Raven smiled as she watched her cousin, Nymphadora Tonks, change her face into many different shapes, entertaining Ginny Weasley. She turned her attention back to her other cousin, Sirius Black, who was eating a third helping of Molly Weasley's soup. Under careful supervision Raven slowly ate her first bowl. "Honestly, those people have enough money to buy that boys every desire, but can't feed their own daughter!" she cried for the umpteenth time. "Mrs. Weasley, I'm fine really. I just don't eat that much, that's all." She assured her. However that wasn't the case at all. As she sat at that table, at 12 Grimwald Place, surrounded by laughter, she thought back to that night.
Raven awoke to a hard pounding on her door in the middle of the night. She sat bolt upright in bed. She had returned to the Leaky Cauldron for the summer, and wasn't expecting anyone, so she had her wand drawn when she opened the door. "Hello Raven." Said a smooth but cold voice. Somewhere in the dark hallway another door opened, apparently awakened by the pounding. "May we come in." Raven had immediately recognized Snapes voice, but who was "we?" she thought. "Um, sure." She said as she stepped aside. She heard a small group of footsteps shuffle in and when the noise stopped she closed the door. With a careless wave of her wand the lamps all lit, and the room was suddenly bathed in light. Raven could see a small group of figures standing awkwardly in the small room. "Go ahead and sit down, most of the furniture won't bite." She laughed. A woman standing with the rest of the group gave a nervous laugh. "So Severus, what is it you want exactly?" she asked as she took a seat herself. "Well, we had a proposal for you, Miss Malfoy. You see, your aunt suspects me, and there are others as well."he said also sitting, the others seemed to deem it safe and followed his lead. They sat on chairs or arms of couches that were closest to them, when they had finished raven said "I am well aware of that. What is your proposal, and who are these people you have with you?" His face became even more serious and his tone business like, "These are members, of the Order of the Phoenix. If I am to fail, and the Dark Lord deems me beneath sparing, we will need another insider, and I have nominated you for the position." Raven looked at him in shock. "So let me get this straight. You want me to spy on Voldemort, for the Order of the phoenix, and what, just hope for the best?" Suddenly a voice from one of the chairs spoke, "From what Severus has said, we are asking the best, to hope for the best." Raven recognized that voice. "Sirius?" She asked. "Hello cousin." He said, standing up, and striding towards her. Raven smiled, "What is this all about?" "I believe Severus has explained it quite well. Besides, if you accept, you will have a warm bed and hot meal every day." He told her. Ravens stomach chose that moment to let everyone know that she hadn't had a proper meal in a few days. Raven grinned sheepishly, "Well I suppose. I don't make any promises though." Raven saw a ripple of relief pass over the group. "Now that that's settled, I believe introductions are in order." Said Sirius. "Not here padfoot!" exclaimed the true professor Moody "We could be overheard!" He said quickly. "Not a chance." Said Raven dismissively. "What do you mean?" Raven sighed, surely not everybody could be this paranoid. "Unless someone knows, who you are, or what you wanted nobody is going to bother a group of people visiting a teenage girl in the middle of the night." She said matter-of-factly. "Well, just to be safe…" Said Lupin, who was also among them. "Just out of curiosity, how many people does it take to gather one little girl?" She asked. "One little girl, or one dangerous Death Eater?" Said Sirius. Raven hadn't thought of it that way. "I guess, if I were to turn you down, or turn you over… It makes sense." She reasoned.
"Raven, could you bring this up to Buckbeak for me?" asked Sirius, snaping her back from her memory. "No! The girl has to eat!" Shreiked Molly as Raven grabbed the bag of dead something. "It's fine Mrs. Weasly, I've had enough. I think I'll get to bed after this." She said, leaving her half full bowl of soup, and heading to the upstairs room. As she began her ascent up the stairs, she heard a chair scrape against the floor and knew Sirius was following her. She felt him grab her elbow and steer her into a room to her left. She willingly followed. "I thought you should see this." He told her solftly. She looked at the wall right in front of her. On it was hanging a Tapestry. "The Black Family Tree." He told her. She stared at the large tapestry her eyes narrowing. "I hated the lot of them. My… Lovely mother, and her pureblood mania. My deranged cousin, and your mother. Then there was-" Raven cut him off. "Andromeda." She finished, her voiced laced with venom. She had heard of the Blood traitor Andromeda from her mother. She married a muggle and had her cousin Tonks. Raven didn't mind Half bloods, she could live with Mudbloods, but she couldn't stand blood traitors. Well, maybe except the Weasleys, but they were a special case. "I see your mother has informed you of her sister." He said, a cautious look in his eyes. Raven nodded, a sharp, quick movement. She proceded to turn on her heel and walk to the room she shared with Hermione and Ginny.
She opened the door and saw Ginny and Hermione sitting on Ginny's bed. Raven walked to her own bed and layed down.
"What happened?" Asked Ginny, her voice worried.
Raven smirked, "A family Lesson."
"You saw the tapestry, didn't you?" Asked Hermione.
Raven sat up with a sigh. "Quick witted as always Granger."
She could see a smile playing at the edges of her mouth. Raven knew Hermionie liked to be told she was smart. Raven looked over to Ginny, "So before I came in you were talking about Potter right?" She asked knowingly. Before entering she had stopped to listen at the door. Suddenly there was a pillow in her face. "Immobulas!" She yelled and the pillow stopped inches from her face. "That's cheating!" Squealed Ginny, who was suddenly lunging at her. She landed on top of Raven who rolled her off and was on her feet in an instant, ready for another attack. Ginny, however, was giggling madly. Raven looked confusedly over to Hermione who was trying very poorly to suppress her own giggles. Raven stood there, wand still at the ready, very confused. The only time she ever knew things to be thrown and people to be lunging is when there was an attack. "We were only playing, you know fun. F-U-N." Said Hermione slowly through a fit of giggling "Don't the Malfoys have fun?" Said Ginny teasingly, calming down a bit now. "Well, yah, but usually when stuff is being thrown and people are lunging at you, it's not for 'fun' it to cause harm." They suddenly got serious. "Harm? Like hurting eachother? No way!" Exclaimed Ginny. Raven smiled at her shock and lifted her shirt to reveal a long scar across her midsection. Hermione gasped and Ginny let out a small "Oh!" "Sectumsempra. It's an… interesting spell." Said Raven, enjoying the horror on their faces. Ginny made a motion towards it but stopped herself, looking up at Raven, who chuckled. "Go ahead, it won't bite." Ginny continued her reaching, and she traced one finger over it, as though checking it's authenticity, and quickly pulled back. Raven let her shirt fall. "How?" Asked Hermione, her voice a whisper. "Well, Snape and I had just returned from doing something for you know who, and Snape was retelling the event to my father. I knew as the moments passed that he was getting angrier and angrier, the more information Snape gave him. When he finally ended with 'and she took him out like nothing I've ever seen.' he exploded, started shouted hexes, jinxes, and curses at me and Snape. Snape let loose Sectumsempra and father deflected it, it hit me square in the stomach. It was like an invisible sword slicing me in the gut. I passed out on the floor, and awoke in my bed a few hours later." She remained quiet as she watched the other girls stare at her in shocked silence. Hermione was the first one to speak. "You really- that was what life was like for you then?" her voice filled with doubt. "Yep, that was my loving family home." She said, again smiling. "So about Potter, are you interested Ginny?" She asked, as though they weren't still staring at her like she had three heads. At the sound of Harry's name Ginny seemed to be dragged back, "Well, um, I guess I could be…" She stammered. Raven laughed again, "I'll have to see what I can do." She looked over at Hermione, who had remained silent throughout this exchange. Her face was still covered in shock. "Really Granger, I'm ok. It's nothing." Hermione shook her head slowly, "I just can't believe someone would do that to their own child." She said quietly. Ravens face darkend, "Well, it's not like he sees me as his child or anything. I'm not Draco, so I don't exist." Hermione looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?" Raven laughed maliciously. "I mean I'm too special. I beat Draco, the first born, the son, the heir to the family, at everything. Father doesn't like that, so he attempts to put an end to it. He has come close to succeeding many times, but I've managed to pull through in the end." They sat there in silence, each lost in thoughts of their own. All of a sudden Ginny said brightly "So who's Aiden?" Raven turned to her and smiled. They talked into the early morning hours.
Raven was running down a darkened street, her heart pounding harder with every step she took. She knew where this street ended and for some reason she had to get there quickly. But why? She suddenly stopped and closed her eyes, willing herself away from that place. When she reopened her eyes, Voldemort's wand was firing a green light at her.
Raven woke in a cold sweat. She sat up, her heart pounding and her dark mark throbbing. However she knew she wasn't being called on. It was just a throbbing, not a burning, searing, pain. She sat up in her bed and looked over at her watch, which was sitting on the bedside table. Sunlight was streaming through her window and hitting her face. She got out of bed and put on some muggle clothes. She walked down to the kitchen where she knew Snape and Sirius would be arguing. Just as she reached the last step the door flew open and Snape came striding from it, his face contorted in rage. Raven shrugged and continued into the kitchen where Sirius was staring gloomily into his breakfast. "Morning." She said to everybody. She was the last awake, and as Molly Weasley put a large helping of eggs on Ravens plate she asked "You're up late, Sleep well?" Raven frowned a bit, and answered with a bit too cheerful "Yes." Sirius seemed to catch the off note in her voice because he stopped eating long enough to look at her, before returning to his own plate. "Raven, would you like to accompany a few other members of the order to pick up Harry tonight?" Asked Sirius, when he had cleared his plate. Raven dropped her fork, and Molly started as it clamored noisily onto her plate. She hadn't thought about Harry in a long time, and the sudden mention of him shocked her. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, he saw everything last year, he may even blame me for a few things…" She said, trailing off. Sirius smiled at her kindly, "I think you should have a chance to explain yourself, and if he still thinks you are to blame, then that's a problem we will have to deal with when the time comes. Until then, however, I think it's a good idea." He said. "Be prepared to leave tonight."
Night time finally rolled around when Raven heard a knock on the door. "You ready girl?" Asked the gruff voice of Mad Eye Moody. Raven opend the door and nodded. They left the house and mounted brooms. As they soared off to little winging Raven couldn't help but let her mind wander. What would Harry say when the people he trusted showed up on his door step with a Death eater in tow? As Raven imanged many different, and some unlikely situations, the time seemed to fly by as fast as the land, and soon they were dismounting. She walked up the steps of number four Privet Drive and silently enterd. When they reached Harry's room, Raven thought that the sound of her heart beating was going to wake up the entire neighborhood. As the door opend Raven spotted a drawn wand and had hers out in an instant. "Easy girl, it's just Harry." Said Mad Eye, as he stepped into Harry's room. "Sorry, it's a reaction." She mumbled quietly. She could see Harry's look of surprise from the corner of her eye. When his gaze finaly rested on her, she couldn't see even the faintest amount of anger, or blame. There was, however, a major amount of pity. She gave him a confused look, which he returned. After a bit of explaining, and gathering of items, they were off again. Harry had yet to say anything to her, but he also didn't hex her on sight, which Raven took as a good sign.
Days passed, and Harry never said more than a few words to Raven, but he was always busy, as was she. He went to his trial, and came back with an interesting story of Lucius, Dumbledore, dementors, a lady who looked like a frog, and the Minister for Magic. Raven had known most of what had gone on, because of her fathers connection in the ministry. She could get information from anywhere in the ministry, any time she liked.
A few days after the trial Diagon ally had hardly anybody in it anymore, most students were probably getting ready for their trip on the Hogwarts Express tomarrow, and any other shoppers wouldn't be out this early. Raven headed off on her own for a bit, agreeing to meet back up in Flourish and Blotts in two hours. First she wandered around Diagon Ally for a bit, but when she passed the turn off into Nockturn ally, she felt an intense pull, and decided to visit Borgin and Burkes. As she entered the shop she saw Mr. Borgin give a small jump. "Ms. Malfoy! What a pleasure! Are we looking for anything in particular? Or are you perhaps selling?" He asked, his voice shaking a minute amount. "Just browsing, thank you." She said, making sure to keep an air of dignity. "If I may ask, why are you not here with your father? Or perhaps your mother? And what ever happened to that charming brother of yours?" He asked her, all quivers gone from his voice. "Mr. Borgin, I am old enough to do my school shopping on my own, thank you. And I shall ask that you keep your nose out of my business." She told him. "Well, call me over if you need anything." He said and slunk back to the desk, looking defeated. She wandered a bit more, then decided there was nothing of interest for her in the shop. She left, and managed to shake off the feeling that she had missed something, something important. She enterd Flourish and Blotts right on time, and found the rest of the group standing awkwardly in the small book store. "Where did you go?" Asked Hermione, "We didn't see you in any of the shops we walked passed, and nobody said they had seen you." Raven smiled, "I went to see a family friend." She told them. Suddenly Lupin spoke, "Who has been teaching you Occlumency?" "Why are you trying to see in my head?" She demanded suddenly angry. "You don't trust me do you? You think I'm some kind of spy for the dark lord don't you!" She demanded. "Keep your voice down! Do you want the whole world to know you're a You-Know-What?" Whispered Molly. "Werewolves, you can't trust them, they can't trust you." Murmured Raven. Lupin took his wand out, but Raven was faster. "Expelliarmus!" She shouted, Using every restraint she had to refrain from using an unforgivable curse. Lupins wand flew from his hand and Raven caught it. He lunged for her and she yelled "Impedimenta!" he stopped dead and just for fun she thought Levicourpus and Lupin flew upwards by his ankle. "Nice try Remus, but you're going to have to be faster than that to get me." She told him and she walked off to find a safe place to disapperate from. Raven heard the door to Flourish and Blotts open right behind her, and felt a hand close around her wrist. She spun around wrenching her hand from the grasp and came face to face with Harry. "Oh!" She exclaimed, She had expected someone like Molly, coming to scold her. However Harry didn't look even the slightest bit angry with her, he looked amused. "Nicely done." He said. "Can I walk with you?" Raven eyed him suspiciously but said "Ok." Harry was silent for a while, then he spoke softly, "Where did you really go?" Raven smiled, "Borgin and Burkes." He stopped and turned to look at her, "Why?" She shrugged, "Habit I guess. Dad used to bring us in there before we would go to school." She lied smoothly. "no no, I mean why would you tell me and not Lupin?" He said. "Oh, because you asked, insead of just trying to pry into my head. You gave me the chance to deny you. Lupin just wanted access to the information right away, and with any means necessary." She said, the amount of venom in her voice increasing with every word. "You could have just told us. Then he wouldn't of had to look in your mind." He said. "Harry, How would it have looked if I said 'I was just in Borgin and Burkes for an hour and a half.' They would have thought I was up to something. I'm surprised you don't." She said with a heavy sigh. Then he suddenly smiled at her. "Treat you?" He asked, pointing to the ice cream shop. Raven smiled back, "Were you planning to take me here?" "You looked like you could do with some cheering up." He told her as they walked over. Raven made a mental note to pay better attention to where she was going next time, and followed Harry over to the window. As they sat on the warm metal chairs eating their ice cream, the watched the shoppers. A tall blonde witch leaving Madam Malkins with a new set of sky blue robes, a short fat wizard looking at cauldrons, and children looking at quidditch brooms.
"Do you ever wonder, what the world would be like if you were never in it?" Harry asked suddenly.
"Excuse me?" The question had taken Raven by surprise.
"What do you think the world would be like without a Raven Malfoy?"
"Do you mean right now? At this very moment? Or sometime in the future?" She asked, her mind now grasping for an answer.
"Now, right now."
"Well, you probably wouldn't be sitting here having Ice cream, Lupin wouldn't be thinking of all the different ways he could kill me, mom and dad would go to bed every night extremely proud of their only child, and a few people would be a lot less angry."
"People are angry with you?" He asked innocently.
"I wouldn't blame you Harry. I have to ask, it's been bugging me for a while now. Do you hate me, or blame me for what happened to Cedric Diggory, or what happened to you?"
He looked startled at the question. "No, why would I blame you for any of that? You even told me that it wasn't your choice to be this way."
Raven breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Harry. You are the only one to believe that."
"No, surely Dumbledore believes you as well." He said, looking flabbergasted.
"I have no idea. The last words he said to me were 'get out of the way.' I haven't spoken to him since." She told him darkly, she had the distinct feeling that Dumbledore was avoiding any contact with her. However, the rest of their group chose that moment to find them, and she was quickly whisked away by side along apperation.