hey ho let's go- this one's slightly shorter and the next one will follow soon. So enjoy and don't forget to review because YOU inspire me to stay up late so many nights, writing.
My bety, hypnotic inc, is wonderful as always. All remaining mistakes are mine.
55- Tragedy
September 19th was a Saturday, and Raven was excited all day because of the gig they were going to that evening. The Finnish band Hanoi Rocks made their London début at the legendary Marquee Club in Soho. Although the show was sold out quickly she didn't have to bother about tickets, thanks to Jeffrey, who had helped arranging it. So she was on the guest list, along with some old friends she hadn't met for a long time. Andy, Sid, Rob and Joanna. In fact, the last time she had met all of them together was that one Christmas when they went to the Roxy... it seemed so very long ago.
Of course, Edie was also among the guests, and she had actually asked Jeffrey if she could bring Regulus, thus making it official that they were an item now. It had taken her a lot of courage but after none of her friends seemed to object to her choice, she and Reg had been snogging happily throughout the support band.
Raven heaved a sigh, envying them. Although Severus had promised to show up, she seriously doubted he would make it. One of his masters would choose that very special evening to keep him busy, either the Dark Lord or Dumbledore.
Therefore, she was definitely taken by surprise when he actually appeared only minutes before the main act, and it looked as if he had Apparated from Hogwarts straight into the Marquee. Fortunately, the venue was too crowded for anyone to notice his sudden appearance, nor that he was still wearing his robes. Just a moment later, he had stored his robes in the back pocket of his jeans, now clad n t-shirt and leather jacket.
Casually, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and smiled. "Dumbledore kept pestering me with superfluous questions until I told him the Dark Lord was expecting me."
He clearly was a master in the fine art of lying, and he didn't even seem to be ashamed of lying to Dumbledore just to have one evening for himself. His tone was smug and so was his mien. Dumbledore's pawn had indeed grown a will of his own.
Raven flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I'm glad you're here."
"So am I." Severus wasn't being completely honest. Yes, he was glad to see her- much more than he'd realized since it was merely three weeks in the new term and it wasn't right to miss her so. But he was only marginally glad to meet her at a rock concert. These venues were always much too crowded for his liking, and today was no exception. He was simply not a big fan of gigs... which didn't mean he had not enjoyed some of them. Besides, accompanying her was just an easy way to make her happy, and he liked to see her happy without having to offer something he couldn't give. That's why he was here, perhaps the only one in the audience who didn't anticipate the main act of the evening.
His attitude changed soon after the band took the stage and rocked on, actually it was the first riff of the guitar that got him hooked. The punk influence was there, fast and energetic but yet skilfully played and melodic. Then there was the performance of the band, especially their singer, who was dancing like a blonde dervish tousling his already messy hair all the time- he was adorned with glittering baubles, bracelets jingling on his arms; black khol rimmed his eyes.
And so the glam was back in rock, the glimmer back in music.
Now he knew why Raven liked the band. It was like coming full circle and yet it was different. That blonde Finish singer was not like Mark Bolan but he could probably fill the void, at least her eyes were sparkling with joy. Strangely, though, it didn't fill him with jealousy... well, he had no right to be jealous in the first place.
Merlin, she was so very pretty tonight! So very tempting. Unlike him, who preferred to watch a gig standing still with a stoical face, protected by a Cushioning Charm against flying elbows or other bodily parts of strangers, Raven was in the middle of mayhem, dancing, jumping, shouting. There was something wild in her eyes, her very blue, khol-rimmed eyes. But she always returned to him between the song, sweating, her hair a mess, to ask if he was enjoying himself, if he had a good time.
'I'm fine', he'd say and he was actually enjoying himself. The show was really energetic, the guys on stage seemed to be quite acceptable musicians and the music was powerful enough to make him forget both of his masters for one evening. But most of all he enjoyed watching Raven, and he wished he could just grab her and kiss her... he was perfectly capable of reigning in his emotions, his needs...
Until the show was over and Raven was by his side again, and he still had that bloody 'Don't you ever leave me baby, don't you ever leave me now,' ringing in his ears- mind, it wasn't even a sentimental ballad- but it had hit the nerve. If only things were different! Perhaps he should try to make a difference. Perhaps the whelp was right when saying that love is the only thing that differs us from the Dark Lord- but then again, Regulus didn't have blood on his hands, didn't need to redeem himself.
"Wasn't it bloody brilliant?" Raven asked breathlessly.
"Indeed," Severus agreed, still mulling things over and even while doing so he could almost see the perfect moment passing by, floating into oblivion.
"See, I told you you'd like them!" she cheered as she hugged him.
Say. Something. Now. As eloquent as he usually was, when it came to feelings he was always at a loss for words. Especially when she was holding him in her arms and he could feel her heated body pressed against his, even if it was only intended to be for a brief moment (she knew he didn't like a public display of affection) but then he found himself unable to let her go without kissing her. It was a fierce kiss and she returned it passionately.
Then the lights went back on, ending the kiss. Raven didn't even have time to shot him a surprised glance since Jeffrey had chosen the decidedly most inopportune moment to come looking for them.
"Ah, there ye are! 'Twas a great show, wasn't it?"
"It was." Severus replied, straightening himself, putting on an inscrutable mask for a face again.
"So come on now, we're all going backstage 'n then we're gonna give our Finnish guests a good taste of our London night life. Are ye in on it?"
"I cannot stay long." Severus told Raven while still faking a smile at Jeffrey; he wanted her to have fun for there was no reason to burden her with the weight he carried on his shoulders, especially since he knew she would take it willingly. But he had messed up his life all on his own, and therefore he had to get things right again before he could start planning his future. He just hoped it wouldn't be too late, then.
"Alright, mate, let's have fun before ye 'ave te leave!" Jeffrey was about to clap Severus' shoulder but hesitated, dropping his hand but not his smile.
Although Raven was mildly confused about the kiss- after all, it wasn't their first one and no matter what he said or might say about it, she knew it wouldn't be their last one, either- she didn't want to bother herself with their sometimes-but-mostly-not relationship. And so she followed Jeffrey backstage, knowing that Severus would follow her.
-o-
Severus would never understand why people, no matter if they were Muggles or of the wizarding kind, considered it so much fun to get drunk. Drinks were all around in the backstage area of the Marquee, but he preferred to stay sober. Nevertheless, he did have a pleasant conversation with one of the Finnish guys before they all decided to start roaming the nightly streets of London, heading for a club.
Perhaps Severus was slightly paranoid, but the way Jeffrey was taking lead down was the very same road with a gateway to a shabby backyard from where you could enter Knockturn Alley. Raven always parked her Harley there when she was dancing at the Red Lantern.
He grabbed his wand- it was cautiousness, not paranoia. After all, they were close to Knockturn Alley, close to the Dark Arts, and he liked his new friends well enough to not want them to become victims of a Death Eater attack. And he wasn't the only one becoming nervous. Raven was, too.
Since they were the last of their group (Jeffrey had already turned around a corner and was almost out of sight) Raven proceeded her wand and quickly checked their surroundings with a Revelio spell.
"Fuck!" She cursed. "Edie, run ahead and tell Jeffrey to not wait for us. We, um... have to buy cigarettes."
Fortunately, Edie didn't linger to question her motive but hurried to do what she had been told, while Regulus stopped to stare at Raven as if she was nuts. Then he noticed her wand and pulled out his own.
"What the-"
He couldn't even finish his question because all of a sudden three Death Eaters came running through the gateway and into the street of Muggle London. It appeared as if someone was hunting them because they were breathless and slightly disorientated, which didn't make them less dangerous. Especially not when one of them recognized Regulus in spite of him being dressed like a Muggle.
"Stupefy!" Reg shouted, and a bolt of red light shot from his wand, followed quickly by two more from Raven and Severus so that an instant later three Death Eaters were lying motionless in a street in Muggle London.
"All good things come in threes," Raven commented, wondering aloud, "If we three meet three of Lord V's cronies every day and it always goes as smoothly as today, how long will it take to finish his fucking fraternity?"
"Today, we were lucky. Don't be so foolish and expect it to always be that easy. Besides, we haven't yet solved the problem." Severus lectured her. He said it in a kind tone but it was nevertheless a lecture.
"Yeah, right. Keep cool, Sev. I see the problem."
It was obvious. Three unconscious Death Eaters were lying in a street in Muggle London, and at least one of them seemed to have recognised Regulus wearing Muggle clothes. The Dark Lord would be mightily interested in hearing that.
"Memory Modifying Charm?" Raven suggested, since they couldn't possibly kill them.
"Reasonably, as long as you don't perform it," Severus agreed, remembering her very... low success rate at that- after all, Jeffrey still seemed to recall something, a vague idea of what she had told him, once, even if he still couldn't grasp the meaning of it all nor talk about it.
Not more than a mere minute had elapsed since the emergence of the Death Eaters when a strange sound was filling the air. It seemed to come from up above.
They looked up. First they saw the light of a head lamp, then they identified the sound. It was of a motorbike, a magically modified, flying motorbike, and it landed just in front of them.
Sirius got off and cocked a surprised brow at Raven. "Lestrange! Nice to meet you, it's been a long time. Although... not really that long, if I recall correctly."
So he had recognised her, or at least her Harley, some days ago on the road to Godric's Hollow; Raven had almost expected that.
"What does he mean?" Severus interjected, and only then Sirius bothered to give Raven's company a second glance. His eyes widened when he noticed Severus.
"Snivellus! Greasy as ever- this is going to be a fun evening. How comes you're not kissing the Dark Lord's feet tonight?"
Severus was about to hex Sirius into the next trash can, but Regulus took his arm and stopped him. "Calm down, mate. He's not worth the trouble."
Now the eyes almost popped out of Sirius' head.
"Regulus?" he asked incredulously as he took in his brother's appearance; he had almost not recognised him in his Muggle attire.
"Well, isn't that surpassing Gryffindor brilliancy? He is indeed capable of identifying his own brother."
Sirius ignored Severus' sarcastic remark and addressed Regulus instead. "What are you doing here? Why are you dressed like a Muggle? What are you up to?"
"I guess that's none of your concern, brother." Regulus was still holding his wand in a tight grip. Mind, it wasn't his intention to attack his brother or anything like that, but meeting him had taken him aback and no matter how many pints of beer he'd drunk tonight, the shock of unexpectedly meeting his brother had clearly sobered him up.
"Oh, it is most certainly my concern if three Slytherins are roaming the nightly streets of London-"
Meanwhile, unnoticed by the friends and Sirius, Edie returned. She stopped, glanced at the unconscious Death Eaters and moved closer to take a more thorough look.
"What happened to them? Are they dead? Are they Death Eaters?" She inquired curiously as she contemplated the strange masks they're wearing, making imaginary sketches in her mind she might use for tattoos one day.
-o-
"Hey missy, please step back if you will." Sirius shouted. He had almost forgotten about the Death Eaters he had chased down Knockturn Alley (due to that very strange encounter with Raven, Severus and his brother) but now he turned his focus on them again. Only to wonder why they were lying unconscious on the cold concrete of a London street, knowing that he had not knocked them out, and the only ones around who could have done it were Slytherins, which was mightily unlikely. Then there was this girl, decidedly a Muggle- but how did she come to know about Death Eaters?The whole situation was very strange indeed.
Edie turned to glare at him, one hand on her hip. "Hey wanker, do I look like a fuckin' missy te ye?"
Sirius flashed her his most charming smile (which made Regulus almost retch but Raven stopped him from doing anything rash or stupid, knowing that Edie could handle the situation very well on her own and most likely also to everyone's amusement) and scanned her from head to toe. She was quite a looker with her blue Mohawk. Nevertheless he found her long legs and that short skirt of hers much more... interesting. Perhaps, he mulled, she'd look even better if wearing high heels instead of that combat boots.
"You look lovely, darling, no doubt about it, but you might not have noticed that you're in really bad company here. Although I surely can protect you, it might be best you simple take your leave now."
"What the fuck are ye babbling, idiot? If I'm in bad company here, all it needs to make a change is for ye to piss off and things are alright again. An' don't call me darling, ever!"
"Oh, you're a fierce one, aren't you?"
"Ye have no idea, idiot. Who're ye anyway?"
"Sadly, he's my brother." Regulus threw in, but Edie didn't listen to him.
"I'm the one who's going to save you from evil Slytherins." Sirius said, apparently unfazed by her reaction and decidedly ignorant to the fact that Regulus seemed to know a Muggle girl.
"I don't need a fuckin' saviour, especially not when I'm with me friends."
"Friends? You're a Muggle and they're evil Slytherins who hate all things Muggle." Except for Lestrange, perhaps, who would always and forever be an enigma to him.
"I'd rather choose evil over asininity and arrogance. Besides, ye're full of prejudices." Edie glanced at Regulus. "Can ye use yer wand te give him a functional brain?"
"I'm afraid not, love. You know, even magic has its limits."
"Love?" Sirius gasped, staring at his younger brother in utter disbelief. "Ickle Reggiekins has a Muggle girlfriend now? What does Mummy say about it?"
"She doesn't have a say in that."
"Ha, you didn't tell her!" Sirius laughed. "You fear to get blasted off the family tree, right, because then you won't have the money to impress Muggle- ouch!" It happened so fast that he didn't see it coming and he could only hold his cheek in surprise.
"Ye fuckin' wanker!" Edie was fuming and Severus was actually chuckling because she had slapped Sirius. "D'ye think me a slut? I don't get paid for sex! I didn't even want to have anything to do with posh, rich boys like him 'til he convinced me he's not just another elitist bourgeois."
Perhaps it was that very moment Regulus knew for sure he'd marry Edie one day, she was simply terrific.
"But he's..." a Death Eater, Sirius wanted to say but then he glanced at the three unconscious Death Eaters, wondering what he was missing. The whole encounter was so very odd, almost surreal. Snape and his brother were followers of the Dark Lord, and yet they had knocked out their comrades? No, not likely. He glanced at Raven. She was the only one of them he didn't consider as evil per se, even though she was a Slytherin.
Of course, she couldn't hide the smirk on her face and didn't even try to. She clearly must have enjoyed him getting slapped. But for the time being, he chose not to mull over the fact why his prodigious charm failed to fall on fertile ground with her.
"Alright, would you please care to fill me in?"
"Look at us." Raven said, glad that Sirius was finally willing to get to the heart of the matter. "We were at the Marquee and we did not want them to see us like that- for obvious reasons- so we Stunned them and now their memory has to be modified, if you can follow me. After that, you may alert the Aurors to take them into custody. We don't even mind if you take all the credits for it. As long as you don't mention us."
"Hmpf." Sirius was not convinced yet. "What were you doing at that Marquee?"
Raven rolled her eyes. "We were at a gig... a music concert. We were simply doing what other people of our age do on a Saturday night- well, except for those who choose hunting Death Eaters as their favourite leisure activity."
"Fighting the increasing influence of the Dark Lord is most certainly not a leisure activity, nor is it a nine to five job. I take responsibility by working for the Order of the Phoenix, for the Greater Good."
"Amen. Now do we have an accord? Be a good dog, wag your tail and say woof.""
"Alright." Sirius agreed hesitantly, ignoring the insult that rang in her words. "I guess you're not inclined to tell me more?"
"A very astute observation, Black." She knew he was referring to Severus and Regulus, and their roles in Voldemort's fraternity, but she was decidedly not inclined to tell him what was actually obvious and plain to see. "Keep us out of it and try to use your brain for once. Perhaps you will come up with a logical explanation."
Sirius glanced at Severus. Of course he trusted Dumbledore, but not when it came to Snape, and he still found it hard to believe that the Slytherin had truly changed allegiances. The greasy git was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts; the Muggle clothes he was wearing now could not change that fact.
And yet, Lestrange trusted him. After all those years she was still hanging around with him. She was a mystery. On the one hand, she was spying on Death Eaters and passing information to the Order, on the other hand she was friends with two Death Eaters. It made no sense to him. What kind of game was she playing? What was in it for her? What had she been doing in Godric's Hollow?
"One last question," he really had to pose the latter.
Severus merely arched a brow at her when Sirius asked about her trip to Godric's Hollow.
"Well, it's a free country. I can go wherever I want to."
"Yeah, but why Godric's Hollow?" How much did she know? Sirius wondered.
"A lovely place, isn't it? Edie and I had a beer or two in that charming pub there-"
"You took Edie along?" Regulus cut in, not sounding all too pleased. He knew why Raven went there and he didn't like the idea of Edie being involved in that.
"We had a girls day out, nothing spectacular."
"In Godric's Hollow? The birthplace of Godric Gryffindor?"
"Well, we didn't put flowers on his grave, if that's what you're hinting at-"
"Raven, " Edie interrupted her all of a sudden, "if he's so chummy with that Potter guy, why don't you give it a try and ask him to arrange a meeting with Lily?"
It wasn't a bad idea to be straightforward, and perhaps Edie was right. But then again she merely had a faint idea of all the animosities between Sirius and Severus, or between the two brothers. Therefore, it took her by surprise when Sirius first seemed to freeze and then grabbed Raven's arm to drag her away from her friends. Nevertheless, she managed to deter Regulus and also Severus from hexing Sirius immediately.
"Hold on, boys. Calm down. Raven can handle him perfectly well on her own."
Meanwhile, out of earshot from the others, Sirius gave Raven a good shaking as he demanded curtly, "Explain. That. To. Me."
She pushed him away, brushing off the arm of her jacket where he had grabbed her.
"What do you want from Lily? Why do you want to meet her? How did you find her anyway?"
Raven opted for honesty and was curious of what she'd get in return. "Well, it wasn't really that hard to find the cottage, because it's not well protected and I actually want to talk to her about safety-"
"Why?"
"Because, quite obviously, she's not safe if anyone with ordinary skills in research and investigation can find her... while her husband is out, having fun with his best mate. Do you really believe the wards will keep Voldemort off?"
Sirius ran frustrated fingers through his hair. "Alright, but why do you care?"
"Are you being difficult for a reason or just for the sake of it? Would you prefer I didn't care if someone lives or dies?" She brushed past him in order to return to her friends, sighing, "Merlin, I really need a drink now."
"Lestrange!"
"Grow yourself a brain, Black. In case you succeed, you know where to find me. Until then, fuck off!"
Raven walked away, away from that gateway to Knockturn Alley, following the route Jeffrey and the others had taken some time ago. She so wanted the happy atmosphere of the evening to continue, even though she knew it had gone down the drain.
-o-
"I guess you'd better return to Hogwarts, now." Raven told Severus before he could open his mouth and say anything; she really didn't want to hear the name Lily again, and she was tired of tiptoeing around his delicate feelings when it came to her.
His keen mind forbade him to protest since he knew she was right, and his sense of vigilance agreed. He didn't trust Sirius Black to not run to Dumbledore in order to rat him out, because if that happened, he preferred to be there already. At least, Dumbledore would not torture him with the Cruciatus Curse for wearing Muggle clothes... or using the Stupefying Charm on some Death Eaters... actually, he could talk himself out of nearly everything as long as Black refrained from mentioning Raven and Regulus.
But she appeared rather unfazed by that very idea.
Severus glanced at her as if he wanted to say something, then he chose to remain silent. Wrapping himself in his robes, he realized he would probably never fully grasp the complicated ways the mind of a witch seemed to tick. After all, he had not urged her to spy on Lily or find out where she lives. Well, he'd taken that into consideration but never voiced it. So why did the clear blue summer sky of her eyes turn into glowing hellfire?
He bid farewell and Apparated to Hogwarts.
Raven heaved a weary sigh as she watched him dissolve into thin air. This evening had started so damn good, so very promising- and now, it was back to the usual shit. Thanks to bloody St Lily. Even if she wasn't around in person, the very idea of her was enough to ruin an almost perfect evening, and that very moment, Raven didn't really give a damn whether she lived or died.
But then Edie elbowed her in an attempt to cheer her up. First, Raven frowned at her, blaming her for this mess, because if she hadn't been that straightforward- but no. To be fair, Edie had done the right thing by broaching the problem to Sirius, and clever scheming had gotten them that far. Nevertheless, she was perhaps the only one who truly understood the success they had gained today, no matter how messed up the situation seemed to be. Regulus was still totally agitated due to meeting his brother...
Nevertheless, it wasn't over yet. Nothing was lost but a lot was won since they had managed to pique Sirius' curiosity, and he would come running back for more. All they needed now was to have a little patience.
-o-
Only a couple of days later, Raven left the Red Lantern and found Sirius Black sitting smugly on her Harley.
"Get off!" She greeted him, producing her wand to underline her words.
Immediately, he slipped off the seat and offered a mocking bow in return, smiling at her. "As you please, Miss Lestrange."
Totally unimpressed, she wiped the seat where he'd been lounging with the sleeves of her shirt as if he had dirtied it, meanwhile ignoring him.
"Hey, Lestrange, I mulled over some of the things you said a couple of days ago-"
"Ah, indeed?" She cocked a brow at him. "Don't give me the impression you might have actually used your brain for that would actually come as a big surprise."
"Well, love, that was indeed my intention-"
"Don't call me love 'cause there's definitelyno love between us."
"Yeah, and that's a shame, isn't it?"
"Um... to be honest... no. Not at all."
"Ouch! Now you're hurting me." Being quite a drama queen, Sirius raised his hands to his heart as if to protect it from getting broken by her.
Some girls might have found such a gesture... endearing. Raven, however, just rolled her eyes in annoyance. "What do you want? And please, come to the point quickly for I don't have all day- or all night. So, you hinted at the possibility you might have been actually using your brain for a change. Tell me about the result."
"What will you give me in return?"
"Oh my, I'm wasting my time here." Raven started the engine of her Harley.
"Wait!"
"What's wrong with you guys that you always want something in return?"
"Well, it would be so much easier to trust you if you weren't a Slytherin. Although, I must admit, you are actually quite decent for a Slytherin."
"Do I have to feel flattered now?"
Sirius raked his fingers through his hair. "Come on, I simply want to understand. You're hanging around with two Death Eaters. Okay, perhaps my little idiot brother got cold feet when he realized what the Dark Lord is capable of in order to enforce his ideology of pure-blood supremacy. I even manage to see he fancies that Muggle girl-"
"Her name's Edie."
"Alright, so perhaps he fancies Edie enough to ignore the fact that she's actually a Muggle. That's okay with me. I mean, her legs are amazing. But what I fail to get is Snape's role in all that. He already knew more Dark Curses than anyone in seventh year when he came to Hogwarts and he's up to his eyes in the Dark Arts. Everyone knows. He's just the perfect Death Eater. I never understood why Dumbledore came to believe he changed. Merlin, I will never understand what you see in him. Therefore, you have to give me a reason to trust you."
"Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"
"Many. And all of them answer to the name of Snivellus Snape. He's evil. You know, James is my best friend. His family is mine. So before I ever risk his or Lily's life, I'd rather die for him."
"Yeah, and that's the big difference between us, since I prefer to live for my friends. All you oh-so-fucking self-righteous, stupidly heroic Super Gryffindors seem to forget one very important thing- there's no point in wasting away your life if you don't do it at the most opportune moment, meaning if there really is no other chance left. Otherwise, it's just insignificant balderdash.
"So please excuse me now, I'm growing tired of this useless conversation."
"Wait!" Sirius urged her again. "Perhaps... what if I talk to Lily and ask her what she thinks about it? If she agrees it's all up to her but I won't talk her into meeting you.."
"Well, that's all I ever wanted. I never asked you to arrange an audience with Mrs Holier-than-thou Potter. If she's clever, she'll listen to me. If not," Raven shrugged, "her problem."
"That's all?"
"That's all." She could almost see him mulling things over, weighing the consequences. Sirius Black was so very obviously not a Legilimens at all (perhaps that wasn't in his dog nature) and besides, she didn't even want to snoop around in his dirty mind. All she needed to know was that she had piqued his curiosity. Like a dog that had sniffed something he wouldn't rest until he had followed the trail... and maybe he would understand in the end. She, however, would not stick his nose into the obvious, would not tell him about Severus' true loyalty... nor about his feelings for Lily.
"Well, let me know if Lily wants to see me," she said, started the engine of her Harley again, and rode off the courtyard, leaving Sirius puzzled.
