Enjoy... ;)
30 School's Out
Raven's birthday in May went almost unnoticed due to a heavy workload; their first NEWT exam was only a few weeks away and they still had a lot of revising to do, which hardly left time for anything else.
One fine evening after dinner, Headmaster Dumbledore stood to announce that all seventh years were to stay in the Great Hall since the Head boy and girl would like to address an issue that concerned them all, and everyone was supposed to gather at the Gryffindor table.
Needless to say that such an announcement earned a collective groan of disapproval from Slytherin house. They didn't like to be summoned and listen to Gryffindorks.
"We've got better things to do than wasting our time with that blood-traitor and his Mudblood whore!" Mulciber exclaimed, which granted him the applause of his like-minded house mates.
Although Severus detested Mulciber's use of the term Mudblood when it referred to Lily, he nevertheless agreed partially- he had much better things to do than listening to Potter and whatever he wanted to address. "There's still so much revising to be done and so little time, " he sighed.
"Ah, shut it, you Half-Blood Prince of a swot." A sixth year replied, and many of the Slytherin's laughed at that.
"At least being a swot pays me well," Severus said nonchalantly, which made Avery and Mulciber blush a little since they were the ones that were still paying him to do their homework for them. At least Avery had the decency to look slightly ashamed, whereas Mulciber proved once again that he was a total dunderhead.
"It's the House Cup we have to worry about, and the final Quidditch match is already next weekend. We just have to win."
While most of her fellow house mates were talking about the final and all-dominant Quidditch match of the year, Raven didn't mind that for once her evening wouldn't be filled with tedious revising. They were studying like mad recently. Severus would have probably long moved into the library by now, if not for her. She managed to drag him out of the castle at least occasionally, since they could as well study outside when the weather was agreeable and she needed some fresh air to breathe.
The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had already made their way over to the Gryffindor table before at long last the Slytherins joined them, looking mutinous.
What was it that Potter wanted?
-o-
"Friends," Potter addressed his audience and it sounded quite absurd, given that he had hexed at least most of them more than once already, simply because he could, "as you are all aware of, we will soon be leaving Hogwarts for good; in couple of weeks we're going to sit our NEWTs, and then our wonderful time at this formidable and beloved school will come to an end. I believe you will all agree with me when I say that we did spend the best years of our lives here, at Hogwarts."
The cheers of a small group of students was enough to encourage him to continue. "So, before we are all going different ways, it is my intention to not leave Hogwarts, our home for the past seven years, without a grand finale. Therefore, we're going to have a graduation ball."
Some more people were cheering now, but the Slytherins remained silent. It wasn't usual to have a graduation ball. Perhaps that was a Muggle tradition.
"Headmaster Dumbledore agreed already and he is delighted about the idea of us having a Muggle style party with disco dancing-"
Now the Slytherins booed, which was to be expected. Potter, however, didn't pay any attention to them. "We're going to have a cheerful evening with music and dance. Professor Flitwick offered to lend his gramophone to us-"
Raven laughed out loud. The idea of playing disco music on an old fashioned gramophone was just too absurd.
"Oi! What's so amusing, Crow?" Pettigrew snubbed her, while Potter shot her an annoyed glance; he didn't like being interrupted in general and particularly not by a Slytherin.
"A gramophone plays only shellac records and they went out of style some decades ago; the standard of modern recording is vinyl."
"And that matters what?"
Raven rolled her eyes at such obvious ignorance. "It's a different material."
"Yes, I already got that. Nevertheless, we can solve that little problem since we're wizards. We simply transfigure vinyl into shellac and everything will be fine."
"Not quite. Shellac records run at a different speed and vinyl records have smaller segments-"
"And you are being deliberately difficult for what reason?"
"I'm simply trying to point out the flaw in your plan. If you think I'm difficult, you must be either deliberately stupid or just too arrogant to even consider using your brain. Anyway, I wouldn't want my records to be ruined due to improper use-"
"Ah, nobody wants to hear your Fat Crows Blues anyway."
"Says the one who apparently suffers from an unhealthy overdose of Saturday Night Fever." Raven replied smugly. To her surprise, some of the Slytherins applauded. It was the first time ever they seemed to approve of anything she said, although they probably believed that Saturday Night Fever was a Muggle disease (well, it was- sort of) you got infected with when hanging around with Mudbloods. Their applause didn't mean, either, that she had suddenly become popular within her very own house; they simply liked the way she talked back to Potter. Because when it came to Gryffindors, even the least popular Slytherin was to be preferred.
"Let's go back to the agenda," Potter demanded, ignoring Raven's interjection as he laid out his plans for the big event. Everybody was allowed to bring a date as long as he or she was of age, so that there would be no need for teachers to chaperone. Also, he wanted everyone to be able to enjoy the fantastic punch they were going to have. But the absolute highlight of the party would be the election of Miss Hogwarts, the crowning of the most beautiful witch as the Belle of the Ball.
When he glanced at his girlfriend, it became obvious he already knew without any tedious election that she would be the one. Lily had the decency to look slightly bashful.
The Slytherins left the Gryffindor table without a word, but once they were outside the Great Hall, they gave vent to their disapproval. Of course, they blamed Dumbledore, the champion of Muggles, Muggleborns and commoners, for allowing Potter to hold such a nefarious event in the time-honoured, sacred halls of Hogwarts. Salazar Slytherin would surely turn over in his grave if he could see what had become of his school, and for a moment they were all united in the mutinous consent that none of them would attend Potter's hideous Muggle-style graduation ball.
It didn't take long, though, before Freya Flint started musing aloud about what she would wear, should she be going to the ball. Clementine Bulstrode and Mildred Rosier joined in and soon the topic of their conversation changed from robes to who would be the perfect date.
Only one day later, no one of the Slytherins wasted one more thought about boycotting the ball. It was the main topic at Hogwarts and everybody seemed to be keen to attend- everyone but Severus. He was adamant that he would not participate in the big event. Lily was of course going with Potter, and since she was unavailable, he wasn't interested in any stupid party. Besides, with the NEWT exams ahead, he had better things to do than asking girls to be his date.
-o-
Everything seemed to be final these days. The last Hogsmeade weekend, the final Quidditch match. Slytherin versus Gryffindor was always the highlight of the Quidditch season and decidedly the most exciting match due to the rivalry between the two houses.
Gryffindor was leading 150 to 20 already, and most of the goals were scored by Potter, when suddenly the Slytherin Seeker, Regulus Black, spotted the Golden Snitch. Rocketing upwards on his broom, the little Black headed for it. Skilfully, he dodged the Bludgers that were directed at him by the Gryffindor Beaters, proving he truly was an excellent flyer.
Naturally, the Gryffindor Seeker tried to beat him to it, but soon it became obvious that Regulus was not to be stopped in a fair way. So the Gryffindor didn't hesitate to use his elbows in an attempt to steer his opponent off course, even risking that the Slytherin was knocked off his broom.
Madam Hooch blew her whistle to signal a foul had been committed, but the two Seekers were too far away or too preoccupied to pay attention to the referee. Also, the noise from the audience was very loud as the mood was almost boiling over with excitement. The Gryffindors cheered, applauding to the daredevilry of their Seeker, while the Slytherins booed just because of that.
Then, Regulus Black got hold of the Snitch, which earned him the jubilation of his house mates. He raised his hand with the sparkling, silver-winged ball in a sign of victory, when all of a sudden a Bludger hit his broom. He lost the Golden Snitch as he clung onto the handle of his wildly bucking broomstick, trying to keep balance. He failed.
The audience fell silent in shock. Everyone was holding their breath and even the initial enthusiasm of the Gryffindors (because their Seeker had finally caught the Snitch after Black let go of it) died on their lips. Madam Hooch was blowing her whistle furiously until it dropped from her mouth as she stared upwards.
Regulus Black was falling. First, it appeared as if he would crash into the stands at full speed, but then something seemed to slow his fall; while he was somehow floating in the air, his broom came down faster and harder, and it shattered into a mess of splintered wood when it hit the ground of the Quidditch pitch.
Nobody knew what or who had prevented young Regulus Black from suffering the same fate as his broomstick, why he hadn't crashed to his certain death but landed quite softly indeed. At first glance it seemed that his collision with James Potter had slowed his fall.
Smirking ever so slightly as they exchanged a fleeting glance, Raven and Severus pocketed their wands.
Sirius Black made quite a show as he jumped right into the middle of the pitch to see if his little brother was all right, but when it became obvious that he wasn't gravely injured (and before Regulus could shoo him away), the elder of the Black brothers headed for his best mate instead.
Potter was complaining about a broken rib, but he couldn't be in that much pain since he started arguing with Madam Hooch, claiming that Regulus had fouled him. Fortunately though, the referee wasn't favouring Gryffindor house. She declared that Slytherin won the match because their Seeker caught the Golden Snitch first. And that was it.
-o-
Officially, it was never found out what had caused Black to lose control over his broomstick; they blamed it on some construction error. Nobody had noticed the hateful expression on Pettigrew's face, just moments before the incident, and if anyone had, they would have blamed it on rivalry between the two houses but not on something that ran much deeper.
And yet it was more personal. It wasn't for the first time either that Pettigrew was defying Black's whelp-protection for his little brother- it was part of the Marauders' code of honour that hexing Regulus was simply not allowed, and all but one Marauder kept to that. Pettigrew, however, hated Regulus even more than Snivellus or any of the other Slytherins; he hated him with a vengeance because Sirius cared for him, and he shouldn't care for that evil snake-spawn but for him, Peter.
-o-
Raven had interpreted the expression on Pettigrew's face right. She had stared at him and seen his facial features turn more rat-like; she had seen his wand directed at Regulus, his lips mumbling a spell, unnoticed by his friends in the stands. She had elbowed Severus, and together they had prevented the worst from happening
-o-
Although Slytherin hadn't won the House Cup yet, they nevertheless celebrated today's victory over Gryffindor. Everybody was in a splendid mood and so was Raven, even if she didn't really care about Quidditch in general. But then Severus left the common room to go studying in the library and her face fell.
It had been such a fantastic feeling to be able to communicate without words and act as one when Regulus was in danger; she had felt so very close to him- and now he was gone. They hadn't even talked about it yet. He had let his mental shutters down the very moment Lily ran to check on Potter, fussing over him, helping him to the infirmary so that Madam Pomfrey could tend to his broken rib.
Regulus would have suffered more than a broken rib, had he survived the latest prank of the Marauders. But Lily was too blind to see that- or she didn't care at all about others than those of her own house- and perhaps Wormtail had been acting on his own anyway.
Raven recalled Sirius' shocked expression when his little brother had started tumbling, about to crash down hard, so it was likely he wasn't in to it...
"Hey Lestrange! Do you want to be my date for the graduation ball?" Regulus' voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned to stare at him, not trusting her ears.
Did he actually possess the nerve to ask her out? Despite the Slytherin's initial reluctance to attend the graduation ball, they seemed to be quite focussed on doing just that, even if they still didn't like the idea behind it. Nevertheless, especially the sixth years were keen on gaining an invitation.
"Blackie," she said, "I-"
"Don't call me Blackie."
"Sorry, Blackie, but... " The mischievous sparkle in Regulus' eyes reminded her of his brother, but his eyes were of a somewhat warmer shade of grey- were there warm shades of grey? His hair was still tousled from flying and a little sweaty, which made him appear daring. Raven shook her head. "You do know that I hardly meet your standards when it comes to blood-purity, don't ya?"
"Ah, I'm not asking you to marry me, so forget about the blood status for a while," he replied nonchalantly, "I merely want to go to that party."
"Well, since I'm not going anyway, you'll have to find someone else to get you an invitation."
"You must be kidding."
"Why? I'm certain there are more pleasurable ways to spend my last night at Hogwarts, given that I'm not overly fond of that old castle and its inhabitants anyway."
"I'm certain that's only because he hasn't asked you out yet."
"He?"
"You know who."
"I'd never go to a ball with You-Know-Who of all people-"
"Come on, Lestrange, stop being so difficult. You have to go to that bloody ball because you're the only one who could possibly beat Evans."
Raven blinked at him as if he'd grown three heads. "You alright? Perhaps you should go and see Madam Pomfrey to let her check your head- you must have suffered some serious brain damage from your fall, if you actually believe I would participate in any stupid Miss Hogwarts competition."
"You have to; you're Slytherin's best choice. Nobody would vote for Bulstrode, Rosier or Flint- none of them would even vote for the other one since they're always trying to outdo each other."
"No one would vote for me either. You know that I'm not particularly popular and besides, this is simply absurd. I told you before that I'm interested in going to that ball. Give it up, Blackie."
"Don't call me Blackie," Regulus smirked at her. "But just imagine how seriously pissed off my dear brother will be if I'd be your date."
Raven couldn't help it, she just had to laugh. "Oh yeah... the poor old mutt..."
"Mutt?"
"Oops," Don't be such a blabbermouth, she chided herself, "I mean, your dear brother is acting like a dog on heat sometimes, isn't he? Once, he actually had the nerve to offer me a shag in the broom closet." Raven let out an embarrassed laughter, but Regulus was still frowning at her.
Then he shrugged and said, "See, you're not that unpopular."
"Great. If the invitation to get laid in a dark and stuffy place is an indicator for popularity, then I'd rather stay unpopular. And now excuse me please, I still have a lot of revising to do."
Raven turned to take her leave but she only got as far as to the door of the Slytherin common room before Regulus took her arm and made her stop. She glared at him- why did the Blacks always have to be such a nuisance?
"So, do we have a deal or not?" He asked with a sheepish grin.
Dear Merlin- help! What part of 'I'm not interested in going to that ball' was so hard to understand? If only Severus weren't that obstinate in asking her out, but he was even less keen on attending than she was. Although, she would be looking forward to the party if Sev were her date, if they'd be going together, as an item, since her main reservation against the graduation ball was due to the fact that Severus didn't want to go because of Lily.
Why does love have to be so fucking complicated?
Meanwhile, Regulus was still waiting for an answer, and since he was quite a clever young wizard with an astute sense of perception, it didn't take him long to figure out what was bothering her. He grinned as he bent over to whisper in her ear
"Do you happen to know Mellisandre McMillan? She's in my year."
Raven shot him a perplexed glance- yes, that name did ring a bell, and she recalled the face of a pretty sixth year Slytherin. Silently, she wondered what he might be up to now.
"Well, she's sort of my recent girlfriend," he admitted with a smirk that left Raven wondering even more. Regulus continued, "and she'd love to go to the party, too."
She still didn't get why that was any of her business, until he laid out his plan to her.
In order to be able to go to the graduation ball, the sixth years needed a seventh year to invite them, and since Raven and Severus were still without a proper date yet (apparently, it didn't matter to Regulus that both of them were not intending to join the festivities) he thought it a clever idea to provide Mellisandre and himself as perfect dates to them. Of course, he also thought it a lot of fun to show up with the girl his dear brother was interested in- at least sexually.
And perhaps Snape would finally come to his senses and recognize what a hot witch Raven was.
-o-
The last weeks of the school year went by in a rush; tomorrow would be their first NEWT exam. Raven slammed shut her textbook and yawned, she was tired of revising, but Severus was still focussed on a potions text. Resolutely she took the book from his hands, which made him scowl at her.
"Merlin, you know all about potions already," she sighed, hiding his book behind her back. "Have you asked Mellisandre McMillan out yet?"
"No," he replied brusquely. "I still do not intend to go to Potter's stupid ball."
"It's not Potter's ball." Raven paused to mull over the fact that it did indeed appear so, given that Potter's father was sort of sponsoring it. "Anyway, why don't you give two young lovers the chance to have some fun? We don't have to stay long; we can leave early- but Regulus and Mellisandre are really looking forward to go to that ball and they need an invitation."
Severus didn't appear to be convinced, so Raven tried another trick. "You know, I talked to her- she is a really nice girl and contrary to most of our house, her family does not support Lord V's blood superiority propaganda. I actually consider her to be of good influence on the little Black."
Severus sneered. It was none of his business if Regulus Black lacked either the intelligence or the guts to defy the beliefs of his family and therefore might be joining the ranks of the Dark Lord. "I'm certain Mr Black will go his own way with or without my intervention."
His stubbornness made her want to tear at her hair. Alright, so that didn't work. "McMillan is also a very pretty witch," Raven changed her strategy, "I think Lily wouldn't believe you actually managed to get such an attractive date."
As expected, that did it. If there was even the slightest chance to make Lily- well, not really jealous but something very close to jealousy- he would take it. And so Severus rose in order to approach that McMillan girl, who was indeed quite a lovely young witch.
Mellisandre smiled at him and said she would be honoured to be his date for the graduation ball, and for a brief moment he actually believed in the sincerity of her kind words. Then he recalled that she had only accepted his proposal because she wanted to be with the dashing Quidditch champion, Regulus Black.
Once again, he was aware of his own unattractiveness. Of course, no pretty girl wanted to go out with him if he hadn't more to offer than his poor looks- he just had to become a famous, well-esteemed member of wizarding society... and preferably a rich one, too.
Not noticing the way Raven was glancing at him, he demanded she returned his book to him. Contrary to her airy opinion that he knew all about potions already, he still had a lot to learn and no time to waste if he wanted to do well in his NEWTs.
-o-
The NEWT exams were a hectic time that mostly consisted of sleep deprivation between hasty meals and long hours of last minute revising; excitement mingled with panic and busts of adrenaline. It was madness in extreme, with each and every exam being a new challenge, and then it felt so good, so relieving, when one was done- but the next day it started all over again.
Just a few more days of pressure and her career at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would come to an end. Finally! Raven wasn't sad about it. Actually, she couldn't wait for it to be over since she had never truly felt at home at this school, contrary to many others who simply loved Hogwarts- well, perhaps they hadn't been at the receiving end of the most popular bullies' pranks...
And yet, in retrospect it hadn't been all that bad. After all, she had met Severus and found a really great friend in him, and together they had opposed to the bullying regime of the Marauders. True, they hadn't always succeeded, but the constant confrontations with their nemesis had hardened their friendship... if only she wouldn't love him so...
Just one more exam and soon Raven would be back in London. She would apply for Auror training while Severus was about to start his apprenticeship with Professor O'Flaherty at St Mungo's Potions Research team- and while the ways of other schoolmates often went different ways, they would always be close simply because they were living together.
There was no need to feel anxious about the end of her school life since things could only get better. And perhaps Severus would forget about Lily one day if he didn't see her anymore.
-o-
"Would you please Transfigure this hedgehog into a needle cushion."
No. No way.
Raven knew she just had to pass her practical Transfiguration exam if she ever wanted to become an Auror- but she simply couldn't do that. Mind, she wasn't exactly a true animal rights activist, and she also wasn't the one who started cooing or swooning at the sight of a furry something, but she was nevertheless adverse to giving an innocent hedgehog the shock of its lifetime. Instead, she decided to Transfigure the monocle of the examiner who had posed that indecent request into a needle cushion, if a needle cushion was what he wanted to see.
Well, perhaps he hadn't wanted to see it that closely. Blinking rapidly, the monocle-needle cushion dropped from his face into his palm where he gave it a thorough examination. Then he glanced at the hedgehog and wasn't amused.
"Failed," he determined. Apparently he was a stickler to the rules and lacked a healthy sense of humour. Fortunately for Raven, his colleagues from the Ministry begged to differ.
"But Aurelius," a younger wizard laughed, "at least the girl proved her skills at Transfiguration."
"Nonetheless, she didn't pass the task."
The third examiner, a dark-haired witch, addressed Raven. "Would you please care to elaborate why you chose to not Transfigure the hedgehog into a needle cushion but Examiner Alderton's monocle instead?"
"Because," Raven nibbled at her lips before she continued, "well, if you're in a room with a lot of other people and not enough seats, you wouldn't Transfigure one of these people into a chair so that you could sit- although it is magically possible. Mind, I'm not claiming a hedgehog is like a human being, but all animals are living beings and I believe no living being would like to be Transfigured into an unmoving object. Of course, magic can do that. But we must know our bounds, and why should I frighten the life out of an inculpable hedgehog when there are other things available that I can Transfigure just as well?"
"Hm," the younger wizard seemed to be musing over her words, then he sent Raven out of the room so he could confer with his colleagues.
Although he had flashed her a brief smile, Raven was almost certain now that she had failed. She had fucked it up because she couldn't bring herself to Transfigure a bloody hedgehog into a needle cushion.
She was wrong, though. The examiners decided that she hadn't failed Practical Transfiguration since she had managed to prove her skills were acceptable at least.
Raven was overjoyed. She had made it; she had passed her Transfiguration exam!
Now, there was only the graduation ball to which she had to attend and then she was finally done with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
-o-
She really hadn't been keen on going to that party, the day after her final exam, but to see Black's eyes nearly popping out of his face when she showed up arm in arm with his younger brother made it all worthwhile. If Padfoot were in his dog form now, he'd be whining pathetically. It almost made her want to kiss Regulus just for the fun of it.
But she didn't. Blackie was a cute boy but he wasn't cute enough to kiss him only to spite the mutt that was his brother- and besides, Regulus had a little crush on Mellisandre McMillan, who was Severus' date and not looking all too happy about it.
Having trampled on Blackie's feet for the umpteenth time during the required opening dance with their dates- it was a waltz, for heaven's sake, and she had no clue about classical stuff- Raven released him to flee into Mellisandre's open arms, while she went looking for Severus. But before she could find him, she found the bar.
Since the music hadn't improved yet, Raven decided that the evening could only improve if she made friends with a bottle of the finest elf-made wine.
What am I doing here? She kept wondering as several songs went by and none of them made her wish to return to the dance floor. The disc jockey- werewolf Lupin of all people- tried his best to Transfigure modern records into a playable format for Flitwick's old fashioned gramophone, but sometimes he messed up with the correct speed, and that resulted in often comical parodies of music. He actually managed to make the Bee Gees sound even more eunuch-like, which caused her to almost spill her wine in a bout of silly laughter. But then St Lily showed him the trick and soon all Gryffindorks were dancing happily to the most banal Muggle disco music.
The Slytherins, however, were stoically refusing to participate. They were standing clustered in another corner of the Great hall, watching the madness with contempt.
Raven couldn't stand it any longer; she simply couldn't get drunk enough to endure this blatantly meaningless kind of music. She wanted to leave, to be able to Apparate back to London and visit the Roxy or whatever club that played the right music...
"Dance with me, Lestrange."
When you think things can't get worse, you can always rely on Black.
"Are you suffering from a bout of canine madness, or what makes you dare to talk to me, mutt?" Raven drawled.
"You danced with ickle Reggiekins, why not with me?"
"Because, contrary to you, Regulus is a charming young wizard."
"You must be kidding."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously and Sirius took a step backwards. Perhaps she wasn't kidding. He still didn't understand why Lestrange was so immune to his charms.
"Be a good dog and stick your nose into Potter's arse but stop bothering me."
She turned in order to walk away from Black or to grab the wine bottle and smash it over his head- whatever- when she sort of stumbled right into Severus. He managed to catch her fall and so she crashed into his chest instead.
"Sev!" Raven breathed, feeling quite comfortable in her position. Being engulfed in his tantalizing smell, she never wanted to let go of him.
"Is the mutt harassing you?" Severus demanded but it sounded as though he truly cared about her.
"Who?" She blinked at him; he had the most amazing eyes she'd ever seen."Oh, the mutt. Well, I can handle a mangy mongrel like him."
"Of course." Severus placed a possessive hand on her shoulder and glared at Sirius, who decided that sometimes it was better to give in. Nevertheless, he still didn't grasp why Lestrange seemed to prefer even the greasy git over him.
"He's such a nuisance," Raven said as she watched Black toddle off. She couldn't even enjoy his bum anymore, because when she looked at it, she always envisioned a wagging tail attached to it and that was quite sobering.
"That he is indeed," Severus mumbled.
All of a sudden, Raven let out a delighted little shriek. DJ Werewolf was actually playing a song that didn't only sound familiar but also agreeable to her ears. Could it possible be that someone with a decent taste in music had smuggled a record between all that crap she had to listen before?
"We just have to dance!" She squealed to the tune of Cosmic Dancer and was about to drag him to the dance floor.
"I'm not in the mood," he protested, but to no avail. Raven was quite a resolute witch when something had gotten into her pretty head and, at the moment, she was keen on dancing with him. So he gave in to her whims. Besides, it wasn't that horrible to be dancing with her- quite the contrary, actually. It felt quite good to hold a pretty witch in his arms, moving to the rhythm of the music.
But then he spotted Lily and Potter dancing next to them; his hand was at her backside and they were snogging like mad. It hurt. It just so fucking much hurt to see them together like that. What the hell did Lily see in Potter?
"May I give you a good advice?" Raven asked after Severus had trampled on her feet for the second time.
"Hm?" He mumbled, finally taking his eyes away from the Gryffindor couple in order to glance at his dancing partner instead. "I'm sorry. It's just so..."
"...disgusting," she finished his sentence.
"Indeed."
"No decent witch couldn't possibly want to be kissed like that."
"Do you believe he is forcing her?"
Raven shook her head in the negative.
"No, it's not like that. Actually, it's more a matter of style-"
He frowned at her, so she decided to fill him in.
"You know, Sev, you simply don't plunge your tongue down a girl's throat as Potter does. He's mistaken if he believes that the tongue is meant to be a deep-sea diver, given that the tonsils are not an erogenous zone that needs to be swept. No girl wants to be kissed like that."
"And how do girls want to be kissed?" Severus wondered aloud, but he bit his lips immediately after having blurted out such an inappropriate question. Probably he'd had a drink too much (the Slytherins had coerced him to drink a glass of Firewhiskey as they were toasting to Lord Voldemort, and he wasn't used to such a strong spirit)- or perhaps it was just the proximity to a decidedly attractive witch.
"I'll show you," Raven purred in response as she took his head in her hands, running a gentle finger down his cheekbone. But when she tried to kiss him, he almost poked her eye out with his nose.
He wished for the ground to open up and swallow him.
She just chuckled softly and made another attempt. This time, their lips met.
Hers were soft and pliable and they tasted of red wine.
Wow, he thought, enjoying the feeling.
Since he didn't stop her, she continued to demonstrate him what a good kiss was and all of a sudden, there were tongues involved. It almost took his breath away.
How was one supposed to breathe and kiss, all at the same time?
But Severus was smart, and he learned quickly. And Raven taught him well. She deepened the kiss. Their tongues met to start a slow and very sensual dance that almost made her knees turn to jelly and her toenails to curl up in ecstasy.
Merlin, she had been fantasizing about kissing him for such a long time already, but actually doing it was so much better than she had dared to imagine it her dreams. It was... simply wonderful. Overwhelming. Why did he have to excel in everything he was doing? Severus kissed with the same devotion and abandon that was usually reserved for academical purposes only.
The world seemed to stop turning. Raven didn't even notice that people were staring at them (naturally, since they were snogging in the middle of the dance floor) because all she cared about was the wizard she was kissing; he was her sun, the centre of her universe.
-o-
Regulus had never expected that there would ever come a day he wanted to be Snape- or rather, to be in his shoes. But when he saw him snogging Lestrange, he felt a sudden pang of envy. And yet, it was also mingled with a strange kind of joy; he was happy for her because he knew she fancied Snape. For whatever reasons. It seemed though, that he was a great kisser.
Usually, he didn't like to watch others snog. Mostly, it was a bit embarrassing- like he was invading their privacy (but then again, why did they have to make a public display of their affection?) Sometimes, it wasn't even erotic at all- take Potter and Evans for example. Having to watch them trying to devour each other was just gross.
He wondered whether that might have something to do with... moral. Could it be that girls who kept to the rules of decorum and spared themselves for the wedding night were literally forcing their partners to kiss them with such an oversexed desperation, because snogging was all they were allowed to? Which led to the conclusion that Lestrange and Snape were only kissing with such a highly erotic ease because she gave a damn about propriety or restrictions; she wouldn't stop any sensual interaction if she was in the mood to go further than snogging.
Merlin, Lestrange was really a hot witch and Snape was such a lucky fellow. Regulus just hoped his house mate wouldn't mess it up.
Then he glanced at his dear brother and cheered inwardly. The expression on Sirius' face was simply priceless. It was a mixture of disbelief, disgust and... defeat. Regulus grinned. Somehow, Sirius reminded him of a beaten dog glancing at its master- or mistress in this case- begging for forgiveness with puppy eyes that held the promise to be a good dog from now on. It was just as amusing as it was pathetic, given that Sirius wasn't even in love with Lestrange. He merely wanted her to be another trophy in his collection of witches he had laid already.
Regulus concluded that she was so much better off with Snape.
"You know, if we had a competition 'the most sensual kiss of the evening', I'd wager all my money on Lestrange and Snape," he told Mellisandre.
She smiled and sighed, "It's so romantic."
-o-
Only fairy tales knew happy endings where the prince and the princess lived happy ever after. Severus' life had never been a fairy tale. The Half Blood Prince was kissing the wrong princess.
It was wonderful, though. Raven was a pretty and desirable witch, and he was feeling a bit dizzy... but she wasn't Lily. She didn't smell like Lily, the way he remembered her scent- something fresh and clean, like a gentle breeze.
"We have to stop,"Severus mumbled without letting go of Raven and his body language was betraying him when he said, "it's wrong."
She begged to differ. This was the best kiss ever and there was nothing wrong about it- except that she wasn't Lily. Raven didn't want to hear any of that now, so she battled with her feelings to keep her cool. Slowly, she took a step backwards without quite breaking the embrace; she was holding him at arm-length now as she cocked her head. "Are we still friends?"
"Er... yes," Severus seemed to be relieved that everything was still alright between Raven and him although they had just... snogged quite heavily. She really was a great friend.
-o-
In the end, Raven was not elected as Queen of the Ball. She hadn't expected that anyway and she cared about it even less. Stupid Blackie and his folly of nominating her in the first place
Naturally, and without much surprise, the ever so popular Head girl Lily Evans won the election. Potter was oh so proud. Perhaps he'd ask her to marry him now... Sneering at that much happiness and perfect-world-silliness, Raven left the Great Hall.
She didn't hear anymore that Regulus Black announced the winner of the unauthorized and unofficial 'best kiss of the evening' competition. It would have pleased her, though, to see Lily's face fall because she hadn't won. Sometimes, it just didn't help to be the most popular student.
Raven went to gather her trunk; there was no use in staying at Hogwarts now that school was out. And while most of the other students would travel home on the Hogwarts Express (for sentimental reasons) the next morning; she decided that she wasn't too drunk to Apparate yet.
'It's wrong', she heard him say again and she turned up the stereo in her London flat.
Wrong- oh he was such an idiot! Stupid boy. What's wrong about perfection? He was lying when he said it was wrong, he just didn't know it yet. One couldn't possibly fake such a kiss if there were no feelings involved at all.
But he would come to his senses, Raven decided. She cast a silencing spell and turned the music even louder.
Thanks to my lovely betas, hypnotic ink and Alabaster Princess.