A/N- Like the chapter's title? Ah…I feel free, so unimaginably free, I posted the newest chapter for Breaking Loose, and now I will work on the finale of Raven Nights. (SQUEE) I'm happy that it's almost done- nearly, completely finished, I aced all my French finals and am not taking French next year because as I've sworn all year- I learned nothing, but my tests lie and I'll let them…enjoy the almost last chapter of Raven Nights, I have one more to go, only one.

Disclaimer- Once again I am pleased to inform you that the only things belonging to me are Raven Turner, her children, and this plot- J. K Rowling owns all else.

-Chapter Nine: A Heart Torn-

Raven had never been in more pain.

It wasn't as if she was in literal pain, Joaquin hadn't beaten her enough to damage her- she was completely torn, torn between family and duty, privilege and order; mind and heart. Eleven years after she had vanished from Agency sight, Joaquin had called her back, why? Was he that sadistically evil that he couldn't leave her to finally live her own life? Had The Agency finally managed to beat the last of his humanity out of him? Raven didn't believe it…but one only had to look at Joaquin to see the empty void that had once held his soul.

"Was I like that?" Raven asked herself, "Was I truly as soulless as all that?"

"You were worse."

Raven turned her head slowly, Serverus Snape, her husband, lounged casually in the doorway of the train cabin, "So…" Raven accosted softly, "by your stance I'm guessing you were in a fight?"

"Fight?" he chuckled bleakly, "No, the Dark Lord summoned me to him…I am to…" his voice broke and his tongue feathered out to wet his suddenly dry lips. "He sent me to bring you to him, he wished to finish you off…"

"And you can't refuse him." she drawled out in agonizing silence.

"You've seen my arm," his black eyes held hers, "could you refuse him?" Raven swallowed and went towards him, "No, but I'd try…Serverus…I will try to kill him." remaining stooped in the doorway, Serverus let a ghost of a smile grace his face, "I know." he left the door and met her in the middle of the room, "He's has full control over me…I can't protect you."

A devilish light lit up in Raven's claret eyes, "Oh Serverus, who ever said I needed your protection?"

"You might-"

"I'll save my own ass." she threw at him.

"Raven, you can trust me, at first…neither of us could trust the other, but now I swear you can trust me." Raven snorted, "Yes," she smirked, "and I'm sure the citizens of Troy had the same assurance from the horse."

"Raven, if we are to do this, we must leave now." a torment ripped it's way through Raven's mind and soon she was on the ground, Serverus bending down to lift her face to meet his eyes, "Raven?"

"Tell the kids I'm sorry." he didn't try to tell her she'd make it through the coming battle, he didn't try to tell her that he was sorry- he didn't have to, everything was out in plain sight…his eyes pleaded with her to run, that he was sorry, that he loved her; Raven knew she wouldn't live through the coming confrontation…no one had to tell her otherwise.

Sirius was barreling down a dark alleyway when a strong hand leapt out to grab him by the shoulder. He drew out Remus's wand and took a breath, ready to hex whatever was out to get him.

"Black, are really fool enough to go running around in the dark, you could be caught, your name is not yet cleared, need I remind you of such?"

"Snape," Sirius sighed, "Why are you here?" Sirius felt Snape sneer in the blackness of the night, "I could ask the same of you."

"It's none of your concern."

"If you are after my wife, I implore you to why it is none of my concern."

"Your wife, my love, need any other insight?" Serverus rounded on him and threw him back against the alley wall, his mouth twisted into an angry snarl, his breath coming out in short, ragged spurts. "Your love? Enlighten me, Black, how is my wife your love?" Sirius started snickering, "Surely you know by now." the blank, murderous look Serverus gave in reply sent Sirius into a wondrous amount of mirth. Shaking him roughly Serverus brought his face to his, "Know what?"- his voice was just short of a homicidal snarl.

"Surely you know that only one of the six children that has your name is actually yours." his voice grew with force as his courage grew in boundary, "Surely you know that your wife," he spit out the word wife as if it was poison, "has never loved you and has only stayed with you because of her word and the multiple pregnancies she's gone through- Raven has never loved you, I don't think she ever will."

Serverus released Sirius with something akin to disbelief and disgust mixing on his face. "She doesn't have to love me, she stayed with me when she had every chance to run off with you," he shook his head, his body quaking while he tried to suppress a rising amount of rage, "what does that tell you about your dear love? You might have won her heart but I own it."

"Nothing about Raven can be owned."

"Her soul, Black, her soul has been owned for ages." Sirius gave Snape a unsavory shake of the head, "You don't know that."

"I do. We're kindred in our careers- why do you think she never left me- she might have spread her legs for you…but she would never abandon her word, that, Black, is the trademark of a Spy." Sirius pushed Snape away from him, Snape staggered back and steadied himself before Sirius rounded on him, blackening an eye and bruising his jaw. "I was right, I told her a year after our affair had started that she would love one man and be bound forever to another- I just never realized that it would come true…" he dropped limply to the ground, Snape put a comforting hand on Sirius's shoulder, "She couldn't betray her word…she must have loved you, but her word was me."

"They're going to kill her?"

"She'll go down fighting."

"That didn't answer my question, they're going to kill her?"

"Yes," he averted his eyes, "the Death Eaters will torture her first, I told the Dark Lord that I was planning something at the school…"

"You're not going to be there?"

"I can't sit and watch them…destroy her."

"Then save her!"

"If I could I would."

"I'll go with you if you promise that you'll help me get her out of there."

A bitter smile creased his lips, "She won't like it if we rush in with guns raised and pistons blazing, white horses beneath our feet." the look Sirius gave him was worth a thousand words, "Muggle phrase, Raven doesn't like it when men act like white knights in her defense."

"She'll thank me after we get her out of there alive."

Snape mused darkly, "Or she'll kill you, I wouldn't mind that outcome."

A/N- One chapter to go…I really should work on TDG…but I'm not sure I like that one…I'll work on Breaking Loose, the next chapter for that one is called: Nor from Hell one step more than from himself can fly…yeah one Raven Nights chapter left, only one, please review.