Chapter 2: Grimmauld Place

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Raven stepped into a dark dusty room which looked like it hadn't been used in years. There was a old brown couch with patches all over it and there was a layer of dust over the top of it. There was a book shelf on one side of the room and a door, which stood ajar on the other. All over the floor there were footsteps in the dust.

*What a mess!* Raven thought to herself.

With Ebony still on her shoulder she made her way to the door out into the hall, where she found a narrow stair case. Hearing voices from below, she made her way down the steps into what seemed to be a basement kitchen.

Quietly pushing the door open Raven took a peak inside.

In the middle of the room there was a large wooden table, and a whole crowd of people sat a it.

At the top of the table there was a man with balding red hair. To his right sat two identical twins down to the last freckle. Next there was a brown haired man who was playing with his food, his head in his hand. Then there was a bushy haired girl who had a book cropped up on her goblet and next to her a boy with hair that looked like he had just jumped out of bed. Beside him there was a woman with purple hair and then another boy with red hair. There was also a woman fussing over who had enough food and was trying to force some onto the messy haired boy's plate.

But Raven didn't spot her Dad anywhere and was about to turn and go back up the stairs when the woman who was fussing looked up and spotted her peering in the door.

The woman let out a gasp which resulted in the table looking up to see what she was looking at. The sandy haired man's brow lowered as he looked over her. He stood up and walked to the door, removing his wand from his pocket while he went. He opened the door fully and eyed Raven suspisously. Ebony hissed at the man from her shoulder.

"Who are you?" He asked, looking at the box of kittens in her hands.

"Im Raven, Im looking for my...for Severus Snape, is he here?"

"Your Severus Snape? How do you know him?" He asked.

"Who are you?" She said, looking over the man, while trying to get Ebony to stop hissing.

"Remus Lupin, now how do you know him?"

"Im his daughter", she said. She noticed that when she said this everyone in the kitchens eye's widened consdrirably(sp?).

"Hes never mentioned having a daughter, how do we know that your not lying to us?"

Raven was getting quite upset at this point. She didn't like being questioned, espeically when her mother had just been killed. But thankfully she didnt have to.

"Because Lupin, I know for a fact that she is my daughter." Her Dad had just came down the stair behind her. She sat down the box of kittens and hugged her him with a crap like grip.

He managed to pull her off, after a minute, he wasnt one to show emotion infront of others.

"Come up the stairs Raven" He said noticing his daughter's red puffy eyes and the fresh tears which were making their way down her face.

She lifted the box and followed her father up the stairs, not glancing back at the room of people.

She entered the dirty living room again to find her Dad standing waiting for her.

"Raven, what is the matter? Did you have a angrument with your mother again because if s-"

But he was cut off when Raven placed the kittens and Ebony down again and ran at him, the tears uncontrolibly(sp?) running down her face. She hugged him so hard around his middle that he was flung off of his feat onto the dusty old couch with her. She began muttering inbetween her sobs.

"Outside on...scream...living room...mum...Malfoy...wall...woods...here...dead"

"Wow, Raven came down before you start talking." Severus said patting her head.

Once she had got rid of most of the tears and sat up and began.

"I was outside reading, when I heard a scream *sniff* and I went in and found mum on the floor, she was...shes..shes dead!" She cried the last part and flung herself at her Dad again.

Snape's face had gone, if possible, paler then usual. He was staring at the wall, trying to take in just what his daughter had said.

*Charlotte? Dead? No, she must have had a dream, she can't be dead!*

Raven sat back up again and continuted.

"I heard footsteps upstairs and suddenly that man, Lucius Malfoy was standing, but I disarmed him and ran outside, I finally lost him in the woods, when I ran back, I owled you and flooed right over here."

Severus was speechless.

*Malfoy? I'll kill him* He thought.

"Dad? What are we going to do?" He heard Raven say, he finally looked at her, and realised that she was the only thing left which he had worth living for. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly, not ever wanting to let her go.

*Im not going to let anyone touch you Raven* He thought to himself.

Finally after about 10 minutes of them both lying in silence, Severus stood and said.

"Raven, you stay here, I need to get Dumbledore. Go down to the kitchen and get Mrs Weasley to get you something to eat."

And with a swish of his robe, he was gone.

Raven sighed and once again lifted her box of kittens and with Ebong trotting along behind her, she walked down the staircase to the kitchen.

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Severus Snape walked quickly to Dumbledore's office, he muttered the password "Dime Bar" and ran up the stairs. When he entered the Headmaster was sitting at his desk looking at Severus with a simpathetic look upon his face.

"You have heard then sir" Snape muttered flinging himself into a seat infront of the Headmaster's desk and rubbing his temple.

"That I have Severus, the aurors have just left, they found the dark mark over your household. However, they did not find Raven, s-"

"Shes at The Order sir, she arrived a short while ago"

"I see, I am deeply sorry Severus, if there is anything I can do, do not be afraid to ask."

"I shall remember that Headmaster. Now about Raven, what will become of her? She cannot live with me here. Raven is not one to like being cooped up."

Dumbledore sat thinking for a few minutes, until a thoughtful look came across his.

"Of course, why didnt I think of it! She will start Hogwarts in her Sixth Year I believe. I know you didn't want her to come because you were afraid of leaving Charlotte alone but now is perfect for Raven to start! She will not be behind because if I know you, you have been teaching her in the holidays!"

Snape sat for a minute pondering over this.

*I could watch over her, she would not have to stay in the house herself...maybe we could try it* He thought to himself.

"Ok, I will agree to this, but if she is not happy-"

"Severus, of course she will be happy! She will be at Hogwarts! You can tell her the news, and for the rest of the summer she can stay at The Order, but if there are in problems there then she can stay with you in your rooms."

"Yes sir". Said Severus.

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A/N: Woo hoo! Two chapters in one day! Im on a role! Hope you enjoyed it! Really sorry about any spelling mistakes! Please Read/Review! Next chapter will be up as soon as possible again!

Mandi xxx