Ravenrin & Slytherclaw

RAVENRIN & SLYTHERCLAW- Chapter 15

The following weeks were filled with the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams for the 5th and 7th years and was a telling time on everyone. One weekend during the exam period, Argenta and Honeysuckle were granted permission to attend the funeral of Grandpa Zac an Argenta’s home county of Yorkshire. The pair were escorted to The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade where they Apperated to Argenta’s parent’s home, deep in the Yorkshire moors. They were both greeted with hugs and emotion by the entire Emmanuelle and Maxwell families as they entered the large parlour. The funeral was to be held the next day, as everyone had to return to where they had come from by Sunday night. Argenta led Honeysuckle to her room and they deposited their weekend bags on the bed and then returned to the large group of family downstairs. Honeysuckle felt quite left out as she was the only family friend there and really didn’t know anyone apart from Argenta’s parents. Over the course of that night and the sombre following morning, Honeysuckle did get to know some of the other guest, mainly a small group of cousins that were around her and Argenta’s age.
The funeral passed sombrely and with the odd tears shed by the closer members of the family. Majority of the attendants left straight after the ceremony but Argenta and Honeysuckle did not leave until after dinner when everyone else had finally left. After many more tears and the final goodbyes and “see you soon” ‘s, they Apperated back to The Three Broomsticks, where they were meet by their Head of Houses, who had travelled down in one of the school carriages. They all climbed into the vehicle, the two girls on one side of the seating, the Professors facing them. They travelled in relative silence and were soon back within the safe grounds of the castle and heading to their own dorms and the reality of school life once more.
The N.E.W.T. exams started more on earnest the following week with all but the Divination practical exams taking place that week with the written dispersed in-between the harder practicals. The girls had no problems when it came to the practical side of the N.E.W.T.’s but Argenta was having a hard time with the written side of the Divination exam. She had just completed her Divination practical and the fumes had not helped her concentrate. She had seen in the crystal ball the shapes of a broken heart, a hospital bed with a dark haired person lying in it and a small, dingy room with a squallered looking bed with dirty sheets. Her heart felt heavy and she was glad to leave the room, so went down the stairs to the Great Hall and lined up with the other students that had already taken the practical. After waiting for around an hour, the small group of students were allowed into the Hall, where they were seated in front of their test papers. Argenta started to write as soon as they were told they could, but soon found that she couldn’t think of the right answers. She just could not concentrate at all.
‘Damn Trelawney and her stupid incense and herbs! My mind is all a muddle,’ thought Argenta as she forced herself to write down the meanings of the planets appearing in the houses of the sun signs. She soon had finished the paper and glanced at the clock to see how long was left to complete the written exam. It showed that there was 20 minutes left. Argenta could feel her head getting heavier and very soon she was resting it in her arms, on the desk.
The room was black, dark.
The heavy breathing of that dreaded person was close once more.
She shivered and her skin crawled like there was insects underneath it.
He leaned towards her, his putrid breath on her skin as his lips and tongue rained its torrid torture on her neck.
His hands snaked round to her front and grabbed her already ample breasts, painfully squeezing them.
She whimpered in pain, hate and loathing, but it didn’t stop him.
One of his hands skimmed over her small curvy frame and slip between her legs, resting on her pubic mound.
“This is our little secret. Tell no-one or I will be forced to say that you were leading me on. And who would challenge that statement, seeing how you have blossomed this summer.”
His head lowered, his lips burying themselves into the nook of her neck whilst he twisted her nipple harder….’
“NO!!! No, please, make him stop! Please, Uncle, stop!,” Argenta yelled, jumping up out of her seat, startling that people around her. Her hands were trembling as she patted her body, to reassure herself that he was not there.
“Miss Emmanuelle, are you alright?,” asked one of the examiners, who had made her way from the front of the Hall.
“I’m fine. Just flash backs,” Argenta muttered as she collected her things and rushed out of the Hall.
“Your paper,” the examiner called after her. But she got no reply, so eventually took the exam paper from the desk that Argenta had just sprang from. Argenta ran straight to her dorm and locked herself in, not opening it for anyone, not even Serena and Latisha. Whispers of the outburst soon spread around the castle and Argenta’s two dorm mates ran off in opposite directions to fetch the two people that she just might listen to. Latisha ran straight to Honeysuckle, who was found in the library and Serena to Severus, who was, as usual, in his office marking. Each girl told the other person they were now walking back with what had happened in the Great Hall. Honeysuckle and Latisha had got to the stairs in front of the dorm door first.
“Argenta, open up!,” yelled Honeysuckle, whilst she banged hard on the closed door. The door remained shut tight. Honeysuckle continued to pound the door and yell for her friend to open up, but still she didn’t let anyone in.
“Miss Blonde! Will you desist in that racket!” Severus had finally joined the crowd in front of the door on the stairs.
“I’m sorry Sir, but she’s not letting anyone in and I want to know why!”
“So do I Honeysuckle, so do I,” Severus whispered to the Ravenclaw as he mounted the step she was stood on. He placed his head close to the door and spoke.
“Miss Emmanuelle, open this door now or I will be forced to blast it down!” Still no sound was heard from the room beyond. Severus rose his wand but was stopped by Honeysuckle placing her hand on his wrist.
“Please Sir. Don’t. Tell everyone to move away. I’m sure I could get her to open the door if it’s just me here,” she said softly, her eyes pleading and glistening with now upset and unshed tears.
“Very well. Everyone back down into the Common Room. NOW!,” Severus bellowed, marching down the stairs his-self and finally stationing his-self at the bottom of the stairs to prevent anybody from going up.
“Argenta, sweetie, it’s just me here now,” Honeysuckle whispered through the door, hoping that what she had just said would bring her friend to open the door. It did, but only a crack to begin with. Slowly the door opened more, but just enough to allow Honeysuckle room to manoeuvre through. Argenta’s normally perfectly make-up covered face was streaky and her eyes with it’s normal black kohl and mascara was now patchy and making her eyes look like a panda’s, tears that had shed leaving black smudgy trails that ran down her cheeks from her red and tired looking eyes.
“Oh sweetheart!,” Honeysuckle whispered with open arms into which her friend rushed to. They both slumped to the floor, Argenta curling up into the safety of her best friend’s embrace.
“What happened?”
“Old memories. I thought I had them truly locked away, but I guess not. Argh! Stupid Trelawney and her dumb incense. I must have got so relaxed, that it caused that tiny box of loathing opened,” Argenta whispered. She looked up at her friend and knew that she would have to share her hurt.
“You remember my Uncle Algernon from the funeral?” Honeysuckle nodded, dreading what was coming next, hoping against every hope she held in her body that Argenta wouldn’t say what she feared.
“Well, when I was 10, at another funeral, he cornered me in the bathroom and he…. did things… he forced me to do thinks.” Argenta was now shivering so much that Honeysuckle moved them both to Argenta’s bed and under the covers for warmth.
“I did wonder why you avoided him all weekend,” hissed Honeysuckle, hating the vile, balding, squat Squib of an uncle.
“I swore to myself that I would never let him take advantage again. So when I came here, I strove to learn all the protective charms I could find. He’s a Squib so he didn’t really understand the magic I was using. He’s only got enough magic in him to fill his pinkie fingernail! No one in my family knows Honey, so please, keep this between us,” she cried, more tears raining down her face.
“I will never tell a soul. You’re the closest I will ever have to having a sister. You are considered family by my parents and the rest of my family sweetie. No matter what, you will always have someone you can turn to,” Honeysuckle said, her voice thick with emotion, her eyes also filling with tears, but for her friends past and not what she had just said. Once the tears had dried, Honeysuckle told Argenta how Latisha put aside her hatred for her, just to fetch her.
“Oh and Serena fetched Severus too. I think he’s guarding the stairs and preventing people from disturbing you, us.”
“Tell him that I’m ok and I will come to his office tomorrow after dinner to talk about it. Honey, I’m glad you’re my friend,” Argenta said, hugging her best friend tight. Honeysuckle, once she was certain her Slytherin friend was ok, delivered the message and also told Serena and Latisha to not ask Argenta what happened.
“She will tell you in her own time, if she wants to.” The girls agreed. Honeysuckle returned to her own dorm and silently cursed the man who had hurt and was still hurting her friend.

The next day was free for all the 7th year, which Honeysuckle and Argenta spent in quiet companionship as neither wanted to talk about what had happened the day before. True to her word, Argenta went to Severus’ office straight after finishing her dinner. She sat waiting for him, feeling calmer for being in his rooms. When he entered, he warded his room and walked over to Argenta. He stood behind her, his hands resting on her tense shoulders. He gently started to massage the tension away, making her relax slightly and allow a small sigh to escape her lips.
“Argenta, I understand if you do not wish to share with me what happened in the Hall yesterday. I won’t pressure you to tell me,” he told her softly.
“Thank you. I’ve told the only person I wanted to and I know she will keep her promise. I just want to put the whole thing behind me and get on with my life.”
“Come with me,” Severus said as he moved round to face her, holding out his hand, waiting for her to take it. She did and was pulled up out of the seat and was lead to his private chambers. He allowed her to just sleep next to him, craving the comfort he could bring her in her nightmare filled nights. Since the box in her mind had been opened, she regularly suffered waking and sleeping nightmares, ones that only Severus and Honeysuckle could chase away, each in their own individual ways.