. Do you know how easy it would be to kill both your parents, your whole entire family?"

I smirked. "Do you think you scare me, Nott? If your family is so willing to kill then why not just kill Ray and get it over with?"

He took a step towards me with a gleam in his eye. "Because the curse is just so…painful. Whole families get destroyed and the death is so much more long and agonizing." I looked at him with disgust. "Don't judge me, Malfoy. You have your family traditions and I have mine."

"I'm not playing your game, Nott. I won't do what you want."

He sneered. "If I were you I'd start dusting off my cards. You and your family will be safe if you cooperate. We only kill if necessary."

I was beginning to get worried. He was clearly being serious. "Was it necessary to kill her father?"

"He got in the way. My family had known about the diary for quite some time, but as long as he didn't give it to Ray it didn't matter. However, we found out that he was getting ready to give it to her, so we had to take him out. We never could have guessed that he had given it to the stinking house elf."

I rose from the bed. "How do you know so much?"

He gave an evil grin. "I have eyes and ears everywhere."

"You can't honestly think you can threaten me and my family and get away with it, do you?"

He laughed. "Yes, actually I do."

"You have no power, Nott. You don't scare me. You can't do anything to me or my family."

I abruptly heard footsteps scrambling up the stairs. The dorm room opened to reveal a frantic looking second year whose name escaped me. "Malfoy, Professor Snape needs to see you right away. There's been an accident involving your mother."

As the second year quickly left the room I turned my attention to Nott with shock in my eyes. He was smiling. "This time it was only a little accident. Next time it will be much, much worse."

I narrowed my eyes. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

* * *

**Next Chapter:**

Draco and Ray leave for Italy. Will Draco choose to protect his family or Ray from Nott's evil plot?

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**AN:** I hope you all liked the new chapter. I'm already starting on the next one. Please review. It keeps me going. YOU ROCK!


	18. Together Again For The Last Time

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter!

* * *

**AN:** Here is the new chapter. I hope you all like it!

* * *

Ray POV:

It was the night of the end of the year feast. So much had happened I couldn't believe we were still having one. I suppose Dumbledore was trying to keep some sort of normalcy among the chaos. Cedric was dead and the students were horrified by the fact that the Professor Moody who had been teaching us all year was not Mad- Eye Moody at all, but some crazy Death Eater.

Harry only added to the terror when he revealed to everyone that it had been Voldemort who had killed Cedric. I knew it was true. I could feel it. There was something about the air that felt different. It was thicker somehow.

I was sure that Draco knew if it were true and perhaps my Grandmother as well, but she would never tell me. I hadn't quite fooled her into believing I was all for the pure blood stuff. I wanted to talk to Draco about it, but why would he tell me anything? He obviously didn't care about me anymore, maybe just some remnants of feeling because of the curse, but there was one possible way I could get it out of him. We were going to be taking a trip together the next week. Perhaps I could get information from him then. Of course I was assuming that he was still planning on coming with me. We hadn't spoken a word to each other since the day in the hospital wing. I didn't know if I should approach him to ask or if I should just wait and see what happened. I opted for the latter.

* * *

Draco POV:

The end of the year feast was the last thing on my mind. I had to choose between my family and Ray. How could I make such a decision? I couldn't betray my family and I couldn't betray Ray, but I had to choose or Nott would find a way to hurt them both. I suppose I knew what I had to do. I couldn't let anything bad happen to my mother.

I guess that was my decision. I would have to betray Ray. It's not as if I truly loved her. It was all a curse that was soon to be broken. Nott had said that I was welcome to break the curse as long as I got her pregnant first. If I did that then the curse would remain a part of her, but I would be released from my bond to her. I wondered if I would feel bad about it after the curse was broken. Did I have any real feelings for Ray? I wondered about that often. We had been together for so long, had gone through so much together…how could some love not have grown from that?

* * *

Ray POV:

The normally exciting feast was morose to say the least. Everyone ate in silence other than a few hushed whispers here and there. No one wanted to cut through the immense tension that had built all around the school. Dumbledore said a few words to the students, but my brain had long ago checked out and his words simply washed over me without penetrating my mind.

When we were dismissed I quickly made my way to the door. I was already packed, so my plan was to crawl into bed and sleep until the train was ready to take me back to London. In a way I didn't want to leave. Outside the walls of Hogwarts was reality, the reality of the curse and of the fact that somewhere out there Voldemort was lurking and everyone I would be around the next few months was connected to him.

Once I reached the foot of the stairs hurrying didn't sound so attractive anymore. Why rush? It would only make the next day come quicker. I slowly trudged my way up the stairs while the other students dashed around me. When I reached the third floor I felt a nostalgic tug at my heart and decided to make one last trip to the empty classroom.

As I opened the familiar door a sudden rush of memories flooded my head, wonderful memories of Draco and me kissing, of long talks and laughter.

"I have to say, being able to find you anytime I want really does come in handy." I quickly spun around to see Draco.

Even though every part of me wanted to hate him he took my breath away. No matter what happened between us I was pretty sure I would always find him extremely handsome. His stormy green eyes made my heart want to jump out of my chest and the thought of his hard smooth body hidden under his dark robes had my stomach feeling like a fire had ignited inside of it.

He smirked. "It's good to know you still want me."

His words brought me out of my stupor. "You certainly think highly of yourself. What on earth makes you think that I still want you?"

He kept the smirk firmly plastered on his face. "Perhaps it's the fact that you're practically drooling."

"Don't flatter yourself."

He laughed. "There's no need. You're doing it for me."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you want, Draco, other than getting on my last nerve, of course?"

"We need to talk about our little trip."

I sighed. "What about it?"

He began to walk towards me, but stopped in his tracks when I began to back away. An almost hurt look crossed his face, but it was gone just as fast as it had appeared. "I have told my father that you have a crush on me and have invited me on a trip. I of course played it off as though I was disgusted by the thought of being alone with you, but that it was to our advantage if I went with you so that I could pump information from you about what your father might have known. Even though I told him in the past that you know nothing he still believes that your father told you something. I guess my father's paranoia is playing to our advantage now." He seemed so proud of himself, like he had solved world hunger.

I rolled my eyes. "What makes you think that my grandmother is going to let me go alone on a trip with a boy she barely knows?"

He laughed. "Your grandmother would have you married off to me in a heartbeat if she had the chance. Besides, I have already sent a letter to your grandmother asking permission to take you on a romantic trip. I promised her that we would have separate rooms and that I would treat you with the utmost respect. She responded immediately saying how exciting it was and that she hopes you and I have the best time. You can almost hear the wedding bells chiming in her head." He began to hysterically laugh.

I scrunched up my nose and narrowed my eyes. "I guess you just figured everything out, didn't you?" He nodded his head while he continued his laughter. "You just forgot one little thing."

He stopped laughing and looked at me with confusion. "What?"

"Me, you pompous ass. I don't want to go with you anywhere, much less on a trip."

I could see anger enter his eyes. "I told you from the beginning that I would be going with you."

I scoffed. "Yes, exactly, you told me and never even bothered to ask. I don't even see the point of you coming. What real need is there? I can do this myself. I certainly don't need you."

He quickly came at me and backed me into the wall next to the door of the classroom. He put his hand to my throat in a threatening manner, but only had a gentle hold. "I'm coming with you and that is final. There will be no discussion on the matter. This is how it's going to be…period."

His threats no longer scared me. I knew for a fact that as long as the curse was in effect that he couldn't hurt me. "You're not my father. What makes you think I'm just going to do what you say? You have no power over me." The minute the words had left my lips I knew I was going to regret them.

He had a mischievous smile on his face. "Oh, really? I beg to differ." He leaned in for a kiss, but I simply turned my head away as much as I could considering his hand was still at my throat. He ignored the fact that I had turned away and decided to instead kiss and suck on my ear. The second he took my earlobe into his mouth I felt my eyes shut and a sigh escape my lips. I was disgusted with myself. How could I give in so easily?

He removed his hand from my throat and replaced it with his lips. He knew exactly where to nibble and suck to make me melt. It really wasn't fair that he knew all of my secret spots. In an instant I turned my head and had captured his lips with mine. I had almost forgotten how wonderful he tasted, mint with a touch of sweet. It was like my body had taken over and was completely ignoring the brain. In my head I was thinking about how bad of an idea this was, but my hands were practically clawing at him to bring him closer.

Before I knew what was going on I found that we had somehow managed to make our way into the classroom and shut the door behind us. I grabbed at his clothes for dear life trying to remove them. I had his upper part bare in a flash only breaking in the kiss to get his shirt over his head. It was like something had taken hold of us and would only be satisfied when we were thoroughly spent. He had my shirt off just as fast and was starting on my skirt when he suddenly stopped everything he was doing. He was like a living statue.

I backed away so I could look at his face. "What's wrong?"

* * *

Draco POV:

What was wrong? There was too much to even try and say. I couldn't do this. Not now at least. I knew I had to get her pregnant or the deal was off between Nott and me. I couldn't let him hurt my family, but I couldn't let this happen in an empty classroom on a cold dirty floor. When I had met up with Ray it had never been my intention to try and sleep with her. I had simply come to inquire about our trip. I had underestimated the hold that the curse had on us. The longer we were apart the want for the other only grew stronger, or at least that was the case for me, although, watching how she was so willing to give herself to me showed that she felt the same. When we had been together it had been like pulling teeth to even get her to let me touch her, but now she was more than ready to let me do whatever I wanted.

I looked at her and saw confusion plastered on her face. I sighed. "We can't do this."

She raised her eyebrows in shock and then quickly began to gather her clothing from the floor. "I …um…Yes, this was a very bad idea." She looked up at me and began to put her shirt back on. "An extremely bad idea."

She began to head towards the door when I grabbed her hand. "Wait, that's not what I meant. All I meant was that we couldn't do this here. Do you really want both of our first times to be in a dusty abandoned classroom?"

She jerked her hand back. "Your first time?" She laughed. "What a Joke! And don't even act like you care about what happens to me."

I narrowed my eyes. "You would have been my first and I do care about what kind of experience you have your first time." I figured that since I was trying to get on her good side that I should at least be a little honest about how I felt.

"You seriously want me to believe that you haven't slept with Pansy? The girl practically walks around with her legs spread open in your direction!"

I said the first thing that popped into my head. "I love you." That's all I said, just those simple words that would explain it all. How could I have slept with someone else when I was so in love with her? Even if it was a curse it still felt real and she should have known that.

It was like she could read my mind. I could see in her eyes that she understood what I had been trying to say. "You sure haven't acted like it lately."

I sighed. "I thought it would be easier for you if you hated me."

She looked down. "Well you were wrong." She raised her head and looked into my eyes as if she were actually looking straight at my soul. "It only made it worse."

My plan to get her in bed was panning out so perfectly that I almost couldn't believe it. I hated myself and was having to hold back the urge to vomit. "This trip should be a way of saying goodbye to each other before the curse is broken." I moved towards her and took her face in my hand. I wanted to tell her to run as far away from me as she could, but I didn't. "I want you to be my first. I don't care if I only love you because of a curse. I'm never going to feel love as strongly as I do now, real or fake." As the words left my mouth I knew I wasn't just trying to deceive her. I was speaking the truth.

"We would regret it the minute the curse was broken."

I gently kissed her lips and looked into her eyes. "Do you honestly believe that you will ever feel this way about anyone again?"

She put her hand on mine. "What scares me the most is that even if we do break the curse that I'm still going to love you and you won't love me."

"That's not going to happen. We were never meant to be together, like fire and ice." I just hoped with all my might that I was right about that.

* * *

_**One Week Later:**_

Ray POV:

It had been a week since school had ended. Draco would be meeting me at my Grandmother's house today and then we would be off to break the curse.

My Grandmother was practically glowing as she sprinted around my room to fill my bag with clothes that she found suitable. She was so happy you would have thought it was her going on the trip. Draco had been right. She would have married me off to him in a second if she had the chance.

I looked at my Grandmother. "I'm a little surprised you're letting me go on this trip unsupervised."

She looked up from my bag and gave me a wide smile. "Well, if it had been with anyone else I wouldn't be letting you go, but Draco Malfoy comes from a well respected family and he himself promised me that he would take very good care of you." She began to pack again, but continued her speech. "It's not as though you're going to be gone all summer. It's only a week and Lucius promised me that he would check in on you two now and again."

I knew for a fact that Mr. Malfoy would be doing no such thing. He wanted his son to get information out of me, so he was more than willing to give his son space to do just that.

I walked out of my room to leave my Grandmother to the packing. She wasn't letting me put anything I wanted in the bag, so there was really no point in me being in the room. I plopped myself on the couch in the living room and shut my eyes.

I hadn't decided if I was going to go through with having sex with Draco. He did have a valid point though. Even if I did fall in love again it would never feel this intense and powerful. That was the whole point of the curse. You were so in love that you didn't even care if you died for it. I doubted I would ever feel that way again.

I suddenly had the feeling that someone was in the room with me. I figured it was my Grandmother, so I didn't bother to open my eyes. It was only when soft familiar lips touched mine that I knew it was Draco.

When the lips began to pull away I jokingly whimpered and received a laugh along with more kisses. He began to give quick kisses all over my face as he tickled my sides. I began to laugh deep satisfying laughs. It had been so long since we had played like this.

"Now you two save that for the trip." We looked up to see that my Grandmother had walked into the room with my bag in hand, all packed and ready to go. She looked at Draco. "So what is your travel plans going to be? You said in your letter that you had everything taken care of."

He stood from the couch and straightened his black shirt before even meeting my Grandmother's eyes. You could plainly see that he thought himself better than her and that he found talking to her an unavoidable inconvenience. "We will be taking the Floo network to a family friend's home in Rome. The Churthill family, perhaps you've heard of them?" He didn't give her time to answer, but kept on with his explanation in a bored voice. "We will then take a Portkey to Urbania where I have made reservations at a hotel."

"I trust that this is not a muggle establishment?"

Draco looked insulted. "Certainly not, it is a Wizarding Hotel hidden by enchantments to keep the dirty muggles away."

Even though I knew all too well his views on muggles it still bothered me when he spoke of them in this way. He had gotten better at keeping his feelings about them to himself when he was around me, but he was clearly putting on a little show for my Grandmother.

They continued to talk, but I let their voices fade into the background. It was much more interesting to watch what they were saying with their bodies.

Draco stood tall, towering over my petit Grandmother. He had his nose up in the air and you could see that he was clearly talking down to her. My Grandmother had the same views as the Malfoy family and they showed her a bit of respect because she was a pure blood with influence, but she was no Death Eater and they had more money than her.

You could see that my Grandmother kept trying to make herself taller, but was failing miserably. It was so odd to see my proud Grandmother be put in her place by a fifteen year old boy. I would have felt sorry for her, but somehow I didn't. I somewhat loved my Grandmother even though she talked so horribly about my mother. After all, she was family, but it was nice to see her knocked off her high horse for once.

Draco turned to me and the pompous attitude that he had given my Grandmother melted away. It was like he had turned into a different person, but that was his specialty. I had never met someone with so many different personalities. He always customized it for whomever he was around. His favorite seemed to be the one my Grandmother had just met, but my favorite was the one I received. He smiled at me. "It's time to go."

I said goodbye to my Grandmother and stepped into the fireplace with Draco. Draco took a deep breath and lifted the floo powder in the air. "Churthill mansion!"

With those simple words we were off in a frenzy. Fireplace after fireplace passed us by in a flash. I had only ever used the Floo network once and I had hated every second of it. It was dizzying and made me sick to my stomach. I shut my eyes and held on to my bag for dear life.

"We're here." I opened my eyes one by one to see Draco looking at me with amusement. "Not a fan of the Floo network I see." He put out his hand for me to take. "Neither am I, but it's one of the only way underage wizards can get around."

I took his out reached hand and looked at my surroundings as he led me into the grandiose room the fireplace was connected to. Malfoy Manor was nothing compared to this place. It seemed like every piece in the room had some kind of silver embroidery and the place was massive.

The room was a dark green with silver borders leading to a black marble floor. The huge couch was the same color as the floor and would have been easy to miss if it hadn't have been for the silver etchings of snakes on the arms. The rest of the furniture was simply silver with elaborate snake carvings. It was where I would imagine the king of the snakes would live if there was such a thing.

Draco looked at me trying to read my reaction. "So what do you think?"

I looked at him and lifted my eyebrow. "It looks like Slytherin through up in here."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Well get use to it. We will be staying here for the night."

"Why can't we just go to Urbania? I don't understand why we even came here…"

He sighed and led me to the couch. "Rome is the only place that has a Portkey to Urbania and these are the only pure blood family we know here. It's only for one night."

A thought occurred to me and I began to look around. "Where are the Churthills?"

He suddenly had a confused expression and began to look around as well. "I don't know. They knew we were coming. I expected them to be here when we arrived."

An abrupt pop brought us both out of our confused state. We both looked down to see a house elf that had definitely seen better days. I hated to see mistreated house elves.

It looked up at us with a nervous smile. "Hello, Ms and Sir, I am Rumbee, the Churthill's house elf." I wasn't certain, but I was pretty sure it was a girl elf.

Draco immediately stood and I could see that he was about to say something cruel to the poor little house elf, so I did what I thought necessary.

I stood as well and in the process pushed Draco down to the couch by swiftly shoving him back with my left arm. I heard the thud of his body hit the sofa and did all I could to suppress a laugh. I was fully aware that if he had even been remotely paying attention to me that I would have had no chance at moving him, but his guard had been down, so I took the opportunity to save the little house elf from Draco's wrath.

Amazingly Draco didn't say a word to me after he was forced to take a seat. All I heard from him was the occasional moan and groan. He had been trying so hard lately not to upset me and I was beginning to wonder why.

I put that thought aside for later and focused my attention on Rumbee. I knelt down so that I was eye level to the elf. "Hello, Rumbee. Where are your Masters? They were supposed to be here when we arrived."

The elf began to feverishly nod its head up and down. "Yes, yes, they were. That is why Rumbee was to wait on you to tell you where they had gone."

Draco finally chimed in with an annoyed voice. "Then tell us where they are you stupid elf!"

The elf looked around and hugged itself tightly. It leaned in and barely spoke in a whisper. "He called for them."

The way the elf had said He made my skin crawl. There was only one He that could provoke such fear, Voldemort. I looked at Draco and saw that his face showed no surprise which meant that he had known that the story Harry had told was true.

Draco looked at the elf as though it had just said dinner will be on the table in ten. "When do you expect their return?"

It was plain to see that Rumbee was increasingly getting nervous. "Men in black robes, Death Eaters sir, came and took them. They said that Masters had betrayed their lord and that they must pay."

My breath caught in my throat and I found myself subconsciously getting closer to Draco's legs. I got up from the floor and sat so close to Draco that I was practically on top of him. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me the rest of the way onto his lap.

Rumbee looked up at the two of us and handed Draco a letter. As he read he held the paper at an angle so that I couldn't see the writing. When he was done he handed the letter back to Rumbee. "Get rid of this and leave us." With that the elf disappeared.

I shifted in Draco's lap so that I could look at him. "What was in the letter?"

He stroked my hair and coldly smiled. "It was from my father. He was one of the Death Eaters who came to get the Churthills. He apologized for not knowing that he had sent us off to stay with traitors and said that we were still welcome to stay here because the Churthills would not be coming back. "

My eyes grew wide. "What do you mean they won't be coming back?"

"They are most likely already dead as we speak."

My breath hitched. "Draco…I'm scared."

He put his hand behind my head and pulled it down so that my head was resting on his shoulder. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"You can't promise that." I lifted my head to look at him. "We both know that I'm probably not exactly on Voldemort's favorite list."

Draco quickly put his hand to my mouth almost knocking me back in the process. "Never speak his name! Do you understand me?"

I nodded my head frantically and he removed his hand. "Why not?"

"You will respect him by calling him the Dark Lord. Do you understand?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "That's what the Death Eaters call him. I'm no Death Eater and I refuse to respect a murderer."

I could see his anger growing and was waiting for the explosion when he did the strangest thing. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes he looked calmer. "That's fine. You don't have to respect him, but do not disrespect him and be smart enough to fear him."

"Oh don't worry. I have plenty of fear. Draco…Can I ask you something?"

He raised his eyebrows. "What?"

I bit my lip and looked at him with pleading eyes. "I know you believe in all this pure blood stuff, but…you wouldn't become a Death Eater, would you?"

I saw that he was trying to figure out what he should say. I could virtually see the wheels turning in his head. "Let's not worry about that now. Hopefully in a week you won't even care anymore."

I brought my hand up and ran my fingers through his hair. "No matter if this curse is broken or not there will always be a part of me that cares for you. I just…I just don't want you to get hurt…"

He leaned up and kissed my lips. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

* * *

Draco POV:

I of course was planning on one day following in my father's footsteps, but I couldn't let her know that. All that would accomplish was her worrying and there was no need for that. Besides, by the time I would be old enough to take my place beside the Dark Lord she would no longer be in my life.

This was not a good subject to be on. I was supposed to be seducing her and all I seemed to be doing was upsetting her. That's why I hadn't snapped at her for disrespecting the Dark Lord. I had to remain on her good side or she would never give herself to me. This trip was the best opportunity to get her pregnant before the curse was broken.

I looked at her and smiled. "Would you like to see our room?"

She cocked her eyebrow. "Room, as in one single room?"

I smirked. "Yes, of course."

She lightly giggled and smirked right back. "I don't think so. At least not tonight, okay?" Her smile suddenly faded and she began to look nervous. "And I don't want my first time to be in a place that belonged to someone who was just killed like twenty minutes ago."

"That's reasonable enough." It was understandable and there would be plenty of opportunities besides this one. "I'll show you to our rooms now." I emphasized the plural of rooms.

* * *

Ray POV:

The place by far was the weirdest house I had ever been in and that was saying something. My father used to have this friend that had been a Gryffindor in school and insisted on having real lions in the front yard. Although, come to think of it, I suppose I should have been glad there were no real snakes roaming around.

As Draco led me up the stairs the darkness of the place really hit me. All of the walls were either black or dark green and seemed to suck any light that might peek through the window right out of the room. Even though I was going up the stairs I felt as though I was walking into a dark basement.

We ascended the stairs in complete silence, although, I could tell that Draco was gauging my reaction to the place. It almost seemed like he liked the fact that I was a little freaked out. When we reached the top of the stairs more dark walls stared me in the face except that this time they were accompanied by a very under lit hallway.

I looked at Draco. "Are there no proper lights in this place?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. This is how it's always looked when I've been here. Has a sort of mysterious feel, don't you think?" He smiled like a toddler that had just been handed a lollipop.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yes, real mysterious…or creepy, weird, and psychotic looking, but I suppose mysterious works."

He laughed and continued to lead the way down the hallway. When we reached a wooden door at the end of the dark abyss Draco stopped and looked at me. "This is your room and mine is right there." He indicated the door adjacent from mine. He smirked. "Feel free to drop by if you get scared.''

At that moment I knew exactly why he had looked so happy at my frightened state. I politely smiled, but inside I wanted to kill him for bringing me to this place. "I'm sure I'll be just fine Draco."

He smiled, but had a mischievous gleam to his eyes. "Good." He paused and looked at his watch. "Well, I'm sure you want to change into something more appropriate. Dinner should be soon."

I looked down at myself and tried to figure out what was apparently so inappropriate about my attire. I was in my skinny jeans, a red t-shirt, and flip-flops with my hair in a ponytail, although, some of it had fallen down into my face. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing? It's not like we're going to a dinner party. It's just us two."

"Look at me and then look at you." His tone wasn't condescending or patronizing, just matter of fact.

I looked at him and saw that he was in his usual dark clothing, but as I began to look past the fact that they were just dark I began to see his point. He was in nice black dress slacks with a black silk button up shirt. His shoes were perfectly polished and his hair fell flawlessly around his ears and eyes.

In a way I wanted to cry. I had to have been kidding myself to think that we had looked even remotely good together. I wasn't one to have low self-esteem, but in comparison to the perfection I was looking at I had to have looked like a bag lady on the street with her cart full of rags.

He obviously saw my distress because he took me into his arms and began to rub my back. "I like the way you look. All I meant was that this week might be our last time together and I want it to be special."

I really wasn't upset enough to have him be comforting me to this extent, but I loved him holding me so much that I sort of milked it for all it was worth. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my head in his neck so that I could smell his cologne.

He smelled heavenly and I could immediately feel my body reacting to him. I did want him. He was certainly right about that. It took all the strength I had in me not to jump him right there in the hallway.

He bit my earlobe and whispered. "If you don't stop doing that we won't be making it to dinner."

"Stop what?" My voice was muffled by his neck, but I was pretty sure he heard me.

He moaned. "Stop rubbing up against me like that."

"Hmm?" His words brought me out of my daze and I realized that I was rubbing up against him in a very suggestive manner. I quickly backed away from him. "Oh…sorry." I laughed.

His face was flushed and he was breathing more heavily than normal. "Just go and get dressed."

* * *

Ray POV:

Since my Grandmother had packed my bag without my help it was pretty easy to find something that Draco would deem appropriate. I opted for a short sleeveless silver dress that had a black overlay paired with silver shoes. As for my hair, I left it down and tried to get all of the tangles out. It was all I could do without having to rewash it. I thought it looked presentable enough.

I sat on the bed to wait until dinner. Draco had told me that one of the house elves would come and tell me when it was time to go down stairs. I ran my hand over the black velvet comforter. Compared to the rest of the house my room wasn't too bad. The walls were silver and reflected the light coming in from the large window much better than the dark walls of the living room and staircase. The furniture, however, didn't break in the Slytherin snake theme. The canopy bed had black velvet curtains with a comforter to match. The sheets were dark green to match the curtains on the window and bedside table was black with snakes carved on the side, but there was one part of my room I did enjoy. There was an antique looking lamp in the corner along with a very comfortable looking green chair. It was the perfect spot to curl up and read a book.

I heard a sudden pop to my left and looked to see a different house elf than I had previously encountered. This one was obviously a boy elf. He had rags just like the other and had an extremely long nose. "Good evening Ms. Blackburn. I am Lumbert. Dinner is ready in the dining room if you would be so kind as to follow me." He was very well spoken especially for a house elf.

"Okay" I stood. "Is Draco down stairs yet?"

"I'm afraid that Mr. Malfoy will not be joining you for dinner. He has been called away, but will return later this evening."

My eyes grew wide and then narrowed. "What do you mean he's been called away? Where has he gone?"

"I'm afraid I am not at liberty to say, my apologies, but Mr. Malfoy gave us all strict instructions not to tell you."

I groaned in frustration and sat back on the bed with me arms crossed. Yes, I was pouting, but can you blame me? I had gotten all pretty for him like he had asked and then he just goes off and leaves me without so much as a word.

"Mr. Malfoy wanted you to go ahead and eat dinner without him."

I huffed and sharply looked at Lumbert. It wasn't that I was mad at Lumbert; it was more the fact that he was the closest thing I could show frustration too. "Fine!"

I stood and followed the little house elf to the lone dinner.

Draco POV:

"Do you want me to seduce the girl or not? If you keep calling me away from her she's not going to be too happy with me."

Nott coldly smiled. "I just wanted to make sure that we still had a deal Malfoy. We wouldn't want you to go and chicken out, now would we?"

It took all the strength I had in me not to lunge at the guy. "Yes, we still have a deal."

If you had asked me what I would be doing at this moment an hour ago I would have said sitting at a table with a beautiful girl that I couldn't stop staring at, but yet here I stood in Borgin & Burkes with Nott.

"Has she agreed to sleep with you?"

I balled my hands into tight fists. "I believe she will." I narrowed my eyes. "You had better hope that I don't find a way out of this because if I do…"

He laughed. "What? Let me guess…hmm…You'll kill me, right? Am I right?"

I stepped so close to him that I could feel his breath on my face. "Killing you wouldn't be enough. You would wish for death after I was through with you."

He scoffed and stepped back. I could see that he was trying to shrug my threat off, but I could see a hint of fear in his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous Malfoy. There is no way out of this deal and even if there was you would never be able to hurt me."

"You better hope you're right about that."

* * *

Draco POV:

It was midnight by the time I made it back to the Churthill Mansion. Nott had insisted on hearing my plan in excruciating detail and had added his own ideas in the process. Talking about my plan with him had made it finally sink in that I was going to betray Ray. Until now it had all seemed like some kind of twisted dream.

I had ended up eating dinner with Nott, so all I wanted to do was crawl into a nice soft bed and pass out.

Ray POV:

It was 12:30am and there was still no word from Draco. He would come and tell me he had returned, right? Maybe he would think I was asleep and decide not to bother me.

I had gone to bed hours before, but there was no way I could sleep. I had ended up sitting up in bed staring at the blank wall for hours wondering where Draco had gone. I had tried to take as much time as I could getting ready for bed so as to distract myself, but that didn't last long. The thing that had taken me the longest had been trying to find pajamas that didn't make me want to cringe. I had ended up with a hot pink silk pajama set. Saying that I clashed with the room was an understatement, but it was either hot pink or blue cotton with hopping bunnies. For a woman that could pick out beautiful dresses my Grandmother sure lacked in taste as far as sleep wear went.

I wanted to go to sleep so badly, but I just couldn't until I knew Draco was back. I had to know what had been so important that he would ditch me. I got up from the bed and went to my door. I had checked his room at about 10:30pm, so I would check it one more time before I gave up and tried to get some sleep.

When I got into the hallway I made my way to his door and lightly knocked. There was no answer, so I began to walk away when I thought I heard a noise. I put my ear to the door and clearly heard snoring.

I gently pushed open the door and saw Draco lying on the bed fast asleep. He was on his stomach and was wearing no shirt. I couldn't tell about his bottoms. He was either wearing nothing or only had his underwear on because he had one bare leg sticking out from beneath the covers.

I had two options here. I could wait until the morning to ask him where he went and let him sleep or I could wake him to find out immediately. Considering I was mad at him for leaving I choose the latter.

I walked up to the bed and leaned down next to his ear. "Draco!"

He shot up so quick that I barely had time to get out of the way before he knocked me over. "What?" He looked completely disoriented.

I looked down from his face and got my answer about what bottoms he had on or more like lack thereof. I quickly turned around to shield my eyes from his exposed manhood.

I heard sheets ruffling behind me. "Ray, what are you doing in here? Why did you do that?"

I cautiously turned around to see that he had covered himself with the sheets. "Where were you tonight?"

He ran his hand through his hair. "Could this not have waited until the morning?"

"No! You tell me to dress nice for a fancy dinner and then you just disappear."

He sighed. "Fine, I guess I'll just have to ruin the surprise." He grabbed a box off of the bedside table and handed it to me.

I opened it to reveal a stunning turquoise bracelet that perfectly matched the color my necklace made when the colors combined.

I looked up at Draco and felt horrible for waking him. "It's breathtaking. Thank you so much. I'm sorry I woke you and ruined the surprise."

He smiled and patted the bed beside him. "It's alright. Come and sit down."

I sat and looked at him. "There's just one thing I don't understand. Why did it take you so long?"

"There were some problems. I had to make sure it was perfect and they kept handing me faulty merchandise. I was back by 9:15pm. I was just tired and decided to go to bed."

Now I knew this was a lie because I had checked his room at 10:30pm and he was nowhere to be found. Why would he lie to me? I decided that it would be best if I didn't say anything because I could have just somehow missed him or perhaps there was another surprise and that was why he was lying.

He cocked his eyebrow. "Is there something wrong?"

I smiled. "No…well I guess I'll let you go back to sleep. Sorry for waking you."

I began to walk away when I heard him clear his throat to get my attention. "Do I not get a goodnight kiss?"

I turned around to face him and bit my lip."Sure." I walked towards him and leaned down to give him a quick peck on the lips, but when I reached him he grabbed me and pulled me down on top of him. "Draco! What are you doing?"

He smirked. "Having a little fun."

He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. He began to kiss my neck and face. "Draco stop it! You're naked!"

I heard him lightly laugh. "There is a sheet in between us. Relax."

I tried to do what he asked, but I couldn't help thinking about a certain hard thing that was rubbing against my leg. "Draco, I don't think this is a good idea." I raised myself up from him and he loosened his grip.

He smirked. "You'll give in to me eventually."

I got up from the bed and looked down at him with a smile. "Maybe…"

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Draco and Ray finally make it to Urbania and meet Rose, but does she have the answers that they are looking for? Will Ray give in to Draco's advances or will she find out about Nott in time to save herself?

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**AN:** Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Please review. You guys are great!**  
**


	19. To Betray A Love Is Hard To Do

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter!

* * *

**AN:** Sorry it took so long to update. I got a new job, was in an opera, and had school work. Busy busy busy...I'll try to do better. Hope you like it!

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_**The Next Morning:**_

Ray POV:

I opened my eyes lazily and realized that the sun coming in through the window must have woken me. I slowly stretched feeling every muscle in my body protest at the sudden assault. My body was clearly not ready to be alert. I began to lift myself into a seated position only to find that Draco was standing over the bed looking down at me.

A little scream of surprise escaped my lips. "You scared me! What are you doing in here?"

He rolled his eyes at my narrowed ones and began to lower himself onto the bed, sitting at the edge of the bed to face me. "I was coming in here to wake you, but you beat me to it."

My anger subsiding, I sat up in bed to look at him. He was in dark slacks and a black tight t-shirt. I suspected he hadn't finished dressing considering I had never seen him go out in public in such casual attire. I felt myself smile before I even thought to do so. Just looking at him made my lungs feel like they were collapsing and my heart feel like it was going to jump out of my throat. I couldn't stop my eyes from roaming over his hard chest that was clearly defined in the tight shirt he wore. My eyes began to move down to stare at his firm stomach that I knew was pale perfection under the black cloth that covered it. When I began to move my gaze even lower I heard a fit of laughter.

I looked up to see Draco's head tilted back, eyes closed as he shook with laughter. "What?" I narrowed my eyes. "What are you laughing at?"

His laughter eased when he looked at me, but didn't completely stop. "You don't even try to hide the fact that you want me." He then looked up in a thoughtful manner. "Or you don't realize you're so obvious about it." He looked back at me with curiosity. "You do realize you've been looking me up and down for five minutes now, right?" He began to laugh again.

I widened my eyes in shock wondering if I really had been doing what he said, but felt slight anger at him when his laughter didn't stop. "I was not!"

His laughter stopped and he looked at me once again with curiosity. "You really don't know you're doing it, do you?"

I bit my lip. "It couldn't have been that long. You would have said something."

He smirked. "So you do at least acknowledge that you were looking at me?"

"Well…Yes I suppose I was, but I couldn't have been doing it for long. I had only gotten to your stomach and hadn't even reached your…" I stopped my words when I realized that I had been about to admit that my eyes had been on there way to checking out little Draco.

He lightly chuckled. "Well you were looking at me for at least five minutes and I didn't stop you because I enjoyed it." He smirked and began to lean forward. He moved up to hover over me.

My eyes grew as big as saucers. I had been thinking all night about what he had said the night before. It was likely that I would give into him, but I wasn't quite ready to do that. "Draco…"

He smiled in a knowing way and gently kissed my lips. "I just wanted a kiss, Ray." He moved off of me and began to make his way to the door, turning when he reached it. "Get dressed and pack your things. We're leaving in an hour." He then turned and left the room.

* * *

Draco POV:

I had to find a way to get her to relax around me or she would never give herself to me. Everything was riding on this one thing. My family was in jeopardy and they didn't even know it.

I went to my room and began to repack the few things I had taken out of my bag. This was a nightmare. I felt as though a dark cloud was consuming me, but I guess that's what it feels like when you've sold your soul to the devil because for all intents and purposes that's exactly what Nott was.

Putting the last of my clothes into my bag, I sat on the bed and sighed. What was I going to do? I had certainly made my choice, but would I really be able to go through with it? Just the thought of betraying Ray so badly made my stomach do acrobats.

"Draco?" I looked up to see that Ray had joined me in the room, bags in hand. "Are you okay?"

I took in a deep breath and gave her the widest smile I could muster up. "Yes, of course. Why do you ask?"

She bit her bottom lip as she always did when she was nervous or in deep thought. "You just seemed like you were down about something. Never mind." Her smile was so warm I could almost feel it on my skin.

I got up from the bed and grabbed my bag. "Let's be off."

* * *

Ray POV:

We ended up taking a Muggle taxi to the spot in Rome where the Port Key was located. There really wasn't much choice considering our hosts had been taken by Death Eaters. Luckily Draco had thought ahead enough to at least have a bit of Muggle money for emergencies.

The whole time we were in the taxi Draco looked like he was being tortured with hot poker sticks. If I hadn't been so scared that he would do something to the driver I might have laughed at his pained expression. He didn't speak once on the ride to the city other than to tell the driver a location, so I found myself having to talk for the both of us. We unfortunately got the one English speaking taxi driver in Italy who insisted on telling us his life story. It wasn't that I minded talking to the guy, but I had a lot of things to think about and the drive to the city would have been the perfect time if it hadn't been for Mr. Talky.

When we arrived in the middle of the city I was very confused on where the Port Key could be. Where we were currently stopping was filled with people practically having to walk shoulder to shoulder. All I could see from the taxi window were mobs of people and the clear blue sky above them.

Draco paid our driver and launched himself from the taxi so quick that I thought he might be trying to make run for it, but the minute he was out he turned and offered me a hand. I smiled and gladly took it.

When the bags were out of the car and the taxi pulling out onto the road I heard Draco let out a long breath. I looked at him. "What's wrong?"

He suddenly pulled me closer and buried his face in my neck. I heard him take in a deep breath and then felt him relax against me, keeping me in place within his arms. "Um…Draco?"

I heard a muffled "What?" come from my neck.

"Um" I began to look around us to see that people were staring, but it wasn't the kind of staring I would have thought we would receive looking as we did. It was more of a 'how cute' or an 'aw young love' stare.

When I didn't think I could take it anymore Draco finally pulled back from me only to have a rather discussed look on his face. I felt my heart jump. Why did he have that face? Was it me? Did I have something on my face? Did I smell? I held down the urge to run to the nearest toilet to use a mirror and to sniff myself.

He scrunched his face even more. "These Muggles stink."

I raised my eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"The Muggles here smell foul." He once again grabbed me to put his face back into my neck and hair.

In a way I wanted to laugh, but in another I wanted to slap him. He was just being overly dramatic, although, on thinking about it I could see where this would be overwhelming for Draco. He had most likely never been around this many Muggles at once. The smell wasn't that bad, however, it wasn't pleasant either. The streets were filled with people and it was a very hot day. Honestly, looking around you would have been hard pressed to find an Italian. Most of the people were obvious tourists with their cameras and fanny packs.

"Well, let's get out of here and go to the Port Key. Urbania won't be as crowded as Rome."

He lifted himself from my neck and looked at me. "Good idea."

He quickly gathered his bag and began walking in the direction of what appeared to be some sort of park. I promptly picked up my own bag and ran to catch up to him. When I reached him he was just about to enter the park. "So where is the Port Key?"

He gave an annoyed grunt. "Just follow me."

I could tell that he was more than ready to leave the busy city, so I let his snappiness go. "Sorry, I just can't imagine where someone could hide a Port Key among all these people."

He stopped by a statue and sat on the wooden bench beside it. "You can't, that's the point. We will be meeting someone here who is making the Port Key and will then get rid of it once we are through."

"Oh" I sat beside him.

"This Port Key being made isn't exactly going to be on the record, but there was no reason for your Grandmother to know that. It's why I haven't told you until now."

I sighed. "I guess your father pulled a few strings?"

He took my hand in his and pulled me into his arms. "Well, I am trying to get information out of you." He winked and smirked. "So I suppose he wanted everything to go smoothly." We both laughed at the fact that his father had believed the ludicrous reason we were in Italy.

"Draco, I presume?" We both looked up to see a dashing looking young man. He had dark brown hair with eyes to match and perfectly tan skin. He looked like the man I had always imagined myself with. I had never found fair haired people attractive, but there I sat in the arms of the palest fairest boy on Earth and found the dark mystery of the man in front of me boring at best.

I felt Draco sit up straighter on the bench, making me sit straighter in turn. "Yes?"

The man's eyes immediately traveled to me. "And who is this vision?" Until then I hadn't noticed the Italian accent that was thick with every word.

I began to raise my hand to shake his outreached one only to have it pulled abruptly back by Draco. I turned to scold him, but he had already begun to speak. "What do you want?"

"I have been sent to make the Port Key."

Draco's eyebrows rose in disbelief and then pulled together into his famous death glare. "You couldn't possibly be who my father sent for. You aren't even of age."

The young man smiled, but you could tell he was holding back his amusement. "I assure you that I am of age. I am 18 if you must know and not that you asked, but my name is Leo Ashtono,"

Draco Scoffed. "Is the name supposed to mean something to me?"

The man named Leo straightened, all amusement leaving his face. "I'll have you know that my family is one of the most influential families in Italy!"

Draco shrugged. "I've never heard of you."

"How…dare you! Do you know…" I quickly stood up and placed myself in-between the two, stopping him in mid-sentence.

I smiled at him and batted my eyes. "I'm very sorry for Draco's behavior. We are both very tired and ready to get out of here, so if you would be so kind as to do what you came here to do, I would very much appreciate it." I could feel Draco's eyes burning a hole in the back of my head and could almost hear the yelling that was about to come from his mouth. "I understand that you took time out of your schedule to do this for us and considering this is the only way for us to get there…" I kicked my leg back so it would hit Draco. "We should be very appreciative." I turned to Draco and looked at him with warning. "Isn't that right, Draco?" I didn't like sucking up to this guy, but if this was our only way to Urbania I was willing to do it.

Draco scrunched up his face and scowled. "Fine!" It was like looking at a 5 year old pout.

I rolled my eyes and faced Leo. "Now could you please make us the Port Key?"

He smiled in what I assumed was suppose to be a seductive manner, but it had no effect on me. The only one I wanted was the sulking little boy on the bench.

Leo took my hand and kissed it. "I would be more than happy to serve you in any way that I can."

I took my hand back as quickly as possible without seeming rude and smiled. "Thank you."

He then took out what looked to be a bubble gum wrapper and put it on the ground in front of him. He did a quick glance around to be sure no one was paying attention to any of us. Thankfully the park wasn't as full of people as the streets had been. When he was certain no one was looking he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the wrapper. He said something I couldn't hear under his breath and then looked at me with a smile. "All done"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Wow, that's all there is to it?"

He laughed. "It's harder than it looks."

"Well, thank you." I turned to Draco. "You ready to go?"

Without a word Draco grabbed both of our bags, me, and then the gum wrapper. It happened so fast I didn't have time to register what was happening. It seemed that not even a second had passed when my feet hit concrete. The sudden jolt made my legs buckle and I found myself on my back staring up at the blue sky and a worried looking Draco.

He knelt beside me and put his hand under my head so that it wouldn't be lying on the hard ground. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm alright." He helped me up and began to pick up the bags.

When he had our bags in hand he looked at me and smirked. "You really should work on your landing."

Anger ran through me. "Well, if you hadn't been acting like a brat maybe I would have had time to prepare. Why were you acting like that anyway? You didn't even know that guy."

He narrowed his eyes. "He was flirting with you!"

My eyes grew so wide I thought my eyes might pop out. "You were jealous?"

"Don't be so clueless. Of course I was. It didn't help that you were flirting back."

I laughed and launch myself at him to kiss him quick and hard on the lips. "I was just trying to get him to make the Port Key, Draco. I didn't find him even remotely attractive."

"Whatever." The sour look remained on his face as he moved back from me. He handed me my bag and began to walk.

I had no idea why he was being so sensitive about Leo.

* * *

Draco POV:

All I could think about was that guy back in the park. Leo was it? That could very well be who she ended up with after the curse was broken. Maybe not specifically him, but someone like him. He looked just like her last boyfriend Michel. She defiantly had a type when she wasn't being forced into loving someone and I wasn't it. I looked nothing like Michel and Leo. I hated to think that when the curse was broken she would run into the arms of one of those meat heads, but I guess I would never have to worry about that. If all went according to Nott's plan she would be…dead.

I shook my head to get the thought out of my head and began to look around to get my bearings. We had arrived in what was considered the industrial area, but we were looking for what they called the Old Town. Even though I had never been here the woman at the wizarding hotel had described the directions to get there pretty vividly. It was obvious when we reached Old Town. The asphalt streets and concrete houses suddenly morphed into brown cobble stoned streets and old brick buildings.

I heard a gasp behind me and saw that Ray's eyes were full of amazement. She looked at me. "It's beautiful."

* * *

Ray POV:

Urbania looked just like the Italy in the old movies. There were hardly any people around and when you did run into someone they were obviously from the town. There wasn't a tourist in sight.

We went through beautifully stoned alleyways until we reached what appeared to be the town square. There was a huge tall statue of a horse in the middle and shops surrounding it. We continued through the town until we reached the end of a street that dropped off into a steep canyon. Until then I hadn't realized that the town was on very hilly ground. The only way to go from there was left or right. I could see that Draco was thinking on which way to go. That wasn't very comforting considering we couldn't exactly walk up to someone and ask where the nearest wizarding hotel was, not to mention neither one of us spoke Italian.

Before I could ask which way he thought we should go he began to walk to the left. All I could do was blindly follow him. He didn't seem to want to talk, so I tried to stay a few feet back from him. Every few feet he would look back to make sure I was still there, but he never said a word. Maybe he just needed some thinking time. Maybe the reality of what was about to take place was hitting him. After all, we were finally here, ready to break the curse.

When he abruptly stopped in front of one of the stone walls that were there to protect people and cars from going off the mountain I began to wonder if we were lost.

I was about to ask when he suddenly sat his bag on the ground and looked around to see if there were people around. When he decided that the coast was clear he placed his hand in his pants pocket and pulled out his wand. He tapped on one of the stones that had a tiny painted circle in the middle and then twice on one that was two stones over and then three times on the stone below that. All at once the stones began to separate to reveal a door. It was hard to think that just beyond that door was a hotel, especially since to a muggle eye the door would be leading you right off a cliff.

Draco stepped back and opened the door waiting for me to enter first. I took a step forward, but stopped before actually entering the room beyond the door.

I heard Draco grunt in frustration. "What's the problem? Get inside!"

Maybe it was because my father hadn't flaunted his magic, but even being a witch and seeing all of the things I had seen, it was still a bit daunting to step into a room you saw only a few seconds ago as being a steep drop off. In fact if you looked left or right of the door it still was a steep drop off. I took a deep breath and shoved away the irrational thoughts.

I stepped inside and saw that it was a lavishly decorated room with red velvet furniture. It didn't exactly look old world Italian, but it was lovely.

* * *

Draco POV:

The wizarding hotel hadn't been at all what I had been expecting, although, neither was the town. I suppose because of my upbringing I automatically expected the things presented to me to be grand in some way, this however, was not.

The room was decorated in tacky red velvet furniture. The royal blue wallpaper, which should have been replaced years ago, was slightly limp in the corners where the adhesive had long since worn away and the painted gold frames that held nameless art was chipped so that you could see the wood peek through.

I looked to Ray to apologize for the lack luster accommodations I had provided, but she looked quite pleased with her surroundings as she ran her hand over the velvet of the arm chair she had approached.

She smiled and looked at me. "It's very cozy. Isn't it?"

As much as I wanted to complain about the hotel I found that I could not bring myself to burst her happy bubble. "Yes, quite cozy. I'm going to go and ask about our rooms now. Just wait here."

Without waiting for her to respond I made my way to what appeared to be the check-in desk.

* * *

Ray POV:

"I paid good money to stay here! Do you know who I am? You should be thanking your lucky…" I let the rest of Draco's words to the lady at the desk fade out of my mind.

He had been yelling at her for a good five minutes and I just couldn't take it anymore. There had been a problem with the rooms we booked. Draco had asked for two joining rooms, but it seemed that there had been a little magical mishap while cleaning and now they only had five rooms to offer people. They had already had four guests which left only one room. If it hadn't been for the mishap they would have had plenty of rooms, Urbania not exactly being a hot spot for vacationers of any kind, wizard or muggle.

I had to put out the fire that had ignited in Draco. At this rate they would kick us out on the street. While I had reservations about staying in the same room with Draco there was an important reason why we were here and that's what really mattered.

I made my way to stand beside the yelling Draco and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Draco, it's fine." I looked to the heavy set redhead behind the desk. "Please give me the key so that we may go to our room."

The woman looked at me with a grateful gleam in her eyes and handed me the key. I smiled. "Thank you."

Without waiting to see if Draco was going to follow me I made my way to the room the key indicated. For it being a wizard hotel the whole process was quite muggle. I walked down the hall until a sign on the wall told me that room 23 through 30 would be to my right. Since the key told me that our room was to be number 26 I turned right. Only when I reached the door did I turn to see that Draco had been on my heels the whole time.

He had a sour look to his face. He was no doubt upset that I had poured water over his fiery rant. In a way I found the look to be cute, in a little boy sort of way. I gave him a humorous smile which immediately made the sour face turn even sourer. He apparently didn't like the fact I found his foul mood funny.

I turned to the door and stuck in the key. The door opened with a creek and I could hear Draco's disapproving grunt from behind me. My heart dropped when I saw what was inside. Even though the small lobby should have been an indication of how small the rooms would be I hadn't thought of it until the moment I saw what was to be our room for the next week. Now if we had been given the two rooms we had asked for this wouldn't have been an issue, but with the two of us to share the room seemed suffocatingly small.

Don't get me wrong. I loved Draco and wanted to be with him, but that was the problem. The more he suggested the idea that we give ourselves to each other before the curse was broken the more I wanted to run in the opposite direction. Not because I didn't want to, but because I wanted to so badly that I was afraid of it. What if it ruined me for any other guy I was ever with? What if it made me still want to be with him even after the curse was broken? All of these questions were constantly floating around in my mind and this room just seemed to shoot them back at me like bullets.

* * *

Draco POV:

While having to share a room with Ray might have seemed like surprisingly good luck it really wasn't. As a matter of fact it was monumentally bad. The last time I had spoken to Nott I had told him that Ray and I would be in separate rooms and Nott had the inconvenient habit of checking on my progress with Ray. While being caught conspiring with Nott would put an end to all of this I had a feeling that it wouldn't fare so well with what might happen to my family. Even though being caught would be Nott's fault I doubted he would see it that way.

I looked to Ray and saw that she looked as white as a ghost. She apparently wasn't so happy with the arrangement either, but while my grievance with it had nothing to do with not wanting to be with her there was no other reason for her to be upset about it other than her not wanting to be stuck with me.

* * *

Ray POV:

When the time that passed with us staring at the room began to feel awkward I took the first step into the tiny room. It was about the size of a normal person's bedroom, normal meaning not Draco. There was a Queen sized bed in the middle and a small side table to the left of it that had a shaded lamp. The window that was opposite the door was almost too large for the room with heavy dark curtains framing it. The only thing that was left in the room was the wardrobe that was opposite the bed. Its large size and darkened wood almost seemed to overwhelm the room.

"This is a nightmare!" I turned to see Draco just in time to see him throw his bag to the floor in frustration.

Thinking someone needed to be positive I smiled. "It's not so bad, besides, we won't really be spending much time in here anyway. Remember we have a job to do. We came here to find Rose."

He scrunched up his nose. "That's not the point. I paid good money for this place expecting luxury, not this dump! And to make it worse we are only getting one room when I asked for two."

For the first time I realized that perhaps it wasn't just the ambiance that Draco disapproved of. He obviously didn't want to be sharing a room with me, but why? For weeks he had been speaking of being together, but if he didn't even want to be in the same room with me did it mean that he no longer wanted to have me?

I bit my lip. "Draco?" His face immediately softened when he took in my worried expression. "I'm sure I could find another place to stay if I looked. It might have to be a muggle establishment, but I'm alright with that. I mean…I understand if you don't want to stay here with me. It's not like we're really in love or anything. I can see why you changed your mind about, well, you know…making love. So I'm just going to go to the front desk and ask if they know of a place." Without waiting for a response I began to make my way to the door.

He jumped in front of me so fast I almost fell into him, but I somehow kept my balance. The expression on his face could only lead me to the conclusion that he thought me crazy. "Have you lost your mind? What are you talking about? I never asked you to leave."

My eyes began to burn and I knew what would come next if I didn't make my exit. "It's fine Draco. I'll just stay somewhere else. Now move out of my way before I make you move!"

His eyes grew wide and then his head buckled in fits laughter. "You think you can move me? I'm twice your size and strength."

I folded my arms across my chest and narrowed my eyes at him. "Don't think so highly of yourself. If I really wanted out of this room I could."

He straightened himself and smirked. "Go on then, try."

I sighed and through my hands up in the air in defeat. "This is stupid. I'm leaving and that is that. I don't need your permission."

I grabbed my bag from the floor where I had put it earlier and began to walk towards the door, adding just a little more tension to my musicals with each stride. If he was going to give me any problems I was going to be ready for it.

"Ray, stop! Why are you acting so crazy?"

I narrowed my eyes as I made my way towards the door where he was. "You don't want to be with me, so I'm just removing the problem…me." With that I had finally made it to Draco and was ready to shove him out of the way. I didn't need to have a conversation about why he didn't want me anymore. I just needed to get out of there before he saw the tears I was fighting to hold back.

He let me shove him, but then quickly moved behind me to pick me up by the waist. He then dragged me to the bed only to then throw me on top of it. When I finally got my bearings Draco was making his way onto the bed to lie beside me, but when he saw that I was again about to make an escape he quickly launched himself on top of me firmly holding me in place.

I began to struggle when he pinned my arms to my side. "Draco, let me go!"

"Not until you calm down and stop acting stupid."

I struggled for another couple of minutes to no avail, but eventually stopped when I realized it was no use. I let my body go limp in his hold and looked at him with defeat. "Will you let go of me now?"

He smirked. "If you pay the price."

I raised my eyebrows. "And what would that be?"

His smirked seemed to grow even wider as he moved his face closer to mine. When his lips touched mine I felt my body tense in anticipation of what he might be expecting from me. Kissing was one thing, but I certainly didn't want to go any further at the moment.

He pulled back to look at me. "What's wrong?" He moved his hands to the sides of me so that he was no longer pinning me.

With my newly freed hands I brought them up to run my fingers through his hair. For the first time that day I really stopped and took in his scent. The minute it hit my nose my body relaxed. I sighed and smiled. "Nothing"

With that he leaned in and began to kiss me. At first it was gentle, soft lips barely running over the sensitive skin of my mouth. When his tongue ran over my bottom lip I gladly allowed him entrance. He began to explore my mouth, our tongues intertwining. I moaned and began to try and pull his head closer to get even more contact between us.

He left my mouth and began to trail kisses to my neck, stopping when he reached the spot on my neck that he knew would drive me over the edge. I bit my lip to hold back the moan that was begging to escape.

When I wasn't sure I could take anymore he began to move his hand up my blouse. He hesitated when he reached the edge of my bra, but only after a moment moved under the material to clasp the soft mound. The moan that had been waiting at the back of my throat made a very loud appearance, as I gripped the back of his shirt to keep from biting my lip off.

He began to move his body up and down, rubbing himself in a suggestive manner against my leg making it very easy to feel his want for me.

He lifted his head and I realized for the first time that he was breathing heavily. "I want you now Ray. Stop me if you don't want to continue. I don't think I'll be able to stop if we keep this up. Do you want me to stop?"

I matched his heavy breathing with my own and somehow spoke a breathy. "No"

He continued by devouring my mouth with his own. All I could do was shut my eyes and give in to my want.

* * *

Draco POV:

I almost did it. She had been willing to let me have her. Why had I stopped it? Who was I kidding? I knew exactly why. I just couldn't go through with it. We had gone so far, almost to the point of no return, but right before I had taken her I had chickened out. I launched myself away from her and ran to the toilet, muttering something about not feeling well.

I was a coward sitting on the cold floor with my head between my legs. What was I suppose to do now? I had tried to go through with Nott's plan, but I just couldn't do it. If I was going to be honest with myself I was still on the fence about who I was going to protect, Ray or my family. My body had chosen for me and it chose Ray. Maybe it was because I sort of hoped deep down that my parents were strong enough to protect themselves, either way my body wasn't going to let me do this to Ray. The minute I was about to take her I began to get physically ill. I felt like my stomach was going to leap out of my mouth and my heart felt like it had caught fire. Perhaps it was the curse that wasn't allowing me to betray her or maybe it was simply that I loved her, but the fact of the matter was that I couldn't do it.

* * *

Ray POV:

I felt humiliated. What was wrong with me? Why didn't he want me? Did he find me so repulsive that he had to excuse himself to the toilet? I covered my almost naked body with the sheets and squeezed my eyes shut to keep the tears in.

"Ray?" I looked up to see a disheveled looking Draco in only his boxers. I could tell that he had been running his hands through his hair as he always did when he was stressed. "Please don't be mad. Just let me explain."

I turned my face so that he wouldn't see the tear that had escaped and quickly wiped it away. "There's no need. I get it Draco. You don't want me. I just wish you had said something before it got that far."

I heard a loud bang and turned to see that Draco had punched a hole in the wall. "Damn it!" He clutched his hand to his chest and scrunched his face in pain.

I lunged from the bed holding the sheet firmly in place around me and ran to Draco. "Are you okay?"

He grunted in anger. "I'm fine. Leave me alone."

I tried to grab his hand. "Let me see."

"No" He sounded like a sulking five year old.

I wrapped the sheet around me and quickly grabbed his hand before he could pull it away. I ran my hands over the soft skin and cringed when I felt the misplaced bone. "You broke it."

"I know." He quickly took his hand back.

I bit my lip. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I'm sick of you saying that I don't want you when I've made it more than obvious that I do." He began to move towards me. "When are you going to get that?" He pinned me up against the wall with his body and I could feel his breath on my lips.

At this point I wasn't sure if I should be frightened. He was giving me no indication of anger, but wasn't presenting me with any other emotion either. "Draco, all I meant was that you don't have to do anything you don't want. It's pretty obvious you didn't wish to be with me. You practically flew to the toilet. All I'm saying is to just be upfront about it."

The minute the words left my lips anger began to shoot out of him like waves. "Ray!" He grabbed both of my wrists with his good hand and pinned my arms above my head. I tried to get loose but he had too good a grip on me. With his free broken hand he began to pull at the sheet that covered me. I could see that he was in pain, but he still continued to pull at the sheet.

"Draco Stop!" I struggled to get away from him. The last thing I wanted was my body on display for someone who didn't even want it.

"Ray, look at me."

I turned my head from him in protest. "No!"

The broken hand that had been working on removing the sheet shot up to take hold of my face, jerking it to look at him square in the face. "Listen to me very closely. I have wanted you since the moment I saw you, before I even care to admit to myself. It angers me when you say such things because you cannot possibly know how I am feeling and what I am going through. I am here to help you. I'm trying to be there for you, but you have to remember that all of this affects me as well. I feel those feelings just as strongly as you do. So please do not think I do not want you. It just needs to be the right time, alright?"

He released me and stepped back to wait for my response. I sighed "I know you're going through this too. It's just hard for me to remember that sometimes. You can hide your emotions so much better than I can. I guess I just don't understand how you can contain them so easily. I wish I could do that, but I can't."

He gave me a solemn look. "I've had years of practice living with an emotionless family. I never want you to be like me. I am not someone anyone should want to be like, especially not you."

For the first time I could see a deep sadness within him. I felt him in my arms before I even realized that I had moved. I also at the same time became conscious of the fact that I had let the sheet concealing my practically naked body fall to the floor. I quickly released him and grabbed the sheet from the floor, once again covering myself.

He gave a soft laugh and wrapped his arms around me. "You are beautiful Ray. You shouldn't be so self-conscious around me." He gently kissed my cheek. "For now let's forget about what just happened. Can you do that? All I want to do right now is fall asleep with you beside me. Can we do that Ray?"

All I felt at the moment was confusion. If he wanted me then why hadn't he taken me? I wanted answers, but I could tell that I wouldn't be getting them at the moment. "Yes, Draco, but we will have to discuss what happened at some point and you need to get your hand looked at."

He began to lead me towards the bed. "Fine, but later."

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

Draco and Ray find Rose, but can she break the curse?

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**AN:** Please review. You guys are what keeps me motivated to continue. Hope you liked it. You guys ROCK!


	20. Rhyming Means Bad News

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter!

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******AN:** Here it is! Sorry it took so long! Love you all. Hope you enjoy :)

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**WARNING:** Contains underage drinking

* * *

_**The Next Day:**_

Ray POV:

The night before weighed heavily on Draco and me. We had fallen asleep and didn't stir until the next morning. With Draco's hand being broken we had asked the hotel how we could contact a doctor. Luckily one of the other guests was a nurse who was with her husband for their twentieth anniversary. All that was required was a quick spell and Draco was as good as new.

It was noon before we were ready to go out and find Rose. Only having a first name and no address was bad enough, but we were going to have to ask around for her and neither one of us even knew how to say hello in Italian.

I looked around at the empty streets and the old brick buildings. "How are we supposed to find her, Draco?"

He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know. This was your idea. Did you not have some kind of plan?"

I bit my lip. "Not really. I just thought we would ask around. I really didn't think about the fact we don't speak their language…"

Like beautiful music I suddenly heard the sound of a girl speaking English with an American accent. I darted my head around like a mad woman until I spotted a group of what looked to be twenty something year old American girls. I ran towards them for dear life. There was no telling if we would run into anymore English speakers.

When I reached them I was slightly out of breath and said a breathy. "Pardon me."

"Oh how cute, she's British!" A dark haired girl with green eyes said. She was obviously the one I had heard speaking earlier.

I raised an eyebrow at her odd comment and let it pass. "Yes I am and…um…thank you. Anyway…" I smiled. "My friend and I are looking for someone that lives here in town, but neither one of us speaks Italian. I don't suppose you could help us?"

A blond girl stepped out from the group and smiled at me. "Why sure darlin', we'd be happy too!"

I was slightly taken aback by her accent. The previous girl really didn't have one, but this one was obviously what the American's called southern. "Thank you so much."

The southern girl spoke again. "So who are you lookin' for?"

"Unfortunately I only have a first name to go on and it's a pretty common one, Rose."

The girls eyes grew wide and she looked at the brunette "Do you think it's our teacher?"

The brunette looked up in thought. "Maybe"

I cleared my throat to get their attention. "Who?"

The brunette looked at me and then pointed to the building we were standing next to. "This is a school. They have a language program and an opera program. The woman that's teaching us Italian is named Rose. Even if it isn't her I bet she could help you."

I started gleaming with gratitude. "Thank you so much. How can I get in touch with her?"

The blond smiled. "She's in there right now. She's on the third floor, second room on the left." I saw the girl look behind me. "Is that your friend?"

I turned to see that Draco hadn't moved from the spot I had left him in. He had his arms crossed and was leaning against a building with his eyes firmly on me. "Yes, that's him."

"He's cute and it's pretty obvious he has it bad for you." The girls giggled.

I raised my eyebrows. "Why do you say that?"

The brunette leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Well, he hasn't taken his eyes off of you for a second and it's a pretty intense stare. Don't let that one get away. It's not every day I guy falls in love with you." She winked. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but we have to get going. I hope you find the Rose you're looking for." With that she and the group of girls walked away.

Almost the second they turned the corner Draco was at my side. "So what did they have to say?"

I looked at Draco and for the first time saw him through someone else's eyes. Those girls were right. It wasn't every day someone loves you and I couldn't let it end just yet. I was going to give myself to him first. I wanted to be with him. He said we needed to wait for the right time. Well this was it.

I smiled and kissed him firmly on the lips. "I love you. Let's go eat somewhere romantic and then go back to the hotel."

You could have knocked him over with a feather. "What? I thought you wanted to find Rose."

I grabbed his hand and started pulling him away from the school. "We have a whole week. We shouldn't waste it just doing that one thing."

He raised his eyebrows. "Have you gone mad? That's precisely why we're here."

"Oh come on. I'm asking for one day of fun. It won't kill you."

He suddenly became like stone and I could no longer pull him. "No, but it might kill you."

I quickly turned to him. "What do you mean?"

He grabbed me and pulled me into his arms. "Don't you get it? If we stay together I'll end up killing you. You'll have a child and you'll die. We need to break the curse. It's the most important thing."

* * *

Draco POV:

Since I had decided to not betray Ray it was even more important now that we break the curse and quickly. I had a feeling that if we didn't Nott would find a way to get her pregnant by me, so it was more crucial than ever that we eliminate the curse.

She looked up at me. "Draco, I just want one more night of this. Just one more and then I promise I'll put my all into finding Rose. Okay?"

I knew it wasn't a good idea, but I just couldn't say no to the face she was giving me. It was almost pleading in a way. "Fine, but tomorrow we find Rose. Do you understand? I'm serious."

She smiled. "Alright" She kissed me quickly on the lips and started leading me around the town.

We had heard that there was a spot that the wizards who visited here frequented, but we had no idea where it was, so we continued to walk hand in hand looking at the old buildings and the dirty muggles.

She suddenly stopped "Draco?"

"Yes?"

She bit her lip and looked up at me with worried eyes. "You know why I want one more night, right?"

I'm pretty sure my heart literally skipped a beat when I realized where she was going with this. She wanted us to make love before the curse was broken and since I was no longer trying to get her pregnant I didn't think it was a good idea. What if I accidentally got her pregnant? She would die and Nott would win. I couldn't let that happen, but how was I suppose to explain to her that we couldn't do what she wanted to do? She would feel just as rejected as she had the night before and I couldn't put her through that again, but if I was going to be honest with myself I mostly didn't want her to hate me.

"Do you really think that's wise? What if you get pregnant?"

She laughed in a dismissive manner. "There are ways of stopping that from happening."

"Yes, but those ways aren't 100 percent effective and we can't use magic."

She looked at me with confusion. "You didn't seem to care about that before. All you've talked about for weeks was having sex before we break the curse, so what's changed?"

She had put me between a rock and a hard place with that one. I couldn't say no without explaining to her about Nott. "Nothing's changed. You're right. Let's spend our last night together."

I couldn't really think of anything else to say. I would just have to be really careful. I only wished I knew how…

Ray POV:

It was decided. We would be together. I was more nervous than I had ever felt in my whole life, but I wanted this, so I wasn't about to back out.

After an hour of walking around we finally found where the wizard's went to eat. It was pretty obvious once we started paying attention. It was the only place people didn't seem to notice. We had seen several muggles walk by the establishment and not give it a second glance. When we realized it must be hidden from muggle vision we went in and sat down at one of the many available tables.

There were several tables and only three being occupied. I recognized a few employees from the hotel including the heavy set redhead Draco had yelled at when we checked in. If this hadn't been the only place I knew Draco would eat I would have asked to go somewhere else, but the only other places were muggle restaurants and I knew Draco would rather starve.

"Ciao bella! What can I get you this evening?" I looked up to see an extremely skinny tanned man with dark brown hair and green eyes. He looked to be in his thirties, but you could tell he had lived a hard life by all the lines around his eyes.

I smiled. "I'll just have some water and the…" I looked at the menu to try and sound out what the dish was called, but I gave up and ended up pointing. All I knew was that it was some kind of chicken dish, so I thought that would be a safe choice.

"Very good" He looked to Draco. "And you?"

Draco looked put out with trying to read the menu. "I'll have the same, but instead of water I'd like something a little stronger if you know what I mean. Surprise me." Draco then proceeded to drop what seemed to be a substantial amount of money in the man's hand.

The man practically bowed "Coming right up, please let me know if you need anything else."

Draco looked at the man pointedly. "You are sucking up to the wrong person. If you want to make me happy I suggest you make her happy."

The man nodded. "Of course" The man looked at me. "Would you care for anything miss?"

I smiled politely. "I'm fine, thank you."

When the man walked away I looked at Draco with a disapproving glare. "Something a little stronger?"

"What? If I'm old enough to have sex I'm certainly old enough to have a drink."

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. What could I say? He was right and if he needed a little liquid courage to get through the night then who was I to say anything? I was nervous too, but not enough to drink the nasty smelling liquid.

* * *

Draco POV:

I needed something to relax me and the only thing I could think of was liquor. It wouldn't be the first time I had drunk. I had always had a glass or two of wine at my parent's parties. It would be fine. I would just have a few glasses of whatever the man gave me and I'd be relaxed enough to get through the night without thinking about accidentally killing Ray. Yes, just a few and everything would be perfect…

* * *

_**Three Hours Later:**_

Ray POV:

Sitting on the edge of the bed looking at a knocked out Draco I began to think about when the night had turned from being so wonderful to hell incarnate. Oh yes, I recall, it was when the idiot I was looking at asked for "something stronger". I could have killed him in his sleep.

It had started out just fine. After two glasses of the brown liquid he had begun to relax, so he asked for another, then another, then another, until he had reached a total of five glasses. I practically had to carry him out of the restaurant. I'm pretty sure the only reason he even remained conscious on the way back to the hotel was because somewhere in the back of his mind he realized I wouldn't possibly be able to get him back to the hotel by myself.

The minute we opened the door to our room he practically lunged on to the bed and passed out. I then proceeded to remove all of the clothing on him that I could, which wasn't much considering I couldn't lift him more than a few inches. I managed to get his shirt and shoes off, but he would just have to sleep in his pants.

He had ruined what was supposed to be our special night. Maybe it was a sign that we weren't supposed to be together. I don't know, but what I did know was that I was going to go see the Rose those girls had talked about first thing in the morning. Draco had made it perfectly clear by doing this that he didn't want to sleep with me, so he got his wish.

I placed a blanket over Draco and slipped myself between the covers next to him. If there had been any other place to sleep other than the floor I would have slept there, but unfortunately sleeping in the bed was my only option.

I didn't hate Draco or anything, but I was really angry and had no one to yell at other than an unconscious body. He had better hope that when I woke up I was calmer.

* * *

Ray POV:

I awoke a few hours later to the sound of Draco getting sick in the toilet. He deserved it, but I still felt bad for him. I sat up in bed getting ready to go and check on him when he came out, hair wet with sweat and a grimace on his face.

"Are you okay?"

He put his hand on his stomach. "Please kill me."

I rolled my eyes at his dramatics and walked over to him. "Come get back in bed."

He took a step, but it was shaky. He was clearly still a little drunk. "I'm so sorry, Ray. You must hate me."

I sighed. "I'll yell at you when you're sober. Now come back to bed and lay down."

I put my arm around him and helped him onto the bed. The minute I laid down beside him he moved his body closer to mine, so that his face was buried in my shoulder and his arm was draped over my stomach. I once again rolled my eyes because after all, he did deserve this.

I moved my arm out from under him so that he could lay his head on my chest. I wiped his sweaty hair out of his face and kissed his forehead. Luckily he had managed to have the sense of mind to brush his teeth and the only smell I was getting from him was the fresh smell of mint.

I shut my eyes and let darkness over take me. All would hopefully be better in the morning.

* * *

_**The Next Morning:**_

Draco POV:

I felt like I had been run over by the night bus. I didn't remember anything about the night before and only hoped I hadn't done anything stupid. I almost had a heart attack when I realized I was asleep in Ray's arms until I noticed I still had my pants on. I got up as gently as I could so as not to wake her and made my way to the bath. All I wanted to do was take the longest shower I had ever had.

* * *

Ray POV:

When I woke up I saw Draco asleep next to me, freshly washed and in green boxers. He had obviously woken up and taken a shower. He had probably decided to go back to sleep because of the pain. I had always heard a hangover was pretty miserable.

I decided to get up and take a shower. I was going to go and see the Rose woman the girls had told me about the day before. I doubted Draco would be able to go, but I would ask before I left just to make sure.

When I was done in the shower I got ready and emerged to see that Draco was still fast asleep in the same exact position I had left him in.

I sat on the edge of the bed next to him and began to run my hands through his soft hair. "Draco?"

He slowly opened his eyes and then grimaced. "I think I'm dying."

I sighed. "Stop being so dramatic, you're just hung over."

"I am not being overly dramatic! Oww…Okay note to self, yelling is a bad idea."

I continued to stroke his hair and kissed his forehead. "Draco, I'm going to go and look for Rose today. Are you up to going with me or do you feel too bad?"

He began to sit up. "No, I can go. Just give me a minute." When he was finally sitting upright in the bed his head began to wobble and he leaned back. "Okay, maybe a little more than a minute."

"Draco, it is fine. I can go by myself. This is a perfectly safe town and it's in the middle of the day. I'll be fine."

He began to shake his head back and forth. "No, I'm not going to have you running around town all day not even knowing where you're going."

I bit my lip. "Well, I sort of do know where I'm going."

He raised his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember the girls I talked to yesterday? Well, their teacher is named Rose. It might not even be her, but they said that if she isn't she can at least help me find the Rose I'm looking for."

Draco ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?"

I sighed. "Because I wanted my one night with you before the curse was broken and I knew that if I told you that you would have wanted to see her right away." I balled up my fists to keep from showing too much emotion. "But I guess you didn't want that. You made that pretty clear when you got so drunk you could barely stand."

He grabbed my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. "I'm so sorry about last night. It had nothing to do with you. I was just so nervous about possibly hurting you that I lost control."

We just sat there for several minutes watching are entwined hands. I looked up. "It's alright Draco. I understand. I really do, but I think it's best if we just get this thing over with and move on. We will both be better off when this curse is broken."

He looked like I had punched him in the stomach, but quickly recovered. "Yes, everything will be much better then."

* * *

Draco POV:

As I watched her walk out of the door I could feel all of the air being sucked out of my lungs. This is what I imagined it would feel like to encounter a Dementor. I didn't want to lose her, but I knew it was for the best. Who knows? Maybe I wouldn't even care after the curse was broken. That's all I could really hope for.

* * *

Ray POV:

The walk to the school seemed to take forever. With each step my heart beat became faster and faster. When I finally reached the door of the school I took a deep breath and opened the door. The entrance way was white and had a glass wall that lead to a beautiful garden. I saw some stairs to my right and began to make my way to the third floor.

On the way up I ran into a few students, but no one even suspected that I wasn't one of them. They were all young looking and some even appeared to be my age. When I reached the third floor I heard talking in one of the rooms. I followed the voices until I reached a room that had a teacher and several students in it. I stayed outside the door and watched as the teacher began to tell the students how to say 'Where is the Restroom' in Italian.

"Can I help you?" My eyes grew as wide as saucers when I realized the teacher was looking right at me.

"I...uh…I'm looking for Rose."

The woman smiled. "That's me. Can I help you with something?"

"Um…My name is Ray. I just needed to ask you some questions."

She continued to smile pleasantly. "My class will be over in thirty minutes. You are welcome to sit in the back and wait."

I nodded and took the farthest seat from the front. "Thank you."

She continued to teach seamlessly as though I hadn't even interrupted her and exactly thirty minutes later she was dismissing the class.

She began to walk towards me. "Now, Ray was it? What can I do for you?"

Until being asked this I had never considered how I was going to go about asking her if she was the Rose I was looking for. She could have been a muggle for all I knew, so I did the only thing I could think of.

I pulled out my wand and held it up so that she could see it. "Do you know what this is?"

She laughed. "That's how you chose to see if I'm a muggle or not? Have they taught you nothing in school about discretion?"

I put my wand away. "I couldn't think of any other way. I never thought I'd actually find you, so I never really thought this through too well."

"So what is it you want from me?"

I took a deep breath and stood up to face her. "Are you a descendant of Gwyneth and Alexios?"

She raised her eyebrows in shock for only a second before she gave an all knowing smile. "It's about time one of you showed up."

* * *

Ray POV:

Rose's house was a sight to behold. It was off the beaten path slightly outside of Old Town. It was made of brick and had rusty red shutters. It wasn't big, just two stories, but it was beautiful.

"Please take a seat." She pointed to a soft looking green chair.

"Thank you."

She smiled. "Would you like some tea?"

I shook my head. "No thank you. It's not that I don't appreciate the hospitality, but you said that when we reached your house you would tell me what you knew about the curse. If you don't mind I'd really like to discuss that with you now."

She nodded and took a seat on the sofa across from me. "I always thought there would be the two of you that came. Does he know you're here?"

"Yes, he knows. He wanted to come, but he's…not feeling well." I cleared my throat to try and dislodge the lump that had formed. I didn't really want to lie, but I didn't exactly want to say he couldn't come because he was so hung over he couldn't walk.

"Very well then." She opened a drawer in the side table that was next to her and pulled out a leather bound book. "This book is very old. It has been passed down in my family since the first Rose wrote in it." She opened the book and ran her fingers across the pages. "I'm afraid you might not like what it has to say. You and he will have three tasks to complete and each one will be more difficult to achieve than the previous one."

My heart sank. It never even occurred to me that what I might find out would be bad, but I still had to know what was written in that book about mine and Draco's fate. "I would still like to know, hard or not, it must be done."

Just as I was getting prepared for her to start reading she rose from her seat and handed me the book. "It would be best if you read it yourself."

I took the book from her and began to read.

* * *

Ray POV:

How was I supposed to tell him what I read? He certainly wouldn't like it.

I took a deep breath and opened the door to our room. Draco was pretty much in the same position he had been in when I left.

I sat by him on the bed and ran my fingers through his hair. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little, now it just feels like there's one little man drumming on my brain instead of ten." He paused and looked at me pointedly. "Did you find her? Do you know how to break the curse?"

I bit my lip and looked up. I didn't want to see his face when I told him. "Yes, but it's not at all easy and it will take time."

I felt him suddenly sit up and grab my face. "If it takes time then we must start immediately. What do we have to do?"

* * *

_**Later That Night:**_

Draco POV:

"Draco, I'm going to go take a walk. I just need some fresh air."

I looked up from the pile of books on the bed. "Okay, just let me put my shoes on."

"No!" She said it so sharply it hurt my ears. "I'm sorry, I just feel like being alone right now, alright?"

I sat back on the bed and sighed. "I understand, just be careful."

She nodded her head. "I will." With that she left the room quickly.

I couldn't blame her for wanting to be alone after what we had found out.

"So, you still haven't had your way with her I see." I looked up to see Nott standing in the doorway.

"Are you trying to get caught? For someone who is trying to stay under the radar you certainly take risks."

He smirked. "I made sure the little witch was far away before I entered." His face suddenly became serious. "So why haven't you tried to get her pregnant yet?"

I scoffed. "Why do you assume I haven't? I have tried. It takes time."

He came at me quickly, but not quick enough. I rolled off the other side of the bed and grabbed my wand from my pants pocket. We stood face to face with our wands pointed at the other, knowing neither one of us could use magic without getting caught.

He practically growled. "Do not lie to me Draco. I know very well that you chickened out. Do you recall me saying I have eyes and ears everywhere?"

The thought of him watching us made my stomach turn. I shook my head to get the image out of my head and puffed up my chest to show strength. "Look, you might as well know, I'm not going to help you kill Ray. You can try and hurt my family all you want, but I refuse to help you, besides, I think you might have underestimated my family's power."

He began to laugh. "You stupid git! Do you really think you have a choice in that matter? All I was trying to do was speed up the inevitable. It might take longer than I want, but the curse will eventually take the both of you completely over and you will no longer be able to control yourselves."

I smirked. "I hate to burst your bubble Nott, but we have found a way to break the curse."

He lowered his wand and practically fell on the floor in laughter. "Did you not ever wonder why I wasn't concerned that the two of you were coming here to break the curse? Rose is not the only one who knows how to break it."

My eyes grew wide. "You mean you knew how the whole time?"

He looked at me and nodded. "Yes, and considering how difficult it will be to achieve I have no doubt the curse will overtake the both of you long before you are able to accomplish it."

He straightened and put his wand back into his jacket pocket. "I will leave you now and simply let the curse do the job for me."

I gripped my wand even tighter and pointed it straight at his heart. "I don't believe you. Why would you even get involved if the curse was going to do everything for you?"

He menacingly smiled and made his way towards the door as I kept my wand on him. He didn't even look back at me as he spoke. "At the point that I came to you the two of you could have gone on without being with each other, between your stubbornness and her self-doubt you two could have gone on with your lives, miserably of course because you would still feel love for each other, but you could have stayed away from one another. The two of you are now too close to be able to separate." He turned and smirked at me when he reached the door. "All thanks to me." With that he left the room.

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Ray POV:

After my walk I didn't feel any better. I had hoped that it would help me work through what we had to do, but it only made me stress even more.

I opened the door to our room and saw that Draco had fallen asleep with a book on his chest. I smiled and removed the book, pulling a blanket on top of him in the process. I sat on the other side of the bed and grabbed one of the books that Rose had let me borrow, the most important book, the book that could change everything. I opened to the fifth page where the instructions to break the curse were. I had read them about fifty times by now and with each time the tasks seemed more impossible and more horrible. I recited them in my head:

_To break the curse do one, two, three_

_And hold your heart and hope to be_

_On your own and able to flee_

** 1. The man must find the place where ****Alexios was killed because of his cruel ways towards muggles and help a muggle in need**

** 2. The girl must unite Alexios and Gwyneth in love **

** 3. Both must do something so unforgivable that the other will have no choice but to hate the other. **

The first would be hard all on its own. The story never mentioned where the killing took place. We were going to have to rifle through hundreds of books and records to get even the faintest of clues about where it happened. Not to mention I couldn't even picture Draco talking to a muggle much less helping one.

Then there was the second task. How was I supposed to do that? They were dead! How was I supposed to make two ghosts fall back in love?

But out of all of them it was the third and final task that bothered me the most. I didn't want to hurt Draco and I didn't want to be hurt by Draco. I couldn't even imagine what he could possibly do to make me hate him. That meant that it was something so horrible that I couldn't even bring myself to envision it and that scared me more than any curse.

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER: **

Draco and Ray go back to Hogwarts and begin to plan how to accomplish the three tasks, but will they be able to control their growing desire for each other?

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**AN: **I hope you guys liked the chapter! Just a few side notes: _There actually is an opera/language school in this town that I went to a few years ago, so it's not as random as it might have seemed. And if you are American and from the south I was not making fun of you. I am actually from the south._ Anywho, Hope you liked it and please review! You guys ROCK!


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Harry Potter, Angst, Romance