Broken Hearted

Part 4…. Guess Who's Back

"Okay other than the fact that we' REALLY have GOT to do something about those Slytherins picking on Neville. What are we going to do about Draco and his band of jackals?" Hermione's aggravation obviously clear in her voice after watching to Neville change back from a red and gold fly for the second time this month.

"I have to say they couldn't have picked a better time for it." Rayne commented as he paced back and forth. Smiling he looked at the four teens. "So the Potions Master is having me followed. I think I'm going to enjoy this."

"Uh oh. I'm not liking the smile he has." Ron said in a stage whisper to his friends.

Hermione giggled. Harry just smirked, his eyes lighting up a bit at the thought of giving Draco Malfoy hell. They looked at the older man's eyes and saw him wink, his smile growing.

Neville growled at Rayne. "What ever you've got planned Rayne count me in! I don't care what it is."

"Its about time you got some knockers." Rayne patted Longbottom on the back. "Don't you worry. I plan to give them all what exactly what they crave. A taste of chaos."

"Who else is in?" Neville asked his friends as he held out his hand.

Placing his hand on the boy's, Rayne looked at the others. Three other hands topped theirs in seconds. They had no idea what it was they wanted to do, but it was time to stir things up a bit.


*Oh, yeah. This is going to be good.* They thought.

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Two Weeks Later…

*I must be out of my mind. Yep, that's all there is too it. How did I ever let myself get into this?* Draco asked himself, pacing the length of the hall and back. *Because , YOU volunteered, idiot.* Soon they would be following and spying again, but he wasn't so sure if he could keep it up much longer. They had come up with nothing so far, other than Ron and Hermione were very good at evading them and that Rayne was hardly ever seen stepping foot outside of Gryffindor towers. What the hell was he thinking here!?! Rayne came and went as he pleased and not one of them could figure out how the bloody hell he did it. He couldn't go on like this much longer. On the other hand… how could he not? This was maybe his last shot at finally getting some real answers about Harry. None of this eavesdropping or second hand stuff, but actual answers from the source.

Looking out over the court yard, Draco waited for the others.

"Been waiting long Mr. Malfoy?" a voice asked from behind the blonde.

Whirling around Draco faced the last person he expected to see, Rayn.

"I didn't mean to disturb you. I just thought you might like to talk. After all, you did volunteer to keep an eye on me, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

Draco's eyes went comically wide. "How did you know that it? I… You …"

"Dumbledore isn't the only one around here that knows what goes on in Hogwarts. Did you honestly believe that someone who could get past all of the school's defenses, wouldn't know what goes on around here as well?" The amusement clear in Rayn's voice.

Draco took an involuntary step backwards. His back hitting the column behind him, the Slytherin boy's whole view now focused on the hooded figure in front of him. Rayne leaned in closer to Draco.

"If you wanted to see Harry all you had to do was say so." Rayne stepped back and added. "One more thing… Tell your Professor Snape if he wants to know something to just ask. He doesn't have to spy on me."

"So, if we had just walked up to you and asked you a bunch of questions, you'd have answered?" Draco looked incredulously at Rayne.

Chuckling Rayne shot over his shoulder as he left, "Guess we'll never know."

Draco took off running after the retreating form. "Wait. WAIT!" he shouted at the cloaked man. He ran right into Rayn when the mysterious man came to a dead stop in front of him. Knocking himself flat of his own butt Draco stared up at the man that now faced him again.

"Yes?" Rayne didn't offer him a hand up.

"You said I could see Harry if I asked." Draco stated as he got up as dusted himself off.

Only an affirmative nod indicated the hooded figure was listening. Frustrated at the lack of co-operation , Draco ground out. "May I PLEASE see Harry?" while keeping his face an emotionless mask.

Another nod was his only answer it would seem, for the older man turned and walked down the hall paused only long enough to see if the boy was following him. Jogging to catch up, Draco soon fell into step with Rayne.

Though the lad hadn't seen it, Rayne's lips had twitched at the word PLEASE in the boy's request. The older man had to give Malfoy credit for not showing his feelings, but his aggravation came out loud and clear in his eyes. Rayne watched the young man as they walked toward Gryffindor's living area. He was an odd young man, this Draco Malfoy, an extraordinary paradox. For example, he was suppose to hate Harry and yet he was more concerned for him than the people who actually knew the raven haired lad. Rayne could smell it rolling off of the boy in waves. There was something else there too but Rayn just couldn't put his finger on it.

Standing in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, Rayne made the comment that she was looking exceptionally radiant today. The woman within the frame giggled like a young school girl. Rayne leaned in so Draco couldn't hear the password and whispered it into the painted ear. He stepped back and watched the painting swing open for them to reveal the entrance.

He lead the way down the hall to the common room. It was here he paused. Turning toward the bookcase Rayn scanned the shelves. Finding the one he was hunting for, the halfling pulled the book out and said to it, "Show me the way to the seat of all power." And returned it to it's proper place. The case moved inward and slid to the left, showing a dark passageway that lead down to a place that few had seen.

The four Gryffindor students and Rayne had worked out that the Chamber Of Secrets was the perfect place for their plan. Unfortunately, there had been only one way in and only Harry himself could open the passage. They had waited until darkness had long since fallen to descend into the girl's bathroom, which lead to the Chamber. With Rayne's assistance Harry used his new found power supply to make a passageway to the Gryffindor common room. Now anytime someone wanted to reach the exotic hiding place all they had to do was pull the book titled, ‘Disclosure' and say the password. Of course the book was spelled not to open for anyone than a select few to prevent the wrong person from finding the Chamber.

Draco took an involuntary step forward as he tried to get a better look at the passageway. The place looked creepy but he said nothing. He'd followed Rayn this far what was a little more? Making an ‘after you' hand signal, Draco stayed close to the taller man while they walked down the hall. After what seemed forever they stepped into a large chamber that could only be one place.

"This is the Chamber of Secrets isn't?" shock dislodging the youth's normal impassive mask.

"That would be correct, Mr. Malfoy." Rayne replied softly. "Do keep your voice down though. Harry is sleeping and he gets so little rest these days." Pointing to a sleeping figure on a large bed next to a fire place. "Why don't you relieve Ron and stand watch for a bit. He and the others have been taking turns but between doing this, schoolwork, studying, and trying to help me research Harry's condition, it's been placing a bit of a strain on them. Besides, I don't like the idea of you and your friends lurking around like you have been. I have enough to worry about without tripping over you four all the soddin' time."

The Slytherin for the first time noticed that, in a chair next to the bed, Ron Weasley slept while holding his friend's hand. Draco walked past Ryane to get a closer look at the Chamber. It was decorated differently then he'd expected. Egyptian seemed to be the motif. Hieroglyphs, and mysterious paintings that didn't move covered the walls. Fire from the torches mounted along the walls caused the statues of an ancient God and palm trees that graced the Chamber's corners to cast dancing shadows against the sandstone floor. The bed that Harry lad upon was unique to say the least as it reminded Draco of something a Pharaoh would own. On the opposite side of the room a good sized library with book selves reaching from ceiling to floor, a large potions laboratory complete with cabinets full of every imaginable ingredient, and a study area that contained a long table with several chairs next to a second fire place. It was here that Rayn was now sitting surrounded by large tombs, pieces of parchment, quills, ink wells, and scrolls that littered most of the flat surface around the, now decloaked, man.

Harry must have had the whole place redone and added other passageways so his friends could come here whenever they wanted. To undo Slytherin's magic and rearrange the chamber as it was now… That is when it dawned on him. Harry didn't do this. This place didn't feel like Harry's style. It had to be Rayn and any man who could undo that kind of strong magic, who could enter Hogwarts contrary to all the spells on the place to prevent such a thing from happening, and manage to get past Dumbledore was someone who should be feared more than You-Know-Who.

Draco stared at Rayne's silhouette. Squinting, he tried to place the man before him. Draco could almost swear he'd seen the man somewhere before. He mentally mapped out what Rayne looked like and committed it to memory for sketching later. This would be one of the many things he would have to tell Professor Snape. For the moment, he would do as he was asked and relieve the red head.

Walking over to the bed, Draco gently shook Weasley's shoulder whispering for the first time the other boy's given name. "Ron. Ron, wake up."

Ron's sleepy gaze met his for a moment before closing again. Draco almost laughed as he watched the other wizard's mind catch up to what he'd seen. Eyes snapping open in surprise Ron started to say something and, from the looks of it, very loudly. Draco slapped a hand over the Gryffindor's mouth and placed a finger from his other hand up to his lips, signaling Ron to be quiet.

Whispering in Weasley's ear Draco told him. "Rayne brought me here. I'm taking the next shift. Go get something to eat and some rest, Rayne's orders."

"I don't believe you." Ron hissed.

Draco pointed to where Rayne was sitting and shrugged. "Ask him yourself then."

Ron looked over the blonde's shoulder at the figure studying at the opposite side of the chamber. Looking back at the Slytherin boy he asked softly, "Why are you here, Malfoy?"

"Would you believe I was worried about Harry?" Draco inquired.

"Does it look like I've lost my mind? No, I wouldn't." he shot back at the boy crouched before him.

Chuckling softly Draco did what he knew would confuse the freckled skinned boy, he told almost all the truth. "How about this then? My friends and I have been spying on you and the others for weeks and Rayne caught me doing it. Said that if we were going to do that we might as well be useful instead of a pain in the arse and take a turn at watching Harry. We get to spy on all of you, Rayn can keep a closer eye on us so he can stop us from informing Professor Snape of something he doesn't want him to know, and you get four more people for watch duty so all of you can get longer breaks before your shift."

Ron stared at him for a moment and laughed silently. "That I believe. Do you know what to do?"

Looking uncomfortable for a moment he admitted, "Not really. I just figured if he started running a fever or something then I would get Rayne."

"Well your half right anyway. You see that wrist band on Harry's wrist?" at Draco's nod Ron continued, "It's color coded for his treatments. Silver means he's fine. Blue means his illness is starting to take hold. Yellow means we need to make arrangements for treatments. Red means we need to start treatments quickly. Then there is black." Ron swallowed hard on the last words. Shaking it off he looked at Draco dead in the eye and finished, "Black means it's to late and you need to get as far away from him as you can. The convulsions that hit him during that time are accompanied by surges of lighting. You can't touch him while he's like that. If you do it will probably kill you as well as him."

It was Draco's turn to swallow hard. He looked at the wrist band again, it was blue. "What's wrong with him?"

"Rayne knows what it is but it has no English translation. Its… Old magic, that's all he'll tell us. Says the less we know about it the better." Ron explained.

Truly befuddled Draco looked at the sleeping form on the bed. "Who would do something like this to him?"

Ron snorted. "Who do you think?"

Draco's eyes rounded, his voice rising. "I thought he was dead!"

"Shhh!" Ron tried to quiet Draco before he woke Harry. "He is but this was his parting gift to Harry. The bastard did it to him after…" Ron stopped abruptly and looked into the fire.

Draco tried to understand but Ron ceased talking. Figuring the other boy was too emotional to finish, he placed a comforting hand on the other boy's knee. "Why don't you go get something to eat now? You look like you haven't eaten in a while and Harry needs you to be healthy."

Smiling sadly but gratefully Ron stood up and headed off to talk to Rayne. Draco took his vacated seated by Harry's side. He watched as the raven-haired boy's hand roved around as if searching of something. Hesitating for only a moment, Draco laid his hand on top of Harry's. The other boy wasted no time in clasping his hand with his own. It was as if Harry were subconsciously seeking out a reassuring presence.

Feeling silly, but going with his gut instinct, Draco moved from the chair to sit on the bed. Leaning down so that his lips barely touched Harry's ear he whispered, "I'm not going to allow anything to happen to you under my watch. You hear me Potter? You're safe here. Make no mistake about it though, when you're better I'm going to deal you such a fit you're going to want to strangle me…" brushing his lips against skin. "Our little game will begin again, but this time the prize will be different." Draco couldn't believe he was doing this but he licked the boy's earlobe before pulling away and moving back to the chair. The entire time he never let go of Harry's hand.

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He was surrounded by mist and shadows. Darkness and light battling for the right to lay claim within the mist.

***Voices from everywhere and no where echoed all around. ***

"Stand guard," a child's voice ordered.

"Watson, Weasley, Weasely... a bloody plague of Weasleys...Wilkins, Wilkins, Williamson, White... there's no Whedon!" the sound of papers being riffled through.

"Maybe someone else stole it first." Another young voice stated.

***The voices faded and returned.***

"What are you doing in there?" this one older, more feminine.

"McGonagall!" the first voice cried. "Run!"

The sound of a demon's laughter.

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Startled awake by his nightmare, Rayne looked around, trying to orient himself. His dreams and visions were becoming more frequent with every passing day. This time he KNEW to whom the first voice belonged. It was Malfoy. He was almost certain of it, however, Rayne needed to be sure.

Rayne watched as Hermione walked in and gasped in shock over seeing Malfoy at Harry's side. *Good girl. Keep up the act.* Walking over to her and acting as if he were explaining the new sitter's presence, Rayne pulled her to the side.

"I had that dream again."

"Remember anything new?" she asked.

"I'll tell you about it after I'm sure I'm correct about something first."

She nodded her head and walked away. Rayne watched her take Draco's place and then signaled for the boy to follow him. Grabbing his cloak, he put it on as he walked with the lad down a different passageway than the one they had taken to get there earlier. Neither one of them said anything until they arrived at the exit.

"I'll owl you in the morning with the schedule for the shift watch as well as a map of the new passages and their passwords." Rayne had left his hood down so he made sure his face was well schooled as he spoke. "Make sure only you and your three friends are the only ones with the information."

"I will." Draco turned to leave.

"By the way, Mr. Malfoy. Did you ever find that file on Whedon?" Rayne asked nonchalantly.

Draco stopped dead in his tracks and looked slowly back at Rayne. Recognition dawned on his face. Recognition and something else. FEAR, true fear.

"Guess not." Suspicions confirmed, Rayne left the boy standing temporarily frozen in place.

Draco was shocked, surprised, and afraid. Sprinting like a scared rat, the Slytherin student bolted out of the portal and found himself two floors from the Dungeons. Taking off at a dead run, he practically flew down the two fights of stairs, down the hall, and slammed into the door. Throwing open the door he called out with a ragged breath for the head of his house.

"Mr. Malfoy? What do you think your doing?" Professor Snape demanded.

"Professor… *pant* … Your… *pant*… Never… *pant*…" Draco held his side as he tried to catch his breath and talk at the same time.


"Take a moment, Draco." Snape ordered. He was silently worried the teen was going to pass out. The boy looked like he just had a serious fright.

Gathering his wits about him Draco blurted out, "Your never going to guess who's back."

~~~~~TBC~~~~~