Chapter 6
Blood ball.
The blood ball was always held the first of July, a month after the students got out of school. Every single one of the 28 blood families would come. It was mandatory. If one of the 28 did not show up, their reputation would diminish. And you do not want to be on the bottom of the food chain.
If you were on the bottom then that meant that you and your children would have trouble finding a betrothal, that you would have trouble not being judged at these events, like the Diggory's. Cedric's family was at the bottom, hence why they never come anymore.
She remembered when they did come. She was little when she first saw the boy, too little to approach him, too little to recognize him at Hogwarts now that he looked older, but he recognized her. Everyone did.
They didn't just call her Rotten Rosier because of her becoming a Hufflepuff and disgracing her family name, but because of her father. Phillip Rosier ruined her life in his death, ruining it by just hearing her last name. He cursed her, scarred her more than her Uncle ever could. But still, she held her head up high.
"Looks like the Diggorys did not show again this year." Her Uncle said to the man beside him. Lucius Malfoy decided to grace them with his presence, but all Raven wanted to do was barf. The man had put on way too much cologne to be normal.
She glanced at Katherine and saw that she was fighting the urge to scrunch up her nose in disgust. They weren't allowed to leave the table until the first dance, when the girls line up and the guys chose whom they dance with until the last couple.
"Good riddance." Lucius agreed.
"At least, Amos married another pureblood. It would a shame if he married a halfblood." Narcissa spoke up. She was sitting beside her Husband, and yet, looked as if she were sitting 100 feet away from their tiny distance. To Raven, it looked as if she was avoiding the man's touch.
Draco was not too far. He was sitting beside Christopher, who was sitting beside Katherine. Raven was forced to sit between her Uncle and Aunt and listen as they converse with the Malfoy's until it was there time to dance.
"Mhmm." Aunt Eleanor gave her a prim and perfect smile, and yet, Raven could see the slight twitch in her eyebrow at the woman's comment. "Agree to disagree, Narcissa."
And if Raven wasn't paying attention — which she wasn't — she would have missed the way that Aunt Eleanor's smile tightened ever so slightly at her own words. She would have missed the small, but lingering glance shared between the two women. Uncle Nicholases laughter broke the tense silence causing the rest of the table to follow after him like mindless puppets, sounding as if they all were snakes at the table. Raven felt as Uncle Nicholas reached behind her chair and brushed his fingers against Aunt Eleanor's back as soon as her laugh sounded a bit too.. loud, and not soft and perfect like the one she had taught them. Raven felt the woman tense up beside her, immediately going silent at the man's touch.
"If he married a halfblood, then we would have been rid of him and his disgrace of a son." Uncle Nicholas stated after the laughter died down. His rough hands possessively settled back behind Raven's chair, trailing across her back before resting it on her shoulder. Raven stiffened at her Uncle's touch, biting her inner lip so hard that she could taste the iron. She balled her hand up into a fist on her lap as she tried to calm her racing heart. "Instead, we have to wait every year for him not to show himself."
"Just imagine what he's teaching his poor son." Aunt Eleanor's chimed in, her voice soft and perfect like always. Her hand reached over and grabbed the rough, possessive hand that had been resting on her shoulder and intertwined their fingers before moving their hands behind Raven's chair. Raven couldn't help but be grateful for the fact that neither hand was touching her back. "At least Christopher is being raised right."
"Same with Draco." Lucius agreed, glancing at his son. "Isn't that right, son?"
"Yes, father." Draco said, a smug grin on his face as he addressed his father. Raven couldn't help the envy that creeped up onto her skin. She saw the way the two of them looked at each other. His fathers eyes held such pride inside of them, while Draco's held excitement.
Uncle Nicholas had never looked at her that way. Had never looked at any of them that way. Her Aunt Eleanor certainly had not. To them, Raven was just an extra mouth to feed.
The kid they got stuck with.
"Have you given the badger a good whipping yet?" Lucius broke the silence. Raven didn't even need to glance at Draco or Christopher to know that they flinched at his words.
Uncle Nicholas matched his gaze, a sick smirk rising up and onto his lips before he pulled — forcefully as if her Aunt Eleanor didn't want the man to let go — his hand away from his wife's touch to caress Raven's back possessively. Raven could taste the iron in her mouth from how hard she was biting her inner lip. She could feel the sting of burning on her hands as her nails dug into them.
"Oh, yes. She was punished accordingly." Aunt Eleanor smiled, prim and perfect like a puppet on strings. And Raven swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Indeed she was." Uncle Nicholas agreed before chuckling, a cold and humorless sound that Raven knew would haunt her for the rest of her days. The young girl clenched her jaw, trying to push the growing nausea in her stomach, especially with the way Uncle Nicholas kept brushing his fingers back and forth on her back. She felt the burning of eyes on her face. She turned, meeting Mrs. Malfoy's gaze. Her eyes.. they held a hint of something inside of them, unlike the man beside her. "Six hours."
"Six— Six hours?" Narcissa Malfoy stuttered out. Her eyes shot over to Aunt Eleanor. "You can't be serious."
Raven didn't dare to look at Aunt Eleanor, not wanting to upset the woman anymore. Though, out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the way her Aunt opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. The two woman hadn't looked away from one another, almost as if they were stuck, frozen.
"I am." Uncle Nicholas spoke for his wife, smirking before he glanced over at Raven, and began to stroke her hair as if she were nothing but a pet. He lowered his voice, a husked tone leaving his lips. "A disgrace like her deserves to be punished. Beside, she knows I'm only doing this for her own good. Isn't that right, my beloved niece?"
The entire table looked over at her, burning their gaze into the girl. Raven felt her breathed hitch at the attention. She fought the urge to gasp for air, knowing how imperfect that would be, but for some reason, it were as if her lungs had decided to stop working. She couldn't breathed. No air was traveling through her throat and down to her lungs. She was frozen, unmoving — not breathing.
She could barely feel the way her Uncle Nicholas stopped stroking her hair at her silence, burning his gaze into the side of her head. Raven glanced over at the man, meeting his gaze and wishing she hadn't. His dark black eyes were swimming with anger, rage at her silence. Raven could see the emotion right away, knowing how to read the man's feelings. Even then, she still couldn't breathed. She couldn't speak. She remained frozen until she felt a foot gently tap her own under the table. In an instant, as if nothing had happened, a perfect smile fell onto her lips with ease as she ignored the trembling in her fingertips.
"Yes, Uncle." Raven nearly winced at her mistake, especially with the way the man's eyes darkened even more. She hurriedly spoke to correct her air. "Yes, sir."
He was doing this for her own good, she reminded herself. She needed to learn. He was being merciful with his disciplines. Other purebloods families would have threw her out after her first mistake. And if they hadn't, then they would have done so after she became a Hufflepuff. At least, Uncle Nicholas kept her. He was kind enough to do so. Raven knew that she did not deserve it either, so she should be grateful.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The announcer began, earning everyone's attention. "Let's begin the ball!"
Raven was the first one out of her seat.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Tired.
Raven's feet were aching as soon as the dance was done. She always hated the first dance that slowly turned into 2 hours of the kids just dancing while the adults talk amongst themselves as if they weren't forcing there kids to dance until they collapse. Thankfully, it was over. And now, she got to go and hang out with her friends.
Well, she wasn't sure they were her friends anymore considering that she became a Hufflepuff instead of a Slytherin like the rest of them. And none of them would talk to her, would they? She didn't think so.
Raven probably wouldn't talk to herself.
That's a lie.
She definitely would talk to anyone who looked alone. She was too kind not to. She knew how it felt to be alone and, she didn't want that for anyone else, certainly not towards someone who was considered a kind person by their house.
Her friends say that they like that about her. That it makes her different from the rest of her family, but Raven hates it. She hates how kind she is sometimes. But don't mistake her kindness for a weakness, she can be a bitch when she wants to be. She has a fist for a reason, and punching is as good of a reason as any.
"Raven."
"Huh?" Raven turned to her left. "Pansy?"
"Who else?" Pansy rolled her eyes before sighing, turning to look at the rest of the party instead of Raven's eyes. "Anyways, I just wanted to say.. thank you for what you did."
"Don't thank me." Raven offered her a small smile, barely a tug up. Perfect. "You would have done the same for me."
"No." Pansy admitted. "I wouldn't have."
And by Pansy's guilty expression, Raven could tell that her words were true. But still...
"That's okay." Raven hesitated before reaching out and patting Pansy's back. The girl stiffened at the touch before relaxing. "I'm just glad I could help."
Pansy turned to her, her eyes wide as she locked them with Raven's sapphire eyes. She looked at Raven as if she couldn't believe her, as if she were shocked that the girl was being nice to her after everything she's done.
"Why are you being nice to me?" She asked, eyes wide and full of disbelief. "I— I was the one who started calling you Rotten Rosier."
"I know." Raven shrugged, removing her hand from Pansy's back. "But it doesn't hurt to be kind."
Oh, but it does.
It always hurts.
The scars on her back are proof of that.
"You haven't change a bit." Pansy sighed. "I feel like I owe you."
Raven glanced at the girl, allowing her eyes to trail over her face. Her jaw line was soft, not quite out. Her cheeks held a tiny bit of makeup, a light blush on them to brighten them up during this day. The way her green dress brought out her eyes.
Raven didn't want to say it, but Pansy looked kind of pretty. So did Daphne, who red dress was eye catching even from across the hall.
"Well, you don't." Raven turned away, looking back at the dance floor. She had a drink in her right hand. Her blue sleeveless dress did not cover the bruise on her wrist, but the makeup did. Almost. "Consider it a favor."
"Your wrist says otherwise." Pansy mumbles. Raven felt herself flush at her words, feeling her face heat up in embarrassment. She quickly shook her head to return them back to her natural color. Raven quickly glanced over at her Aunt's table before sighing in relief at the fact that the woman wasn't watching her, instead she was watching the door with a surprised expression as if someone had just showed up.
"It'll heal." Raven said. But Pansy still looked guilty. Raven sighed before she turned to the girl. "Fine. If you really want to do something for me then.."
Raven glanced around the room before her eyes landed on her cousin who was talking to Draco happily. The Malfoy boy was accompanied by his friends, Crabbe and Goyle. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, wondering where the other two goons went, Nott and Blaise before shrugging as that wasn't any of her business.
"Go ask my cousin for a dance." Raven finished.
"That doesn't count." Pansy shook her head before she sent Raven a knowing look — one that looked too familiar to the one that she used to send her when they were friends. "I'm supposed to dance with him anyways."
"Still." Raven replied, a prim and perfect smile tugged up onto her lips. Pansy sighed, disappointed, growing quiet between the two of them. Raven glanced over at the girl, burning her gaze into the side of the girls face. Her stomach churned. In this moment, Raven couldn't help but think that the girl looked kind of.. pretty. Her gaze soften ever so slightly at the familiar crinkle on her forehead, one that only made itself known when she was upset. "How about this.. I think on it for a while and when I have something, I'll come find you?"
In an instant, a smile appeared on Pansy's face. It wasn't prim. It wasn't proper. It was genuine, soft. One that only Raven ever had the privilege of seeing — of creating. Raven couldn't help but think of the last time she saw Pansy smile like that. Before Raven's first whipping. Before they all realized that none of them were safe just because they were 8.
"Yeah?" Pansy breathed, sounding as if she couldn't believe Raven's words. The Rosier nodded and she couldn't stop her stomach from churning at the beam in the girls eyes. "Yeah, I'd like that."
"Good." Raven turned away from Pansy, feeling a bit too exposed. Her gaze locked with her cousin, watching as the boy made his way over to the two of them with a smirk. Raven forced her face to remain even as she whispered under her breathed to Pansy. "Make sure you step on his feet for me, P."
The old nickname left her lips almost as easy as breathing. And in this moment, she couldn't help but realize how much she missed the girl beside her. The inside jokes that only the two knew.
"What?" Pansy furrowed her eyebrows. Christopher cleared his throat, grabbing the two girls attention. Raven watched as Pansy's soft smile settled back into a perfect one at the sight of Christopher. No one would have been able to tell by the girls emotionless expression that she had been annoyed at the boys interruption. But Raven knew — if the way the girls eyebrow twitched ever so slightly at the sight of him gave her any indication.
"My Pretty Pansy." Christopher grabbed the young girls hand, giving it a kiss. Raven fought the urge to roll her eyes. "May I have this dance?"
"Pretty Pansy?" Raven couldn't help but blurt out. Her tone was a bit sharp.
"Shut up, Raven!" Christopher glared at his cousin before glancing back at Pansy with a hopeful look. "So..?"
"You may." Pansy replied politely just like Christopher had been. They were in public after all. If they were in the safety of their own homes, perhaps she would have shooed him away to talk with Raven. But that was just wishful thinking. Pansy hated Raven. And she had good reason too. The red haired girl was a hufflepuff. She was a disgrace amongst them. Christopher wasn't. The boy smiled before he led them over to the dance floor. Pansy's eyebrow twitched as she spared a glanced over at Raven before she looked back at Christopher. "But don't complain when I step on your toes."
And soon, Raven watched as her cousin's flirty smirk make its way onto his face as her words. Though, Raven saw the way he tensed up at her touch. Something that she still struggled with.
"Hey, Rosier."
Raven rolled her eyes at the familiar voice before tensing as soon as the boy wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. She fought the urge to punch him in the gut to get away.
"Hey, Nott." Raven greeted the boy back. She clenched her jaw at the feeling of his fingers trailing the side of her face, taunting her.
"So, how does it feel to be the family disappointment?" He said. He chuckled, a dry chuckle. "I mean, I did not see it coming. Did you? A Hufflepuff. Man, I still can't believe it."
"Really?" A familiar voice spoke from her other side. "I'm not that surprised."
Raven turned to face the boy and felt a genuine smile escape her lips at the sight of the familiar grey eyed boy. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at Theodore. He was wearing a black tuxedo but had on a yellow tie, matching his house colors.
"Cedric!" Raven exclaimed. She couldn't stop the way her teeth wide grin showed on her face at the sight of the boy. "You're here!"
"Hey, Ray-Ray." Cedric smiled kindly at the girl, before returning his glare towards the boy who still had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. He took a step forward. "I would really appreciate it if you took your hands off of her now."
Theodore stayed there for a moment before he let her go, not attempting to fight against Cedric as the boy was a year older than them.
"I don't want any trouble, big boy." He put his hands up then flashed him a smirk before he glanced at Raven, winking. "See you around, Rotten Rosier."
"Why you little—"
Raven quickly got in front of the boy, halting him in his steps at her hand on his chest. "It's fine, Cedric. He's just trying to get under your skin."
"But he said—" Cedric attempted to argue. Not once raising his voice at the girl.
"I know." She said softly before she glanced around, seeing the unwanted eyes on the two of them. Thankfully, her Aunt and Uncle were talking with his father and mother. His mom wore a yellow dress, while his father wore the same as Cedric. "Come on, let's go outside."
"What about the ball?" Cedric questioned as Raven began to drag him away.
"Aren't you the one who made me sneak out with you last year?" Raven turned and gave the boy a pointed look.
"That was at Hogwarts. What if I wanted to dance?"
"Please, you can't dance even if your life was on the line." Raven replied.
"Ya know, words hurt, Ray-Ray." Cedric huffed.
Raven rolled her eyes as she opened the door, shutting her eyes for a moment at the fresh breeze that hit them. Despite it being summer, they always held the blood balls in the mountains, and because they were close to the sky, it was always colder up here at night. She shivered for a moment, feeling goosebumps ride up her arms before feeling her body relax.
Unlike Raven, Cedric immediately walked out of the hall, stretching his arms as if he were dying.
"Finally!" He exclaimed. "I could feel all those judgmental eyes on me as soon as I walked in."
"Well.." Raven walked all the way out, hearing the door slam behind her. "This is the first time you've come in like three years, right?"
"Six." Cedric corrected. "We stopped coming when I turned 8."
"Mhmm."
"So, how have you been, Ray-Ray?"
"I'm good." Raven lied. "And you?"
"You look slim."
Raven stiffened at his words before she attempted a teasing smirk onto her face as she looked up at him and locked eyes with his grey ones. "Aw, thanks for the complement."
"As always, I live to please." He bows, flashing Raven his signature grin.
"You're such a dork." Raven rushed out, walking passed him and further into the back lot of the hall. She stopped at the sight of the huge lake behind the hall coming into view, looking majestic at night. The way the moonlight glistened against the water as if it were telling a story with the waves. "Just look at this view."
"It is beautiful." He whistled. "Look at the waves. It's like there telling their own story, ya know?"
"I was just thinking that!" Raven exclaimed, happily. She smacked his arm.
"Ow! You asshole!" Cedric held onto his arm, wincing at her hit.
"Oh, quit being a baby!" Raven rolled her eyes, but the smile on her lips threatened to come up. And for once, at least around Cedric, she didn't fight it. She felt the grin lift up, but still, she did not relax. "I didn't even hit you that hard!"
Cedric collapsed onto the floor dramatically.
"Man down!" Cedric gasped, reaching his hand out as if he were dying. "Man down! Ray-Ray, please, tell my father I love him and that.. that.."
Raven rolled her eyes, but decided to play along, and so, she crouched beside the boy and gripped his outstretched hand. "What, Ced? What is it?"
"That.. I wanted the last burrito." And then, he was dead, shutting his eyes dramatically as he let his tongue out of his lips to look like one of those fake dead people she had seen on Muggle Tv with her Uncle Severus.
Raven felt herself giggle at his antics, feeling her shoulders begin to relax in his presence. She quickly grabbed his arms and placed them around his chest in a X shape to look as if he were in a casket.
She cleared her throat before reading from an invisible paper. "Here lies Cedric Dumbass Diggory—"
"That's not my middle name." Cedric mumbled, but Raven just ignored him.
"Gone too soon from this world without his last burrito." Raven smiled at the snicker that left Cedric's lips at her words. "The poor boy didn't get to tell his father that he likes boys as much as he likes girls."
"Raven!" Cedric exclaimed, his cheeks were tinted red. But Raven didn't care, she just laughed. A loud laugh that Cedric brought out with his presence, and she collapsed onto the floor beside the boy as the two of them continued to laugh amongst themselves.
And for once since the summer began,
Raven felt safe.
She felt safe as she laughed beside her best friend. A laugh that only he had the ability to bring out. Her roommates heard her giggle, heard her chuckle, but they've never heard her laugh the way Cedric had.
She laughed, a loud one. Though, it wasn't her true one yet. It was still kind of proper, not much prim. She had limits. She did not snort. But she laughed, wholeheartedly, but with some restraint.
But the longer she was around Cedric, the more the barrier faded away.
He just had that affect on her.
And she did not know why.
But she didn't care. She was laughing for the first time since the summer began. And she didn't care about the consequences for once. She was just happy, and free in that moment.
And as the laughter died down, the conversation started again, not wasting a moment in the silence.
"Why haven't you wrote me back?" Cedric asked. Raven sighed, she couldn't exactly tell him that her Uncle took away her privilege to send mail to her friends. She can receive it, but.. she can't send it.
She got lucky that her owl got passed the houses defenses. If it wasn't for her Uncle Sevs charm that he placed on the Owl's anklets, then the letters would have probably been destroyed upon entering her house.
"You know Twiggles is lazy." Raven lied once more. Technically, it was a half truth as her family owl was kind of lazy, but he always obeyed.
"Well, Twiggles should get off of his lazy arse and send your letters." Cedric scoffed. "I swear that owl does not know how good he has it."
Raven bit her lip.
"No." Raven mumbled. "He doesn't."
"It's okay, Ray-Ray." Cedric sighed. "I'm sure with time he'll stop. I was just worried for the worst after you didn't answer."
"The worse being?"
"You ending our friendship." Cedric answered.
Right.
Raven nearly forgot that despite Cedric being a pureblood, he would never truly understand what she was going through. He didn't understand that her family wasn't happy with her being a Hufflepuff. That she was now considered a.. disgrace amongst the Purebloods. Almost as much as his own family were to them.
She could handle the looks. She could handle the comments. Hell, she could even handle the whip. But.. she couldn't handle losing her family. Not after everything. So, she'd put up with the looks. Put up with the comments. Put up with the whip if it meant that she had a family to belong to.
"Anyways," Cedric glanced at Raven with a grin. "How did your Aunt and Uncle take you becoming a Hufflepuff?"
He'd never understand.
"They congratulated me." Raven lied through her teeth, almost as easy as it was to breath.
But seeing Cedric's tooth like grin was worth it.
"I told you so!" He exclaimed happily. "You were worried for nothing."
The added scars on her back say otherwise, but she kept her mouth shut.
And so the two laid there, talking without a worry in the world. They laid there as they looked up at the stars, laughing without a care in the world. They were just two people, a boy and a girl wanting a break from there lives for a moment. And Raven wouldn't have it any other way.
Cedric was the type of person who was able to make her feel as if she'd never run out of words around him. They could talk about everything and nothing at the same time. They could laugh, or be serious, or just.. walk to class (more like Raven riding his back) with smiles on their face.
Maybe that's why many people began to mistake them for boyfriend and girlfriend since they first met. But that wasn't the case. Anyone with eyes could see that Cedric felt nothing like that towards her. And that Raven felt the same. He was her friend, just her friend. While she was the same for him.
"Pansy looks.." Raven hesitated for a moment. "Pretty tonight, doesn't she?"
"The girl you were talking to?" He asked. Raven nodded, "Mhmm. Yeah, she looks pretty. Why do you ask?"
"No reason." Raven smiled, a strain smile. "Just a thought is all."
"Nah, don't do that."
"Don't do what?"
"That." Cedric flicked the side of cheek. "Dismiss yourself. We talked about this, Ray-Ray."
"Sorry." Raven mumbled, rubbing her cheek.
"Sooo," Cedric grew a smirk. "You fancy Pansy?"
Raven felt her heart stop.
"What?" She scoffed, sitting up quickly, almost fearfully. "Eww! I don't fancy Pansy."
"You're the one who said she looked pretty." Cedric replied, looking up at Raven. But the girl glanced around the yard, almost as if she were looking for spectators. "What are you looking—"
"No, you did!" Raven exclaimed. "You said she looked pretty. I was just agreeing."
"But you brought it up."
"Because I thought she looked pretty." Raven rushed out, her cheeks began to heat up. "Just a compliment. Nothing more, nothing less, so drop it, Cedric!"
"Okay." Cedric sat up. "I was just teasing, Raven."
He moved to place a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?—"
"RAVEN!"
Raven smacked Cedric's hand away at the sound of her Uncle's voice. She quickly scrambled off of the floor and onto her feet as he came up to them. Cedric glanced her with furrowed eyebrows before following her lead as soon as her uncle came into his view.
"There you are!" He said before glancing at Cedric with a glare. "And your here with... him."
Oh, she was so getting punished.
Cedric placed his hand out to shake her Uncle's hand. He offered him a kind smile, a Hufflepuff smile. "I'm Cedric Diggory, sir. Pleasure to meet you."
Her Uncle didn't even attempt to shake his hand. Instead, he looked Cedric up and down in disgust. "Trust me, I know who you are."
Raven stiffened at the confused look in Cedric's eyes, fear in her bones once her Uncle's gaze returned to her.
"Let's go, Raven." He said before he turned away from the boy as he began to walk back towards the entrance.
"I have a feeling he doesn't like me." Cedric said, puzzled by her Uncle Nicholas's behavior. "Or was that just me?"
"I apologize for him." Raven felt herself shift on her feet. "It's been a long day, ya know?"
"RAVEN, LETS GO! IM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU AGAIN!" Raven shut her eyes at his voice, flinching before she looked up at Cedric, giving the boy a strained smile.
"I'll see you at school, Ced."
And she was gone before he could protest.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Smack.
"Are you trying to embarrass me?!" Uncle Nicholas exclaimed as soon as they arrived home. He had backhanded her across the face, putting so much force into his fit that she had flew against the shelves. "Is that it?!"
"N— No, sir." She stuttered.
"God, first Katherine, and now you."
Raven furrowed her eyebrows.
"What did Katherine do?" She couldn't help but ask. The golden girl never did anything wrong.
"Your Aunt caught her cursing with the other girls." Uncle Nicholas sighed before lifting his hand up to squeeze his nose. He collapsed onto the couch as if he hadn't just smacked Raven across the face. "And I'm just done. I can't do this right now."
Raven stayed put.
"Get out of my sight, Raven." Her Uncle ordered. "Your Aunt will deal with you tomorrow."
Raven knew that the next few weeks before school would be torture.