Raven sat in front of her family portraits, lost in thought and completely missing the concerned looks on her family's faces. Her mates were in the kitchen with Death, Bonnie and Stefan, giving Elijah the information he deserved.
"Honey?" Her mother's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, she looked up at her mother's portrait with a tilt of her head.
"Mama?" The portraits smiled softly at the girl, despite her age, she was still their daughter/niece/granddaughter and there is a side of her that was still relatively young, perhaps it was because of her lack of childhood.
"You're rather quiet, is everything okay?" Her question made Raven freeze slightly before she started nibbling on her bottom lip, showing her nerves.
"I-well... I think I'm ready for you to meet my mates. Well, you already met George but you haven't met Damon and Elijah yet. I was going to wait until I met the other two but I don't think I'm patient enough for that" To say her family was shocked would be an understatement, they had been waiting for the time that Raven was Comfortable enough to introduce them but had wondered if it was ever going to happen.
"We would be happy to meet them, sweetheart," Her father said softly, easing her nerves slightly and bringing a smile to her face. She took a deep breath and nodded her head before standing up.
"I'll be right back" She wandered out of the library and followed the laughter, which led her to the kitchen. Bonnie was sat on the counter, Mortem sitting in between her legs as she tried to braid his midnight black hair. Stefan was in the middle of a meal whilst the twins, Damon and Elijah were in the middle of a conversation, one that she could only assume was him catching up on everything that he needed to know.
"My loves" George, Damon and Elijah's heads snapped up in my direction, wide smiles appearing on their faces.
"Come with me" In unison, they stood up and followed me calmly to the library.
"Darling, where are we going?" Elijah asked, appearing beside her with a face full of wonder. A smile was her response and continued on her way, he let out a small chuckle and followed close behind.
They entered the library and Elijah's eyes widened in awe. Damon had never been fond of books necessarily but he found the library to be extremely cosy and peaceful.
"Wow," Raven giggled and grabbed Elijah's hand, making him look down at their touch and smile. She then looked over her shoulder and nodded towards George, who had a feeling that this will be an important moment in their large relationship. She dragged them towards the couches and fireplace, sharing a shy smile with her family as her two mates (who haven't seen the library before) continue to look around in awe, George on the other hand, sends the portraits a playful wink before taking a seat on the armchair.
"Damon and Elijah, I'd like you to meet my family-" She points towards the first portrait and the two vampires notice a handsome man with sand-coloured hair, amber eyes and a face filled with white scars.
"This is my Godfather, Remus Lupin, also known as Moony" Remus nodded towards the pair with a small smile, Damon and Elijah nodded back respectfully but everyone could see they were still trying to grasp the fact that the Portraits are moving.
"Next, is my papa, Sirius Black, also known as Padfoot" of course, Sirius eyed the two men for a few moments, Raven knew how protective he was of her and even though he couldn't physically do anything about their relationship, she was still worried that he wouldn't like them.
"Nice to meet you, Mr Black," Damon and Elijah said respectfully with a slight nod, they could see the man was less trusting and wanted to make a good impression. Sirius tilted his head with a small hum before a mischievous smirk formed on his face, one that resembled George's at that very moment.
"Indeed, it's nice to meet you both too"
"Next, is my father, James Potter, also known as Prongs" James nodded his head with a kind smile, earning one back from both mates.
"My mother, Lilly Potter"
"Oh, aren't you two handsome" She cooed, making both men blush whilst everyone else chuckles, though it turned to full-blown laughter when they all noticed the look of disbelief from her husband.
"Anyway, these are my grandparents, Euphemia and Fleamont Potter and my great-grandparents, Charlus and Dorea Potter" they all greet each other before Raven pulled them onto the couch, she was sitting in between her two vampires, who seem rather nervous.
"So, I hear you enjoy drinking blood" James teased, making Raven stare up at her father with wide eyes whilst his two friends burst out into laughter.
"DAD!" She turned towards her two mates with an apologetic expression but was surprised to see they both held amused smiles.
"Yes, it is quite delicious" Damon responded with a smirk, earning an amused chuckle back from Raven's father.
"How old are you both, if you don't mind me asking" Dorea questioned with a curious expression, her chin leaning on her fist which was propped up on her knee.
"Over a thousand years old, Ma'am"
"172, Mrs Potter" The portraits were dead silent, they glanced between all four people, making them shuffle on their seats nervously.
"Holy Shit! You're old! My daughter is dating old men!" James screamed, earning loud laughs from the males of the group whilst Raven's mother and two grandmothers were looking at James disapprovingly. Raven covered her mouth to stop the chuckles, George fell off the couch in his fit of laughter and the two vampires were looking at the portraits with wide eyes, though their cheeks show a clear blush.
"Handsome old men" Damon responded confidently, making the marauder's smirk and the women nod their heads in agreement, though stopped when they received glares from their husbands.
"You're not wrong" Raven shrugged, earning cocky smirks from both vampires.
The four mates remained in the library for a few hours, allowing Raven's family to get to know her mates properly. They all seem to like them and it turns out that they have her female family members, wrapped around their fingers. However, they were all interrupted by Bonnie, who entered the library frantically.
"Sweetheart? What happened?" George asked softly as he approached her.
"T-Tyler is hurt, he's in the family room" Raven let out a quiet growl and immediately jumped into action, followed by her daughter and mates. They entered the family room and saw Tyler laying on the couch, his face covered in blood with a split lip, swollen black and blue eyes and a gash on his forehead. Fred was kneeling beside the couch, his wand scanning the injured teenager whilst Stefan stayed slightly back, even though he can control his blood lust much better than before, there's a time when a lot of it can give him the slight urge again.
"What happened to him?" Raven asks as she kneels beside his head, her hands immediately running through his hair.
"He messaged Bonnie and asked if he was able to come over, he said he had another fight with his dad. I don't know how he drove here like this but he collapsed on the doorstep" Fred explained before whispering healing spells, which were working but slowly.
"Bonnie" Raven walked towards her adoptive mother slowly, her watery eyes never leaving Tyler's bloody form.
"Yes, mum"
"His father, is he abusive?" Everyone exchanged cautious looks, especially Raven's mates, who were rather worried but her cold but calm tone.
"We've had suspicions but Tyler either denied it or told us to change the subject" Raven took a deep breath whilst nodding, she stood up slowly and with a flick of her hand, she was dressed in a leather jacket and ankle-high boots.
"Darling? Where are you going?" Elijah questioned his mate, stepping towards her slowly. He hadn't known his mate for long at all but her eerie calmness reminded him too much of himself when trying to hold back from murdering someone on the stop.
"Don't worry, before this day ends, Tyler will have a new home" With that being said, she disappeared on the stop, leaving everyone who resided in the room extremely anxious and worried.
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Raven appeared on the outskirts of the mayor's home and she knew if she wasn't so consumed by rage, she would have admired the property, nonetheless, she had business to do and nothing was going to stop her from succeeding.
She walked onto the porch and banged heavily on the door, the noise echoing through the large home. She heard distant angry shouts, followed by a calmer but weary female voice. She heard heels coming closer to the door and when it opened, the mayor's wife, Carol Lockwood was revealed with a small frown.
"Can I help you?" She questioned as she tried to subtly examine the witch's outfit, her face showing distaste before a fake smile appeared.
"Hello Mrs Lockwood, my name is Raven Lillian Potter-Black. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to have a word with you and your husband" Carol's eyes widened at the young woman who had been spoken so highly of throughout their private town meetings every week. She knew that this one woman was highly influential and held a lot of power in not just America but in most countries.
"Of course, Miss Potter-Black, do come in" Carol stepped aside and allowed the young woman in. She gestured for Raven to follow her and they appeared in a room with two three-seater couches facing one another, a small bookshelf to the side and a cart full of different types of alcoholic beverages.
"I'll just go get my husband, please make yourself at home" Raven nodded her head and tried her hardest to hold back the eye roll as Mrs Lockwood sped out of the room. A few moments later, she appeared with the mayor himself, who held a large frown and she could see that the man was slightly intoxicated.
"You must be Miss Potter-Black, it's a pleasure to finally meet you" Richard Lockwood greeted the young woman, holding out his hand which was shaken by Raven. She noticed that his knuckles were bandaged and it seemed he noticed her stares because he quickly took his seat opposite her with his hands slightly hidden to his sides.
"How can we help you?" Carol asks once again, her tone showing her weariness but also curiosity.
"You see, I'm well aware of how respected you both are within Mystic falls and I, for one must say, am delighted to see all the charitable events you organise, they truly are beautiful" A bright smile appeared on Carol's face whilst Richard puffed his chest out from the compliment, Raven had to hold back a scoff at his cockiness and took great pleasure in how this conversation was about to go.
"However, despite all of that, I still found myself with an unconscious teenager at my doorstep with cuts, bruises and broken ribs. Mrs Lockwood was you aware that your only son was being abused by your husband? Or is your image too important to you?" Raven watched as their faces paled drastically before Richard jumped up, his body shaking with rage.
"How dare you come into my home and accuse me of such a thing! Whatever happened to my son had nothing to do with us, he gets into plenty of fights and if what you are saying is true, I can guarantee that this was the result of another" If Raven hadn't spent many years seeking out the little tells whenever someone is lying, she could almost say that he was rather convincing. However, the only time his right shoulder didn't twitch was when he mentioned Tyler getting into fights, which was common knowledge throughout the town and it showed that his refusal of the claims being made was a complete lie.
"You are aware, Mr Lockwood, that if the community found out about this abuse, you would lose your title of Mayor and will quite literally, lose your home and the respect you have gained. I know for a fact that it was you that harmed your son, I can tell by the bleeding knuckles and the smell of bleach that lingers in the air. Now, I have two options for you both. You can either sign over guardianship to me or I can go to every newspaper and journalist in the country and expose you. You are both aware of the power I have and we all know it won't end well for you. It's your choice" Raven pulled out a document that she had subtly conjured and placed it on the table, sliding it over to them. The couple looked down at the document for a few moments before Carol shakily took it, they both read over it and from the looks on their faces, they were starting to realise just how much trouble they were truly in.
"If we sign this, how do we know that you won't go to the press anyway?" Richard questioned through clenched teeth, making Raven smirk internally.
"You don't but quite frankly, the only person I'm focussing on is Tyler and his well-being" She shrugged and leaned back into the couch, placing one leg over the other with her arms folded over her chest.
"Is Tyler okay?" Raven turned toward Carol with a look of disbelief, her anger growing by the minute and she knew if she didn't leave within the next ten minutes, there no longer would be a mayor or a mayor's wife left in this town.
"How do you think Tyler is? Your husband beat him nearly unconscious, but somehow he managed to drive to my home before finally passing out. It sounds like he's perfectly fine" She responded sarcastically, making the older woman gulp and divert her eyes downwards whilst her husband glared.
"Sign" Raven demanded, leaving no room for argument. Richard was the first to do so before handing the document to his wife, who slowly scribbled down her signature.
"I love my son" Carol commented as she placed the document on the table. Raven stood up and raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding what she was hoping to achieve by her statement.
"If you loved your son, you would have stopped your husband from abusing him" without another word, she grabbed the document and stormed out of the house, finding a secure place to apparate back home.
When she entered her manor, she noticed that her mates were pacing anxiously, a crying Bonnie was being comforted by Fred and Stefan was standing at the side on the phone.
"Mum" Bonnie gasps and ran towards her, engulfing Raven in a tight embrace. The older witch smiled softly and placed a kiss on her daughter's temple.
"How's Tyler?" She questioned as Bonnie pulled away, allowing Raven to kneel beside the unconscious teenager, who looked as if he hadn't endured a harsh beating.
"He's okay, we gave him a couple of potions to help with the pain and his two broken ribs. The cuts and bruising were easy to heal" Fred reassured as he placed a comforting kiss on the crown of her head.
"Thank you-"
"Baby, how did it go with the mayor?" Damon asked as he kneeled beside her, taking one of her hands in his. All the stress and anger immediately drifted away and she sighed, suddenly feeling all the adrenaline leaving her body.
"Tyler is officially under our care" This earned surprising looks from those around her, though none of them once doubted that she was going to sort out the situation, it was just a shock that it happened so quickly.
"You're amazing"