ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
-CHAPTER FOURTEEN-
BETA: Green eyes
INFO: www. livejournal. com /users/draycious
"Do you have any idea of how worried I've been?" Severus shouted at him. Snape had asked him that question over and over again a thousand times within the last hour. Thankfully Remus had interrupted Severus in his, what sure would have been, miles long rant quite early on.
Remus handled the situation like always did, by giving a speech that made people feel guilty, but this year, opposite from the third, it didn't become Raven the slightest. He had learned to turn off his guilt feelings quite well.. Perhaps it was the few drops of Dracula's blood that made him able to become uncaring and almost cold whenever he felt like it. Dracula was known for his chilly attitude in the sense of being able to ignore certain feelings.
"I'm sorry dad, but I had to go!" he said just like he had every other time Snape asked him that question.
"You lied, Cercis!" Snape raged.
"No I didn't father. I did go to the hospital and I did give you a report." It all came down to how they saw on certain things.
"You didn't tell me the whole truth, which you were very much aware of! How Slytherin of you!" Severus snarled angrily. He paced around his living room while Raven sat on the couch together with Remus. Remus didn't look happy with him either, but at least he kept a calm façade.
"I'm not allowed to speak the truth!" Raven argued. In a way it was true, even if he could speak the truth if he wished to do so. He simply didn't allow himself to tell Snape the truth.
"You will be able to speak up soon Harry. Your father and I are working on setting you free from the American laws," said Remus. Raven nodded absently. He wasn't worried, Blade had already assured him there was nothing Snape and Remus could do about it. Even if he wasn't about to tell them about that little fact just yet. They would find out for themselves soon enough.
"Cercis, I want a full report of your hospital visit because I did say details which you didn't provide in your letter. I also want to know if your visit to wherever you were was dangerous," Snape said to him once he had calmed down a little. He still refused to sit down, but he was standing still so Raven took that as a good sign.
"It wasn't dangerous," He said though he knew it was, very much so, but not for him. Not just anyone could waltz right into the castle and expect to be welcomed and treated with respect. The vampires didn't look at things with the same point of view as humans. If someone were to break into their domain they would see that as a huge threat and therefore eliminate it.
"That's something at least," Snape said dryly and crossed his arms. "Report please." Raven sank down further in the sofa before he told them about his hospital visit.
"Did they ask you about what had caused the injuries?" Severus asked.
"No. Since your explosion when one of the doctors asked you, I don't think anyone has even dared to think about it. Which is no surprise. You were very scary back then," he said with a shudder. Snape could intimidate almost anyone if he wished to do so. Even if doctors are constantly threatened by concerned relatives they had not been able to ignore Snape. They had actually called security, who then disarmed Snape for the duration of his visit at the hospital.
"So you're basically fine now?" Remus asked.
"Of course he is! A Snape recovers quickly!" Snape spoke before Raven could answer.
"I wasn't talking to you Severus! I was talking to Harry!" Remus said with mild irritation. He was rapidly getting tired of all the drama, and desperately wanted Severus to shut up.
"Stop calling my son that! You shall call him by his given name!"
"I don't see Harry complaining!" Remus growled. His patience was running thin. He had never particularly liked Snape, but he had made an effort to remain neutral.
"Actually," Raven interrupted his fathers retort, "I would like to be called Raven... or Cercis if necessary," he said. That made them both shut up for a moment while they thought about it.
"If you wish," Snape finally agreed since it was a reasonable request.
"I was thinking about your birthday party," Remus suddenly said.
"Erm... Remus? That was ages ago!" Raven said skeptically. He didn't understand why Remus would bring that up now of all times.
"Don't look at me like that! I'm not crazy and I'm very well aware of what date it is so I have not lost my mind, "Remus joked.
"Yet," Severus cut in.
"I was however thinking of how we missed celebrating it. As those things happened after you were found again we haven't had the time to celebrate!" said Remus and pointedly ignored Severus slip of tongue earlier.
"Heck no! I haven't even been given any birthday presents!" Raven suddenly remembered. Severus murmured something that sounded suspiciously like 'spoiled' but Raven couldn't be sure. He didn't care much either, for that matter.
"So would you like a big party or just a small one for your friends?" Remus asked him curiously. Raven's eyes lit up at the prospect of a party. When the possibilities became clear for them he gave them a mischievous smile.
"Uh... Cercis, I don't like that look..." said Severus.
"Cercis, are you listening?" Remus asked when Raven didn't respond to Snape in any kind of way.
"Huh? Sorry, what was that?" He asked when he was abruptly interrupted in his plotting. He had some great ideas, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to execute them.
"Never mind. How do you want your party?" Remus said with a sigh.
"Actually... let me have a word with Blade and I'll decide later."
"Blade!? Hell no! Not again! This is between the three of us!" Snape spat. He obviously didn't like Blade very much. He thought the American interfered too much.
"Sorry dad, but I need to talk to Blade. It's alright; I want to talk to him."
"Fine! But damn him if he interferes this time!" said Severus getting a nasty look on his face. Raven wondered if Snape still was suspended from using his wand. When the hospital had reluctantly agreed to return Snape's wand Remus had insisted on safekeeping it until Snape had cooled down. This had persisted inside Hogwarts, and Snape was officially wandless for the time being. This had caused many arguments between Lupin and Snape, but lately it had been quite quiet, so Raven supposed Snape had gotten his want back.
"Further more, would you mind if I planned the party?" He asked them innocently.
"But Cercis! That's our job! You're the guest of honor!" Remus stated confused. He just didn't get it. Then again that might be a good things, if Remus knew what he had in mind he would probably end up with a kid's party, with superheroes and perhaps even princesses.
"No..." said Severus slowly as he stared thoughtfully out in thin air. His previously crossed arms fell limply at his sides.
"What do you mean no? Of course we should do this!" Remus said and turned slightly in the sofa in order to see Snape better and give him a reprimanding and disapproving glare.
"No, he wants to do this himself. It's the least we can do for him," said Severus, to everyone's surprise.. Even Snape himself looked surprised. Raven hadn't known Severus could be so understanding.
"Why would he want that?" Remus asked Snape. Remus, who usually understood most things, was officially puzzled.
"I'm right here you know," Raven threw at him.
"Sorry," Remus responded automatically, and Raven could tell he wasn't really listening to him.
"It's all right. I'll be off then," He said and left the two men to argue whether he should be allowed to plan his own part or not. They never agreed on anything it seemed. They were two very different people, and that brought conflicts. When he left Snape's lair he was cornered by Malfoy.
"Ah, do you want to fuck me senseless or why the pressure?" he asked when he was flat against the wall and Draco was up against him.
"No. I don't want to ruin my reputation if I were to be seen with you, I'll save that for later. Now I'm just making sure that you don't run away when I ask you where you were."
"I was visiting your... I was visiting Goyle. I think you know him," he said dryly and mentally hit himself for his almost slip up, even if he had told Draco on the train it didn't mean he should shout it out for everyone to hear in the corridor. You never knew when someone was around, visible or not.
"Why?" Draco asked him suspiciously.
"Long time no see," he said cheekily and danced around the subject. So did Draco.
"How sweet of you!" Draco drawled. Raven broke free from Draco's grasp and took Draco by the arm and dragged him all the way to Blade's chambers where he pushed Draco through and made him fall down in the sofa.
"Sit!" he said forcefully. "Blade! Get here!"
Blade came.
"What's going on?" he asked with his hair grasped in one hand, and a brush in the other. Draco and Raven stared for a couple of seconds before Draco remembered how he had gotten there; he was not happy!
"Yeah! That's what I'd like to know!" Draco said, rubbing his arm and throwing Raven a dirty look. He was a Malfoy and he did not accept this kind of treatment, damn it!
"I've got an idea and we're going to need Draco in order for this to work. Now, listen carefully..." he said and sat down. The others leaned in closer and listened to what he had to say.