20- Interstellar Soul

It was January 9th, the last day of Christmas holidays and Severus' birthday. He was coming of age today. And although that thought was somehow exciting, he didn't feel any different. Actually, it was a morning like any other one since he never celebrated his birthday; he'd long given up believing it was a special day.

He didn't even look different, Severus realized after casting a fleeting glance at his reflection in the bathroom mirror- fortunately it wasn't a magical one that told him what an ugly scarecrow he was with his much too big nose, his long, gangly limbs and his lanky, always slightly greasy hair. The only thing that had changed was the dark shade of stubble on his chin; it had started spreading during the past year and now he had to shave on a daily basis.

Lost in thoughts he recalled all the other things that had happened last year, starting with Malfoy's oh-so-generous birthday present- he rolled his eyes at that. Within the course of a year he had become a man, had almost become a the victim of a werewolf but wasn't to talk about the incident. He had lost his best friend (the girl he would always love) due to one stupid slip of tongue- on the other hand, he had also found a true friend in Raven and her family treated him like one of their own. The Lestranges grounded him; they respected him the way he was without trying to change him, without ever judging him. So perhaps today wouldn't be quite as desolate as his last birthdays had been.

He hadn't expected what awaited him after walking down the staircase a little later. A shower of silvery glitter rained down on him and the Lestranges started singing 'Happy Birthday', which sounded completely out of tune when Pinkie chimed in. The house elf's enthusiasm couldn't compensate for her obvious lack of striking the right note- house elves had unpleasant voices even when they weren't trying to sing, so perhaps they shouldn't be allowed to.

Severus looked around the room because he was a tad overwhelmed and didn't know how to react. Never before had anyone made such a fuss about his birthday. The table was set for breakfast, and there was a cake with seventeen burning candles.

"Happy birthday, my dear boy!" Nigella cried cheerfully. Knowing no restraint, she gave him a motherly hug and breathed a kiss on his forehead. "Now, unwrap your presents and then let's have breakfast."

And indeed, there were presents waiting for him at his side of the table.

Raven took over from her mother and gave him another hug, whispering her best wishes in his ear, while Chris was fortunately a little more reserved than the witches of his household; he merely patted Severus' shoulder while mumbling, "Happy birthday, son."

Pinkie squeezed his leg, shrieking, "Master Severus must blows out candles!"

"Yeah, Sev, blow out the candles and make a wish!"

The Lestranges were glancing expectantly at him so he did them the favour and blew out the candles, causing a tiny firework of colourful sparks before they were finally extinguished. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry because he felt like doing both at the same time- this was clearly his best birthday ever, even if he hadn't unwrapped a single present yet. It was the attention and appreciation he received that mattered most to him; the fact that these people really cared about him although he wasn't family. But apparently, blood didn't matter to the Lestranges.

Every one of them had a present for Severus, even Pinkie. The house elf gave him a sheet of paper with what at first glance resembled very modern art, and it took him a moment to figure out that it was supposed to be a picture of him and Raven in her room, painted by Pinkie herself. Well, if you looked closely, you could actually identify the colourful bubbles of lava lamps...

"Um... thank you Pinkie," he stammered. "That's very... nice..."

The little elf didn't get the slightly sarcastic undertone in his voice but squealed with delight as if Severus had just agreed to exhibit her painting in the Tate Gallery. The non-elfish Lestranges had to suppress their giggles.

Nigella presented Severus with a two-year subscription of The Practical Potioneer, calling it an investment in his future since she firmly believed he'd make a great career in potions research. All of the Lestranges had been very happy for him when they heard about his run-in with Professor O'Flaherty the other day.

Raven gave him an envelope with a gift certificate for a ticket of the next T. Rex concert, which was about to take place someday in spring, and she was beaming with joy when his face didn't fell at the prospect of having to go to a Muggle glam rock gig with her.

"I don't know the exact date yet, but their new album Dandy in the Underworld will be released soon and Mum has already written a letter to Professor Dumbledore, asking for permission to let us go and watch the show if it doesn't interfere with our studies, although any weekend date should be no problem and besides, you're of age and I'll be too, soon, and..."

"Darling, why don't you sit down, have a sip of tea, and let our Severus here get used to the idea?" Chris interrupted his daughter in a gently chiding voice. He understood she was nervous .because he was nervous, too.

"Severus, I know it's tradition in the wizarding world that a father presents his son with a watch when he comes of age. Well, perhaps it's presumptuous of me... er, I guess your own father doesn't know of this tradition or doesn't care about it, and I don't want to act up as your surrogate father, but- oh, just look in your pocket and tell me if you accept my gift."

Severus arched a curious brow at Chris and tentatively reached in his pocket. He gasped with surprise at not finding it empty; his fingers touched something solid. How the hell had Chris done that? That man would made a fine pickpocket, considering the quickness of his fingers.

"Trickster!" He mumbled before he pulled at a chain and produced a silver watch dangling at its end. For a moment, he almost forgot to breathe.

He had been given a watch for his seventeenth birthday!

Severus hadn't expected that, and so he was now struggling for words to express his gratitude only to realize that there were no words.

"Alright, it's not new," Chris admitted, "and it isn't magical. Given the recent political situation, I couldn't go on a shopping spree to Diagon Alley with my wife and..."

"Thank you! It's perfect." Severus said sincerely. It didn't matter if the watch was old or new or magical at all. The only thing that mattered was the gesture, because it sort of ennobled him and made him feel like a proper wizard, a true member of the wizarding society, and it raised him from the hovels of Spinner's End.

Chris beamed at him and breathed a sigh of relief. "You're welcome, son."

"What's the the time?" Raven asked, sounding slightly worried that they wouldn't make it to Hogwarts before curfew. The journey on the Knight Bus seemed to take endless because of the many stops it made on its zigzag course all over wizarding Britain. At the moment, they were somewhere in the outskirts of Cardiff and therefore still far away from their destination.

Perhaps they shouldn't have dined at that Italian restaurant. But then again, the food had been delicious and Severus had enjoyed it. She glanced at him as he pulled out his watch with so much pride it made her smile. He truly appreciated her father's present.

Outside, the landscape blurred by as the Knight Bus was finally heading up north. Only a little later it came to a grinding halt.

"Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft!"

Raven and Severus disembarked the purple triple-decker, watching its lights disappear in a whirl of speed and snow while they were standing in front of Hogwarts large iron gate. Against the whiteness of a world covered in snow, the castle itself looked almost threateningly dark but at the same time it also appeared very inviting with all its light-filled windows and the golden glow they radiated.

They were walking up the way towards the large entrance door when all of the sudden they found themselves face to belly with Hagrid, the ground keeper, who was looming above them in his full half-giant size.

"Yer late!"

"Yeah, but not too late," Raven told him, "it's not curfew yet, isn't it?"

"Aye, but yeh've missed dinner an' it's not safe to be out after dark."

"Well then, isn't it good we already had dinner?"

Hagrid stared at Raven as if he couldn't imagine it possible to have dinner anywhere but at Hogwarts, and she didn't bother to tell him about the wonderful food at the Italian restaurant. He let them pass and soon they were on their way to the dungeons.

The Slytherin common room was loud and crowded this evening, and the noise level was exceptionally high because of students welcoming their friends back after the Christmas break. They were talking about their holidays and the presents they got, and sometimes it ended in a competitions on which parents had spent the most galleons for their offspring. Avery presented his new broom and the girls showed off with their new robes or jewellery.

Raven looked around this mayhem until she spotted Regulus Black, but decided that now was not the opportune moment to talk to the boy since he was surrounded by his friends who admired his new dragon hide boots. She would have to wait.

Unobtrusively, she watched him for a little longer and realized that he appeared to be a tad down when he spoke about his Christmas holidays, although he pretended that everything was perfectly fine. But it wasn't. He would never admit that he missed his brother, who had run away from home last summer, and Christmas was always a time to remember those you missed, even if it was just an obnoxious older brother. A blood-traitor, a Gryffindor- but nevertheless his brother.

It wasn't easy to corner Regulus Black alone since he was a popular boy and often surrounded by his peers, but Raven could wait for the opportune moment, firmly believing that it would come one day. Meanwhile, she was quite busy now that a new term had started. She had to keep up in her classes, the homework was not getting less, and there were also some additional subjects on her agenda. Severus and she were still meeting with Professor Steel once a week for advanced Defence against the Dark Arts training, and they were having Apparition lessons now. An instructor from the Ministry of Magic would came every Saturday for the duration of twelve weeks to teach the sixth years about the Three D's: Destination, Determination and Deliberation.

Since Apparition was by far the fastest way to get to one's desired destination, Raven was very determined to pass the test and get her licence when she was finally of age in May. But that was still a long way.

"Mr Snape, would you mind staying for a moment?" Professor Slughorn asked in an almost saccharine tone after the potions class was over, smiling brightly at the young wizard while he shooed everyone else out of the classroom.

"What did the old walrus want from you?" Raven inquired curiously a little later when they were having lunch in the Great Hall.

Severus was still quite flabbergasted."He invited me to come to one of his little social events."

She arched a surprised brow at him, knowing that her friend wasn't a particularly social person. "Oh, so he found out that O'Flaherty is interested in you. Well, what did you reply?"

"I told him I'd think about it."

He changed the topic, then, and it didn't take long before he turned his head to listen what Mulciber was saying, even though he didn't truly care about it. At Hogwarts, Severus was a different person. Here, he was the Half-Blood Prince, courting his house mates' favour with his knowledge of the Dark Arts.

Raven didn't mind. She knew he had to play along since it wouldn't further his cause if he openly opposed against the beliefs of his house, and so he kept hanging around with Mulciber and Avery. In their company he sneered at Mudbloods although deep in his heart he was still in love with Lily Evans.

It was a mad world, one of pretence and cunning. In Slytherin house, nobody was showing their true colours.

At the same time at the Gryffindor table, Lily forked a potato and gave it a violent glare. Then she glared over to the Slytherin table where her former best friend was sitting, chatting with his house mates. He seemed to be so very sophisticated. And arrogant. The Half-Blood Prince, he called himself now. Pha!

Lily had hoped he wouldn't have given up trying to save their friendship, although she wasn't certain either if she could accepted another half-hearted apology. As far as she could see, nothing had changed. He was still hanging around with those awful Slytherin guys, therefore he wasn't worthy her friendship. She knew she had done the right thing when she had severed ties with him.

He was lost to the Dark.

She averted her eyes from his scrawny form and focused on something James Potter had just said. Unlike Severus, James had grown so much more mature recently- perhaps due to his mother's illness. He didn't hex other students randomly, just for the fun of it, any longer and he was being very polite towards her. Lily gave him a sidelong glance and decided once again that he was actually quite good-looking.

"Hi Regulus," she said casually as she sat down next to him on the sofa. The Slytherin common room was almost deserted today; only a few first years were around, doing their homework, but they knew better than to mess with the older students.

Regulus looked up from his collection of newspaper clippings and stared at Raven Lestrange, bewildered that she had addressed him by his given names as though they were on first name terms, which they weren't. But he didn't rebuke her. Something about her had taken the wind out of his sails and besides, he wasn't in the mood to argue... not after his git of a brother had insulted him once again. Then, Sirius had just walked away with his prodigious Gryffindor friends and he had laughed when Regulus had insisted on defending his honour, the honour of his family, in a duel. But no, Sirius would always walk out on him, would always leave him standing there like a stupid little boy.

He was used to it. He didn't know why it hurt so much.

Of course, there had been times when Regulus had adored his big brother. All younger kids did. But then, Sirius had affronted his family; he had been Sorted into Gryffindor... and he took great pride in being a Gryffindor...

What are you reading there?" Lestrange asked, glancing over his shoulder as he tried to gather his newspaper clippings- but too late. She had already figured him out. "Oh, is that about, " she lowered her voice, "you-know-who?"

"That's none of your business!" Regulus snapped. Why would she care?

Regulus Black was a comely boy, not as casually handsome as his older brother but fortunately not as mischievous either. He was the good son, a good student, the star of the Slytherin Quidditch team, and very popular in his house. His interest in the Dark Arts was something he had probably imbibed from his infancy, just as well as his adoration for the Dark Lord.

And now that Sirius had run away from home to live with the Potters (for which he had been blasted off the Black family tree), Regulus was the only son, and he wanted to make his parents proud.

"He's a very fascinating wizard, isn't he?"

"Yes, that he is indeed," Regulus whispered almost reverently, before he suddenly glanced at Lestrange with suspicion in his bright grey eyes. "I didn't know you were interested."

"Why, of course I am," Raven lied slyly. "Everyone in Slytherin is."

"True, but you are not like everyone. You... you are... different. You are wearing Muggle clothes."

"Don't they look good on me?" She cocked a flirtatious brow at him and knew immediately that she had got him with that.

Regulus blushed.

Oh, boys were so very predictable! Their main interest was to get laid (well, probably everyone but Severus) and Regulus was no exception from that rule. It didn't matter if she was of pure blood or not, as long as there were... tits. And Raven knew she filled out her Muggle shirt quite nicely.

She wondered briefly if Uncle Lucy had already taken him to a place where he could wield his wand and stand his man- not that she was interested in Regulus Black. But she was aware of the influence a well-formed leg, the soft swell of breasts or revealing a tad of skin could have on a young man- no matter if wizard or Muggle. When it came to lust, they were all the same... she had realized that the day she had convinced Mulciber and Avery to pay Severus for the essays he was doing for them. It had given her a wicked sense of power, knowing she could wind them around her little finger by spurring their sexual fantasies that she wouldn't fulfil.

Yes, it was a tricky and probably even dangerous game she was playing here. Raven was aware of that and yet it was a thrill she enjoyed.

Don't push it too far, she told herself given that not all of her house mates were decent boys like Regulus. Mulciber was indeed a creepy fellow, especially when it came to girls, and she had sensed an uncanny willingness about him that indicated he wouldn't hesitate to take whatever he wanted...

"It's not appropriate for a witch to wear Muggle clothes," Regulus said finally.

"Oh, but that wasn't the question."

He eyed her from head to toe, almost shyly, and had to admit silently that Muggle clothes did have certain advantages- they revealed more of a witch's feminine side than traditional robes.

Raven batted her eyes at him, smiling ever so sweetly. "Now, tell me more about him, the Dark Lord."

Regulus caved in. Since he admired the Dark Lord he soon got carried away, repeating his propaganda like a well-trained parrot... Muggles or Muggleborns were inferior to pure-blooded wizards; Mudbloods shouldn't be allowed at Hogwarts and what a shame it was that this school was run by a champion of commoners, meaning Dumbledore; and the world would be a much better place without Muggles... bla, bla, bla.

Raven had heard all that many times before; it was the typical ideology of Slytherin house. Nevertheless, she doubted that Regulus actually believed in what he was saying, for it sounded somewhat rehearsed- like something he had learned by heart and was now reciting it, perhaps using exactly the same words as his parents. Oh, he so wanted to be the good son, but she wondered if he was really cold-hearted enough to torture and kill Muggles. She didn't think so, and yet, that was what he would have to do to rid the world of Muggles and Muggleborns. Did he even grasp the consequences of his fervent little speech?

"That's all so very fascinating," she cut him off, wincing inwardly while outwardly faking a smile. It was downright idiotic to believe in a society that consisted of only a handful pure-blood families. The result would be excessive inbreeding and therefore an increase of insanity. "But what do you know about the Dark Lord himself?"

"Well, he's the heir of Slytherin-"

"Wow," Raven sighed amazed although that fact wasn't new to her; Severus had mentioned it before. But what hadn't dawned upon her then became quite obvious to her now- the heir of Salazar Slytherin would have never attended any other school but Hogwarts , given that he was the heir of one of its founders. And therefore there had to be records of him. "So he did attend Hogwarts?"

"Indeed. Rodolphus' and Rabastan's father, your- um, uncle?-"

"Oh no, we're not that closely related. You know, Radcliffe Lestrange is the great-great-great-grand nephew thrice removed of Hieronymus Lestrange, who left wizarding Britain in 1812 to take a Grand Tour of the world," she lied rather shamelessly.

Regulus shot her a suspicious glance. "I didn't know you were indeed related. After all, I never saw you at any family meeting and the Lestranges are very close to the Blacks since my cousin Bellatrix married Rodolphus."

"Er... my parents aren't very… social people, if you know what I mean. Always keeping to themselves. Blame it on my great-great-great-grandfather for living on a lonely island of Papua New Guinea for almost half a century before he finally married a local witch of the purest blood- anyway, you wanted to tell me something about Radcliffe Lestrange and the Dark Lord?"

"They were in the same year- you are a pure-blood?"

"My father's blood is pure," purely Muggle, she added in thoughts, "and so is my mother's." Well, at least that part was absolutely true; her mother, Nigella Lestrange, was a pure-blood witch- although she was probably considered a blood traitor for marrying a Muggle. Never mind. Raven was thrilled

to finally have found out something of significance. Radcliffe Lestrange, father of Rodolphus and Rabastan, her not-cousins, had attended Hogwarts at the same time as Lord V, and that gave her a timeline All she had to do now was to follow the family tree of Salazar Slytherin (since Voldemort was his heir) and bring it in accordance with Uncle Radcliffe and his stint at Hogwarts. She would have to check genealogy records as well as yearbooks, in order to find out more about the dark wizard. Knowledge was power, especially when a person was so feared that people dared not speak his name but called him 'You-know-who', or 'He Who Must Not Be Named' instead.

Regulus frowned at her; he had an inkling that she was lying about her blood status- but that didn't matter at the moment because he was just a teenage wizard who enjoyed the attention of a pretty young witch.

Raven spent some more time talking to Regulus Black, knowing it would appear suspicious if she merely questioned him about Lord Voldemort and then left. Also, the way he looked at her boosted her ruffled ego, and she wished that Severus would pay her the same attention, that he would finally realize she was a girl who yearned for his love. Alright, to begin with it would be enough if he took notice of her female attributes, just like Regulus did.

He was a strange boy. She had always thought he was a pampered little pure-blood prince, given the fuss that had been made about him ever since the day he had been Sorted into Slytherin, and indeed, he was a tad haughty. Well, nearly everyone in Slytherin house was. Haughtiness was probably a hereditary trait of pure-bloods, especially if they were almost wizarding royalty like the Blacks- Raven recalled the way Narcissa Black had pranced these quarters as if she were the Queen of Slytherin and the common room was her throne room.

Regulus, however, was different. Yes, he believed in the same stupid ideology and probably he wouldn't even talk to her if he knew her true blood status, and yet there was more to it than meets the eye. After all, he had stepped out of the shadows of his older brother and had joined her in her fight against the Marauders on Severus' behalf. She hadn't thought much about it, then, but fact was that that wasn't exactly the most typically Slytherin way of acting since Slytherins were not known for sticking together or going through thick and thin for a fellow house mate. Of course, you could call his intervention an odd case of sibling rivalry, but Raven was certain that things weren't that simple when it came to Regulus Black. Although he talked, acted, thought and believed just like a typical Slytherin and prodigious son, he wasn't as shallow as his fellow house-mates were. There was more depth in his personality than he was willing to show, more layers of himself that he didn't unveil...

Severus was not pleased with her at all when she met him atop the Astronomy Tower later that night; she often went there to smoke her Muggle cigarettes since she could hardly do that in the Slytherin common room.

"What the hell have you done, you stupid, idiotic girl!" He hissed, not even trying to conceal his anger.

Raven had just lit a cigarette and was happily exhaling rings of smoke, but now she coughed upon his harsh tone. "My, what's bugging you?"

"I'm speaking about you so foolishly sucking up to Black..."

She wished it was jealousy, but of course it wasn't.

"...and telling him about your alleged pure-blood status. What if he finds out you're lying?"

"He won't."

Severus didn't listen. "May I remind you that you are not particularly popular in Slytherin house? They only tolerate your quirks because they think you're a weird little swot."

"Charming, Sev. Is that what you think of me, too?"

"That's not the point, Lestrange. True, your behaviour makes it hard for me to justify why I'm even spending time with you, but at least I could tell them you're a decent study partner- in spite of your Muggle clothes and the Muggle magazines you're reading. You're a walking offence to every true Slytherin and now you possessed the nerve to mock Black with your apparent interest in the Dark Lord. Did you ever consider the possibility that your latest folly might make it even more difficult for me to fake allegiance? Do you care at all about my reputation?"

"You bloody git! Don't you get it that all I fucking ever do is for you? I was trying to find out who the Dark Lord is, his real name, because if I remember correctly it is significant in magic to get to the heart of the matter, and especially when dealing with the Dark Arts."

Severus was silent for only a moment. When he continued, his voice sounded a bit softer although he was still upset. "I appreciate your effort but it was nevertheless utterly foolish! Don't you grasp the consequences? Black will tell the Dark Lord of your interest in him..."

"He won't," Raven repeated.

"… and believe me, it's not wise to draw the Dark Lord's attention, nor to incur the wrath of him-what do you mean, he won't? Did you Confund Black?"

"Yeah, sort of. You might not have noticed yet, but I'm a witch. Let's say my... female attributes Confunded him, and guess what, I have at least two arguments why people might not think it weird you spend time with me."

Finally, it dawned upon him. His eyes dropped from her face to her chest and then quickly upwards again. "But I... I wouldn't... I would never reduce you to just your body." Severus blushed, recalling at least one incident when his treacherous body had reacted to hers in a way that wasn't appropriate between friends. He didn't like the course this conversation was taking, and he felt very uncomfortable about it. Even trying to get back to the original topic was kind of awkward. "So you've been flirting with Black?"

The way he said it almost sounded as if she was prostituting herself, as if he thought a little flirt was indecent behaviour.

"Well, he liked it. I'm not interested in him, but there are times when a girl needs a little flattering and recognition."

"You shouldn't... I won't let you-"

"Let me what?"

He flinched as though she had struck him. Her words reminded him of Lily's, shortly before their final break-up, and he didn't want to lose Raven like he had lost her. His voice softened even more.

"Listen, it's... dangerous. There are wizards who may want to take advantage of you."

"Yes," she sighed, wishing he would. She wanted to slap him and snog him senseless although she didn't know in which order. Heaving another sigh, she glanced at him."Sev, it's definitely very sweet you're worrying about me, but let me assure you that that's not necessary. I can take care of myself quite well, and I wouldn't let Black- or anyone else for that matter- ravish me, only to get information."

"Good, then stop playing these stupid games."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Dear Mr Chastity, my stupid game proved to be quite effective today since I happened to find out that Lord V isn't only the heir of Slytherin, but was also in the same year at Hogwarts as my not-uncle Radcliffe Lestrange, and now please stop being so damned prudish! We're not living in Victorian times anymore, when the role of women was to close their eyes and think of England. It's 1977! Thanks to women's liberation, girls are allowed to have some fun nowadays and there isn't anything I lament being rid of."

If possible, Severus blushed even more, wishing she wouldn't be so blunt since he really didn't want to hear anything about her sexual experiences. And yet, there was a little demon in his head that kept pestering him with inappropriate curiosity... he told it to shut up.

"What does your father say about your way of thinking?" Had he already failed Chris? Severus recalled their last farewell, the almost fatherly hug he had been given and the words Chris had whispered to him, then. Please, keep an eye on my girl, son. It had sounded like an easy task- well, until today.

"Dad would be very proud of you if you survived your meeting with the Dark Lord without getting an ugly tattoo on your left arm, so I wouldn't mind if we could focus on that now. After all, Valentine's Day isn't far away. "

"I'm aware of that fact."

"Great! Then stop mollycoddling me, since I'm neither your little sister nor do you have to protect me. We're friends, Sev, and your friendship means a lot to me- even if you're such an obnoxious git sometimes," She raised on her tiptoes to give him a peck on both of his cheeks, smiling. "Anyway, let's act as equals in this, okay?"

It was surprising how easily she could take the wind out of his sails.