The Sins of a Father

Chapter 5

                                                                               Raven's seventh year

" Raven - wake up! Look who finally came!?" Ginny exclaimed! I opened my eyes, slowly and unwillingly. I quickly glanced at my watch before reacting to her question. My watch read 12:30 a.m, it was there that I completely registered what Ginny had said. Sitting up on the couch, I glanced around the room and saw the one person I had been dying to see all summer, my half brother Harry Potter. Jumping from the couch, I half walked, half jogged to engulf him in bone-crushing hug.

"Harry! I'm so excited to see you!" I pulled back to a get a proper look at him and the most notable change had been his shaggy hair. " Your hair it grew and it's all messy and you grew a few inches since the last few months!" I pointed out happily. Harry smiled back at me while mimicking the actions that I did to him.

"You look good too Rave! So how's the hunt for your father?" he questioned. His second year I mentioned to him that I found out that my father had been alive and I intended to tell them but I just couldn't and still haven't. My face dimmed a little bit but it resumed its excited expression when Hermione walked through the door, I tackled her next. We were both talking at once about how each other looked and how much we grew over the summer.

"So are you having any luck at all finding your father?" she asked, brightly, again my face dimmed a little bit. I hated lying to my brother and his best friends and everyone who was taking care of me but no one really liked Snape and I didn't want anyone to think differently of me.

"Um, no but I'm going to keep trying," I lied. We all paused to look at one another then I told them that I was going to bed. Molly informed us that Hermione and I were to share a room so she followed me to our room.

While going up the stairs we bade everyone a goodnight and I decided to tell Hermione the truth and if she handled it well then I would tell the others and hopefully she would give me an idea on how to tell the others. We both climbed into bed and turned out the light and in the darkness I found the courage to speak my truth.

"Hey Hermione, if I told you an absolute hush – hush secret would you swear on your life never to tell anyone?" I asked, feeling nervous. My heart beat against my chest, it was so loud I could barely hear her response.

"Absolutely," she replied groggily. I inhaled then slowly exhaled imagining all the things Hermione was about to say to me.

"I've been lying to everyone for years," I admitted. Hermione remained silent for a moment then replied more alert than before.

"About what?" This is it.. no going back now.. Taking in a breath I opened my mouth, ready for everything to spill out.

"About my father and who he is," I confessed, the more I spoke the more light I felt. I didn't let Hermione speak, I needed to continue before I didn't want to anymore. "My father is Severus Snape and I'm sorry that I didn't tell you!" I revealed quickly. The light went on and Hermione had a glare that could kill anything that looked at it.

"What?" She asked icily. "How long have you known?" she snapped.

"I found out when my Grandparents died, my grandpa told me in the last letter that they sent to me," I answered, sitting up in bed. Now Hermione actually removed herself from her bed and got in my face.

"Why wouldn't you tell us?" she demanded, harshness reaching the depths of her voice, suddenly all my words were gone, I had no answers that would come out.

"B – be – because I – I was – " I stuttered.

"You were what? Tell me now!" she growled horridly. I clamped my hands to my forehead, feeling a headache erupting through my head.