On the Matter of Orion…

[This entry was initally the one where Severus found out about Raven and Sirius, I hadn’t gotten to rewriting it after wriring the previous entry…So yeah, it’s a bit off in that respect.]

Things were finaly starting to look up. Severus couldn’t deny that he still loved her, despite the whole thing with Peter. ~But will he continue to be so forgiving of me?~ Raven licked her lips nervously, knowing this had to be done before they could truly move on together. "Before you follow through with this, though there is nothing I want more. There’s something I need to tell you." She swallowed hard under that black penatrating gaze. "I’m pregnant."

Severus frowned deeply, hurt filling his eyes once more. ~I hate this, and I know it’s only going to get worse.~ "And you expect me to raise Pettigrew’s child as my own?"

Tears sprung to her eyes, and fear clutched at her heart. ~If only it was that easy.~ "It’s not Peters."

"Whose then?" Severus demanded, his tone harsh. Raven closed her eyes, the tears slid unabaited down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her. ~How can I tell him this? Can he accept this child I carry?~ Still failing to be able to speak, Raven felt Severus enter her mind, looking for the information that she was failing to provide. "How could you?" His words were ice, the tone slicing through her.

"Severus, I’m sorry." Raven began, her voice cracking. "You’d given me back the ring. I was crushed, devastated," ~Bloody well drunk the first time.~ "I thought…I thought there was no hope. I was just hurting so much." She wiped at her tears, trying to slow her ragged breathing. "And he took away the pain, if only temporarly." Her eyes fell to the floor, not wanting to see the pain in the face of the man who stood before her. Taking a deep breath, Raven looked up once more. "I never loved him."

Severus wore a cold, hard scowl. "And that’s suppose to make it better?" ~But I thought…~ That had been his main issue when it had come to Peter, she had told him she loved him, even if it wasn’t the same way she loved Severus. "So…I’m to raise Black’s child as if it’s my own." The contempt as he said ‘Black’s’ was more than obvious.

"I’m so sorry Severus, I understand that you don’t want to." Raven’s head fell, she knew that this would be a nail in the coffin of their relationship. ~It’s not the child’s fault. He didn’t ask for any of this.~ She swallowed hard once more, biting into her lip again. "I’ll understand if you never want to see me again."

A hand came to her chin, lifting her blue eyes to meet his black ones. There was still pain evident in those dark pools, but something more as well. "I’m not happy, I won’t lie." Severus began, "but I’ve been utterly miserable all this time without you. And knowing it’s my own fault for being so stubborn."  ‘Had I given you the ring I meant for you, before all this happened.’  Severus’s thoughts flowed freely from his mind to hers. ‘I know none of this would of happened.’

"It’s my fault, I should of waited, I should of never…"

He pulled Raven close to him. "We will get through this…somehow." ‘I’m going to kill that Mutt.’ ~Severus.~ "Shhhhh," he interupted her mental protest. "I won’t." Though she knew a part of him really wanted to, but she also knew, Sirius was not going to be overly happy knowing Severus Snape would have a hand in raising his child.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

There was a loud popping sound, indication someone arriving at Grimmauld Place. Raven and Sirius turned from their conversation to see Severus Snape standing in the Entrence Hall. "Severus!" Raven called out in surprise. "What are you doing here? The place is crawling with Order Members, any number of them wanting to get their hands on you!"

Ebon eyes narrowed at Sirius, "I’ve come to speak with Black." ~That’s one that’s aching to do you in.~

"Aww, Snivellus, you missed me so much you’d risk your freedom for me?" Sirius smirked.

"Shut up Sirius." Raven hissed, then turned twords Severus. "You can’t be here, if Moody or Kingsley…"

While Raven was talking, Sirius stood behind her mouthing the words ‘She doesn’t call me Mutt anymore’. Which caused Severus to glare some more, then he interupted Raven’s objections to him being there. "They are smart enough not to try anything. And as uncharacteristic as it is, neither will Black."

"What is it you want Severus?" Sirius frowned, Raven noticed despite the relative calmness he was displaying with Severus’s arrival, he was still working his way, slowly, to his own wand. "Go on and tell me, before I go ahead and hex you myself."

Raven took a step closer to Severus, who wrapped a protective arm around her waist. "I came to make sure you know I plan to take good care of the child."

"You mean my child?" Sirius asked.

"I mean the child Raven is carrying."

"Which is mine." Sirius returned, "and I can take care of it well enough. Without  your help."

Raven slipped from Severus’s embrace to stand between the two men once more. "Now stop this! We can figure this out like reasonable adults."

"Reasonable adults?" Severus questioned. "We are talking about Black here."

A scowl came to Raven’s lips, "and you’re acting not better at the moment."