It had been a few days since Raven noticed something off with Alaric, she was rather surprised that no one else noticed his odd behaviour or the fact that he would continuously disappear without a trace. It was quite clear to her that Niklaus had somehow possessed Alaric's body, she assumed that was a witch's doing and decided to wait patiently for the original hybrid to come to her. Knowing one way or another, it was going to happen.
It was early evening and she was sitting at the bar at the Grill. She loved being around her mates but she had spent so many years learning to enjoy her own company that sometimes she felt the need to be alone. It was during these times that she felt she was able to think more clearly, there was always so much going through her mind and despite them not always being the most positive, she realised that instead of her mates distracting her from them, she needed to face them head-on.
The best decision she ever made was to leave Britain but she found that sometimes, she truly missed the magical world. She was eleven years old when she returned to magical Britain for the first time since her parent's death and for the first time in forever, she truly felt as if she belonged. Of course, at the time she didn't know her fate or the expectations that they all held for her, but despite all of that, she still saw and relished in the beauty and power that was the wizarding world. She didn't want to think of the war or those who betrayed her without any regret, but she did find herself smiling at the thought of those who, still to this day, meant a great deal to her.
Her Godbrother, Neville. The shy but courageous Gryffindor with the heart of a lion and the loyalty of a Hufflepuff. Oh, how she missed him. He always knew how to cheer her up and always gave the best advice, even if said advice wasn't what she wanted to hear at the time. They exchanged letters often and were saddened by the news of his break-up with Luna, though she was pleased that they remained friends and had bonded more than they ever did as a couple. Raven bonded with the boy almost immediately in their first year, he was the one who had explained their parent's friendship to one another and how his mother was my Godmother, whilst hers was his. He had even given her an album full of pictures of their parents together during their years at Hogwarts, it was rather shocking how similar he truly looked to his parents, and from the stories she heard from Moony and Padfoot, he was a mix of then in personality as well.
Then there was Luna, her sister in all but blood, her little moon. The blonde Ravenclaw was as angelic and innocent as they came and yet, was deadly with a wand. Raven hated how she was bullied throughout her first few years at Hogwarts, especially by her fellow Ravens. When they first met, she found Luna rather unique and fascinating, especially when she would go on and on about creatures that no one had ever heard about or seen before. It wasn't until Raven's 6th year that she found out that said creatures, were Luna's way of explaining the visions she was receiving from her seer ability. Like Neville, she had exchanged quite a lot of letters with the girl, though they were more spaced out due to her adventurous travels to find rare and fascinating magical creatures.
If someone told her younger self that she would be missing Draco Malfoy and his two Slytherin best friends, she would have laughed in their faces and told them to go to the hospital wing for a mental check-up. No one knew that Raven and Draco came to an understanding in their 5th year, especially not Hermione, Ron or Ginny, who would most definitely accuse her of being mental, or accuse Draco of somehow using a spell to Alta her mind. She grew close to him, Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini but unfortunately, was only able to communicate with them via Owl or in abandoned classrooms, though they spent most of their time together in the room of Requirement. She was happy to give a written statement to the magical court for Draco and Lady Malfoy's freedom, though they understood why she couldn't bring herself to do the same for Malfoy sr. It wasn't until she explained her Gringotts inheritance results to him that he explained that they were indeed cousins due to his mother originally being Narcissa Black.
Raven was snapped out of her thoughts when the seat beside her became occupied and even though her eyes remained on her glass of bourbon, she instantly knew that it was Niklaus Mikaelson.
"Hello, Niklaus" She greeted softly before taking a swig of her drink.
"How did you know it was me?" His deep voice sent a pleasant chill down her spine, though she managed to hide her reaction well.
"I can feel your power, it's rather alluring, I must say" He hummed, though she could hear the amusement in it. They remained silent for a few minutes, enjoying the quiet and peaceful company they found themselves in, but she knew he had questions and was rather surprised he didn't start interrogating her immediately.
"What are those Symbols on your skin?" He questioned curiously as he eyed the tattoos on my revealed arms.
"Magical runes, I created them myself believe it or not" She chuckled and asked for a refill of her drink.
"Now, are you finally going to ask me what has been on your mind for the last couple of days?" She asked and finally turned to look at him. Her emerald globes met his sparkling blue eyes and she felt herself freeze, only snapping out of her daze when she felt a stinging sensation on her wrist. Her head snapped towards the pain, not noticing that his eyes followed. Underneath the names of her three mates, sat the words 'Niklaus Mikaelson'.
"Holy shit" She gasped before snapping her head up towards Nik, who was looking down at her wrist with a tilt of his head. He slowly looked up, their eyes connecting once again and hesitantly ran his thumb across her cheekbone, feeling the familiar sparks and shivers that only her mates can cause.
"Mate" He growled possessively, veins under his eyes becoming visible with his fangs on full display.
"Hello my love" She purred with a loving smile. He was shocked to see the love and adoration in her beautiful emerald eyes and for the first time in his life, he felt what unconditional love truly is.
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Raven and her newly found mate made their way to her manor, she knew her mates were already there with her family, Stefan and Caroline. She was rather nervous to enter her home with Niklaus, knowing that he and Elijah have some unfinished business, she could only hope that things didn't get too bloody.
"This is your home?" He asked in awe, looking up at the beautiful manor.
"Our home, Niklaus" His head shot towards her with wide eyes, his mouth opening and closing as he was unable to find the right words to say. She let out a small giggle, which immediately brought a smile to his face as she led him through the front door. Nik tilted his head as he heard laughing coming from one of the rooms, along with loud music.
"I can't leave them alone for more than an hour, I expected Elijah to disapprove of their behaviour but sometimes he's worse than them all" She sighed, though he could see the fond smile on her face. He wasn't sure what she meant regarding his brother but as he followed her into the living room, his eyes widened in shock when his eyes landed on Elijah. The original vampire was dressed in grey sweatpants and was completely topless with a glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
"Oh, honestly" Raven huffed as she picked up a shirt that was on the floor in the doorway.
"Did you have to start the party without us?" She called out, gaining their attention. As Elijah made contact with his younger brother, his glass slipped from his hand, smashing against the wooden floor. Death tutted disappointingly and with a wave of his hand, the mess was cleaned up which in itself, shocked Nik from the unfamiliar but powerful magic.
"Niklaus?"
"Hello, brother" He greeted with a stiff nod, making the group look between the two with confusion and amusement.
"Well... This is intense" Raven perked up at the familiar voice, looking around the room before noticing that some of the portraits were now occupied by her family, who until now resided in the library.
"How did... Do you know what, never mind" Raven chuckled before gesturing to Elijah to follow her as she guided Nik into the kitchen. She pulled out a large jug of blood from the fridge and poured two glasses for the silent brothers, who were staring at one another blankly.
"What is he doing here, sweetheart?" Elijah broke the silence, looking at his mate with a stern glare. She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the eyes that drifted to that region.
"Watch your tone, Elijah-" She warned and much to Niklaus' surprise, his older brother lowered his head in shame with a sigh.
"I'm sorry beautiful, it's just-"
"I know but it so happens that Nik is my fourth mate. You both need a long talk because I will not have you at each other's throats. Do I make myself clear" The Mikaelson brothers felt a spike of lust shoot through them, they enjoyed their mate's stern and threatening tone but they both knew it wasn't the time to react how they truly wanted.
"Of course, my love" It was Nik that managed to snap out of his lust-filled thoughts enough to answer his mate, who was glaring at the pair. Elijah nodded in agreement and elegantly took a seat at the table, making Raven smile softly at her charming love. Niklaus let out a sigh and took a seat on the other side of the table, knowing that if he lost his temper somehow, he wouldn't be able to react straight away.
"Where are our siblings, Niklaus?" Elijah questioned, smiling at his mate as she placed a glass of blood in front of him. Klaus wanted to make a snarky response as he had done every other time his brother asked the question, but as he watched his mate hum to herself happily as she poured him a glass of blood, he knew in an instant that he would do anything to make her happy.
"They're safe, brother. I-I was just so afraid that Mikael would hunt you all down to get to me, I thought it would be safer if you were all with me at all times without getting into some sort of trouble" Elijah sat completely frozen, his brother had never opened up in such a way since they were children, and from the sincerity in his voice, he knew Niklaus was being truthful.
"We made a vow to be there for one another, always and forever. You didn't need to put all the burden on yourself, Niklaus, we could have protected each other" Elijah responded softly, his eyes looking into his younger brother's watery blue globes.
"I-you're right... I'll undagger them after I break the curse. I promise" In a blink of an eye, Elijah was by his brother's side, pulling him into a tight embrace. They broke apart when they heard someone sniffle from behind them, they looked over and grew concerned when they saw their mate with tears pouring from her eyes.
"Love? What's wrong" Nik asked as he approached her, pulling her into his arms with his brother hugging her from behind.
"Don't mind me, I'm being an emotional sap. It's just... That conversation was beautiful" The brothers exchanged amused glances, both placing a kiss on her head as she snuggled into them.
"Let's go introduce Niklaus to the family, shall we?" with a happy nod from their mate, Nik was dragged to the smokey living room where everyone was laughing and dancing. They all paused when the trio entered the room, Caroline turned down the music as they all stood in silence. For the first time in forever, Niklaus was nervous. How could he not be? These are his mate's family and friends, he wanted them to like him, which sounds rather ridiculous because he never cared about that sort of thing before and truth be told, he wasn't necessarily likeable.
"Mi Familia, this is Niklaus Mikaelson, my fourth mate" She announced as she snuggled into his side. Niklaus expected the apprehensive looks they were receiving but what he didn't expect was for them to all burst into some sort of celebratory cheer and rush to introduce themselves.
He met the twins, George and Fred, who had a mischievous twinkle in their eyes, almost identical to the one that his brother, Kol always had. Then there was Caroline Forbs, a beautiful blonde with a bright smile but even though she was indeed a looker, she seemed rather plain compared to his mate. He was surprised to find a Bennet witch amongst them, especially when she wasn't standing beside a doppelganger as other Bennet witches had done before. What surprised him, even more, was that she was introduced as Raven and George's daughter. Next was the Salvator brothers, he stood frozen for a few moments when he came face to face with his old friend, Stefan but decided not to give back the memories that he took from him just yet. Lastly, there was a man called Mortem who radiated such dark power that it made Niklaus want to kneel in submission, which infuriated him because Niklaus Mikaelson bowed down to no one.
"Where is Tyler?" Raven questioned with a frown as she looked between her family and friends.
"He's at practice" Caroline responded sheepishly, making the Raven-haired beauty raise an unamused eyebrow. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes, knowing Caroline found it difficult to keep a secret at the best of times, let alone under the glare of Raven Lillian Potter-Black.
"Fine! He fought with Matt and wanted to let off some steam" Her nose crinkled in disgust and for a few moments, Raven was unsure of what she was talking about, that was until it clicked, making her sigh loudly as she ran her hands over her face.
"I swear to Merlin, if that boy gets a girl pregnant, I'm hexing his dick off" The males all shifted uncomfortably, their hands covering their private area subconsciously at the thought of anything happening to their Jrs. Bonnie and Caroline, however, found it rather amusing and stood snickering beside them.
"Darling, I was wondering what you meant when you said you'll be able to break my curse without the doppelganger," Niklaus asked softly, gaining his mate's attention. With a smile, she grabbed his hand and pulled him slowly towards the couch. She pushed him onto it before taking a seat on his lap, a shiver ran down her body as an aroused growl rumbled through his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist in her possessive grip.
"I think it's story time" and so, she explained her childhood, her time at Hogwarts, all the pain and suffering she experienced, along with all the great times she had. She explained the hunt for Horcruxes and the betrayal of her so-called best friend. She also mentioned new Orleans, where she found out that Marcel had been adopted and turned by the Mikaelsons. She explained that Mortem was death and their unique mate bond, which was indeed appealing for the brothers who have yet to complete the mate bond.
"So you're telling me, that you had to fight and kill a dangerous dark wizard, dying in the process before coming back to life. For you to then find out that your best friends, mother figure and grandfather figure had betrayed you, making you decide to leave the country and move to New Orleans where you met Marcel. You have five mates but have only found four of us, and once we complete the bond, we become completely immortal with special abilities. What did I miss?" The group sat listening in amusement as Niklaus tried to wrap his head around the information he just received. He never heard of her brand of Witches and Wizards, she called them core wixens. Unlike the witches and warlocks he has met, they don't get their power from nature or their ancestors, instead, they have magical cores that they channel. It was completely mind-boggling to him but he was left in awe.
"To remove your curse, we need to return to magical Britain" This caught everyone's attention, they have all heard multiple stories of where the twins and Raven came from but to hear that they would have to go back was rather exciting for them. Raven turned to the twins with a smirk, her emerald eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Diagon Alley is calling, my twins"