Crossed Love (Draco Malfoy Romance) BOOK ONE

Shackled

Raven's POV

I awoke to the smell of roses. My eyes flicked open and I found myself in the hospital ward.

"You're awake." I looked to my side and saw Harry sitting there, his hands in his lap. His hands looked red as if he'd been wringing them all night and day. "You've been out for 2 days. After you were stunned, Dumbledore escaped and Umbridge was made Headmistress of the school." Harry fiddled with his fingers. His eyes kept flicking to my arms, as if he didn't want me to notice what was under the sheets. 

"What's wrong?" I ask, my throat dry. I try to move but fail to do so. "Harry. Pull the sheets down." I say urgently. "Why can't I move?" My voice cracks slightly, as I try to jerk my arms.

Harry slowly pulls the sheets down to reveal a leather strap has been placed around my wrists and tied to the bed. I gasp and start to panic. "Wha- why?" My hands clench.

All of a sudden I hear a familiar voice shouting. I look up and see Draco run into the room. He instantly looks at me with sadness and anger. But it wasn't at me. It was what was happening to me.

"Raven.. I" Draco was inturrupted by Umbridge and some workers from the ministry.

"Miss Potter." A man strode to my bedside with a briefcase. "Your illness has gotten worse, I'm afraid we will have to treat you with physical therapy." I lie there, confused.

"What illness?" I ask, still struggling to get out of the bed. "What do you mean?"

Harry is then dragged away, along with Draco. Harry shouts my name as I feel a sharp pain in my my chest. The pain flares out across my body. I scream, and the last thing I see before a blanket of darkness envelops me is Umbridge's face, smiling.

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

I awake screaming, still in the hospital bed. My arms have been released from their binds and I am able to move again. The flare of pain in my chest arises and then falls back down as I hop out of the bed. I look at the clock to see what time it is before I make my way out of the Hospital Wing. 

I walk through the corridors and see Cho Chang. She walks up to me with an apologetic look on her face. "Raven..." She looks behind me. "Harry..." She sniffs. I look at her sternly and walk off.

Harry catches up behind me but says nothing. We both walk side by side in utter silence, disgusted by the new rulings of the school and what they have done to us.

Ron and Hermione join us and immediately start bombarding me with questions. "Raven, I heard what happened." Ron says sadly. Hermione just gives me a look of sadness and understanding.

We walk across the bridge in silence. "Look if it's anyone's fault it's ours." Hermione says, as we stop to look.

"Yeah, we were the ones who talked you into it." Ron agrees with Hermione. I love how they act like saying it was their fault made it all ok again. I keep my calm and stare off into the distance.

"Yeah but I agreed." Harry says, looking at them. "I tired so hard to help, and all it's done is make things worse." He looks down. "Nevermind it doesn't matter anymore. I don't want to play anymore. Because all it does is make you care too much and the more you care the more you have to lose." Harry's dark and depressing side never comes out like this. But I still say silent.

"So maybe it's just better to..." Harry trailed off.

"To what?" Hermione asks, not wanting to hear the answer but wanting to.

"To go it alone."  I say, my voice is still raspy from the few days of torture.

All of a sudden we hear a 'psst' noise come from the end of the bridge. I look across and see that it's Hagrid. He wasn't supposed to be here. I thought that Umbridge might of already have fired him.

"Hagrid?"

He walks off, expecting us to follow him. We all do as implied and are led down to the forbidden forest. "Do you have any idea where he's takin' us?" Ron asks, skeptically.

"Hagrid? Why can't you just tell us?" I ask urgently, I was the only one still in my uniform from the days before.

A pack of Centaurs run across us, angry and riled up.

"I've never seen the Centaurs so angry before, and they're dangerous even at the best of times." Hagrid starts. If the ministry restricts their territory any much more, they're going to have a full uprising on their hands."

"Hagrid what's going on?" Hermione asks, getting annoyed.

"It's hard to be so mysterious, you four but I wouldn't have bothered you about it.. but you know with Dumbledore gone...." Hagrid fiddles with his fingers. His voice starts to become sad and chokey. "Well.. I'd likely be getting the sack any day now. And I couldn't leave without telling someone about him."

A thud erupts from the ground and a giant appears from behind a tree. "Grawpy!" Hagrid shouts and the clumsy giant turns around to look at the Half-giant. Hagrid smiles at the four of us. We all take a step back, frightened that the Giant might squash us under it's huge feet.

We all begin to move backwards quickly as the giant moves closer and closer to us. All of a sudden it comes to a halt as I realise that it's attached to a rope.

"He's completely harmless, just like I said." Hagrid says, as 'Grawpy' looks at us closely. "Just a lil.. high spirited that's all."

The giant moves towards Hermione and grabs her. Hermione screams as she is lifted into the air. "Grawpy! That is not polite!" Hagrid scolds the Giant like a three year old.

"Hagrid do something!" Ron pleads, as he sees his friend squirming in the Giant's hand.

"We have talked about this...you do not grab do you?" Hagrid continues to scold him as Ron goes and grabs a huge log and runs towards Grawp's leg. It breaks against him and Ron looks up frightened.

The giant nudges Ron with his foot and he falls backwards, next to my feet. "Grawp! I say, getting the Giants attention. "Put.Her.Down..." I say assertively while pointing my finger at him. "Now...."

He complies and places Hermione down gently. "Just need a firm hand that's all." I shrug. Grawp's face is spread with guilt.

"I think you have an admirer." Harry says, looking over to the giant who's fumbling through his things placed at the base of a tree. He turns around and pulls out what looks like to be a bike handle with a bell on it. Grawp rings the bell and smiles. He hands it to Hermione who takes it skeptically.

Grawp looks at her in an apologetic manner. I think this is perhaps his way of saying sorry. Hermione rings the bell. Grawp looks at her happily, and takes it back from her and begins to repeatedly ring the bell with amusement.

"He get's his own food and all. He just needs company that's all. I'm the only family he's got." Hagrid says, hoping that we will look after him.

"We promise."