Children of the Revolution

by Istani

Marauders era. Will a friend, someone who really cares, manage to tilt the scales when the time comes for Severus Snape to make a crucial choice? Of love triangles and a Silver Trio. AU.

57. Heroes (just for one day)

I'm so good! Another update! And so fast! I love to surprise myself.

Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope you will enjoy this one because, in a twisted way, it was fun to write.

Thanks to ellennar for betaing.

57- Heroes (just for one day)

"Not a word, mother!" Regulus hissed as he entered the house at Grimmauld Place with Raven in tow and Kreacher almost clinging to his legs, insisting that he needed to rest. But Regulus was too angry and too determined to be stopped by a worried house-elf. Besides, he was feeling fine.

"Regulus, what in Salazar's name are you doing? Why are you dressed in such a distasteful attire? Who is this disgraceful person who looks like a Muggle?" Mrs Black nagged.

Regulus ushered Raven towards the library and stopped briefly to glance at his mother. "May I remind you that this is MY house? I can bring whoever I want and I expect your show decorum and hospitality towards my guest."

"She stinks like a Muggle!"

"If you're referring to my shampoo and shower gel-" Raven began, but a fierce glance from Regulus silenced her and so she proceeded to the library.

"Oh, Regulus, what an affront! You bring dishonour to the most noble and ancient house of Black-"

"Shut up, mother." He didn't want to be a cue ball any longer, not for his mother and most certainly not for Voldemort. If anything, torture had made him stronger, more determined.

"I WILL BLAST YOU OFF THE FAMILY TREE YOU UNGRATEFUL SCUM!"

"Try it, mother," Regulus replied with a smirk. "Please, go ahead and try it. You will find out that you can't since I am the last living male Black in a long line, the last one who can give an heir to the most noble and ancient house of Black. The family tree will protect itself. And now please excuse me, I'm busy."

He closed the library door behind him and put a Silencing Charm on it so it would block his mother's voice ranting in the hallway. Then he started to collect books from the shelves, sending them to a nearby table.

"Oh, Master Regulus, what has he done? He breaks Mistress Mother of Master her heart." Kreacher wailed, cringing on the floor as if in pain.

"That would assume she has one." Regulus said calmly, apparently unfazed.

"Reg, calm down. There's no point and purpose in offending your mother." Raven gave to consider. "I understand your anger but we can't afford her to run around in her fine pure-blood circles tattling how very ungrateful and treacherous her son is."

"She won't. She is too focused on the continuity of the name and the house of Black; she will not risk it. And it's true, you know; the family tree will protect itself."

"Alright, but when did you find out that?"

"When I realized I love Edie and want to grow old with her. I... I tried to blast myself off the family tree to be free, and since that didn't work, I did some research. Kreacher was very supportive in that. He probably knows more about pure-blood lineage, heredity and inheritance than any pure-blood does.

"Now. Let's focus on the matter at hand. First, check all the books that bite, growl or are otherwise dangerous. Leave out the Dark Arts since neither the Marauders nor Dumbledore will seek refuge in anything dark. Kreacher! Please be so kind and bring us some coffee."

"Yes, Master Regulus. Kreacher is at your service, Master Regulus." Obediently, Kreacher collected himself from the floor, only to hug Regulus' legs an instant later. "But Master Regulus must rest. Master Regulus almost died the night before. Kreacher worried so much. Dear Mistress Edie worried so much. Even Mistress Sc- dear Mistress Raven worried."

"Don't worry, Kreacher, I'm fine. Just bring me some coffee, please, and I promise I won't do anything more exhausting than sitting in an armchair and reading. Do we have an accord, my little friend?"

Kreacher beamed at him, which made his ugly features soften a bit, so proud of being called his Master's friend. Immediately, he disappeared to fulfil his master-friend's wishes.

Raven looked up from the books she was aimlessly thumping through. "Are you really okay? I mean, we really did worry about you last night."

"I'm fine." Regulus repeated only to correct himself a mere instant later. "Well, even if that's a lie and I still feel kind of wobbly on my feet, I'm even more pissed off by the way HE treated me for no reason at all, only because HE has problems with anger management or something like that. But he's gone too far. I'm tired of buckling and crawling at his stinking feet; I want to see him tossed off his throne."

"Well, that's understandable. Nevertheless, I ask you to keep your cool and not do anything... utterly foolish."

"I will leave all the foolish things to Gryffindors." He promised before he focussed on the book he held in his hands.

-o-

Several hours later, they still weren't any wiser. None of the texts they consulted hinted at anything like Raven had witnessed, and the pile of books on the table between them was getting smaller and smaller with every hour that went by. At the end of the day, the shadows looming over Grimmauld Place, creeping into every corner of that old, magical building, called them to stop at what they were doing.

Regulus looked up, glanced at the pile of still unread documents, and shrugged.

"Chinese take-away?"

"I'm dying for it."

"We can peruse the rest of it later, preferably at your place and with the music turned up loud. I'll ask Edie to come around, perhaps she'd like to help us."

Raven agreed, a smile gracing her lips as she thought of how far he'd come and how much he'd matured since the day he'd burst into her and Sev's life like a fool rushing in, turning everything upside down. In retrospect, it had been a good day.

-o-

The creepy gloom of Grimmauld Place was soon forgotten when they were sitting in Raven's kitchen, the table in front of them covered with piles of books and empty boxes of Chinese takeaway, while the Ramones were singing Hey ho, let's go.

"Someone remind me please that when this is all over, I'm gonna sell Grimmauld Place and send mother to a home for the mentally deranged. Then I want to buy a building that towers over the city so it is filled with light and I can look at the sky from every window. Would you move in with me, Edie?"

Edie rolled her eyes at him, wondering why she had to fall in love with a posh boy who could probably even afford to buy such a place. And so she busied herself with the book she was reading, instead.

She was left with the section of children's books, which she didn't mind at all since she enjoyed the stories Reg had been told when he was little. Only to be reminded that no loving parent had ever read bedtime stories to him; the house-elves had.

Wondering what was worse, an abusive step-father (well, three of them) or an uncaring mother (she was also familiar with that) she reached out to gently pat Kreacher's bald head, wishing she'd had a house elf at least..

Meanwhile, Raven let out a frustrated groan. She didn't know how many books she had already thumped through in search for a spell that could let an entire cottage disappear from sight, and she was getting tired of it. Did it matter anyway what they were doing here? All this effort, just to know that Lily was safe...

"Are there any bands playing tonight?"

"Not one that's even halfway decent." Regulus yawned.

"Perhaps we should call it a day." Raven said. After all, only a little more than twenty-four hours had past since Kreacher had dragged him into her flat, barely alive and bleeding from his ears, nose and eyes.

Edie agreed. Not because she was bored but because she worried about him, too. "Yeah, let's get home and I'll read ye a bedtime story 'bout a tower in a city that never sleeps."

"Sounds tempting, love. But I really want to find out what happened to the Potter's cottage, what spell was being used and how safe it is- or why it made the Dark Lord so very freaking upset that he had to vent his wrath on us. Someone I knew got killed. Mind, I never cared much for Rosier's cousin- whatever his name was. It's just the fact that one day he might actually kill someone I do care for. I simply don't want that to happen. The Dark Lord has to be stopped, and if a mere infant is the only one who- according to that prophecy- can stop him, then I will actually support that Gryffindor spawn if in the end he grants me a peaceful life with the one I love, in a tower overlooking the city."

He slammed his book shut, took a sip of wine and stole a cigarette from Raven without lighting it. Then, he raked his fingers through his hair, apparently lost in thoughts as he picked up another book.

"Wait," he mumbled, thumbing through the pages. "Wait. Wait. Wait. Ah, here it is, ladies." With a somewhat triumphantly smile he opened the book and slammed it on the table, again raking his fingers through his hair before he cared to explain what he had just found out or whatever thought had crossed his mind. "We were wrong in our attempt to approach the matter at hand, Raven. We've been looking for a spell that makes a building disappear from sight instead of looking for maximum protection, and ta-da here's the answer. Now it's beginning to make sense, because now we know what we're dealing with."

"And that is?" Raven asked in an impatient tone.

"Why, the Fidelius Charm, of course!"

"Care to elaborate on that?"

"Ah, you ignorant half-blood," Regulus teased her leniently. "You never heard of it? Very well, then, the Fidelius Charm is very old magic, ancient magic. Difficult to cast but decidedly potent if it's done correctly, and- to cut a long story short- it is used to conceal a secret inside someone's soul, who is then the secret keeper and the persons he or she is hiding cannot be tracked or harmed by whatever magic until the secret keeper spills the secret."

"And that makes a whole house disappear from sight?"

"So it seems. There are no reports, though, of anyone who's actually been around to witness the very moment when the Fidelius was cast."

"So it's a precedent? I like it. But does that mean the Potters are safe? How strong and safe is the Fidelius?"

"I think it's the strongest protective spell possible, provided they choose their secret keeper well. If I may hazard a guess, it's either Dumbledore or my dear brother. And none of them would ever betray the Potters."

"I agree," Raven gave to consider, "as far as your brother is concerned. He's insufferable, too full of himself, but at least he's loyal to his friends."

"Yeah, he absolutely loves bloody James Potter so much he'd even die for him... or endure the Dark Lord's torture without ever spilling a word." Regulus got up from his chair and started pacing the kitchen.

"Then we don't have to worry. I'll send word to Sev that his dear Lily is safe for now."

"Tell him we still need some luck because the war's not over yet. And we have to find Lord V's remaining Horcruxes. Did Sev ever mention anything about his progress on that matter?"

"We didn't talk much before yesterday, and then we were too busy worrying about you. Give him a break. He's doing more than any of us given that he's teaching potions, acting as a spy for both Dumbledore and the Dark Lord, and he's working on an antidote strong enough to counter the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse, which clearly was of your advantage yesterday. Now we also asked him to brew some Felix Felicis potion for us."

"I know. " Regulus heaved a sigh and took a seat again. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just... I'm so very angry. I want this to end. I don't want to have to hide my feelings in the Muggle world, and I don't want to have to fear my brother's foolishness will get him killed. Yes, Sirius is an insufferable bastard but he's my brother after all."

"Hey guys, don't ye think we should call it a day?" Edie cut in. "We all seem to be a bit flustered today but there's nothing we can do right here, right now. Let's take a nap, alright?"

"I guess Edie's right, Reg. Listen to your wise girl."

"Alright," he agreed, giving Edie a kiss before they both took their leave.

-o-

The next day, Raven woke up with the strange feeling that something was... amiss... but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was precisely. All she knew was that it had to do with the Fidelius Charm and the day it had been cast on the Potters' house.

Everything had been so strange that day, she hadn't even cast a proper Revellio in order to see who was inside. Sirius was there because his motorbike was parked nearby. But would she have noticed if Dumbledore was there, too? Was it possible that there were two secret keepers- or wouldn't it be safer to pick only one?

While sipping her coffee, she came to the conclusion that it had to be Sirius who was the Potters' secret keeper and not Dumbledore. At least they were wise enough to not trust the old manipulator...

"That means Sirius is seriously in danger." Regulus said later that day after Raven told him of her suspicion.

"Of course he's in danger." Raven agreed before adding, "and he's been seeking it ever since he joined Dumbledore's prodigious Order of the Phoenix when the old codger was recruiting lambs for slaughter. He was never safe- he never choose to be safe. Don't worry about his Gryffindork way of approaching things now. You know how they are. Always so very eager to jump headlong into danger for the sake of rightfulness, striving for the Greater Good in a black and white world."

"Right. And I shouldn't care. But he's my brother, Raven, even though there's not much love between us, and if anyone throttles him for being a foolish, arrogant oaf then it should be me and not the Dark Lord."

"You know, Reg, at this very moment I'm very glad to not have any siblings."

"And you should be, Raven, because it's really complicated..."

-o-

Regulus worried about Sirius. He didn't love his brother anymore, at least not like he had when they were still two innocent kids, clinging together through thick and thin in a family that was anything but perfect, where they were mostly raised by house-elves and not by doting parents. Way back then, he had adored Sirius. The rift came when Sirius left for Hogwarts and got Sorted into Gryffindor, perhaps purely out of spite. It felt like a betrayal to Regulus but not as much as it was to their parents, and still, he wouldn't have bothered if not for the next great betrayal, when Sirius started to so clearly favour James Potter over him. Sirius had chosen someone else to be his brother at heart, tossing away his real brother like an old toy he'd grown weary of. And that hurt. Still. Even after all those years.

Nevertheless, Regulus wished him no harm. Nor did he ever want to see Sirius suffering from torture, being ripped apart and spat out broken, only because he was such a heroic fool and would never give away his dear James... if jealousy had a name, it would answer to Potter and it didn't matter if the first name was James or Lily because Regulus understood Raven's aversion much more than she could possibly imagine.

Sometimes, it seemed to be so... convenient to simply let the Dark Lord have his way and rid the world off the Potters. But nothing good would ever come from that, only grief, anger and frustration.

-o-

"We have to find Sirius!" Regulus insisted a couple of days later, nervously pacing Ravens kitchen. "He's in trouble or worse."

"Stop fretting and tell me what happened."

"The Dark Lord. I met Lucius and he took me to see Lord V, who was in a splendid mood, talking about his victory and indicating it's within his reach. I don't know what he's up to but he will strike today."

"Why today?" Edie asked.

"Because it's Halloween. To Muggles, it's just carnival but in our world it has a meaning and Lord V is all about meaning. "

"Shit!" Raven knew he was right. She grabbed her wand. "So it's hey ho let's go then."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Regulus stopped pacing, wrapped an arm around Edie's hip to pull her in close enough for a kiss. "You stay here. Don't leave this house. It's safe, or at least as safe as possible, thanks to Sev's knack for wards. If we're not back by tomorrow morning, you take the first plane out of the country and as far away as you can get." He called for Kreacher and an instant later the house-elf appeared with a loud Pop! "Kreacher, you will protect Edie. Raven, you come with me."

"Aye, Master Regulus," Raven replied in a mocking tone. "Do you have any idea how to find Sirius?"

"Determination." He took her arm and a second later they had already left the flat behind, and Raven could only surrender to the sensation of Side-Along Apparation.

They arrived somewhere in the countryside, at a wooden gate with a sign that read no trespassing. The gate belonged to a riverside property where a group of old willows almost concealed the small cottage.

"Ah, Uncle Alphard's place. I should have known that."

"Does that mean you had no idea where you're taking us? You were only determined to get to Sirius? What if you had landed us straight in Lord V's snakepit?" Raven snapped.

"Well, I didn't, did I?"

"Congratulation, Reg, you just did something very Gryffindorish."

He shrugged her rebuke off and tried to open the gate but soon had to withdraw his fingers, hissing with pain as if the gate was on fire or current-carrying. "Ouch! Wards."

"What did you expect?" There was an impatient undertone in Raven's voice and she aimed her wand at the gate to simply blow it away. Surprisingly, that actually worked since Sirius' wards weren't even half as sophisticated as Severus'. "Alright, let's continue doing things the Gryffindor way-"

"Oy! Drop your wands and surrender!" A voice called from the cottage, Sirius' voice.

"Sorry 'bout the gate but there was no doorbell and we have to talk to you. It's urgent."

"Lestrange?" Sirius appeared at the threshold, clad only in jeans. He smirked. "What a nice surprise." Then he noticed Regulus and the smirk faded. "Brother. This is not such a nice surprise."

"I'm glad to see you're still alive." Regulus crossed the distance between them as if he had to make sure that it was really Sirius and no harm had been done to him.

"You worried about me, ickle Reggiekins?" Sirius laughed out loud. "Why?"

"Don't be smug. I just feared the Dark Lord might have killed you before I can throttle you."

"Yeah, I love you too, brother."

"Boys, be good. There's no time to jest." Raven reminded them.

"Alright, would you please explain what's going on? You didn't come to visit simply because you longed to see me, right?" Sirius ran a hand over his bare chest, thinking his muscles might impress her. And it was true, she did glance at him... well, it was more like glaring, actually, and she didn't seem to be impressed at all.

"An astute observation, bother," Regulus interjected. "We're here because the Dark Lord will probably strike today."

"That's nothing new. Isn't he always up to no good? Why do you care anyway?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Do you still not get it? Why does a Slytherin use you to forward information to the Order of the Phoenix? Why do three Slytherins in Muggles clothes knock out three Death Eaters? Why do Slytherins care about the Potters' safety?"

"I understand that you don't support the Dark Lord." Frowning, Sirius looked at Regulus. "You don't either? What happened, little idiot brother? It's not because of that Muggle girl, is it? Ickle Reggiekins is in love? How cute."

"Who's the idiot?" Regulus replied and Raven was very proud of him that he didn't attempt to throttle his annoying brother here and now. "We may not be on the same side, but-"

"So, whose side are you on, then?" Sirius cut him off.

"Different shades of grey. Meaning, I'm following my very own agenda." Raven said.

Regulus pointed at her and said, "I'm on her side," leaving Sirius totally confused.

"And Snape?"

"Is our friend. Listen, Sirius, we're not here to play games. We know of the prophecy. We know the Potters are in danger because Lord V believes in the prophecy and thinks little Harry is the One with the power to vanquish him bla bla. We also know that the Fidelius Charm was cast in order to protect the Potters some days after I managed to talk to Lily. I would be glad to know she- and her boy- are safe indeed, but we've got reasons to believe Lord V is up to something and he's doing it today. Therefore we came here to check on you because you are, most likely, the Potters' secret keeper." Sometimes, it was wise to opt for the truth, especially when it seemed to fell on futile soil. Raven noticed that Sirius blanched and concluded immediately, "You're not their Secret Keeper."

"Then it's Dumbledore?" Regulus asked.

Sirius shook his head no, still looking very pale. His usual playfulness seemed to have left him completely.

"Who is it, then?" Raven inquired, but Sirius didn't answer.

Instead, he swallowed hard, several times."You're not trying to fool me now, aren't you? You actually believe the Dark Lord is after James and his family, and he will strike today?"

"Yep. Reg said Lord V was very sure of victory when he met him today."

Slowly, it began to dawn upon Sirius that his little brother was probably playing a very dangerous game and not only since today. He glanced at Regulus as if seeing him for the first time, noticing how much his little idiot brother had changed though it wasn't obvious at first sight; it was more in the way he kept his poise.

"Alright," he admitted after a while, "I'm not their secret keeper. I haven't seen James since the day the Fidelius was cast."

"Aw, big drama." Did she really have to worm every single little bit of information out of him? This was getting tremendously tiresome.

"Dumbledore isn't either."

"Who the fuck is it then? Brother, for the sake of your friends, trust me once."

"I... well, we considered it to be too obvious if I was the Secret Keeper. Actually, it was a last minute decision and we chose Peter-"

"Peter? Peter Pettigrew alias Wormtail, the rat?"

If Sirius was stunned about her knowing of their Animagi forms, he didn't show it. "He's the most unobtrusive of us all."

For a brief moment, Raven buried her face in her hands and he didn't know if it was out of amusement or frustration. Well, apparently the latter for she called him a fool, an idiot-

"Dear Merlin, what have you done? This isn't about cute rodents! I admit, I was never a shining star when it came to Transfiguration, but the one thing I grasped about becoming an Animagus is that you don't simply shape-shift into a random animal- you take on the form of the animal that suits your character traits best. Potter is the proudly strutting stag, king of the forest. You're the loyal dog. But did you ever, in all of your gloriousness, pause to consider what to rat on someone means?"

"Peter wouldn't betray us." And yet, there was the hint of a doubt in Sirius' voice.

"Ask him to see you. Now."

He raked his fingers through his hair, and in that he really resembled his younger brother. In the end he gave in. After all, James' life was at stake- probably- and he didn't want to risk anything.

"Okay. Okay. You go and hide inside the house, and I call Wormy. Let me do the talking. Alright?"

Raven exchanged glances with Regulus and agreed. Of course, it was not her intention to let Sirius do all the talking but at the moment it was far more important to get Peter Pettigrew and to make him spill the beans.

-o-

Once they were inside the house, Raven looked around briefly. It seemed to be spacier than it appeared from the outside and it had the flair of a typical bachelor's home. The furniture was functional, it was slightly messy and there were pictures of bikini-clad girls on the walls.

She rolled her eyes and addressed Regulus. "Are you good with wards?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"To set up some strong Anti-Apparation wards as soon as Pettigrew has arrived." She looked outside and realized the rat was already there, talking to Sirius. Alas, she couldn't hear what they were saying. But before she could tell Regulus to do it now, she noticed the surge of energy that filled the air.

"Well done." Although she wasn't good at wards herself, she was nonetheless able to recognize the beauty of a skilled one, and so she hurried to make her own contribution to the matter by casting a Full Body-Bind at Pettigrew; he toppled over immediately.

Raven and Regulus left their hiding place in order to join Sirius, who didn't seem to appreciate their interference at all if his murderous glare was an indication.

"They're coming for me, they're coming for me," Pettigrew whimpered as he was lying helplessly on the ground. "Sirius... help."

Regulus kicked his wand out of reach before he approached his brother. "Can you prevent him from transforming into his Animagus form?"

"Why... sure. But he hasn't even confirmed your suspicion, yet."

"Sometimes, words are superfluous." Raven said as she released Pettigrew from her spell and actually helped him to get back on his feet. "Don't worry, Peter. We're here to help you."

"Whoa! What are you up to now?" Sirius wondered aloud, whereas Regulus seemed to understand the name of the game she intended to play.

And while Pettigrew was still totally oblivious to what was going on around him, Raven had already abused his moment of bafflement in order to pry about his mind. There was a haze of fear and mumbled words that revealed a secret, and the Dark Lord was cackling with victorious laughter.

Clearly disgusted, she nodded.

"He's the traitor, Sirius." Regulus informed his brother.

"How do you know? Is that true, Peter? Wormy, please tell me they're wrong, that you didn't-"

"What could I have done, Sirius? The Dark Lord... you have no idea. I was scared, Sirius. I was never brave like you or James... I... I... HE forced me! Yes, he did. Don't you see he's taking over? You have no idea. HE has powers you can't imagine. You don't understand, Sirius. He would have tortured me, killed me-"

"Then you should have died for your friends, Wormtail!" Sirius spat with obvious disgust in his voice. "Just like I would do. Any time. For James. Because dying for your friends is a heroic way to end your miserable life."

He brandished his wand and sent Pettigrew back to the ground.

"Stop!" Raven interjected. Killing him now would be terribly counter-productive, given that he was still the Potter's Secret Keeper and therefore the only one who could tell them where they were. Only if the Secret Keeper told them they could find the Potters and warn them, save them.

Meanwhile, Pettigrew was fumbling for his wand but couldn't reach it since Regulus had kicked it far away and so he couldn't transform into his Animagus form and scamper.

"HE BETRAYED HIS FRIENDS!" Sirius yelled. "HE HAS TO PAY FOR IT!"

Before he could do anything stupid Gryffindor style, Regulus grabbed his brother's wand arm and dragged him away. "Shut up. Calm down, for Merlin's sake."

Sirius struggled to get rid off his little brother. Usually, he would have won that brawl between brothers, being the older, taller and stronger one. Today, however, Regulus had the upper hand on him, simply because Sirius was beyond reason with anger and disappointment whereas Regulus was reasonable and controlled.

"LET GO OFF ME! I WANT TO KILL HIM!"

Regulus rolled his eyes. "So that Lord V is the only one who knows where your dear James is hiding and no-one can save his sorry ass? Calm down, Sirius. Let Raven have her way with him. Shut up. Listen. Learn."

-o-

Pettigrew was writhing on the ground, whimpering. He was so scared he almost wet his pants with fear. He couldn't get away, couldn't get away, could never get away. The Dark Lord would kill him. Sirius would kill him...

Then there was a sweet voice, almost like a balm.

"Peter, look at me. Trust me. Listen to me. I can help me. I can protect you from the Dark Lord's wrath."

"No... no... no-one can. HE's to powerful."

"Shh, Peter, don't worry. I can help you. I understand your fear. You're scared. You only wanted to be safe, to be on the safe side of all this madness, this war lift. Isn't it so? It's alright, Peter-"

-o-

"NO IT'S NOT ALRIGHT!" Sirius screamed but his voice appeared to be strangely muffled because Regulus had cast the Muffliato Charm on them so that his brother's shouting would not influence the game Raven was playing, and of course his oaf of a brother had no clue at all.

"Shut up!" Reg said again, for the third time already and probably only because all good things come in threes. "Watch true Slytherin cunning to unfold."

-o-

"You're very brave, Peter. And for brave guys like you, there is witness protection- if you cooperate. And you want to cooperate, Peter, don't you? You want to be protected from the Dark Lord, you want to feel safe again?"

"Yes... yes..." He was clutching at straws now with an eagerness that was almost uncanny, twisting and turning, ready to lick just another boot if only he got away with all of he'd done.

Raven still thought him abominable but his instinct for self preservation was truly marvellous; he would always ally with the biggest bully around, would even sell his own grandmother to the highest bidder if that was required.

"Help me. Can you help me? I was just trying to protect me... you understand that, don't you? The Dark Lord will kill me."

"Don't worry about the Dark Lord any longer. He won't kill you, won't harm you, if you trust me. I want to help you but I need your help in return. Tell me the secret, the whereabouts of the Potters, and I promise you will be safe from the Dark Lord's wrath. I can do that for you, Peter. Just trust me."

"He will kill me. He will kill me. He will kill me."

"No, he won't. He won't find you. You will be protected from the Dark Lord, but you have to cooperate now. Can you do this for me, Peter?

"Yes. Yes... well, the house of the Potters is at-" And again the Secret Keeper betrayed the secret he had promised to keep.

Raven's fingers formed the victory sign and Regulus let go off his brother, who launched himself at Wormtail, ready to kill him with his own two hands.

Pettigrew howled in pain as he took in a blow that broke his nose. "Help me! Help me! You promised to protect me."

"I promised to protect you from the Dark Lord and well, he's not here. Our agreement never included me protecting you from your friend." Raven said with a malicious little grin that made Sirius stop in order to stare at her.

"You tricked him."

"Oops! Well, I'm a Slytherin."

-o-

Meanwhile in Godric's Hollow, James Potter just left his house in order to meet his friend Padfoot, not caring that he left his wife and kid behind in order to have a fun night out with his brother-in-heart. After all, it was Halloween and he was just dying to see some Death Eater's heads roll today. It was an arrangement they had made a couple of days ago, before Lily had gone all flustered and upset because of a silly prophecy, demanding more protection for her and Harry.

And because he loved Harry, his heir, he had agreed- not knowing that his agreement would bereft him of all the fun that was to be found outside of their homely cottage. Soon, he was suffering from cabin fever, from his nagging wife, and he missed hanging around with Sirius.

The moment he stepped over the threshold, he changed into his Animagus form and ran over the autumn fields as a stag.

It was a wet and windy night, but the stag didn't care and kept on running.

-o-

Raven sent her Patronus to Severus in order to give him a briefing. Also, they had to meet, immediately, at Godric's Hollow.

Then she turned to Sirius. "You will stop using the rat as your punching ball and hand him over to the Aurors instead. Did I make myself clear?"

"James in in danger because of that stinking piece of scum and you want me to sit back and wait for the Aurors?"

"You summed it up nicely," she agreed. "They will bring him to justice. Don't dirty your hands on him for he's not worth a stay in Azkaban. And now please excuse us, we're busy."

"Wait. Wait. What is your plan?"

Regulus smirked at his brother. "Well, to stop Voldemort of course."

Then Raven took his arm and they Apparated to Godric's Hollow.

-o-

The night was wet and windy, but He didn't care about such profane things like the weather. He was filled with a purpose and power and a sense of rightness. He was absolutely calm, knowing He could only win because there was no-one who could stop Him.

As He was gliding along the streets of that Muggle town, two children dressed as pumpkins came His way.

'Nice costume, Mister!' one of them said, but its smile faltered when it was close enough to see His true nature. Then, it wanted to scream in horror but He stopped it with a flash of green light His wand emitted. The other Muggle suffered the same fate.

Perhaps it was unnecessary, but He relished the fact that He simply could do it. He was the most powerful wizard the world had ever seen, and soon... so soon... He'd be even more powerful.

He continued his way until His destination came into sight. The Fidelius Charm was broken but they, inside, didn't know it yet. He saw them through the window, the mother holding the small black-haired boy in her arms, singing him a lullaby.

Soon she'd be singing the lullaby of eternal death.

It didn't bother Him that the father was not to be seen for he was of no importance. It was just the boy that mattered.

The gate creaked a little as pushed it open with His wand in His pale white hands.

There was a scream. She knew the Fidelius Charm was broken, was collapsing all around her and leaving her just as vulnerable as all the lies about safety were, for there was no safety when He thought it an illusion.

He burst open the door and heard the sound of footsteps running up the stairs. Safety was a lie. An inferior being could not escape the strength and cunning of the predator, a mouse would always be prey for the snake. But if she was sensible, she had nothing to fear...

He climbed the steps, amused about her feeble attempt to barricade herself in. Foolish witch! As if a chair blocking the door would stop Him. She should have rather carried her wand with her... how stupid. How very sentimental to rely on something as weak and fragile as friendship... or trust.

He opened the door with a lazy wave of His wand, stepping over a broken chair and boxes, the remains of her barricade, and there she stood, a desperate Mudblood, holding in her arms the one who was supposed to be His doom, His downfall... if He were still prone to amusement, He would have laughed out loud at that pathetic sight.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" She begged as she dropped her son into the cot behind her and threw her arms wide... as if that would help... as if that might stop Him.

"Stand aside, you silly girl..."

-o-

Meanwhile, outside in the streets of Godric's Hollow, three friends were meeting, sharing a small phial of Felix Felicis. Only one sip for each of them because in spite of Regulus' financial funds and Severus' brewing skills, they had simply run out of time. But there was still that phial in Severus' storage, the very one he had won so many years ago, in Slughorn's class. He'd never had any use for it until now, when they were definitely in need of at least a quantum of luck.

"Ready, guys?" Raven asked after having downed her share.

"This is madness." Severus gave to consider, Nevertheless, he seemed to be determined to embrace madness, as was Regulus.

The house of the Potters was visible again, meaning the Dark Lord had entered it already. The Fidelius Charm was broken and so were all of the protective wards. Which was not to their disadvantage, because now they could Apparate right to the room where the Dark Lord was threatening Lily.

-o-

"...stand aside, now..."

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-"

"This is my last warning, silly girl-"

"Not Harry! Please... have mercy... have mercy... have mercy... Not Harry! Not Harry! Please- I'll do anything-"

"Stand aside- stand aside, girl- Avada Kedavra!"

-o-

"NO!" Severus yelled.

There was no way to change the course of a Killing Curse, except to remove the target. Severus jumped to push Lily aside (and almost got in the firing line himself) while Raven acted much more coolly. Lily soared up in the air where she was then dangling upside down by her her ankles. She shrieked, which meant she was still alive and the Killing Curse had only killed the window above the cot where Harry had started crying.

"You!" Voldemort roared as he realized who the intruders were. "My loyal servants have come to betray me? Because of that Mudblood whore? How pathetic. You will long for death when I'm done with you- now step aside, all of you."

Apparently, Voldemort believed himself to be indestructible because he paid no further heed to Severus, Regulus and Raven as he proceeded to finish what he came here for.

Lily shrieked (though it sounded a tad muffled due to her skirt that has cascaded over her head). Harry was crying. The Dark Lord was about to put an end to that.

Raven, Severus and Regulus raised their wands in unison.

"You will not harm the boy." Regulus said.

Voldemort laughed. "Who will stop me? Who? You, Black? You are not worthy serving me, you are a useless loser in my ranks."

He brandished his wand but whatever nasty curse he had in mind for Regulus; it was blocked.

Regulus alone didn't have the power to protect himself, but all three of them had. Their Protego spell was strong enough to make Voldemort stumble backwards just one step. It almost amused him.

"You really mean to fight me. I will teach you pain."

He wasn't good at teaching because once more his curse got countered by the power of three and it even rebounded at him. He was surprised.

Lily was shrieking. Harry was crying.

The Slytherin Trio attacked and the room with filled with the red glow of their Stunning Spells. Alas, that was not the kind of magic to stop a powerful dark wizard.

"ENOUGH!" He roared. "You are children compared to my powers, and I'm not in the mood to play. Get out of my way!"

Voldemort tried to get past them but now rays of white light emerged from their wands which they were now wielding like the lightsabers in the Star Wars movies. The Dark Lord tried to fight them off but their magic was strong, much stronger than expected, and he had trouble to counter them. Soon there were gashes in his skin, he was bleeding...

He gathered all of his powers to bring an end to this... ridiculousness. With a gush of magical energy bursting from him, he sent the annoying betrayers flying through the room, crashing into walls. Before they could even think of scrambling back to their feet, he was already on his way to the cot with the boy. Oh, he was so right to cry even louder now. It would be his last cries.

Lily shrieked. "Not Harry, not Harry! Have mercy... please."

The Dark Lord sneered and proceeded when all of a sudden a silly stumbling jinx made him almost stumble indeed. He turned around and saw that girl, dressed like a Muggle. The third in the party of betrayers although he had never seen her before.

"And who are you?"

"I'm your worst nightmare, Tommy boy." Raven said recklessly as she stared straight in the face of evil. Although she was shaking all over, she tried to not show fear.

It seemed to dawn upon him that she knew his true identity, but that was hard to see in a face that lacked any humanity and that was so horribly disfigured. If that was the prize you had to pay for power, then she'd rather be without.

Meanwhile, Severus and Regulus were back on their feet, the light at the tip of their wands was glowing again.

Voldemort stared at Raven, an evil smile twisting his lips as he almost gently whispered, "Crucio."

"NO!" Severus launched at him and stabbed him with the light from his wand- but Sectumsempra was more like a cutting-and-severing spell and therefore not really meant for stabbing.

Nevertheless, the Dark Lord gasped. Slowly, he took a few steps backwards to un-impale himself and the gaping would in his chest was closing again.

"I am very disappointed with you, Severus," he said. "I gave you so much... and yet you choose to betray me? For what?"

"You will never understand that."

"Very well." Again, the Dark Lord sent Severus crashing into the nearest wall before he aimed his wand at the little dark-haired boy.

"Avada Kedavra."

-o-

This time, there was no-one stopping him from the final destruction of the boy, the inexplicable danger. Success would taste sweet, his powers would expand and he...

And then he broke. All of a sudden he was nothing, nothing but pain and terror and the horrible realisation that something must have gone awfully... wrong.

He must hide himself... not here in the rubble of a collapsing house where the child was still alive and screaming, his mother screaming... but far away...

-o-

"Harry! Harry!" Lily screamed.

The boy cried even louder. It was amazing how loud such a little one could be.

"Raven, you alright?" Severus hurried to make sure she was before he released Lily of her undignified position, and she fell to the floor with a soft thump.

But she was back on her feet immediately to pick up Harry from the cot, cradling him in her arms, whispering silly little words to him until he finally stopped crying.

The silence that then sat in was a discomforting one that was only broken by the sound of creaking wood and moaning stone.

"We have to get out of here, the house is collapsing." Regulus said, and so they all stumbled down the staircase and into the open, only to run straight into the Infernal Twins, James Potter and Sirius Black.

"Snape! What are you doing in my house?" James Potter bellowed beyond reason.

That moment, the house collapsed into a huge pile of rubble and debris.

"You alright?" Severus asked Raven again, and only after she had nodded and smiled at him satisfactorily enough to let go of her, he approached Potter with a determined expression in his dark eyes.

"What house?" He asked as he grabbed him by the throat and hurled him against the debris of what once was his house, poking his wand right between his brows. "Listen to me, you despicable mewling wimp. I just fought the Dark Lord in order to protect your wife and your son, while you were out walking your dog. I demand respect, Potter. You will NOT bully me ever again!"