Black Blood

Disclaimer: You should know this stuff by now.

A/N: Those of you who reviewed, thanks a lot. I greatly appreciate it. This chapter is confusing, but necessary. I'm really not that good at trying to describe things, so let me know if there's anything I can do to better explain what's going on to you. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Luv, Liveley

Chapter 7 - Capture

"Ashe?"

"Yes, Black."

"Want to go see a movie?"

"A movie?

"Yeah, they're like how Muggles–"

"I know what a movie is, Black. And no, I don't want to."

"Why not?" asked Sirius.

"Not with you, anyway. It's too dark in there, and too intimate, and too–"

"Perfect," Sirius grinned.

"No."

"Fine, we'll just eat then. Do you like French food?"

"Black, would you stop trying to make this into a date? French restaurants are really fancy."

"Well, I'm hungry. Fine, here." Sirius led her to a place that sold sandwiches on the side of the street and bought a few things. "Turkey or ham?" He offered her both.

"Turkey," she took it. "You didn't have to–"

"Pay for it, I know. Because this isn't a date, right?"

Raven nodded.

Sirius didn't feel like arguing with Raven for the next half hour, so he said, "All right, you can pay next time we have a non-date," so she would drop it.

She surveyed him skeptically for a few seconds and then shrugged. "Okay."

"Wanna sit?"

Sirius led her over to a park bench and they sat eating in silence for a few moments.

"Is it good?" asked Sirius. Raven nodded because she was still chewing. "Not as good as my blood?" he teased.

She smirked and the threw her wrapper at him.

As it hit him in the chest and then fell to the ground, Sirius gasped. "Litterer."

Raven laughed. "You're the one that didn't catch it."

"All right, I'm the litterer." Sirius grinned, mischievously, "You should punish me."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Something tells me you'd like that, wouldn't you, Black?"

"A little too much," he agreed. "You want to come back to my place and–"

"Yeah, I'm going to stop you," said Raven, calmly. "No need to waste another of your pick-up lines on me; the answer is still no."

Sirius cleared his throat importantly, "I was going to say, 'do you want to come back to my place and we can invite Jordi and Remus, and maybe Lily and James if they're up to it?'"

"You were not going to say that."

"...Okay, I wasn't. But do you?"

"Don't you want to go out and do something without my company? I mean we've been together all day, basically."

"I like being with you," Sirius responded, sincerely.

The two of them met eyes for a moment and Raven bit her lip.

"Even after what you found out this morning?"

"Yes, Ashe. That doesn't change anything," answered Sirius.

Raven smiled. "Thanks, Black."

"Sure thing, love." Raven rolled her eyes at the pet name he called her, but Sirius continued. "Won't vampires die if they're in the sun?"

Raven nodded. "True vampires will, yes."

"But not you? Because you said when you answered the door this morning, you had already turned."

"No, I probably wouldn't die. Like my other abilities, it fluctuates when I'm a vamp. Some days, I'll get a sunburn just going out to get the mail. Other days, I just start to feel a bit dizzy after a few hours out in the sun," Raven explained.

"But that's only when you're an actual vampire?" asked Sirius.

"Right. So right now, I'm okay because I took my potion."

"So, you know any other vamps?"

"Yeah," she answered, "a few. Why, you want to meet some?"

"Nah, you'll always be my favorite little vixen," he said, smirking. "I was just curious if you had any possessive, vampire boyfriends or anything."

Raven shook her head. "Not anymore."

"So you have before? Y-you cheated on me??"

Raven sighed. "A - I can't cheat on you because we're not together, and B - it was last summer."

"You were sixteen, then? How old was the vamp?"

"...Two hundred and thirty-three."

Sirius let out his bark-like laugh. "Is that why we can't have a relationship? You like older men?"

Raven smirked. "You are older than me."

"Not that old! ...Wait, are you telling me there's a chance for us?" Raven said nothing. "No, I should know better than that by now, right?"

Raven continued to smirk. "If it makes you feel any better, Black, I didn't sleep with him."

Sirius immediately grinned. "Saving yourself for me, huh?"

"Hardly."

"Okay, not him, but who else?" asked Sirius.

"I'm not answering that!" Raven began to blush. "You going to tell me how many girls you've slept with?"

Without missing a beat, Sirius responded, "Fifty-two."

Raven gasped, "WHAT?!"

"Sirius smirked. "I'm kidding; I just pulled that number out of my head."

Raven hit him and he laughed. "It's probably close to that from what I heard."

"Oh, come on, Ashe, it is not! It's nowhere near that many, okay? I promise. Maybe you know me better than the girls I've slept with, but there hasn't been as many as everyone thinks."

"...I know you better than girls you've had sex with?? That's absurd! I hardly know you, Black."

"You do know me, Ashe. And that's why you like me," Sirius said, confidently.

"I don't–"

Sirius put his index finger to Raven's lips before she could go on. "Don't get all jumpy on me. I meant as a friend. If you didn't, you wouldn't be putting up with me right now, and you wouldn't have let me in on your little secret this morning. If you won't ever like me as more than a friend, I'll deal with it. But don't tell me we aren't at least friends by now."

Raven was biting her lip, listening to him. When he finished, the two of them sat studying each other.

After a few moments, Raven sighed. "Nice speech, Black."

He smirked. "Thanks, I try. You ready to go?"

She nodded and stood. They walked in silence back to Raven's.

Sirius met her eyes as she opened her door. "I'll see you soon, Ashe."

She smirked. "I look forward to it, Black."

"So," started Jordan, "I hear you went on a date with Black today."

Raven sighed. "Dammit, did he tell you that?"

"No, he told Remus who told me."

"Well, it was not a date," Raven declared.

"I also hear you told him your secret. How very Clark Kent of you."

Raven smiled and rolled her eyes. "Jordi...shut up."

"You like him, Raven," said Jordan. "That's why you were all over him when you turned."

"It is not! I was all over him only because I could sense it was the easiest way to get his blood. You think you know me, but when I'm a vampire, I'm completely different."

"Okay, Rave. But it wouldn't kill you to let someone in once in awhile, you know."

Raven laughed. "Yeah, okay Miss I-don't-want-anyone-but-Remus! You've liked him for a good five years and you two are only now together."

Jordan laughed, too. "Okay, I propose we no longer talk about guys."

"Deal," agreed Raven, smirking.

"Although there isn't much else to–"

Raven cut her off by throwing her arm out to stop Jordan from continuing forward.

Two hooded figures were moving along the trail ahead of them, arguing with each other.

"Death Eaters," Jordan whispered. "We should go a different way."

"Hang on..." Raven said slowly. She pulled Jordan with her as she hid from view. "Let's see what they're up to."

"Rave..." Jordan started to protest.

"We'll stay hidden. They won't see us."

Jordan sighed and nodded. The two of them began to creep along the edge of the park after the Death Eaters. They were arguing heatedly, but Raven and Jordan could only hear fragments of what was said as they crept along after them.

"The Dark Lord is hopeful that he will be of use! That means we do not question his judgment!" they heard one say.

"You trusting fool!" the tallest responded. "He was friends with them in school! You were there! With your own eyes, you saw how close they all were! Why would he ever betray them, Snape? And where are Crabbe and Goyle?"

"Do you doubt the persuasion power of the Dark Lord? Do you doubt him, Lucius?! He is willing to betray them because he can see that the Master is more powerful than any wizard that has ever lived! Only fools like Dumbledore's followers dare to oppose him!"

As the two of them grew more and more angry at each other and began to quicken their pace, Raven and Jordan were having trouble keeping up with them. Their words were getting lost in each step they took to follow.

Raven had just inched forward and slowly started to creep past a light patch from the moon when she was seized from behind and pulled backward into a darkened alleyway. One strong arm was wrapped snugly around her waist, the other, a hand over her mouth, keeping her from making a sound. Jordan had frozen for a split-second and then began to dig in her pocket for her wand.

A familiar voice sounded in Raven's ear that made her shiver. "Well hello, love. Doesn't this bring back memories?"

As Sirius removed the hand over her mouth and placed it on her shoulder to keep his hold on her, Raven sighed and relaxed, glad it wasn't a Death Eater. "Let me go, Black."

She could hear the smirk in his voice. "I know who you are this time."

Jordan relaxed, too, when she realized it was Sirius. "There are Death Eaters out there, Black."

"I know, what do you think I'm doing here?" he asked. "The question is, what the hell are you two doing? Trying to get yourselves killed?"

"We weren't going to do anything, just watch them," answered Jordan. "Relax."

"You're not struggling as much as last time, Ashe. It disappoints me," Sirius conveyed.

Raven smirked. "Forgive me. I'm getting used to you manhandling me."

"Well, I'll have to try something new then," he responded, suggestively. "By the way, your hair smells intoxicating." His face right next to her ear, he could no doubt smell it.

"It's called shampoo," Raven stated, irritably. "Black, don't you have a job to do?"

"I suppose," he said, letting his arms drop from her waist. "Come on," he took her hand and led her back out of the alley, going to check on the status of the Death Eaters.

Raven followed him, but remained in the shadows next to Jordan to let her cheeks adjust back to their normal color. Jordan sent a smirk her way.

Sirius turned back around. "It looks like they're busy arguing about something. They should be distracted enough. I want you two to go as quick as you can back to one of your houses and stay there, do you get me?"

"Black–" started Raven.

Sirius interrupted. "Don't make me kiss you to shut you up, Ashe. You know I'll gladly do it. I don't want either of you to get hurt, and Remus has the night off, okay? I have to stay on them or I'd escort you. Don't split up. I'll come check and make sure you made it safely when I'm done here."

"But–" she started again without thinking.

Sirius wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her towards him. He leaned down so their faces were inches apart and rose an eyebrow at her.

"Don't make me ruin our friendship, Ashe. You're not going to argue with me tonight. This is dangerous."

Raven held her breath until he had finished talking, then she swallowed and nodded. "Be careful, Black."

He smirked. "I always am, love."

"I mean it."

His smirk grew. "Expressing genuine concern for my well-being? That's always a good sign." He leaned in toward her.

She stepped back and shook her head. "Not now, Black."

He blinked. "Later??"

She gave him a look.

"Very well," said Sirius, putting on a pouty face, "off you go."

He watched Raven's dark hair whipping behind her as she and Jordan ran back the way they came, then he turned his attention back to the Death Eaters. Five minutes passed and they continued to argue. Sirius rolled his eyes. This was getting boring. He couldn't tell who the Death Eaters were and he couldn't hear a word of what they were saying. He needed to get closer. But just as he crept out of his alleyway and began to dart out and into the next, he froze.

Two more Death Eaters had come into Sirius' view.

"Hey, guys! We have a little surprise for each of you!" the one carrying three wands and pulling a struggling Raven behind him called out.

"Yeah," the one carrying Jordan over his back added, "Gryffindors!"

Sirius' insides writhed painfully as he watched in horror. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly for a moment, hoping he had fallen asleep and slipped into a nightmare.

"Dammit," he said under his breath as he reopened them and pulled out his wand.

Jordan was kicking fruitlessly in the air, trying to get her Death Eater to lose his balance and drop her. She was having no luck at this as the Death Eater was more than three times her size. Since Raven's Death Eater had her around the waist and was purposefully digging his fingers into her sides to cause her pain, she was able to elbow him as hard as she could in the chest so he would lose his grip on her. He staggered for a moment and she ran wildly forward, but in another instant he had seized her again with a hand at her throat.

"Crabbe, Goyle, are you completely nonsensical?" yelled Snape. "What do we want with them? We don't have time for this!"

"We ran into them on our way, thought they'd make for some fun," said Goyle as he tightened his grip on Raven's throat and she began to cough.

"We are not here for fun! We have a job to do! The Dark Lord–"

Lucius's wand suddenly flew out of his hand and into the air, right at Snape. A hand darted out caught it right in front of his face before anyone had time to react.

"The Dark Lord is about to lose a couple of his useless minions if you don't tell those pathetic lumps to let the girls go," came a voice that sounded so menacing Raven and Jordan hardly recognized it. Sirius jabbed his wand hard into Snape's back. "Evening, Snivellus."

Snape flinched, but he sneered. "Black."

Sirius allowed himself to smirk. "Yeah, that's right. I said let them go, you two." He thrust his wand into Snape's back again, this time causing him to grunt in pain. "Tell them."

"Do it," snarled Snape.

Crabbe put Jordan roughly back on her feet and Goyle, still with his hand around Raven's throat, threw her forward, angrily.

Sirius twitched. "You all right?"

As Raven stood, her hand went to her throat. Jordan stumbled and quickly righted herself. They both nodded.

"Goyle, give them back their wands and your own," ordered Sirius as he in turn took Snape's wand from his hand.

Goyle did so, but not without glaring begrudgingly at Sirius. Raven and Jordan took their wands and Crabbe's and Goyle's and turned the tables, pointing their wands at the Death Eaters, as Sirius was.

"No," said Sirius, firmly. "Both of you get out of here now!"

Raven started to protest, but Jordan's wand suddenly flew out of her hands and into the air. Lucius lunged at Raven, but with a bang and a flick of her wand, he fell to the ground, stunned. Raven whipped around, but before she could see the source, her wand, too, flew into the air.

"Well, what have we here? Two of my favorite people," said Bellatrix gleefully behind them. She jabbed her wand hard into Sirius's back. "Don't even think about moving."

She looked past Sirius with an expression of extreme dislike and then gave Raven her most menacing glare. "I knew I couldn't avoid seeing my cousin for the rest of my life, but I never expected I'd have to see your pretty little face again, Ashe," she continued, sarcastically.

Raven was still grasping her throat with one hand while holding onto hers and Goyle's wands with the other. When she spoke, her voice was raspy from the strain Goyle had put on her vocal chords. "Believe me, the feeling is mutual."

"Why don't you give Goyle back the wands and let him diffindo all your hair off," said Bellatrix with a malicious sneer. "I've always wanted to just come up behind you and pull it all out."

Raven twitched but didn't move.

Bellatrix rose an eyebrow at her. "Unless of course you'd rather watch your boyfriend shriek in pain first."

But before Raven could protest or Bellatrix could raise her wand, Sirius spoke. "Be my guest, Bella, if you want to take Snivellus here home in a body bag.

Bellatrix laughed. "Go ahead and kill him, Sirius! I'd do it myself if the Dark Lord didn't favor him so much," she replied with annoyance.

"Then, I'm guessing he'd be pretty upset when he heard you let him die," Sirius said.

"He doesn't have to know."

Sirius forced a laugh just to anger her. "The only person you're fooling, dear cousin, is yourself. You never were any good at legilimency."

She sneered. "I can improve. Don't just stand there. Crabbe, Goyle, you're bigger than they are!"

Goyle again lunged at Raven, who dodged and stunned him. But Crabbe was slightly smarter than Goyle. He swung one hand at Jordan's head and as she ducked, he grabbed for the wands. He pointed his at Raven and Jordan's at its owner. Raven in turn pointed hers at him.

Bellatrix smirked. "Now give me your wand, Black."

Sirius laughed fakely again. "Oh please! Crabbe can't hit one target, let alone two at once! However..." Sirius grabbed the back of Snape's robes and pulled him backward as hard as he could. He lept out of the way allowing Snape to fall back into Bellatrix. Sirius jumped back up and stood over them both sprawled on the ground together. "...we both know I can."

Sirius couldn't tell whether Snape or Bellatrix looking up at him hated him more at that moment, but he didn't have much time to dwell on it.

A voice snarled from behind him. "Don't move, Black!"

Lucius had come to and snuck up behind Raven while she was still pointing her wand at Goyle. He had her around the neck as well with his wand level with her heart.

"She can die quickly or painfully. It's your choice."

Sirius looked livid. "Don't you touch her, Malfoy!"

Lucius tightened his grip with a vicious smirk on his face and Raven began struggling to get free.

"If you let them both go, you can have me," said Sirius.

"What do I want with you?" he squeezed her harder.

Sirius continued, insistently. "They're not worth anything to Voldemort, Lucius! I am!"

"You're worth nothing!" countered Lucius.

"He's an Order member, Lucius," said Snape, glaring at Sirius. "He can be of more use."

"Fine! Crabbe, let her go," ordered Lucius. Crabbe lowered his wand and stepped away from Jordan. "Black, give Bella the wands."

Sirius glared at Lucius. "Let Raven go first. You're hurting her."

Lucius hesitated.

"There's nothing to think about, Malfoy! I can come quietly or I can take your wife's sister and your loyal little lapdog here with me. The choice is yours."

Lucius sneered and threw Raven to the ground at his feet. She again put her hand to her throat and coughed violently, gasping for breath.

"Jordi, help her up and both of you get out of here," Sirius urged.

"Give me your wand, Black!" snarled Snape after getting to his feet, Bellatrix as well.

Sirius watched Jordan help Raven up and locked eyes with the latter before Jordan started to pull her away. But Raven didn't seem to want to move.

"Wait just a minute," said Bellatrix growing a devilish smirk. "Why don't we let Black say goodbye to his little girlfriends."

"We don't have time for games, Bella!" protested Snape. "Let's take Black while we can!"

Bella shook her head, grinning from ear to ear. "I want to se her cry," she answered, eyeing Raven. "Go ahead, Black," she pointed her wand at him.

Sirius walked slowly forward to where the two of them still stood. He looked to Jordan first. "Just get to your house and stay there. It's closer, okay?" She nodded and swallowed, trying hard not to cry. He hugged her.

Then he turned to Raven and forced a weak smile. But he didn't know what to say to her. They both stood silently with their eyes boring into each other until Sirius knew there was only one thing for him to do. His eyes didn't leave hers as he leaned down and kissed her. As Raven kissed him back, Bellatrix rolled her eyes and nodded at Snape. When Snape pulled Sirius away, Raven's eyes were brimming with tears.

Sirius gave Raven one final smirk as Snape began to drag him away from her. "So long, ladies."

A/N: You want to yell at me, don't you? I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Just yell at me in your review. You'll feel better afterward. If you're really upset, you can even instant message me directly and if you're distraught enough I'll give you something to cheer you up, okay? On a more personal note, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my kitten, who just recently passed away. Yes, folks, The Dark Lord has indeed been vanquished. (I named my sweet, little, baby kitten Voldemort, also known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.) I'll miss you, Voldie-poo! Don't forget to review guys, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Luv, Liveley.