I woke up on one of the couches in the common room one the first day of our O.W.L's. Well, I say I woke up on one of the couches, but it was more like I woke up whilst being half on Draco and half off of him. Our relationship had actually been less worrying than I expected it to be. It was like I suddenly knew what to say and I was starting to believe this wasn't just mixed up emotions. We hadn't shared our first kiss yet, and for that I was kind of grateful. We weren't rushing into a relationship. We were easing our way into the unknown, as neither of us had actually dated a person (not as a prank or pay-back, I mean). We hadn't told anyone yet about our relationship, mostly for the reason of us still getting used to the new label ourselves. Draco was definitely the more relaxed one of the two of us. I kind of worried if someone saw us lying together on the couch or us holding hands, but Draco reminded me many times that we did this before we were dating. Everyone was more than used to seeing us like this by now. Except what they didn't know was that it meant more now. Draco was a gentleman. He acted less as a "bro" and more like a human version of a cuddly, precious puppy. I looked over at the sleeping boy. I smiled to myself as I began to shake him awake.
"Just ten more minutes." He mumbled.
"O.W.L's start today. I can't let you sleep in." I told him.
He gave a long, exasperated groan as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.
"Come on. Go get changed and cleaned up and I'll meet you back here when I'm done getting ready." I told him.
I stood up and walked up to the girl's dormitories. I entered my room and saw that all the girl's were still sleeping.
"Up you get, Ladies! Got to get as much last minute studying in before our exams!" I yelled at the girls.
They all began moaning and groaning, pulling open their curtains and glaring at me.
"Let's go, girls." I said finally before getting changed out of my night gown and into my uniform.
I went into the bathroom and got washed. I threw my hair into a high ponytail and made sure all of my jewelry was in order before walking out and down stairs. I knew Draco was going to be there before me. He always was. So it wasn't a surprise to see him trying to get a couple more minutes of sleep. I walked over to the boy. I placed a small kiss on his cheek, waking him up with a smile. I held my hands out to him, helping him get up. We walked out of the common room, hand in hand. We made our way to the Great Hall. When we got there, we sat at the Slytherin table, sitting across from each other. I began to eat my toast and berries.
"I'm not ready for our Dark Arts O.W.L's." Greengrass sighed, sitting next to me.
"We've been studying for weeks. You're fine." I said.
"Can we study a little bit before?" She asked, worry coating her face.
"You're psyching yourself out. You'll do fine!" I assured her.
Daphne continued to panic and alarm herself more by the second. Davis tried to call her down after I had given up, but nothing helped. She just kept insisting that she needed to go over the study sheet again.
"Alright, Greengrass." I sighed, "Where would you find a Kappa?"
"Erm ... I don't know!" She exclaimed.
I sighed and slapped the back of her head.
"Think and calm down!" I snapped at her.
"The... the... ponds!" She exclaimed as if a lightbulb lit up in her mind, "Shallow ponds!"
"Now you know you have nothing to worry about. Just calm down!" I told her.
She took a deep breath and nodded. I watched as she took some eggs and bacon and began to eat. I turned my attention back to Draco, who had his head in his hands and his eyes closed. I smirked at napping boy. I took my right hand and slammed it on the table twice, startling the boy awake. He glared over at me, which turned into a smile. We finished our breakfast, then left the Great Hall. Shortly after we left the Great Hall, the room was evacuated to prepare for the written exams. From the information we were given, we knew that the Great Hall was being transformed into a large classroom setup. The room would hold all of the classes for Defence Against the Dark Arts who were doing O.W.L's, which were the fifth and sixth year students, as well as seventh years that were doing their sixth year O.W.L's because they failed the class, but there weren't that many of them.
Until the Hall was ready, Draco and I went back to the common room lounge, where I let Draco get a well needed hour of sleep. I also tried to sleep, but wasn't able to with the excitement of being done with this test. If I knew Umbridge, I knew that she wasn't going to do a practical. She was only going to have us do the written portion. Of course I want thrilled, but there was nothing I could do. When the clock struck nine o'clock, I woke up Draco and we made our way back to the Great Hall.
"What time did you go to bed at? You shouldn't be this exhausted for your O.W.L's." I asked him.
"I couldn't sleep until about four in the morning. I had to keep you at bay." He told me.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You thrash around and talk in your sleep. I don't know how your roommates sleep through it. It terrifies me." He told me, "you only calm down when I stroke your hair and talk back to you."
I looked up at him. I would have apologized, but I didn't. He could have moved if I was bothering him. He got himself in this mess. We reached the Great Hall and found two that most of the Hall was empty. Draco and I took two free desks next to each other. I expected the mud-blood, Granger, to be here already, and I was right. She, as well as Potter and the Weasel were sitting one in front of the other, Granger being in front of the lot of them. I got up from my desk and walked over to the group. I stopped at Potter's desk, but my attention was on Weasley, who sat right behind him.
"Hey Weasel!" I whispered over to the red haired boy.
I smirked as he glared up at me.
"Prepared for the text? I heard it will be difficult. Only people who pay the closest attention and read more than they should will pass. I read the entire book Umbridge gave us. I don't recall you even opening the book once." I said to him.
Of course I was lying. I had no idea what the test was going to be like and there was no way I was even touching those musty old books, let alone read the entire thing.
"Shove off, Snape. We don't need your opinion." Potter said to me.
I scoffed, placing my hand over my heart.
"My, my! Did something happen to the Weasel? Did he lose the ability to speak? Because I sure didn't ask for your opinion!" I said back.
"Give it a rest, will you Raven?" Granger asked, turning around and looking at me.
"I wasn't talking to you either, Mud-blood! Turn around!" I snapped , turning to look at her.
"Or what?" She asked me, crossing her arms.
It was like the world suddenly went in slow motion as the boy's expressions turned from unimpressed and annoyed to absolutely horrified as they turned to look at Granger. In slow motion, I pulled my wand out and pointed it at her. I had the spell wanted to use on her, but I didn't get a chance to say it before a flash of green sparked from the end of my wand and Granger flew from her chair, as if she was punched in the stomach. Normal time came back to me when I felt a hand on my wrist. The person pulled me away from the group. I could feel the boiling blood coursing through my veins. I could only hear my heartbeat and a ringing in my ears. If looks could kill, she would be much past dead. She was testing me, and I passed. I had noticed, from my peripheral vision, that Draco was still at his desk, watching me. It had just dawned on me that I was being dragged out of the Hall. I looked up at who was dragging me. I knew the back of the man's head too well. From the shoulder length black hair to the black robes, it could only be my father. We reached the large front foyer of the school. I began to try to tear my hand out of his, but his grip only tightened, which actually hurt a little.
"Loosen your grip, you lunatic!" I yelled at him.
He stopped walking and turned to face me. He towered over me. I knew this was his intimidation mechanism against me, but he couldn't intimidate me. He could try all he wanted to, but he was my father. His intimidation was all I knew when he was home. He didn't scare me.
"Don't you dare speak to me that way, do you hear me?" He asked through clenched teeth.
His finger from his free hand pointed straight in my face. I slapped the hand away.
"Get your hand out of my face!" I yelled at him.
I noticed attention being drawn to us, but that was the least of my worries.
My father, however, grabbed my other wrist.
"You dare raise your voice to me?" He asked threateningly.
"I dare! I do! And I will do it again!" I yelled.
My father continued to drag me towards the stairs. I began to fight for my hand again.
"Let go!" I screamed, "you dare lay your hands on a child! I can get you fired for this!"
"But you are my child and I will take every disciplinary action I deem necessary for my child. Now shut up. You're making a fool out of yourself." My father snapped at me.
"Let go of me first. Then I'll follow you to Umbridge's office." I said.
It didn't take a genius to know I was going to the headmistress. My father let go of my wrist and I followed him, like I said I would. I followed him to the office, which I had seen many times. My father knocked and not even a few seconds later, the doors opened and we walked into a very pink room. Sounds from the fire, as well as cats from the plates that lined the walls filled the room. Only a couple portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses covered the walls, all of whom were awake and chatting amongst themselves. I listened in on the whispering as my father and I walked towards the small desk.
"Professor Snape..."
"That's his daughter- Raven..."
"Why are they here..."
"What did she do..."
"What makes you think she did something..."
"She's the daughter of Snape..."
"She's a tough lass, brilliant but-"
"Stop talking about me!" I snapped at the pictures.
"Pardon me? Do you know who you're talking to, young lady?" A posh woman asked me.
"Don't mind her, Professor Creaseworthy. Raven, I think an apology to the Professor is in order." Umbridge said, walking in from the door we had just entered.
She made her way to her side of the desk. I looked at Umbridge. I shrugged and shook my head.
"No. I don't apologise. I say what I mean and I mean what I say. No apologies will be shared today." I told her.
"Alright, so what is the issue? Let's make it quick, we have O.W.L's to write." Umbridge asked.
"Professor," my father said, "Lily has been dueling in the Great Hall without the permission and supervision of a teacher with the intentions of harming another student. I think the proper discipline should include-"
"Thank you, Severus," the headmistress interrupted, "I will decide on the proper discipline. You may go. I would like to speak to Raven alone."
My father nodded and walked out of the room. Umbridge offered me a seat in front of her desk, where she sat. I slumped in the seat and looked around the room.
"Nice office, do you agree?" The woman asked me.
"It's definitely not according to my taste." I said.
She offered me some tea, which I declined.
"Now, who did you stun?" The professor asked.
I looked over at her curiously.
"Granger. How did you know I stunned her?" I asked back.
"It's the least that you would do. I've been taking notes on you, Raven. You're hardly afraid of anything or anyone. You're on the Inquisitorial Squad. You're a Slytherin. You're smart and very skilled. You would make a great Auror if you weren't so into the dark arts." She explained to me.
"So what are you going to do? Give me detention for the last four days of school? Have me come in over the summer to clean the bathrooms without using magic? Expel me?" I asked her.
"Well tell me why you stunned her." Umbridge said.
"She was testing my limits. I was talking to Potter and Weasley, trying to make them nervous for the O.W.L's, which isn't a new thing for me. It's always expected by now. She began talking to me. I told her to turn around, I wasn't talking to her. Then she said, 'or what'. She crossed her arms and the look in her eyes were screaming at me to come at her. I wanted to throw myself at her and break her nose or something, but instead I drew out my wand and without saying anything, my wand preformed the spell I was thinking. I hadn't even said it yet. It was like my wand knew what I wanted and just did it." I explained to her.
"You preformed non-verbal magic?" She asked.
"I guess." I shrugged.
What confused me was the fact that I hadn't even started studying non-verbal magic, and yet I could do non-verbal legilimancy and apparently now non-verbal stunning.
"You are almost three years ahead in your education then." She told me.
"I guess?" I shrugged.
"Then I'm going to make your detention less terrible, because this knowledge that you have, is very rare in children your age. I am going to have you work with Filch after classes for the last days of school to clean the school top to bottom without magic. I expect this school to be spotless. But as a reward for your schedual for next year, I am offering you to skip ahead to year seven, while all your friends are still in sixth year. You deserve the best education that will challenge you."
I thought about her offer. Be in seventh year, but graduate before Draco? We would be in different classes though.
"I will decline that offer. I would like to stay in my split up years. Potions and charms in seventh, everything else in my year. It just works for me." I told her.
"Well then let me know what you would like and I will help you." She told me.
We concluded our conversation and we walked in silence to the Great Hall so I could write my O.W.L's. I was surprised I only got a few days of detention and an IOU.
I got to the Great Hall with Umbridge's and took my seat next to Draco. Every desk was supplied with a quill with a anti-cheating spell placed on it. When the clock struck ten, the exams began.
***
I got home late at night on the Sunday after our O.W.L's. The first thing I did when I walked in the house on Spinner's End was go see my house elves.
"Miss Snape!" I heard an elf exclaim.
I watched as Zimsy ran up to me and hugged my leg.
"Oh Zimsy is very happy you is home!" Zimsy said, not letting go of my leg.
"Me too, Zimsy. Now where is Haltak?" I asked her.
"Haltak is in the kitchen. He has been preparing your foods for tomorrow!" She said, finally letting go of my leg and looking up at me with a smile.
I nodded and walked towards the stairs. I began to walk up them, counting them one at a time. I finally reached the ninth step and walked to my room. Seeing the proper layout of my room again made me feel abnormally happy. I walked toward my bed and flopped onto it, embracing the soft mattress.
"Miss Snape, I brought up your trunk and bird!" Zimsy exclaimed.
I watched as a trunk and a bird in a cage floated over to the end of my bed and softly landed on the ground.
"Think you Zimsy."
I watched as she disappeared and I was alone with Ross in my room.
"You know Ross," I said, looking at the bird, "I do miss our conversations." I told him.
"Me too." The bird squawked.
"I would turn you back into a human, but how can I trust you to not do what you did before?" I asked him.
"I won't," He squawked again, "I promise. Do it."
"I have a boyfriend, I hope you know that." I told him.
"Draco?" he asked.
I nodded. Ross shook his head many times.
"He's a snake."
I laughed at his remark.
"It's not like he stole me from you. I'm not an object and I was never yours to be given to." I told him.
"But I'm yours."
"My pet, not my person."
"But still yours."
"And that should be enough for you." I told him.
We were both silent for a minute. I remembered how it was when he was a human. His wings were mesmerizing and it bothered Draco. But Ross understood me almost as much as Draco did. As much as my mind was telling me to turn him back into a human, it also told me that it was a very bad idea. I tried to think of the cons of the idea. Well, he could kiss me again, meaning I'd be unfaithful to Draco. His wings were mesmerizing, pulling my mind away from Draco. The boys also hated each other. I could never have them in the same room while Ross is a human. There were too many reasons to not turn him into a human. So I didn't. It wasn't easy to keep my wand in my pocket, but I forced myself not to. Instead, I got changed into my night gown and got into bed and went to sleep.
The next day I got up and ready to go to the Malfoy's. I had been looking forward to see him for what felt like forever, even though it had only been a day. I knew today was a cool day, even though it was the summer, so I threw on an ankle long black skirt and an emerald green long sleeve shirt. I skipped putting my hair in a high ponytail. I just tamed my curls and I quickly ran down to my father.
"I'm ready, let's go!" I exclaimed.
"Get yourself together. You look like you ran laps around the quidditch pitch." My father told me.
I ran my fingers through my hair, fixed my necklace, smoothed out the wrinkles in my skirt and looked up at him. He held out his arm and I took it. We apparated to the Malfoy Manor and I walked in the house without knocking. I walked straight to the Kitchen to grab an apple, then made my way to Draco's room. I walked up the stairs and found the white room with black and green accents. I knocked on the oak door. The door opened and I saw Draco standing there in just some black jeans.
"Oh, hey! I wasn't expecting you here today." He said.
"I know, but I don't like not seeing you everyday." I told him.
"And I'm not complaining." He smirked.
"Good." I smiled and walked into his room.
I walked straight to his bed and sat down. Draco walked over and sat on the floor in front of me. I took a bite of my apple and watched the boy in front of me as he smoothed out a wrinkle in my skirt.
"New skirt?" He asked me.
"Actually, I've had it in my closet for a long time, but I've never worn it." I told him.
He nodded and smiled.
"I like it." He said.
I took another bite of my apple and shrugged. Something silver caught my eye. My gaze dropped down to his neck. It was a chain with a small silver key on the end
"That's new." I said, pointing at the key.
I called for Hobber, one of their new house elves. I gave him my apple and made him leave. The second he was gone, I got off of the bed and sat on the floor right in front of Draco. I picked the key up off of his chest to get a closer look.
"What does the key symbolize?" I asked him.
He smiled and stood up, making me let go of the necklace. I watched as he walked over to his dresser and pulled out a box from one of the drawers.
"This was supposed to wait for your birthday," He told me, walking back over, "but now I can't wait."
He sat in front of me again. He opened the small box to reveal a necklace. It was an open heart locket. A small picture of me and him as little ones before we started school was on the left side and an updated picture from over the Easter break was on the right.
"It was open because it knew that the key was close. So anytime, even if we don't know we're close to each other and we are, the locket will open and you can see us." He told me.
He closed the locket to show the silver outside and was outlined with diamonds. I was absolutely speechless. It was absolutely gorgeous. Draco held his hand out to me. He help me up and turned me so my back faced him. I felt as he placed the necklace around my neck. He turned me back around to face him. I looked down at the necklace, then back at him. No word could tell him how much I loved it. Instead, I took a step toward him. It was like my body had a mind of it's own and suddenly my brain had no say in what it did. My hand reached up and placed my palm against his cheek. He looked down at my hand, then his eyes connected with mine again.
Draco's POV
She placed her hand on my cheek. I looked down at it, then back into her eyes. She had a small smile on her face and her beautiful black diamond eyes shone like the sun beating down on two diamonds. She took another step toward me, only leaving a few inches between us. Her hand moved from my cheek to my neck. It only took a small tug before our lips connected. It definitely surprised me at first, but I quickly reacted, wrapping my arms around her waist, pulling our bodies together. Both her hands held the back of my neck. The kiss was slow, passionate and it felt right. We finally parted from each other. I got to see the sparkle in her eyes again and a smile spread across her face.
"No fair," I whispered, "I was supposed to kiss you first."
She laughed and leaned into me, burying her face into my chest.
Raven's POV
Out of all the decisions I have made in my life, kissing Draco was one of the best decisions I've made. I held me close to him. I felt safe in his arms. Like danger didn't roam the Earth, and if it did, he would keep me safe. When I pulled away from him, I looked into his ocean blue eyes. He was mine. I didn't care what anyone thought. No one, not even Parkinson, could take this boy away from me. And as I thought this, three words escaped my lips. Words I never thought I would say to anyone.
"I love you"
He pulled me back into a hug. I could tell he was the happiest he could ever be. Unfortunately, for the both of us, my emotions had to get in the way, like my brain had finally got it's control back. I went from feeling over the moon to annoyed in about two seconds. I whispered a small 'okay' and pushed him off of me.
"Moment's over?" He asked me, surprisingly not looking upset.
"Moment's over." I nodded and sat back on his bed.
He nodded and sat next to me, telling me that he was expecting it to happen sooner or later.
A/n
Word count- 4276
It finally happened!!!! Ugh I've been waiting to write this moment for so long. But now I have two different ideas of what will happen, but there is no way one can happen if I write the other. Decisions, decisions.
Question, how do you feel about Raven and Draco being together? What do you think is going to happen in their future? Do you think they'll be a better team as a couple, or will they be better off if they just stayed as friends?
Don't be a stranger!
Luvz, Spade