Raven Apparated to the Weasley's house, in the hope that Hermione would be there. She went up to the front porch and knocked on the door. She heard a scraping of chairs and some muffled voices and then the front door swung open revealing a very surprised Fred Weasley.
"Uh… Anne? What are you doing here?" He didn't get much of a verbal answer because the next thing he knew she had thrown her arms around his neck and started sobbing. He stood there for a second in shock not sure what to do but luckily for him he was rescued the next minute by Hermione and Ginny who walked in from the living room. They stared for a second at the scene before them then began shouting excitedly "Anne!? What are you doing here?" They managed to get her to release Fred to whom she immediately began apologizing profusely.
"I'm so sorry Fred. I don't know what came over me. I just been having a rough day." She said as Hermione and Ginny sat her down on the couch in the living room.
"Hey, no worries. It's fine. Would you like something to drink?"
"Yes, please. Could I have some water and a fire whiskey?" she asked him. He stared her for a second wondering if she was being serious. She looked completely serious so he went to go find what she asked for.
"So, Anne, why are you here?" Hermione asked once Fred was out of earshot.
"I have a serious problem. And I don't even know all the details. I just know that everything that I thought was true isn't." Raven said fidgeting slightly with her hands.
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked curiously.
"You have to promise me one thing." They both nodded and she continued "Don't hold anything I'm about to tell you against me, please. I have done some things in my life that I am not very proud of."
"We promise not to hold any of it against you." Hermione said taking Raven's hand in hers and Ginny nodded her agreement.
"Thank you. I guess I should start from the beginning and to do that I have to show you something." Raven said as she carefully pulled her hand from Hermione's grasp. She took a deep breath and then rolled up the sleeve so that they could see the dark mark. They both gasped and stared at her.
"I've had this mark ever since I could remember. All I've ever known is being a death eater. All the people around me except when I'm at school are ones. And just to let you know the original reason I became friends you was to get to Harry. They needed to know his every move and they thought I would be the perfect spy. That has been my job the past six years at Hogwarts, they told me to make sure that the sorting hat placed me in Gryffindor. I thought he placed me there because I asked him to, but it turns out it was because of my heritage."
*Flashback*
"Draco, I'm so nervous. What if the hat won't put me in Gryffindor?" an 11-year old Raven asked.
"Of course it will. Just make sure to ask politely." Draco whispered back.
"Will we still be friends? I mean even though I won't be in Slytherin?"
"Of course, Anne. I would rather be put in Hufflepuff than not be friends with you. Come on they're opening the doors." He said grabbing her hand, pulling her into a dark haired boy. She let go of his hand and he didn't seem to notice because he was confronted by a beautiful dark haired girl.
"Oh, excuse me." She said helping the boy up. He had messy black hair and had the most amazing green eyes.
"Don't worry about it. I'm Harry Potter." He said holding out his hand to her. She took it graciously and said "Hi, Harry. My name is Raven, but I prefer to go by Anne."
"Well, Anne, these are my friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley." He said gesturing to the bushy haired girl and red-headed boy next to him.
"It's nice to meet you both."
Ron just stared at her infatuatedly his face turning redder by the second, but Hermione spoke up immediately saying "I'm pleased to meet you as well. How much do you know about Hogwarts? I've read Hogwarts: A History three times now, there is so much to learn about where we go to school. And yet we are going to learn all sorts of magic! What house do you want to be in?"
"I don't know which one do you want to be in?"
"I'm not sure yet, they all sound great."
"What about you Harry?" Raven said turning to face him inquisitively.
"I'd like to be in Gryffindor like my parents, but as long as I don't end up in Slytherin, I'm good."
"Cool. I think I'll just have to let the hat pick for me, because I have no idea. What about you, Ron?"
He didn't seem to hear her, but Harry elbowed him back into reality and he said "Oh… Um… Gryffindor like my parents, I guess. No Weasley has ever been in any other House; I'd hate to be the one who breaks the tradition."
"Of course." Raven answered laughing. "You know I've never really been one for tradition."
"Tradition, you know, is about as bad as rules. Don't you think so, Fred?" Said a voice from behind Raven. She turned around and found herself face to face with two tall red-heads.
"I agree George. Are these three bothering you miss?" the cuter of the two asked.
"No, of course not. You two are funny though, I like you. I'm Anne, by the way." She said laughing harder at their antics.
"Nice to meet you, Anne. I'm Fred Weasley and this is my brother George."
Just then Draco seemed to realize that Raven wasn't with him anymore and began to wave her down. She politely excused herself saying "Oh… sorry but I have to go. Draco looks like he's going to wet himself. But I hope to see you all at the feast. Bye!" She ran over to Draco and said "What? They were just getting to like me and you had to go and pull me away."
"Sorry, but I have some awesome news." He said excitedly
"If it has to do with that dark haired girl, I don't want to hear it." She said tapping her foot impatiently and glaring at him.
"Oh…" he said as his face fell. "I guess I'll let you get back to your new best friends now."
"I hate it when you do that." She said stamping her foot at him. "Fine tell me, but fast. I think we have to go in soon."
"Ok, short version. I met a really pretty girl, her name is Pansy and she agreed to go out with me."
"You have as much taste in girls as a rock does in clothing." She said walking away from him and back to her new friends.
"Sorry about that." She said when she was back in earshot of the group again. "I really think there is something mentally wrong with him."
"Are you friends with Malfoy?" Ron asked.
"We've grown up together, he isn't as bad as he seems. So, to answer your question, yes I am friends with Draco Malfoy." She said shrugging her shoulders.
"You do realize that bad company always corrupts good morals." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.
Before anyone could dispute this statement, a tall older looking woman clapped her hands and began speaking. "First years, listen up. Please go and stand to the left of the doors so the older students may enter the great hall." There was a lot of shuffling as everyone tried to move out of everyone else's way. Fred and George waved good bye and said they would save seats for them. Soon all the first years were waiting for their name to be called. Several names were called and then Raven
"Raven Beetle." The older looking woman who had now introduced herself as Professor McGonagall said. Raven slowly walked up to the stool and sat down. The hat was placed on her head and Raven almost fell out of the chair as it started talking.
"Hmm… Where to put you? You have the brains for a Ravenclaw, just like your mother. But you have a willingness to break the rules, like your father. There is something different about you; you have an evil your parents never had. You would do wonders in Slytherin, absolute wonders. But you don't want Slytherin, do you? You want to be in Gryffindor. Why? You are very good at occulmency; I can't get very far into your thoughts. Hmm..." The hat paused for a second thinking and then shouted "Gryffindor!"
END FLASHBACK
"Anne? Anne, are you ok?" Hermione was saying waving her hand in front of Raven's face.
"Oh…" Raven said startled, "yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something the Sorting Hat said back in our first year about my parents. I just thought it was demented."
"What is your Heritage?" Ginny asked.
Raven didn't answer immediately and Hermione said "You don't have to say right now, but it might help us understand."
"The problem is I don't really understand it myself. I only know a limited amount of information. All I know is that apparently Harry is my twin brother." Hermione and Ginny both gasped and just stared at Raven dumbfounded.
Hermione was the first to recover and started spluttering "What? How? That can't be possible. I mean wouldn't have Dumbledore have tried to find you and tell you? Why would he let you become a Death Eater?"
"I don't know the answer to that. I'm sure that he knew, but he must have had his reasons for not telling me. I think he tried once, but I never payed much attention to anything he said to me. I was under the impression at that point that he was the enemy so I stayed away from him. I really am sorry about that now because now I know that he was trying to protect me from myself and others."
"What others?" Fred asked standing in the doorway holding Raven's drinks. While she was formulating an answer he came over to the couch and handed her the drinks then took a seat in a chair opposite her. Raven downed the fire whiskey in one gulp and then said "Draco Malfoy, for one. Along with Blaise and the two goons that follow Draco around all the time. Basically, all the people that I hung out with during school with the exception of you all."
"Why did you hang out with them?" Fred asked.
"I thought that they were my friends. I had grown up with them and eventually I ended dating one or two of them. I didn't know anything else, so I just stayed in my comfort zone."
"But you saw the way that they talked to us; you knew that they hated us. Why did you still hang out with them after that?" Fred asked again.
"Fred," Raven sighed "You have to understand that I was on a mission to pretend to be your friend. I wanted to treat you like they did but since I was in Gryffindor and was supposed to be your friend I didn't. I'm glad I didn't, it would've made sure that I couldn't have ever come to see you like this and tell you everything that I am telling you right now."
"Oh… When did you stop wanting to treat us like that?"
Raven didn't have a chance to answer this question because just then Harry and Ron came in. She quickly covered arm back up as they stared at the scene before them and then Harry said "Hey, Anne how are you?"
"I'm doing well Harry. How about you?"
"Just great. What are you doing here, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Oh… I just came to see Hermione and Ginny. I was bored at home, so I decided to come see if anything interesting was happening here. I really should be going though, my parents will be wondering where I am. It was nice to you see you all again. Bye." She said getting up and hugging Hermione and Ginny. She then walked to the door, but Fred followed her and put a hand on her shoulder saying "Anne, I want to know the answer to my question before you leave please."
She didn't turn to face him but simply said "Since fourth year, when Cedric died. When I watched him die I knew that there was something wrong in my thinking and all the other Death Eaters." She then reached for the door handle to leave, but her hand never reached it. Fred grabbed her, pulling her around to face him and his lips crashed onto hers. She kissed him back for a split second then her mind screamed at her. Anne! What the hell are you doing? She pulled away and said. "I'm sorry I have to go." She threw the door open and ran outside. Once outside she Apparated home to her room and flung herself onto her bed sobbing.
Not five minutes after she got home there was a knock on the door and a familiar voice said "Anne? Please let me in. I want to explain everything to you. Please, Anne. I can't live with myself knowing that you're mad at me."
She sat up drying her tears and then less convincingly then she wanted she said "Go away, Draco. I can't talk right now."
"Then I will explain from here." He paused to see if she would reply and then continued "I have known about your heritage ever since our first year at Hogwarts. I had to promise not to tell you under any circumstances. It never made me think differently about you, Anne. I never really thought about it when we were together. I just accepted it and moved on with my life. I never thought that you would find out." She heard his fist hit the door as he continued. "Please believe me when I say that I love you no matter what and always want to be your friend. I thought I was protecting you by not telling you. Please forgive me; you know that I would never do anything to hurt you. Please, if you could see me you would know that I am begging you on my knees."
Raven didn't answer him. She simply turned her back on the door and walked over to the window. She loved the stars they seemed so perfect and that nothing would ever harm them or her if she were there. She stared at them wishing they could take her out of her misery. You know that he would never do anything to hurt you. Let go of your wounded pride and forgive him! Her mind screamed at her.
"Anne?" Draco's voice seemed far away and sad. "Please?" She sighed and then walked over to the door and opened it. She found before her, Draco Malfoy on his knees in front of her door with tear stains down his face. He looked up hopefully at her and she said "You are a real piece of work, Draco Malfoy. You are a real piece of work."
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