Spinner's End

Much later in the night, Severus awoke suddenly. He lay on his back. He could feel Raven’s head lying across his shoulder, her hair across his chest. At some point in the night he had pulled the coverlet up over both of them. As his eyes stared through the darkness at the cracked ceiling by the moonlight coming through the window, he felt that something was amiss.

He tensed all of his senses. He could just barely hear sounds in the downstairs part of the house. He lifted his head to listen better. Gently, he slipped from underneath Raven and climbed out of the bed. Using the moonlight, he searched around the room for his pants. Upon finding them he slid quickly into them and extracted his wand from the concealed pocket along side the leg. Soundlessly he crept towards the bedroom door, his wand pointed before him.

As he reached the top of the stairs he was certain that there were intruders in the house. He remembered that earlier he had closed the door but neither of them had locked it. He felt a swelling anger at the intruders and a fear for Raven’s welfare. He made a mental note that he would set up protections for her house from this point forward.

He moved as silently as a shadow down the staircase. Keeping against the wall so that the interlopers would not be aware of him until the last possible moment. Severus knew that he would inflict something on whomever the perpetrators were that they might likely choose new occupations. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs he listened carefully to the foot falls of the intruders on the old wooden floors, trying to ascertain how many there were. He concluded that there were only two.

Severus stepped into the sitting room. He noticed that the front door was ajar. He flicked his wand towards the door, opening it fully. With his wand at the ready he slowly turned to face a large red haired man. The man had noticed the door swinging open and didn’t seem to realize that Severus was standing in front of him also.

“ Good evening.” Severus said in a hissing tone, his anger visible in his flashing eyes and furrowed visage.

He flicked his wand at the man who suddenly flew upside down, held aloft by his ankle. Severus then directed the large man, still suspended, through the front door, possibly on purpose hitting his head against the doorjamb on the way out. The man landed in a heap on the cobbled street. He let out a shout of pain when he landed.

This brought the other man from kitchen.

“Wha ‘appen?” The smaller man whispered overly loud as he came into the sitting room.

“Just this.” Severus said smoothly, a snarl crossing his face.

He proceeded to do the same with the smaller man as he had the larger.

Severus walked over to the front door, looking out at the two men. He gave them a very large, not too friendly grin. The men sat in the street looking at Severus in terror. Flicking his wand in their direction, suddenly each of the men seemed to receive a large jolt of something like static electricity. Scrambling and shoving one another they jumped to their feet, still receiving the shocks, they ran down the street away from the house.

Snarling, Severus grasped the open door with his left hand. He watched until the men reached the end of the street turning and disappearing around the corner.

“Fools.” He hissed. “Filthy Muggle fools.” Backing into the room he closed the door. He felt good that he had used restraint in dealing with the men. As there were other times when he’d have left them as something that would not even be identifiable as human.

Examining the door up and down, he tried to think of what protections he could instill to keep the riffraff away from his Raven.

He chose an old protection. He placed the tip of his wand against the door and whispered the incantation. It was an old, simple spell, which would keep out all who intentions were not good. Thus allowing in friends. He could do the incantation on both doors as well as the windows. He turned towards his right intending to do the incantation on the small side sitting room window.

Suddenly he ducked as he noticed a shadow of movement to his right, near the stairway.
Pointing his wand in the direction he braced his body with his left hand on the floor.

“Don’t shoot! Don’t Shoot! It’s me!” Raven exclaimed from the door way to the stairs, she wore his shirt with a couple of the buttons done up in the front. “Don’t shoot me!” She fell in to a squat and covered her head with her arms.

Severus rushed to her.

“I’m not going to shoot you!” He said in disbelief, his brow wrinkled in concern. “ I don’t have a gun.” He responded immediately, glad that he was able to recall a term that she would at least be familiar with.

He squatted next to her and pulled her into his arms. “What are you talking about?” He asked, in a puzzled tone. Although he suspected that he knew what her response was going to be.

“Don’t hurt me, please.” Raven said with sorrowful pleading voice. She did not respond to his touch but pulled tighter into herself. Her knees pressed against her face.

“My God, what are you talking about?” Severus asked, his arms still wrapping her. “ I wouldn’t ever dream of hurting you.” He released his hold on her enough to pull her arm from encircling her head.

“No, no, no.” Raven turned her head towards the wall. A cry escaped her throat. “ Don’t kill me, let me go. I’ll leave I’ll go back to America, I swear I’ll never tell anyone anything.” She sobbed. “Please.” Falling softly against the wall, she slid downward, as if she had no will or strength to hold her up any longer.

“What are you going on about?” Severus asked. He kept his voice calm.

“You are some sort of magic person, or alien being or a spy or mutant. I know you are. I just saw what you did to those two men.” Raven turned to look at him through her mop of curls strewn across her face. “ I saw you.” She whispered.

Severus smiled at her. Not releasing his grip on her, he managed to slide into a more comfortable sitting position.

Raven watched him, fear in her eyes. She glanced at his hand wrapped around her arm. She knew that even if she could break free from his grip, she could net get away form him with his special powers.

She felt angry with herself. She knew that when she had seen Severus and the two women disappear from the middle of the empty lot, she should have stayed away. She was angry with herself for making and behaving in a rash fashion and getting involved with this person, who for all she knew was from another planet and was probably going to kill her. She looked at his smiling face. She felt the fear grip her, as she was sure he was going to kill her with a smile on his face.

“I would have preferred for you to find out about me in a less threatening situation.” He said to her, the smile still on his lips. “ I would have told you sooner or later.” He shrugged.

“You would have?” Raven questioned. Her eyes brimming with tears, she furrowed her brow.

“ Of course I would have to tell you.” Severus said chuffing her chin lightly with the back of his hand still clutching the wand. He Looked at her, noticed the tears in her eyes, he pulled her against him in an embrace.

Raven lost her balance and fell against Severus. He kissed the top of her messy curls.

“ Yes, I have to explain to you.” He said into her hair.

“Come.” He said standing and lifting her with him.

“Lets go into the kitchen.” With his arms wrapped around her he lead her into the kitchen. Not releasing her, he made the lights flick on using his wand.

Raven gasped.

“ Calm down little one.” Severus said softly to her.

“Lets have some tea.” He stood behind her, her head resting against his chest. He wrapped his strong left arm around the front of her, holding her against him for several reasons. He didn’t want her running away or fainting and getting hurt. Although he thought in the back of his mind that she wasn’t very likely the fainting type.

He pointed his wand at her sink drain board. Two of her teacups arose and lifted themselves to the countertop. In a blink they were full of steaming water. Her kitchen cabinet opened and her tea tin moved itself next to the cups and deposited one tea bag into each of the cups.

Ravens jaw went slack. Her eyes round. She couldn’t believe what she had just seen.

“How, how did you do that?” She asked, her voice in awe.

“ Can I trust you not to run away?” Severus questioned his voice but a whisper against her ear.

“ I mean, really.” Raven sighed. “How far could get?” She asked rhetorically.

Severus smiled as he could hear some of his true Raven coming back to him.

She hung her hands from his forearm wrapped in front of her.

“ This is freaking me out.” She finally said.

Severus, using his hand with the wand slid his pinky finger out, moving her hair from the side of her head, he kissed her ear and said. “It’s freaking me out too.”

Raven laughed out loud at his comment. She knew that saying ‘freaking out’ was not a term he would normally use.


The pair spent the next several hours in the kitchen, Severus sitting on the counter, Raven the chair as Severus explained his world to Raven. He of course was judicious in what he released to her. Raven sat in a state of rapt attention except when she had a question about something. This made it easier for Severus. It seemed that she also knew that she wasn’t receiving absolutely every detail of his life, however she seemed satisfied that it was his right to withhold certain aspects from her.

He discovered that the Dark Mark, which he considered a hideous scar, Raven thought was a ‘cool’ tattoo. He also came to find out that she had seen not only him disappear from the deserted lot next to the house; she had also seen Bellatrix and Narcissa vanish.

The two talked until the sun began to rise and the kitchen began to lighten.

( My fav chapter personally.) ( Ok,ONE of my Favs.)