Hunted

Chapter 27: As Long as I Have You

Madam Pomfrey bustled out of the Lupins' bedroom and uttered an exasperated sigh. The Healer crossed the parlor, mumbling words of frustration under her breath. Angela longed to ask her about the condition of her husband, but thought better of it after seeing the brooding look that clouded the woman's face.

Angela peered into the bedroom. Remus sat upright in bed, propped up with pillows all around him. Bottles of potions cluttered the bedside table. An empty goblet stood beside them, steam still rising from the dregs of the medicinal concoction.

A breakfast tray rested on Remus' lap. He sipped his tea and read the newspaper with a serene expression on his face. But his eyes looked tired, surrounded by dark circles. The creases on his brow were plowed deeper from the ordeal of these last days. Angela eyed him with concern.

Sensing her presence, he looked up from his reading. A feeble smile flickered on his lips. She smiled back, hoping to conceal her anxiety.

"How...how are you feeling today?" she said.

"I'm fine," he said, looking down at the paper to avoid her stare. "I hope to be up and about today. I can't very well stay in bed forever."

"And what did Madam Pomfrey have to say?" Angela remarked.

"She's always fussing over me," he replied with a shrug. He folded up the paper and placed it on the tray beside his breakfast. "Has ever since I was a student. She's worse than my mother."

"You could use a little fussing over after what you've been through," Angela said. She cast him a reproachful look. "You don't need the brave act to impress me."

"Not you, too." He sighed and shook his head. "And how are the boys?"

"They're fine." Angela approached and plunked down on the edge of the bed. "Just been fed and tucked back into bed."

"And you? Have you eaten?"

"Not yet." Angela's hand wiped the sleep from her green eyes.

"You're welcome to some of mine, such as it is." He pulled a face. "Dry toast and weak tea. I'm not allowed sugar. It interferes with the potions."

Angela helped herself to a piece of toast. She munched on the dry crust and eyed the partially-obscured headlines on the folded morning edition of the Daily Prophet.

"What's in the paper today?" she asked, pointing a slender finger at the printed page.

"Mostly news about Malfoy," he answered.

Angela's eyes shot open wide. She swallowed, forcing the toast down her esophagus. Her jaw dropped.

"He's been arrested." Remus explained. "Charged with assault and murder, among other things. In a raid on Malfoy Manor late last night, Aurors found four dead bodies along with a large stash of illegal weaponry and a cache of Dark objects." He hesitated, his voice softening. "Your aunt was among the murder victims."

"Aunt Medea!" Angela replied, her green eyes round orbs. "But Malfoy was her favorite cousin. Why would he kill her?"

"Apparently, even family ties mean little to Lucius if they stand in the way of his aspirations." Remus cast her a consoling glance.

"And Harry?" Angela's brow furrowed with worry. "He was at Malfoy Manor last night. Is he all right?"

"Yes, he's fine," Remus said. "Dumbledore came to see me earlier this morning."

"And you didn't wake me?"

"You were asleep on the sofa. It seemed a shame to wake you."

"So what happened?" Angela asked. She perched on the edge of the bed and leaned in, anxious to hear the tale.

"I was right about Voldemort." Remus' expression turned grim. "Malfoy and the Death Eaters tried to kill Harry to bring Voldemort back. Something about a spell involving that diamond and taking back Voldemort's power from Harry." His blue-gray eyes took on a steely glint. "But Harry destroyed the stone and his friends did quite a fine job rounding up the Death Eaters."

"Harry did that?" Angela's mouth hung agape.

"Yes," Remus nodded with a proud smile. "We knew from the start that he'd be special. I believe he's the most remarkable wizard of this generation. Severus and your brothers can give you the details."

"And Ravena?" Angela's brow furrowed again. The words caught in her throat. "Is she dead?"

"No." He hesitated, as if holding something back. "She was injured, but is still very much alive."

A sigh of relief gushed from Angela's lips. She watched Remus' expression, trying to read between his words. Then she slammed her fist on the bad coverings. "I knew it," she said. "Malfoy tortured her, didn't he? That awful man must have practically killed her to get her to betray us."

"You're not going to like what I have to tell you." Remus' voice was flat and calm. He shot her a sympathetic stare and took her hand in his. "She confessed to Dumbledore that she cooperated with Malfoy willingly."

Angela shook her head. She could not accept this news. Ravena would never betray her. This could not be true.

"Malfoy had information that Severus was working for the Order." Remus' voice had a steely edge. "My old pal, Peter Pettigrew, had been hiding out here at Hogwarts, spying for the Death Eaters." Disgust flashed in his kind eyes. "Ravena made a bargain with Malfoy to protect Severus. And Malfoy, of course, double-crossed her." His eyes softened, regarding her with tenderness. "I'm sorry, my darling."

"We were like sisters." Angela shook her head in disbelief. Tears welled up in her eyes. "How could she do this to me? To our children?"

"I can't presume to answer that question." Remus' fingers entwined with hers. He clasped her slender hand in both of his. "I'm afraid you'll have to ask her yourself."

"And where is she?" Angela stifled a sob and stared down at her lap.

"In her chambers, I suppose." Remus shrugged. "Dumbledore brought her back from St. Mungo's early this morning."

Angela shot him a look of surprise. "But I thought Minister Cornwall sent the Aurors after Dumbledore? Wouldn't they try to apprehend him if he's popping up all over town?"

"This is Albus Dumbledore, my dear." Remus chuckled. "I'm certain that they did try to apprehend him, at least initially. But Dumbledore is not about to let himself get caught." He nodded to the newspaper. "You see, Malfoy was blackmailing Cornwall. Some business over an illicit affair with a young woman. The scandal is all over the papers. It seems that Malfoy had proof of this affair and threatened to go public with his information if Cornwall didn't remove the Headmaster." A look of sadness flashed in his eyes. "And after his disappointment with the outcome of my trial last night, well, he didn't need much more convincing."

"Malfoy was blackmailing the Minister?" Angela gasped. "Is there nothing that horrid man wouldn't do?"

"Very little, it seems," Remus said mildly. "Well, it's all out in the open now. Malfoy is in Azkaban. The Minister has his hands full with the scandal. And the Aurors have called off their hunt for Dumbledore."

"And your trial?" Angela shot him a quizzical stare. "Was there any mention of that in the papers?"

"Yes." He nodded. His face grew solemn. "Two paragraphs declaring my acquittal buried back on page twelve."

"Page twelve?" Angela swallowed hard. "They print lies about you on the front page, then relegate your innocence to the back of the paper."

"I'm afraid so." Sadness clouded his blue-gray eyes. He gripped her hand. "Whatever little hope I had of gainful employment is gone now. Even if someone would be brave enough to employ a werewolf, none will employ a suspected Death Eater." He faced her with a troubled stare. He released her hand and shook his head. "The Ministry will never give you back your job now. You and the children will be shunned along with me. We have little money. No home." He dropped his gaze. "It would have been better for you and the boys if I had died that night."

"You mustn't say that." Angela shook her head, her eyes moist with her tears. "Do you really believe that I would be better off alone? That the children would be better off without their father?"

He avoided her searching look. She watched his careworn expression. Graying strands shown more prominently in his sandy hair and in the beard on his unshaven face. She removed the breakfast tray and edged closer to him on the bed.

"Perhaps it would be best if I went away for a while," Remus said, a look of steely resolution in his eyes. "Found work somewhere far away. Maybe Canada or Australia. When I made some money, I could send for you and the boys."

"How like a man," Angela replied. "Always trying to fix things. But there are some things that you can't fix for us." She gripped his arm. "Some things that we must face together and muddle through any way we can."

"But we don't have enough money to buy passage for all of us," he said. "And I don't know what we'll face there."

"Then some other solution will present itself." Angela's green eyes flashed with determination. "But I'm going with you."

Angela wrapped her arms around him and nestled against him on the bed, nuzzling her face against his unshaven cheek. She could feel the whiskers, no longer bristly, but soft against her face. He pulled her into his embrace.

"My father used to sing this song," Angela whispered. "I can't remember all the words. How did that go?...I know...'I'll get by as long as I have you. There maybe rain and'...er...something...'too. I'll not complain. I'll see it through...But what care I, dear. I'll get by as long as I have you.'"

"You and those old songs." A low rumbling chuckle reverberated in his chest.

"You should talk." Angela lifted her head and smiled back. "You told me you knew nothing of Muggle music. Then I discovered your old gramophone and a bunch of 78's of Big Band and swing music."

"I suppose we both learned a bit from our Muggle parents," he mused.

He buried his nose in the soft curls of her chestnut hair. His warm breath tickled her ear. With a sigh of contentment, she rested in his arms and drifted off to sleep, hopeful that somehow this would all work out.

* * * * * * * *

Warm sunshine flooded through the open mullioned windows of the Lupins' guest quarters at Hogwarts and bathed a nearby table with its light. Gentle June breezes caused a napkin to flutter to the floor. The remains of a late morning repast remained on the linen-covered table: a teapot, a half-empty cup of tea, a pot of jam, and a plate sprinkled with eggshells and toast crumbs. Butter melted into lemony puddles in a dish left in the path of the sun.

On the sofa, Angela dandled an infant on her knee, cooing and smothering the child with her kisses. Beside her, a second child lay on his back. Ten toes kicked in the air and pushed against the cushions. Chubby little fingers reached for the folds of a sage green dress. Two pairs of bright blue eyes sought their mother's face.

Angela heard footsteps in the hall outside and a knock on the door. She scooped a child into her arms and opened the door. Out in the corridor, the smiling face of Harry greeted her from under a tousled mass of black fringe. Angela noticed a nasty scar on the inside of his right arm, in spite of his attempts to conceal it with his left hand. His face was a bit bruised, but otherwise he looked fine.

"I came to see Professor Lupin," Harry said.

"He's resting now," Angela replied. "But I'm sure that he'd love to see you." She stepped aside for Harry to enter. "Come on in."

The young man entered the room, glancing around for a glimpse of his former professor. Remus stood in the doorway of the bedroom, leaning on a cane for support. His dressing gown, draped over his ailing frame, hung open to reveal his pajamas underneath.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Angela admonished with an exasperated sigh.

Remus ignored her rebuke and hobbled into the room. He greeted Harry with a clap on the back. Then he released him and stood with his hand resting on the young man's shoulder. Remus' blue-gray eyes glistened, moisture clinging to the corners.

"Dumbledore told me about last night," Remus said. "Your father would have been so proud."

"Dad was there," Harry said. "And Sirius too. At least...er...I think they were. They came to help me."

"I'm certain they were." Remus gave Harry an encouraging nod. He looked away, swiping his eye with his fist. "I only wish that I could have been there for you last night."

"Ginny said that you sent the Order after me--"

Another knock on the door interrupted Harry in mid-sentence. The door opened on its own this time. Remus released his hold on Harry and stepped back. Dumbledore's kind face peered into the room.

"Ahh, Harry, I thought that I might find you here." Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled behind the half-moon spectacles. He strode into the room. "And, Remus, you are up and about. I expected as much."

"Won't you please sit down, all of you," Angela said, motioning to the over-stuffed chairs and the sofa in the parlor.

Dumbledore surveyed the babe on the sofa. His hand waved, sending the tiny tot soaring into the air toward him. He caught the child in his arms, settled himself into a comfortable squashy chair, and bounced the child on his knee. The little fellow squealed and grabbed for the snowy beard with a chubby fist.

"Ah, and this must be Sirius," Dumbledore remarked, gently extracting his beard from the child's grip.

"Yes," Angela replied with an apologetic glance. "I'd trade you, but I'm afraid this one's no better behaved."

The second child squirmed in her arms and screwed up his face in a howl of protest. Angela made a little hushing sound and rocked the child.

"Ah yes." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Well, they have quite a reputation to uphold. Best to get an early start."

Remus shuffled to the sofa, leaning on the cane, then lowered himself into the seat. Angela handed a fussing James into his waiting arms and relieved the Headmaster of his bundle. Harry sat in a squashy chair, glancing from Dumbledore to the Lupins with a curious stare.

"I have some news," Dumbledore remarked, smiling from behind the snowy froth of beard. "Alastor has been released from St. Mungo's this morning. Quite a remarkable recovery, I understand."

"That's welcomed news." Remus sighed with relief. "Where is he staying?"

"He's gone back home." Dumbledore answered. "Tonks offered to do a little housekeeping for him, while he's on the mend."

A guffaw gushed from Harry's mouth. His face reddened. Angela could not suppress her own giggles. She could just imagine the mishaps that would ensue and Mad-Eye's reaction to the antics of the accident-prone young witch. Whatever possessed Tonks to make that offer? Tonks hated housekeeping.

"Well, yes." Dumbledore chuckled. "Perhaps I should ask Molly to look in on him." Dumbledore leaned back in the chair with his elbows on the armrests and gazed at Remus over his joined fingertips. "And what are your plans, Remus?"

"We thank you for your hospitality," Remus said, "but we don't want to cause you any more trouble. We should leave as soon as I'm mobile enough."

"And where will you go?" Dumbledore stared at him over the half-moon spectacles.

"I...er...we haven't decided." Remus glanced at Angela and down at the squiggling child in his lap, avoiding Dumbledore's stare.

"I see," Dumbledore remarked. "Well, I find myself in the rather difficult position of having openings on my faculty to fill. As you know, our visiting Muggle Studies professor met with a rather unfortunate end."

"With all due respect, we've been through this before," Remus said. A pained expression flickered across his face. He shook his head. "I couldn't endanger the students' lives by my presence. And you would be inundated with the protests of irate parents the minute the appointment was announced."

"I am well aware of your views on the matter, Remus." Dumbledore's mouth twitched into an amused smile. His hand stroked the snowy beard. "But I was not offering the post to you. I thought that perhaps Angela would be interested. It seemed the least that I could do. It was, after all, my idea to put her on the witness stand, so I bear some liability for her job loss." He turned to Angela. "It would assuage my conscience if you would consider my offer."

"But I am no professor," Angela said. She looked from Dumbledore to her husband with a confounded expression on her face. "I practically had to poison myself to keep the students' attention the one time that I filled in for Severus."

"So I heard," Dumbledore replied. "But you have at your disposal perhaps the best instructor that I have ever seen in all my years at Hogwarts." Dumbledore winked at Remus with a knowing look. "Myself excluded, of course." Dumbledore turned to Harry. "Wouldn't you agree, Harry?"

Harry's head nodded in vigorous agreement. Angela eyed Remus. His mouth had dropped open, but no coherent sound came out. Angela decided to take matters into her own hands. Her green eyes turned on the Headmaster with a candid look.

"We will need a house in the village," she said. "Something modest?"

"Done." Dumbledore nodded his hoary head. "We happen to own a little piece of property on the outskirts of town. It is a little run down at present, but it could be made into a suitable cottage."

"And I would dine with my family," Angela pursued "Except for special occasions, of course."

"Accommodation could be made for that." Dumbledore nodded in agreement.

"Then I accept."

"But...I...we," Remus stammered. He turned to Angela. "Angela, dear, don't you think we should discuss this first?"

"Certainly," Dumbledore interjected. "I await your decision at, say, dinnertime." Dumbledore rose to his feet and turned to Harry. "Come along, Harry."

Harry stood up and shuffled out of the room after the Headmaster. He turned back to glance at his former professor. Remus' brow was furrowed. Angela however waved back at him with a look of relief on her face. What a wonderful opportunity. Now she and Remus would not have to move away.

"Ah, Harry." Dumbledore put his arm around Harry's shoulder. "I wanted to discuss your future as an Auror. I've spoken with Madam Bones and we both agree that your training should begin right after the end of term."

"Do you mean it?" Harry asked, his green eyes open wide. "I've made the program?"

"Well, there is a little matter of your Potions marks," Dumbledore replied. "But I think Madam Bones is willing to overlook that in light of present circumstances."

The voices of Harry and the Headmaster faded down the corridor. The door to the apartment clicked shut, leaving the Lupins alone. Remus faced Angela with a stern look of disapproval.

"Didn't I tell you that a solution would present itself?" Angela said, unable to suppress her impish grin.

"But here at Hogwarts?" Remus shook his head. "I owe Dumbledore so much already."

"Darling." Angela took his hand and shot him a shy glance. "I would clean chamber pots in this place if it would keep our family together. This is a good job. I admit that I'm a bit nervous about teaching, but I know that with you to help me I could do it." She cast him a pleading look. "Please?"

"Well, I suppose." He sighed with resignation. His fingers squeezed her hand. "Well, you could start with a unit on literature. You did a fine job with Romeo and Juliet."

"And, of course, we'll have to do something with Muggle music," she added, her voice reflecting her excitement. "I'm sure we could work your Big Band music in there."

"Your brothers might be persuaded to give a demonstration on auto mechanics," he said.

"And perhaps you could help me with a unit on Muggle technology." Angela's green eyes sparkled. "I know that modern electronics don't work at Hogwarts, but you did a brilliant job with that gramophone and the children's cradle. I'm sure that you could come up with a fine simulation..."

* * * * * * * *

Angela emerged from the bedroom later that afternoon. Her startled eyes lighted on Ravena standing in the parlor. Ravena was not dressed in her academic robes. Instead, she wore tight-fitting trousers under a silk blouse. Her ebony tresses hung to her shoulders, obscuring the left side of her face in a velvet curtain of black curls. A leather valise rested on the floor at her feet.

"What are you doing here?" Angela inquired in a voice that sounded cold, surprising even her.

"I knocked." Ravena waved a delicate hand toward the door. "But no one answered. I came to say good-bye."

"Why?" Angela shrugged. "Where are you going?"

"I tendered my resignation to Dumbledore this morning." Ravena's voice was flat, but Angela noticed that the words seemed to stick in her throat. "I'm going home to help Daddy manage affairs and mother's funeral."

"Oh." Angela's mouth hung agape. All the words that she wanted to say seemed to have fled. She stared at her cousin, dumbstruck.

"So how are the children?" Ravena asked.

"Fine," Angela replied. "Napping."

"And Remus?"

"Ill," Angela said, "but he'll recover."

An awkward silence followed. The air thickened with tension and guilt. The brocade curtains flapped against the panes in the summer breeze. Ravena's heels clicked on the floor, as she shifted her weight. Ravena glanced down at her valise, then up at Angela with a pleading glance. Ravena's mouth twisted. Angela thought it odd and stared.

"I came to apologize," Ravena blurted out. "Can you see it in your heart to forgive me?"

All of Angela's suppressed anger came gushing to the surface. Her fists balled up. She felt every muscle in her face clench.

"How could you, Ravena?" Angela seethed. "I trusted you and you betrayed me. Why? I must know why!"

"It was a mistake." Penitent sadness hung in Ravena's china blue eyes. "You must believe that. I never wanted to hurt you. But I had to protect Severus. Lucius would have killed him and I had no way to warn him."

"Severus is a grown man." Angela's voice grew hard. "He is quite capable of defending himself, but my babies are not."

"But you had Remus," Ravena said. A beseeching hand reached for her cousin. "I knew that he would protect you. That he wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"Remus was a werewolf the night of the attack," Angela replied through gritted teeth. "There were limits to what he could do to protect us. Even so, he managed to save all our lives, although it nearly cost him his own." Her face flushed with anger. Hot tears flooded her eyes. "And then they hauled him before the Wizengamot on trumped-up charges and threatened to lock him away in Azkaban for good."

"I'm sorry." Ravena dropped her gaze in shame. "I...I did not know."

"Your treachery nearly cost me everything that is dear to me," Angela answered. Her fists gripped the fabric of her dress. "And you have the nerve to stand there and ask for forgiveness."

"I am trying to make amends." Ravena stepped toward Angela, her hands reaching in a desperate gesture. "Ask me anything and I will give it to you. If it's money you need?"

"I don't want your money." Angela stared back with contempt. "You cannot absolve your guilt with Wizard gold." She turned away and thrust her hand behind her. "Leave us alone."

"You stand there so self-righteous, Angela." Ravena's azure eyes stormed with her own anger. Now she spat through her clenched teeth. "But you don't really understand me. You've never really understood. You think that I have everything. The spoiled little rich girl that always got what she wanted. But you're the one that always had everything. A normal family life. And now a husband that adores you and a family of your own. All the riches in the world cannot buy what you have, what you've always had."

Angela whipped around to face her cousin. She jabbed an accusatory finger at her. "So now you're saying that your betrayal is my fault, is it?"

"No, that's not what I meant at all." Ravena shook her head. She hesitated, struggling to check her temper and regain her composure. "I'm...I'm sorry. I only meant to say that I wanted to be loved. That I wanted a normal life and a husband and a family." Ravena turned away. Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "I thought that I could have that with Severus, but I have been denied again." She swiped the tears from her face with disdain. "And I hoped that you might forgive me, but I can see that I was mistaken."

Ravena faced Angela, her proud head held high. Her fingers brushed the curtains of hair from the path of her azure eyes. Angela beheld the scar that ran down the left side of her cousin's face, disfiguring her beauty. The left eye drooped in the corner where it met the scar. The muscles on the left side of her cheek twitched with spasms that caused those ruby lips to quirk up at an odd angle, an unintentional sneer. Angela could only gape.

Without another word, Ravena turned. Her hand reached for her valise. She walked out the door, closing it gently in her wake. Angela stood transfixed, her eyes riveted to the door.

The shock of seeing her cousin's marred face stung more than Ravena's rebuke. Perhaps there was some truth to Ravena's accusations. Had she been so naïve? Always skimming the surface, never daring to look at the unpleasantness hidden underneath? In her youth, she did believe that her cousin had everything: wealth, privilege, and beauty. How could see fail to see that it was all meaningless to Ravena? Pangs of remorse and pity mingled with her indignation.

Angela could not bring herself to forgive. Her own wounds were still too fresh. But regret now churned with the anger in her breast.

* * * * * * * *

Ravena lounged on the velveteen settee in the parlor of the Hawkins family mansion. The folds of a strapless black satin gown draped over the curves of her body. Her hair was pulled back into a chignon. A single ebony curl cascaded across the left side of her face.

A silver salver laden with savory tea sandwiches, rich cakes, and a fine china teapot rested untouched on a nearby table. Her mother's casket lay in state in the ladies lounge just off the marble foyer. Pure-blood society mavens and those gossiping vultures, her mother's so-called friends, had been popping in all afternoon to pay their respects.

Ravena could stand no more visitors today. She swung her long legs to the front of the settee and glided toward her father's study, trailing the train of the black gown. Her slender hand had just reached for the brass door handle, when her father's voice recalled her attention to the parlor.

"Ravena, you have a visitor," the rich baritone voice of her father sounded.

A weighty sigh escaped from Ravena's lips. She did not turn to face her father, but remained with her back to him. Her shoulders dipped.

"I cannot bear anymore visitors today, Father," she sighed. "I am not fit for proper company."

"Ah, but this is a special visitor, my dearest," James Hawkins replied, a sonorous resonance in his voice. "He has something important to ask you."

Ravena spun around to face her father with a curious stare. His handsome face, framed with gray hair, lit with a mysterious smile. He stepped aside to reveal the Potions Master standing behind him. Ravena's mouth fell open.

"Severus," she whispered, not daring to believe it herself.

Her father ushered Snape into the parlor with a wave of his large hand. Snape swept in with his typical jerky gait. Ravena noticed the twinkle in her father's green eyes and his peculiar grin.

"Perhaps I should leave you two alone," James Hawkins said, exiting and closing the door behind him.

Ravena walked back toward Snape and motioned toward a nearby chair. "Won't you please be seated?"

Snape sat down, his back erect. His dark eyes flickered around the room, taking stock of his surroundings. Ravena melted back down into the settee, wishing that she could disappear into it.

"I suppose you've come to scold me for not saying good-bye," Ravena huffed. "I tried your office this morning, but you were out."

"You would have been hard pressed to locate me this morning." Snape looked unconcerned. He leaned back in the chair, taking his ease. His lip curled into a smirk. "I had business of my own in town."

"Oh?" Her blue eyes shot open. She cast him an inquisitive stare.

"Imagine my surprise when I returned to Hogwarts to find that you had resigned your post and gone home," Snape said. He surveyed her with a withering glare. "Really, Ravena? I never thought you the sort to run away from your problems."

"I am not running away," Ravena retorted. She straightened in the settee, bristling with affront. "I...I have responsibilities here...to my family...my father."

Snape leaned forward in the chair. His dark eyes bored into hers with a penetrating stare. An incredulous sneer worked on the corners of his lips. She turned away, unable to abide his piercing glances.

"Don't look at me." Ravena twisted so that the right side of her face was toward him. "I am ugly."

Snape stood up from his chair, strode to her side, and settled himself on the settee next to her. His fingers reached for her face. He took her chin in his hand and gently turned her to face him.

"Let me see," he said.

"No," Ravena replied, recoiling from his touch. "The Healers could do little for me. The curse penetrated too deeply. I will remain scarred for life. Even Fredrick Sharp would not have me now. He didn't even bother to hide his revulsion. He couldn't run away fast enough."

But Snape would not be deterred. He took her face in both his hands. His fingers brushed aside the lock of hair. She felt the fire of his stare run down the length of the scar, taking in the drooping eye and the disfigured mouth. Ravena swallowed to dislodge the lump that had risen in her throat. Tears welled up, turning her eyes into watery azure pools. How could anyone love her now?

"On the contrary," Snape whispered, "I don't think that you've ever looked lovelier."

"Now you're mocking me." Ravena tossed her head, jerking herself free from his grasp. She stared at him in disbelief. "I suppose Dumbledore sent you here to entice me back to Hogwarts. This is all some sort of plot."

"The Headmaster does not even know that I am here," Snape retorted, his black eyes flashing. "I came on my own. But I admit that I had hoped to entice you back to Hogwarts."

"Ah, ha, so what is your game this time?" Ravena's disfigured mouth twisted into a sinister sneer. "Do you hope to gloat while I face the humiliation of my colleagues for allowing myself to be duped by Lucius?"

Snape leapt to his feet, his face contorting with his rising anger. "Ravena, you are an impossible woman!"

Ravena rose to face him. She glared at him, her azure eyes glistening. "And you are an exasperating man!"

Snape plunged his right hand into his pocket. Ravena reached for her wand, assuming that she was about to be the unwilling recipient of his hex. But instead, he gripped her hand in his fist and thrust a small object into her palm.

"If you must know," he snapped. "I came to give you this."

Ravena uncurled her fingers to stare with wonder at the delicate golden ring with a small diamond solitaire mounted in a simple setting of white gold. Her china blue eyes flew open wide.

"What is this?" she gasped.

"It is my mother's engagement ring," Snape spat. He jabbed a long finger at the ring. "Acquiring that was my morning's business."

"I don't understand." Ravena regarded Snape with a quizzical stare.

"It's for you," Snape hissed through clenched teeth. "I want you to have it. That is, if you will have me."

"Are you asking me to marry you?"

"What else would I be asking?" An exasperated sigh flew from Snape's lips. He paced the room with an agitated tread. "I went to visit my father this morning to ask for my mother's ring and to inform him of my intentions. My mother, the dear woman, died when I was a child. She was the only woman to ever show me affection. The only one I thought could ever truly love me." He spun around, his robes swirling in black spirals around his body. He jerked his head to face Ravena, his hooked nose mere inches from her face. "That is until recently. I am not an easy man to love, but I will try to do better. I have asked your father for your hand and he has consented."

"You asked my father for my hand?" Ravena said in the faintest whisper.

She still could not believe his words. Her heart pounded in her chest. Blood rushed to her face, flushed her cheeks with color, and pulsed in her ears with dizzying fury. Her mouth hung open in stunned silence. Could this be true?

"So?" Snape's black eyes bored in hers. He gave his hand an impatient wave. "Your answer?"

Ravena nodded her head. Her fingers fumbled with the ring, trying to slip it on her trembling hand. The golden circlet slid on her finger, fitting as if it had been forged just for her. Ravena gazed at the diamond on her finger for a moment or two, then her eyes shot to Snape's face.

His obsidian eyes had turned warm, ignited by an internal passion. She threw her arms around his neck and met him with an ardent kiss. He countered, returning the kiss to her lips and then working his way across her cheek and down the long ivory neck.

The door to the parlor clicked open. Two prying eyes and a wizened face peered into the room. Ravena recognized the wrinkled features of one of her mother's nosy old school chums, Agnes Gulch. A hiss of annoyance escaped her lips. How dare that that old bat come snooping around at this moment!

Then a mischievous twinkle sparked in Ravena's eyes. Mother wasn't around any more. Ravena no longer had to fear her wrath. So it wouldn't matter what the old bitty saw or reported, now would it?

Snape's head whipped around to stare at the intruder, but Ravena caught his face in both her hands. Her lip brushed against his cheek in a teasing gesture. She pressed her mouth to his ear.

"It's only widow Gulch, one of Mum's decrepit mates," Ravena whispered. She arched a thin eyebrow. "Shall we give the gossipy old buzzard something to talk about? Mum would positively roll over in her casket."

"Why, Ravena, you are a wicked woman," Snape retorted with an appreciative smirk.

"The dress unzips in the back," Ravena said. Her mouth turned up in a sly grin.

Ravena entwined him in her embrace, sank down onto the settee, and pulled him over on top of her. Her fingers ran through his hair. His kisses traced a line across those bare alabaster shoulders and down the amble bosom. A groan of pleasure escaped Ravena's lips.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ravena watched the wide-eyed look of shock on the old crone's face. The door snapped shut. Ravena heard hurried footfalls retreating across the marble floors of the foyer. She could just imagine the havoc that Gulch's scandalous report would wreak among her mother's inner circle. Ravena tossed her head back against the arm of the sofa and laughed, a purring chuckle of pure merriment.