Raven (Fred x oc)

73. Chocolate Oatmeal Biscuits

Late in the evening, I bundled up in a coat and crept down the stairs to the front door. Glancing back to make sure no one was watching me, I slipped out the door, covering my head with my hoodie.

"Hey, Arthur," I said, sitting down next to his bed. "You okay?"

"I've been better," he admitted. "But I'm getting on fabulously well."

"That's good," I replied. "I'm glad you're doing good. Honestly...I was worried you wouldn't make it." Swallowing, I said, "There was so much blood."

"Don't worry about it, Valerie," he said. "I'll be fine."

......................................................................................

Over the days approaching going back to school, I began to notice that Dad was growing more and more miserable. On one such occasion, I saw him duck into a room to avoid Harry who was walking down the hallway with Ron. I sighed, following him into the room and shutting the door behind me. With the sigh of a man who knows he's been cornered, Dad sighed, "Raven."

"Hey," I replied. "I was going to go make some biscuits, do you want to help?"

"Sure," he replied, caught off guard. "What kind?"

"Chocolate oatmeal," I replied. Down in the kitchen, I flipped through one of the recipe books until I found what I wanted. "Okay, we need flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, butter, sugar, brown sugar, an egg, vanilla extract, oats, and chocolate chips."

Once we got out all the ingredients, we began to measure out everything. "No, Dad," I laughed. "That's too much. We just need a cup and a half."

"What? but it says there..." He drifted off, reading a cup and a half.

Smirking, I teased, "A cup and a half?"

"Uh, I thought we were doing a double recipe," he defended. I let out a laugh, pausing in my mixing.

"Yeah, sure you did," I chuckled.

"Stop it," Dad said, but he began to laugh as well. Smiling widely, we continued to measure and mix.

"They just need to bake for ten minutes," I said. Once they were baking, I made two cups of tea and handed the second cup to Dad. Taking a sip, I asked, "So, are you going to survive here without me?"

"I can try," he replied, his smile falling slightly.

"Dad, you'll be fine," I assured. "I'll visit you every week, if not more, okay?"

"Okay," he sighed. Setting aside his tea, he asked, "Do you know what you're going to do after this year?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I know what I want to do, but...I can't. I want to go professional with Quidditch, but I don't know if I can do that and work with the Order. I can't pursue being a curse-breaker because I can't be away from England right now with Voldermort around."

"I thought you had a third plan," Dad said.

"I can't be a teacher, though," I replied. "There isn't an opening and besides, they don't hire people straight out of school. I was planning on going professional with Quidditch and then teaching. I just don't know what to do."

"Talk to Dumbledore," Dad replied. "I'm sure he could bend the rules and allow you to do something at Hogwarts even though you're young."

"Maybe," I said quietly. "I just...I don't want to leave Hogwarts yet."

"I didn't want to leave either," Dad admitted with a small laugh.

"What did you do, Dad?"

"I...didn't do anything," he said. "Well, I joined the Order, but otherwise I just lived off of my inheritance. You could do the same for a while at least."

"I forgot that we're rich," I remarked. "I don't know, maybe because I didn't grow up with tons of money I just haven't gotten used to it. Plus, really it's your money, not mine."

"I will be yours, one day," he said. "Most of it, at least."

"Stop," I said firmly. "Dad, you're not going to die."

"One day, Raven," he replied, his eyes saddening.

"A day far away," I countered. "I still need my dad to walk me down the aisle and to see me graduate and get my first job, maybe even meet his grandchildren."

"I hope I'll get to see all of it," he replied.

"You will," I replied, hugging him tightly. "I love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Raven. Come back and see me soon, okay?"

"I will, I promise," I replied. After the biscuits were done, Dad left to feed Buckbeak and Remus came down the stairs. "Hey, Remus."

"Hey, Val," he replied. "Mind if I steal a biscuit?" I shook my head, sipping at my tea.

"Remus, is it normal to be terrified of something that doesn't logically make sense to happen?" I asked.

"Depends, what is it?" Remus asked.

Fiddling with my sleeves, I replied, "It's probably nothing. I shouldn't have said anything. I need to go pack. Talk to you later, Remus."

When I came down to breakfast, Remus and Tonks were sitting at the table. I quickly ate and gathered up my things. As everyone was saying goodbye, Dad pulled Harry aside. After talking to him for a few minutes, he pulled me aside. "Be safe, Raven, okay? And keep Harry safe."

"Always," I replied, hugging him tightly.

"Ready to go, Luv?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, just give me one more second," I replied. Turning back to Dad, I said, "I'll see you on Saturday, okay?"

"Can't wait," he replied with a smile. "Now be safe at school."

"I will."