Hope

Part 3

Today marked Draco's party, and Harry and Ron were already dressed for the occasion. Upstairs, Hermione was meticulously applying her makeup. Raven, having styled her hair in a slightly messy yet elegant bun, adorned herself with long diamond earrings and a skimpy black dress. She hesitated about wearing the necklace she always sported; the unsettling dream she had experienced left her uncertain.

Descending to the common room, she encountered Harry and Ron, who couldn't help but snicker at Raven's daring dress. "Shut up," she sneered in response. Ron shut up quickly but Harry laughed slightly.

"We're kidding, you look great," Harry reassured with a smile, prompting Raven to reciprocate. Turning to Harry, she asked, "Will you do me a favor?" Harry nodded, and Raven removed her necklace, placing it on him and tucking it under his dress robes. "Don't let anything happen to it, understand?" Harry, visibly perplexed, was on the verge of asking numerous questions when Hermione descended the staircase, looking absolutely stunning.

Since we were all set, Raven received the invitation and tapped it three times. Suddenly, glowing green steps appeared on the floor, guiding the four kids to the party. As they followed the radiant path, they were instantly enveloped by blaring lights and the cheerful sounds of singing kids. Raven hesitated for a moment but was promptly pulled towards the bar by Hermione.

"Hey, guys!" Draco greeted them, handing over a few drinks. Raven, although preferring to stay in the corner, kept a watchful eye on her friends. While she recognized most of the attendees, two mysterious figures in the corner booth caught her attention, but she dismissed it.

As the night unraveled, Raven found herself dragged onto the dance floor, twirling with Hermione. Despite feeling slightly uncomfortable in her skimpy dress, she eventually relaxed and enjoyed the rhythmic dance with her friends.

Servers circled the venue, offering drinks to the guests. Raven happily accepted each time, savoring the delightful concoctions. Surprisingly, she even found herself enjoying the dance, a pleasant surprise considering she always refused to dance in front of others.

As she danced Raven saw one of the shadowed figured rise but was quickly sat down by the second. Raven was still blinded by the lights so she decided it didn't matter if she was safe. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the party which made Raven happy, she couldn't remember when everyone was this happy. She would think about her parents but her father was dead and her mother would always be infuriated when she asked questions so she eventually stopped asking.

Raven was so focused on Hermione that she lost Harry and Ron. Jam packed with worry she looked for the two frantically, a few heartbeats went by when she finally spotted Ron's bright red hair. She took Hermione's hand and danced her over to her friends so they were all together. Once they were all together Raven seemed to relax once more, losing herself in the music and rhythm.

As they danced Raven saw a shadowed figure snuck up behind Harry and started pulling at the chain. Raven ran up to him and pushed the figure in a sneaky manner so they didnt realize. Raven couldn't see the person as she was still blinded by the lights so the figure went back to their booth. 

"Hey Raven, enjoying the party" Raven turned to see Draco dancing with two drinks in hand. Raven smiled as he handed her one. The Slytherin boy and Raven danced together laughing and smiling, Raven knew he was bad but honestly found herself having fun.

When Raven's eyes adjusted to the blaring lights, she spotted two figures that made her heart drop – Bellatrix and Lucius, staring directly at her. The four friends were holding hands, but she hastily slapped them away and bolted out of the bar. This time, she knew they were real, she was one hundred percent sure, they were not a hallucination.

She sprinted into the forest, a hand pressed to her lips to stave off nausea. Two pairs of footsteps followed, prompting her to keep running, though she couldn't avoid throwing up in some bushes. Two muttered voices reached her ears, igniting panic. She continued running but was knocked off her feet by some spell. "Bloody hell, I didn't bring my wand," Raven panicked. Turning around, she saw Bellatrix grinning wildly. The witch grabbed Raven's wrists and pulled her to her feet, pinning her wrists above her head.

"My, my, did we interrupt the fun?" the Death Eater cackled as Lucius appeared behind Raven, taking hold of her wrists. "Get off me," she growled, but a swift movement from Bellatrix's wand sent chills down her spine, silencing her quickly. "RAVEN! RAVEN!" It was Harry! Raven was about to scream when a female Death Eater covered her mouth, muffling her yell.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione pushed past some bushes to see Bellatrix's wand at Raven's throat. "Get away from her," Harry demanded. Bellatrix and Lucius exchanged smirks and turned back to Harry. "The necklace," Bella ordered. Raven's eyes widened. "They want my necklace?" she thought, shaking her head enough for Harry to see.

"No-?" Bella asked. "Maybe this will change your mind." Pointing her wand, Bellatrix smirked. "Crucio." The pain surged through Raven so quickly that she fell back into Lucius and screamed. "Stop-!" Hermione shouted.

"The necklace."

"N-NO, Harry!"

"Crucio." Bellatrix smiled as she used her favorite curse. 

Lucius dropped Raven as she writhed on the ground, every inch of her body burning. Tears strickled down her cheeks as every muscle in her body begged for mercy but she stopped herself. Bellatrix finally stopped and pinned Raven's arm behind her back as she gasped for breath. Harry, now contemplating his decisions, reached for the necklace. "Harry, don't..." Before Raven could finish, Bella smashed her head on the floor repeatedly. Her nose crunched, and blood began to trickle. "Stop-!" Hermione pleaded again as Bellatrix got off Raven and handed her back to Lucius, drawing her knife. "How about now?" Seeing Harry's refusal, she cut Raven's lip. Bellatrix gave Lucius a look who handed Raven to the little witch and walked towards Harry who had drawn his wand. Bella tugged Ravens hair and held her wand to Raven's throat. "This can stop, just give us the necklace" Lucius said, his lips curling into a sinister grin. 

As tears ran down Raven's cheeks, Bellatrix wiped them with a finger and licked them from her fingers with delight. "Not so tough now huh?" Bellatrix cackled.  Suddenly an explosion released Raven from Bella's grasp. She ran towards Hermione and crashed into her arms. Lucius grabbed her forearm but with all the panic she gave him a clean punch in the face which released her once more. The pain from the cruciatus curse still remained in her body as she ran through the forest. As she moved quickly next to Harry she yanked her necklace off him and gave it to Hermione. 

As they ran Raven was knocked to the floor by Bellatrix who body slammed her down, same with Harry but his attacker being Lucius. She reached for Hermione but Bellatrix apparated and they were suddenly in a fancy manor. She looked up to see Draco Malfoy, they were at Malfoy manor.