I have never liked Dumbledore in all of my six years of coming to this school. People believed him to be the opposite of what he was. They thought he was a brilliant wizard; brave even. I knew that he wasn't what he seemed to be. The Dark Lord was greatest wizard of all time, strong and powerful. I aspired to be like him. I dreamed so hard to be like him, that I had been practicing a certain curse. I used it to kill flowers, then rabbits, then deer, then that acromantula in the forbidden forest. It was only a matter of time before I would be able to test it on a human. All I could do for now was to practice in the forbidden forest on the animals that lived there. During classes, I found it difficult to sit still, to keep my hand away from my wand when not practicing spells. I had been tempted to preform the killing curse on the peers that I despised, though I managed to keep myself in line.
***
"I have never felt so much power in my life! I have the choice of life and death in my hands and it is the best feeling." I explained to Ross.
"But you can control yourself, right?" Ross asked me.
"Of course, I can! But think about how great it would be if you had life and death rest in your hands! Wouldn't it make you feel like the most powerful person on the planet?" I asked him.
"I don't think I would be able to handle the weight of death on my shoulders." Ross answered.
"Well, let me tell you, it isn't the worst feeling in the world! I actually quite enjoy the feeling. Now I understand why the Dark Lord does it." I said.
As Ross and I talked, I heard a noise I almost couldn't describe. Like the explosion and crumbling of rocks or boulders ringing in my ears. It was aggravating. I looked around. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. I looked up to the castle.
"Raven? Is everything alright?" Ross asked.
"Don't follow me." I ordered the boy.
I began to walk toward the castle. Whatever this sound was, I was going to find it and put an end to it. I walked towards the sound. The closer I got to it, the louder it became. It was loudest when I approached the boy's toilets on the main floor. I looked around and walked into the washroom just as an unfamiliar spell was yelled by an all too familiar voice. I watched as the white light hit a boy with white hair. The boy staggered back and fell onto the flooded floor. His white uniform shirt quickly became drenched in red. The water on the floor began to turn the same colour. I watched in shock as the boy I knew too well cried and shook in pain. I looked over at the boy who produced the spell. It was another boy I knew too well, except I hated this one. My blood curdled inside me. I whipped my wand out and held it out to the boy with glasses.
"You're going to pay for what you did, Potter. I swear to Merlin." I told him.
"Wand away, Lily." A cold voice said as a man wearing a black cloak walked quickly past Potter and me.
I glared at Potter as I put my wand back in my pocket. I backed away from Potter and made my way over to Draco. I knelt next to him.
"Hey, it's going to be okay." I whispered to the boy as I moved a strand of blond hair away from his face.
His eyes were closed and his breath was shaky. I held the boy's hand as my father knelt beside the boy and began drawing his wand along the deep cut in Draco's chest. My father muttered an incantation that I had never heard of before. The red from the water looked like it was being drawn back to Draco as it became clear again. I watched the blood from his uniform disappear and Draco's breath became steady again. My father took his wand away from the boy. I looked up at him.
"Is he going to be okay? What spell did Potter use?" I asked him.
"He'll be fine. He just needs rest." My father told me.
I looked down at Draco who's eyes opened and blinked a couple times.
"You're going to be okay Drakie." I whispered, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.
He looked at me and pulled his hand away from mine. He pushed himself up to a seated position.
"Draco, what happened?" I asked him.
I saw his eyes land on the necklace that replaced his locket from Christmas. His expression was immediately angry.
"It isn't any of your business." He told me.
I looked over at my father, who stood up. I knew my father needed to take Draco to the hospital wing. It wasn't long after the incident that I over heard Potter complaining about having detention with my father for the rest of the year and he had to get a new potions book. He deserved it! No more cheating and I can finally be back on top of the class.
I walked to the Common Room and threw myself into the couch.
"There you are! Let's go!" A girl's voice echoed through the lounge.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I promised Gwen that I would train her and that day happened to be today. Right now.
"We can reschedule if you're not up to it." Gwen told me.
"Rule number one!" I said sharply, putting a tough face on and quickly standing up from the couch, "if you want it, you want it now! You don't take no for an answer! You are in charge. You have the power over others. You make them do what you want them to do and they do it now! Do I make myself clear?"
Gwen stood tall, her eyes never leaving mine and a maniacal smile played on her face.
"Yes ma'am." She said in a cool tone.
I walked towards the door.
"Oh and Raven?" Gwen called over to me.
I turned to look at her.
"You better watch your tone with me. I don't like being told what to do." She said to me.
I smiled.
"Is that a threat?" I asked her.
"Do we need it to be a threat?" She asked.
She was testing herself. She was asserting her power.
"Keep it up and you're going to be the new me when I'm gone."
We walked out of the Common Room. We made our way up the stairs to the ground floor, then walked out of the school. I carefully lead her to the Forbidden Forest. The place where people don't enter for their entertainment.
"Isn't it called the Forbidden Forest or a reason? It's forbidden, hence the name!" Gwen asked me nervously.
"Rule number two! We go where we want, when we want, with whom we want, to do what we want. School rules are only applied lightly for us. And it's only a broken rule if we get caught, anyway!" I taught.
We walked deep into the forest.
"A couple days ago I killed the giant acromantula that lived in here. He was Hagrid's friend and pet. The killing curse is a privilege. I earned it." I told her.
"You know the killing curse? How did you learn it?" She asked me, astounded by the complexity of the curse and my knowing of it.
"The Dark Lord taught me the basics. It was up to me to perfect it." I said.
We reached a small clearing.
"How much magic did you know before you came here?" I asked her.
"Only spells used for cleaning around the house." She shrugged.
It was nearing the end of the year. Why did I put it off for this long?
"Alright. Let's begin." I sighed.
I gave her scenarios to help her get into the mood of using her own power to produce a more powerful spell. We mostly reviewed aggressive dueling spells, as well as a couple defensive spells to protect herself from dueling spells. When the crickets began to chirp, I realized that we lost track of time and it was nearing curfew. We ran back to the school, making sure no one saw us come out of the forest. The person we had to worry about the most was Hagrid. He always made sure no one entered the forest. Lucky for me, I was sneaky enough to go in without being noticed. We reached the Common Room by curfew. When we got in, I immediately started over to the couches. The couch I usually sat on was empty and my friends sat on the other couch, completely occupying it and floor in front of it. I threw myself onto the empty couch, sprawling myself across it. I sighed, my eyes closed.
"Legs, Snape." A girl's voice ordered.
My eyes snapped open and I looked at the girl who stood at my feet.
I could sense the awkwardness from the other couch. I propped myself onto my elbows and cocked my head at her.
"Are you ordering me to move my legs on my couch?" I asked her.
"I want that spot, and I want it now! I don't take no for an answer! I am in charge. I have the power over you. I make you do what I want you to do and you do it now! Do I make myself clear?"
Did she just paraphrase the first rule? She took my words and used them against me!
"Gwen, maybe you should just come take my spot." Daphne said, standing up.
"Hold on," I said, holding my hand up to her in light protest.
I stared at the girl with red hair and blue eyes.
"You want a spot on my couch. And you just tried to use my words against me!" I exclaimed to her.
"And you're not moving. So do I need to repeat myself? Or just take matters into my own hands and just move your legs for you?" Gwen asked me, crossing her arms.
I stared at her for another minute. I pointed at her with my free hand.
"I'm your teacher. You are training to be me. Not someone with higher authority than me. Watch your tongue or I'll cut it out. I'll teach you who you need to respect, and I am one of those people. So you're either going to sit on that couch," I pointed to the crowded couch, "or you'll sit on the floor, at my feet, like a competent human being."
Her arms dropped and her hands fell onto her hips. She shook her head and sat on the floor, at my feet.
"Good job, Peirce. You learned something today. I'm proud." I told her, falling back onto the couch.
"What just happened?" Pansy's annoying voice piped up.
"It seems like Gwen just demanded power from Raven, but Raven threatened her down to her place on Raven's pyramid. A battle for power is what it looks like." Daphne explained to her, sitting slowly back into her spot on the other couch.
"And Gwen didn't die?" Davis whispered.
"Listen, all of you," I said, my eyes closed, my face towards the ceiling, "there comes a time where you will meet a younger person who reminds you of yourself. When I found Gwen, she reminded me of myself, so I took her in and now I am training her to be me, so there will still be a pyramid when I have graduated." I explained to them.
"You're moulding her?" Pansy asked.
"Voluntary moulding. I want to be like Raven. She's teaching me her ways. She's sculpting me into a new, better, powerful person." Gwen told her.
I was proud that she was standing up for herself against everyone that was there. She even tried against me and that is scary for a lot of people. All she really needs to do is become a reader. I've been reading my entire life. It's why I'm as smart as I am. Only non-fiction on the wizarding world. No muggle books. Every educational book she can find, she will read. She will absorb information like a sponge and I will force her to remember it all.
The last of the natural light faded quickly and we all dispersed to our rooms. When we got to the room, I changed into my night gown and crawled into my bed.
"You're moulding her." Pansy told me for the second time tonight.
"Like she said, it's voluntary moulding. She wants me to and I want to. We need another me in this place when I'm gone. Someone needs to be on top of the pyramid. Why not her?" I explained.
"But Dumbledore is on top. He's headmaster." Davis said.
"When has any of his rules applied to me? When have I ever been punished for breaking rules?" I asked her.
She didn't answer me. Probably thinking of a time that never happened.
"Look, my point is. I basically run this place by intimidation. No one has fought me for the top since I came here. Not even Dumbledore has put me below him. This gives me the authority to choose who gets to be on top when I leave. I chose Gwen." I told them.
This ended our conversation and we all went to bed soon after that.
***
The next morning, after breakfast, I walked down the the hospital wing. I walked in to see Madam Pomfrey doing her morning checks on students.
"Good morning, Madam Pomfrey!" I said loudly, walking into the wing.
"Quiet dear, many are still asleep," Madam said to me, walking over to me, "How can I help you?"
"Is Malfoy still here?" I asked her.
She pointed over to the third bed from the end on the left. The curtains around it were closed. I nodded to her and walked over to the bed.
I pulled open the curtains and walked in, closing them behind me. I saw Draco, covered with white cotton sheets. He didn't seem distressed at all. He looked peaceful as he slept.
"He was conscious since he got here last night, but he passed out as soon as he got into bed and be hasn't awoken since." Pomfrey told me.
"He'll be okay. He just needs some rest." I told her.
"I agree." She said and left.
I dragged a chair over to the side of his bed. I sat down and looked at him. His hair was still messed up from the duel. He had a few cuts here and there. His arms draped at his sides, but his left hand rested on his stomach. The familiar facial features made me remember the good days. When we were best friends. When I pinched his cheeks like his mom did when we were little. Back when he slicked his hair back. We were the ultimate duo. And then we weren't. One day, everything changed. I sighed and took his limp right hand in mine.
"I know we're not friends anymore. I know you hate me. But our lives are too intertwined to not acknowledge and protect each other. I don't like your father, but I'll protect him. I may not like some of the other Death Eaters, but I'll protect them. And I may not be your favorite person right now, and I know that, but I will protect you as much as I can. I will get revenge on Potter. He hurt you, and I will hurt him tenfold. We're family whether we like it or not. It's something we've got to accept." I explained to him.
His hand twitched in mine. I knew this as a natural reflex but I continued to hold his hand tight. I missed the days where we held hands in the halls. I probably wouldn't get any other chance to hold his hand after today.
"Just tell me." A familiar voice croaked.
I looked over to his face. His eyes open just a little.
"Are you dating that bloody bird? After what he did to you when we were together?" He asked.
I let go of his hand and looked away. I knew that I would have to chose Draco or Ross some day. I just wasn't ready for it to be so soon. I knew whatever decision I made, it would end up hurting one of them. But maybe it was hurting me more.
To my surprise, Draco took my hand again. My heart pounded in my chest.
"You're not happy, Rava." He said.
I looked at him again and gave him a fake smile.
"How did you know?" I whispered.
He sighed and slowly pushed himself up, while shaking his head.
"Raven, I've known you for over fourteen years. I know you better than you know yourself. I know when you're not happy, even when you try to hide it." He said.
Even when he hates me. He still knows how to read me. At least he knows some things about me that others don't.
"Raven, listen. As angry as I was, I'm not happy without you. I need you in my life. You were my best friend. You're in love with the bird. We've established that a long time ago. But that doesn't mean that we can't be friends." He said
"The Amortentia! It said I love Ross, and maybe it do, but I love you too! I've always loved you! Ross is my pet! My bird! He is loyal and is a good listener! But I've always had feelings for you! I honestly just used him to bother you. But instead of hurting you, I've just been hurting myself." I explained to him.
He stayed quiet. I knew he didn't want me for a girlfriend. That ship has sailed and failed. But it didn't mean that I couldn't love him.
"Rave, I have a good thing going with Astoria Greengrass. I really like her. I like you too, but we tried dating and I think we were just meant to be friends. We aren't compatible as a couple. But we're perfect as friends." He told me.
Of course he liked Daphne's little sister! She's cute and small and perky but quiet. She's like the opposite of me.
"She isn't even pure-blood." I told him.
"Neither are you and we were still a couple."
"But I act like a pure-blood! I share the beliefs of blood purity! I'm the second in command for a reason!" I exclaimed, lowering my voice to a whisper.
"And she lives life to the fullest. Like everyday is her last. She doesn't mouth off. She cares about other people before herself. She's a really kind person." Draco explained.
"And what am I? Chopped troll feet? I know every single one of your secrets. I'm the only person you can talk to when you're feeling insecure. I'm the only person who sees you at your weakest because we aren't allowed to express weakness around other people. Our rule is to never show weakness, but we are each other's exception! We are perfect for each other, but you choose her?" I asked him.
"Like I said before, we're perfect friends. But as a couple? We just don't work." He told me.
I sighed and nodded. I had to accept that he was right. I had to look at the good thing we got out of this. I had my partner in crime back.
"And besides, you have your bird. He would die for you. I suggest you keep going with that relationship. It could have potential if you let your feelings for me go and you realize how much that guy likes you." Draco pointed out.
It was strange hearing Draco say something respectful about Ross. Draco hated Ross, he didn't try to hide that fact. But he had just said something nice about Ross.
"This also gives me an excuse to spend more money on you. An apology present. I know you hurt while we werent talking." He said, squeezing my hand.
"I already have enough gifts from you. The necklaces, the ring. I think just having you back is a good enough present." I told him.
"But I think a bracelet is long overdue. I'm going to buy you one as soon as Madam Pomfrey let's me out of here." He said.
"I still wear the snake that I got when I was little. You got your matching one on the day we got on the train for the first time." I told him.
Instead of saying anything, he let go of my hand and pulled up the sleeve of his right hand. I saw the identical twin to my own bracelet.
"Your mother said our families are very close. Our parents made a promise to keep it that way. My father's only child, and your parents' only child, have the same bracelets. It's more than just cute matching things. It's a forever promise to stay together and protect each other no matter what happens." I reminded Draco.
"I guess we broke the promise." Draco said, disappointment written on his face.
"Then we need to re-promise." I shrugged.
He smiled and nodded. We took each other's hands and looked at each other dead in the eyes.
"I promise to never keep a secret from you again. I promise to protect you against all harm, even if it kills me. I promise to give you my support on every decision you make, no matter how idiotic or stupid it may be. I promise to never lose my temper and to be the person you can go to for anything." I said, swearing my vow.
"I promise to never hurt you again. I promise to keep you from harm's way, even if it kills me. I promise to keep all of your hundreds of secrets. I promise to support every decision you make, no matter how stupid or dangerous it may be. I promise to never lose my temper and to be the person you can go to for anything." He swore.
"Okay, you may be cute, swearing some dumb promises to each other, but some people are trying to get some sleep over here!" A voice called from across the room.
Draco smirked at me and let go of my hands. He gave me a small nod and I shot up out of the chair I was in. I walked out of the small room with curtain walls. I walked over to the small curtained off room across the wing. I tore open the curtains and saw a Gryffindor lying in the bed.
"Would you like me to help you with your sleep? A nice spell can wipe you out for days! I've never tried it before so this could be a fun experiment!" I asked in a maniacal tone, my eyes wide and a smirk on my face.
My wand was in my hand and I swore I looked like I was a serial killer to this kid.
"Calm down! All I asked was for you guys to be quieter. I don't need to be listening to your cheesy promises." The boy said, attitude rolling off his tongue.
If there's one thing I didn't tolerate, it was attitude from other people. Especially those I don't like. And I hate every Gryffindor.
So, with my knowledge of non-verbal magic, I flicked my wand upward and a blue flash hit the boy. He quickly fell unconscious.
"You wanted to sleep. You can't give me trouble for granting your wish." I told the stunned boy.
I walked out of the room, closing the curtain behind me. I walked back to Draco. After talking for a little bit, taking time to catch up, Madam Pomfrey let Draco go and told us that classes were starting soon. Draco and I walked down to the dungeons so I could help him get ready for classes. We ended up late for our first class, but that was the last of my worries. What I had to worry about, now that Draco and I were friends again, was the fact that we had a couple weeks left of school and Draco still hadn't done his task given by the Dark Lord. If worst came to worst, I would have to do it. And if it meant that Draco didn't have to become a murderer, so be it.
A/n
Word count: 4125
I know!!! It's been MONTHS!! I'm so sorry for leaving y'all waiting!! I've been so preoccupied with my last year of high school. All the homework and drama going on in my life, my mind has been everywhere, except here. It should be here, but I've had so little time. But here it is!
Question, will Gwen be able to fill Raven's shoes? Or will she let Raven down immensely?
Lemme know what you think!
Luvz, Spade