Okay so my first part has ended and this is the second part. I'm just going to continue it. Once I figure out how to link the posts to make it easier to read, I'll do that. Ramble ramble. Enjoy!!!

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Chapter 15

The long and dreary summer couldn’t be over quick enough. Raven Snape had spent most of the summer cleaning her uncle Severus’ house and it still smelled like mold and damp books. She couldn’t understand how there could be so much dust in one household. Spiders were everywhere and she was always taking down an old web or stomping around trying to rid the house of pests.

“I don’t understand how you can possibly live this way,” she said to her uncle who was seated comfortably in his chair reading a book.

“I don’t understand why you can’t try,” he said, never taking his eyes off his book.

“Because, dear uncle of mine, if I am going to live here, I am not going to wonder what is going to crawl on me next,” she said, beating another spider with her broom. “A person could get diseases from the smells that are in this house.”

Snape just rolled his eyes and Raven continued to work. She wanted so desperately to use magic, but it was forbidden to use it outside of school. That was another thing. She wondered why there couldn’t be some kind of summer school. She would much rather go to school all year than clean all summer.

“So are you making dinner or are you going to bestow that honor upon me? I know that leaving your chair has been so difficult for you today. I want to ask before I go to bed hungry,” she said wiping her forehead and then drinking a glass of water.

“I will,” he said still never taking his eyes off the book.

“Well don’t hurt yourself,” she said getting more sarcastic as the conversation went on. “I don’t want you to hurt your page-turning finger in a cooking accident.”

“I’m up!” he said slamming his book closed and stomping toward the kitchen.

She felt good about herself. This was the first day in a couple of weeks she showed attitude towards him. She was hesitant though because he hasn’t given her an answer to the question of whether or not she could go to the Quidditch World Cup with George and his family. She had received many owls from George and each response has been the same: “He hasn’t said yes…yet.”

“I’m sorry for interrupting your reading,” she said sitting down at the kitchen table.

“You’re forgiven,” he said quietly looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Have you thought anymore about the Quidditch Cup in a couple of weeks?” she asked hoping he would have an answer.

“Yes, I have thought about it,” he said plopping down a plate of something in front of her. “I wish to speak to Molly Weasley first. Only then will I make a decision.”

Raven let out a bit of a scream and jumped up from the table. “I am going to write George right away!”

“SIT!” he said annoyed. Raven quickly turned around and looked almost shocked. “I’m sure Mr. Weasley’s owl can wait until after you eat.”

Raven quickly sat down and stared at her food for a moment. It looked like oatmeal with corn in it. She picked up her spoon and thought for a moment that what she was about to eat was a practical joke.

“Uncle, may I ask what this is?” she said worried about his answer.

“It’s all I could find that was quick and easy,” he said, eating as though his concoction was not very tasty.

“What did you do? Grab two things blindly and dump them in a pot? There is plenty in there, I just stocked up the other day,” she said. It suddenly hit her that she had been doing all of the cooking over the summer. Could it be that her uncle did not know how to cook? A bit of frustration overwhelmed her. She got up and grabbed her plate, then proceeded to grab her uncle’s plate and dump them both in the sink.

“Go! I will make dinner,” she said pulling Snape up and pushing him into the sitting area. “I’ll call you when I’m done.”

She slaved over dinner and when it was all done she called her uncle into the kitchen. She had prepared roasted chicken with a side of potatoes and beans. She was going to prepare a dessert but didn’t feel like it. Snape seemed relieved at the sight of his plate.

After dinner, Snape suggested that he would clean the kitchen for Raven. He then thanked her for the good meal in his usual tone that made Raven wonder how hard it must be for him to say a nice thing. She then proceeded to tell her uncle good night and ran upstairs to write George a letter.

Dear George,
Good news! My uncle wants to meet with your mother about the Quidditch
World Cup. I know it’s kind of weird, but I’m sure this is just one step away from
saying yes. Write back as soon as you can to let me know when they can meet.
in the meantime, I’ll be thinking of you and hoping he’ll say yes. I have to
run. I love you.
Raven

She folded the letter and used her uncle’s owl to send it. She laid in her bed thinking about the meeting with Snape and Mrs. Weasley. She wondered what he would say. Is it going to be somewhat friendly or is Snape’s typical attitude going to emerge? She missed George, but Ron and Ginny, and of course Fred. To have some kind of contact with the outside world without the use of letters seemed nice.

The next morning she woke up to her uncle knocking on her door. She thought it was kind of odd considering he never woke her up in the mornings but always let her sleep. She put on her robe and opened the door.

“This had better be important,” she said rubbing her eyes.

“I received an owl from Mrs. Weasley this morning,” he said. “We will be going there for lunch.”

“Today?” she said, shocked and still half-asleep.

“Yes. Get ready. We need to be there in an hour,” he said walking away.

“An hour? Thanks for the warning!” she said slamming her door.

She finished her bath and got her clothes together, when she noticed Pig, the Weasley’s owl, at her window. She ran over, grabbed the letter and gave Pig a snack. The owl flew away and left Raven alone to read her letter.

Dear Rave
Mom is very excited about meeting with Snape for some reason,
and went ahead and sent him an owl inviting you both to lunch. I
hope her owl doesn’t beat Pig. Usually hers is slow, so maybe there is a
chance. Anyway, can’t wait to see you. Ask if you can stay for dinner.
Love you
George

Raven laughed at the fact that his mother’s owl was quicker than Pig. But there was no time to laugh too hard because she had to finish getting ready. She had to think quickly about what to wear. It had been a while since she went anywhere and wanted to look her best. So she picked out a black shirt with the logo of the muggle band The Grateful Dead, which she thought was pretty funny considering no wizard or witch knew who they were. She then picked out some khaki cargo pants and her black boots. Raven put her hair up into a ponytail which highlighted the red hair that she now had underneath her jet black hair and really brought out the deep blue of her eyes. As she looked at herself in the mirror she thought she looked quite nice. She thought that her selection of clothes was possibly going to raise questions, but didn’t care so much. She was different and was proud to be so.

She walked down the stairs and saw her uncle who was waiting to go. She was hoping they were not going by Floo Network. It would be dirty and it would get dust all over the nearly clean house and herself.

“How are we going?” she asked hesitantly.

We are apparating," he said.

“Yeah? And how do you suppose I apparate with you? I don't have my license. But you know that already."

"Are you ready? And what are you wearing?” he asked. “What is Grateful Dead?”

“It’s a muggle band,” she said with a grin.

“Why do you do that? Why do you wear muggle things? Why do you insist on looking like a…freak?” he asked.

“Have you looked at what people in the wizarding world wear?” she asked a little annoyed. “If you think muggles dress like freaks, you should hear what they say about wizards when they walk down the street. I’d rather look like a muggle than look like us.”

“Unbelievable,” he said walking into an open field a block away from his house.

“Besides, I am following the family tradition and keeping with black. Its not like I am wearing pink,” she said sarcastically. “So I’m wearing a muggle shirt, muggle-born witches and wizards wear muggle clothes all the time.”

"Fine, are you ready?" he asked. "If so, take my arm."

Raven’s stomach did a flip. After weeks and weeks of just writing George she will now be able to see him.

Raven grabbed her uncle’s arm and took a deep breath as he counted to three. It was a quick count because soon she felt as though her body was being squeezed through a tiny hole. Apparation was the worst feeling she had ever had and hoped that she would never have to do that for a while. Once she saw daylight again, she turned around and saw what she thought was the cutest house she had ever seen. It was the Burrow. George’s descriptions of his home were nothing compared to what it actually was.

When she came to, she noticed that Snape was already heading toward the house, walking very fast. She tried to keep up but realized that maybe the boots that she picked out were not the best, because she didn‘t realize she was going to have to do that much walking.

As they approached the door, Mrs. Weasley opened it and thanked Snape and Raven for coming on such short notice. Snape didn’t say a word, but walked right in and stood there, hoping to be in and out quickly.

“Hi Mrs. Weasley,” Raven said. “Thanks for inviting us.”

“Thank you for coming, dear,” Mrs. Weasley said looking at Raven’s clothes. “Don’t you look lovely! I had a muggle friend who was my neighbor growing up. Her parents listened to the Grateful Dead. She did as well. I didn’t quite understand the music myself, but she seemed to love it.”

“I’m glad someone has at least heard of them,” Raven said, shooting a look to her uncle, who rolled his eyes.

“Severus would you like a cup of tea?” she asked the clearly uncomfortable house guest.

“Thank you, Molly,” he said as she handed him the cup. Raven was glad that he was actually trying to be civilized.

Soon there was a rush down the steps. It was all the Weasley children: first Ron, then Ginny, then Fred. George calmly walked down the steps almost trying to keep his cool with the exception of the smile on his face at the sight of Raven. Snape, at the sight of all of them, gulped down all of his tea. He had to have felt extremely awkward being in his students’ house about to have lunch with them and their mother.

“Arthur could not join us today. He is busy with Ministry business,” Mrs. Weasley said, pouring Snape another cup of tea.

Soon Mrs. Weasley and Snape were in full discussion mode about ministry business. While they were talking, Mrs. Weasley was setting the table for lunch and all of the Weasley children and Raven were sitting at the table just staring at each other.

For Snape, lunch could not be ready quick enough. He was not a man of many words today; which was odd for him, but understandable. Raven on the other hand was ready for the purpose of this visit to be fulfilled.

“I would like to talk to you about the Quidditch World Cup,” he said out of the blue.

“Yes I was hoping to talk to you about that,” Mrs. Weasley said. “You have nothing to worry about. We will take good care of your niece.”

“I understand that, but she will not be going with you,” he said. Everyone at the table stopped eating and Raven dropped her fork on her plate, which made a loud clank noise. “I mean, I have already made arrangements for her to go and meet you all there.”

“What?” a confused Raven asked.

“After you asked me about the Quidditch finals, I asked around and was able to get you a ticket in the minister’s box, where the Weasley’s would be sitting. I then made tent and port key arrangements. So everything is settled and you will be able to go. However, Molly, I need your strict promise that she will be safe in the hands of your husband and yourself.”

“Of course, Severus, you have nothing to worry about,” she said.

“That being said, I do have one more concern,” he said. This had to be the part that Raven had to be dreading the most. “Although, I have full faith in you, Molly, I have to say that I am uneasy sending her off with your son.”

“Excuse me?” said Mrs. Weasley having to catch her breath so not to choke on her food.

“Sorry,” he said, knowing that what he just said had to spark some kind of curiosity among the people at the table. “It is an overnight trip, and I just don’t want…”

“Severus, I understand your concerns,” said Molly, attempting to get over her pre-emptive shock. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Arthur will check on the children periodically to make sure they are in bed or where they need to be. Nothing will happen to Raven while she is in our care.”

Snape’s nerves seemed to be settled. And the tension at the table seemed to be relieved.

“So I’m going?” asked Raven.

“Yes, but you mind Mr. Weasley and do whatever he says,” he said sternly.

“Um…sure,” she said in a questioning way as though wondering why she would have to be told to mind someone.

“I mean it Raven! You disrespect me all the time, but you will not disrespect the Weasley’s,” he said angrily. The tension in the house was obviously getting to him.

“Yes! Thank you for that! Um…can I talk to you privately for a moment?” Raven said a little embarrassed at his sudden outburst.

The two excused themselves and stepped outside for a moment.

“Is there any reason you had to embarrass me like that? I have been nice you all day, all summer in fact. What makes you think that I would disrespect kind people like the Weasley’s especially when I am their son’s girlfriend? I disrespect you because I‘m a kid. Once again, that‘s my job!” she said furiously.

“I’m sorry for my sudden outburst,” he said solemnly. “You don’t know how hard it is for me to be here.”

“I know it is. But it’s almost over,” she said. “I was wondering though…”

“Am I going to regret this?” he said irritated.

“You shouldn’t. Can I stay for dinner? You can leave and I will be back at a decent hour,” she said with a hint of pleading in her voice. “Think of it as a night home by yourself and a chance for you to trust me.”

The idea of spending a night home without Raven’s constant griping about the house seemed to appeal to Snape because he said yes.

“You won’t regret your decisions, I promise,” she said smiling.

“I hope not,” he said walking back into the house. He apologized to Mrs. Weasley about his sudden outburst. He then walked over to George and stopped.

“I just want you to know that just because you are seeing my niece does not mean I will be any less hard on you during the school year. However, I will trust you not to let anything happen to her and you will keep her safe,” he said to George, who had a priceless look of fear on his face, Raven couldn’t help but smile.

“I will, sir,” he said changing from a look of fear to one of confidence. “And I just want you to know, sir, that just because I am seeing your niece does not mean I will be any less of a pain during the school year.”

Snape rolled his eyes and left. Mrs. Weasley berated George for his comments and told the lot to get out of the kitchen so she could clean it and prepare for dinner. George and Raven went with Fred and Ron to take a tour of the house. Then, Ron was called to do a couple of chores so it was just the three. Fred and George took Raven up to their room where they talked about some of their ideas for joke shop products. After a while George asked Raven if they wanted to take a walk. The two strolled around the Burrow and caught up on latest events, even though there wasn’t much to catch up on.

“You look beautiful today,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said smiling. “You don’t think my uncle made me look bad in front of your mother, do you?”

“You’re fine. My mother knows Snape and knows how he can be. She loves you,” he said trying to reassure her.

“She barely knows me.”

“She knows more than you know. I try to keep her up to date,” he said.

“Thanks…I think,” she said not sure if that is what she wanted to hear.

“Don’t worry, she thinks you’re interesting and sweet,” he said.

Raven felt somewhat at ease. As they walked, though, her uneasiness started to swell again when she realized that they were pretty far from the Burrow, but far enough away to see it.

“What are we doing so far out here?” she asked.

“Well, I anticipated you staying for dinner so I took the liberty of arranging a sunset viewing right before dinner,” he said pointing to a blanket, already on the ground.

She smiled and realized how lucky she was to have George. They both sat down and faced the Burrow. The sun was close to setting behind the trees of the house. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. The sun was golden and the trees were lined with a matching hue. There was a moment when she felt like they were the only people in the world. The sun was almost gone and fading into a burnt pink when George grabbed her hand and gazed deep into Raven’s deep blue eyes. She returned by staring into his. As the sun disappeared from view they shared a long anticipated kiss. They were locked for what seemed like the longest moment of their lives. It was the most romantic moment they had ever felt since the moment they got together. Raven felt like the luckiest girl to be with George Weasley. As bad as it sounded, she felt as though if her father had not died she never would have found him. She never would have felt about anyone as she did for this person at this moment.

“I love you,” he said as they pulled away.

“And I love you,” she said with a smile on her face.

“GEORGE! RAVEN!” they heard Mrs. Weasley shout from the house. “DINNER!”

“We better go before she reports to my uncle that she couldn’t find us,” she said, not wanting this moment to end.

“She won’t, but okay,” he said getting up and grabbing the blanket.

The two made it back to the house and ate dinner with the family. Mr. Weasley and Percy were there and the whole experience for Raven was incredible. She never knew what a family was like. She only lived with either her father or uncle. Family was a new idea to her.

After dinner, Raven asked Mrs. Weasley if she needed help with the clean up. Mrs. Weasley was happy to have the help. After she finished it was about time for Raven to leave.

“Raven, dear,” said Mrs. Weasley, “I know that living with your uncle is hard and you never knew your mother. If you ever need a woman to talk to, you are more than welcome to come to me anytime.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Weasley,” Raven said smiling. She felt like she was part of a family now. Everyone here was so willing to take care of her and she was happy to be taken care of.

Before long, Raven had to go. She said her goodbyes to Fred, Ginny, Percy, Mr. Weasley and his wife. And then the dreaded time came when she had to say goodbye to George. She knew it would only be for a little while but the thought of another goodbye this summer was hard.

“It’s not for long,” he said giving her a hug, talking about their goodbye.

“I know, I’ll just miss you until then,” she said.

“Yeah, me too,” he said. “But think, we’ll see each other in a couple of weeks and all will be good.”

“I love you,” she said.

“Love you,” he said tenderly.

The two shared a quick peck of a kiss on the cheek and then Raven stepped into the fireplace.

“Bye all,” she said smiling. “Thank you for a great day and I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

She grabbed some Floo Powder from the bucket and spoke the words "Spinner's End." Soon she was back at Snape’s house and Snape was seated comfortably in his usual chair reading the same book.

“I’m home…obviously,” she said. “Thanks for letting me stay.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. “It’s late; you should go to bed now.”

She agreed and went off too bed. It was easy to go to sleep tonight. Her mind seemed rested and it didn’t take long before she was sound asleep. However her blissful sleep was interrupted by the same odd dream that she had on the way home from Hogwarts. She was running through the same maze and she was overcome with weakness and pain. Her hand was throbbing every time she heard the same muffled voice. She ran up to the same light and screamed when she saw the same two figures touch the light. She screamed again and then quickly woke up in a sweat. Her body felt weak and limp. What was it that she was seeing? If it is only a dream, what does it mean? She was still so tired that going back to sleep was no problem. But her sleep was restless; the idea of falling into a deep sleep scared her. She didn’t want to dream that again.

Chapter 16