Raven Lestrange: Volume I

Ripped Jeans and Christmas Day

I got changed into a black dress with a blue robe, it was a few days before Christmas eve and I was just wrapping up my presents for Hermione. 

Just then Tonks came in the door, "What are you wearing?" 

"What are YOU wearing?" I said looking down at her ripped jeans, "Did you fall over again?" 

"No!... well... yes, but it didn't cause these rips, people wear them like this!"

"Why?" I asked baffled. 

"Right we are so going shopping for new clothes. You can burrow my stuff for now, but get ready quickly," Tonks said. 

"Oh okay, thanks," I said uncertainly. 

After we had apparated into a small alley and gone into the mall it was amazing, there were people everywhere and so many different shops, but they didn't sell owls or wands or cauldrons, they sold clothes and food and jewellery. 

Tonks laughed at my expression, "Come on!" she said grabbing my hand. 

Shopping was a very interesting experience, Hermione had told me about shops like this, her parents would take her every few months to get new clothes, me and Tonks both got jeans, tops and I got a couple skirts and trainers. Then she paid in 'pounds' instead of gallons. 

"There! Now you look like an everyday muggle!" she said, once we were back home and I had gotten changed. 

I grinned and looked into her mirror in her extremely messy room looking at my outfit, "Thanks again, Tonks." 

"No problem," she replied.  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I woke up to Tonks vigorously shaking me, "Get up! Come on, hurry!" 

I sat up bolt right in my bed, "What happened? Who died?" 

"What?" she asked, "No one, its Christmas day!" 

I sighed and threw the covers off me, as soon as I had put my slippers on Tonks started to pull me out of my room and downstairs. When we reached the living room Andromeda and Ted were already sitting in the living room, "Merry Christmas!" they chorused. 

"Merry Christmas," I said yawning and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"We got you a few presents," Andromeda said, "And your owl came with some as well." 

"Oh, you didn't have to!" I said surprised and touched that they had thought to get me something. 

"Nonsense! You're family!" Ted replied. 

Tonks and I sat on the large sofa that took up half of the living room next to Andromeda and Ted, Andromeda passed the presents around and the family started to unwrap them. From Hermione, she had the newest book on duelling, from Andromeda and Ted a box of sweets (cauldron cakes, acid pops, sugar quills, pepper imps.) Narcissa had gotten me a luxury writing set with even some glow in the dark inks. 

"Right!" Nymphadora said standing up, "Raven could you help me find something in the cupboard?" 

"Yeah sure," I said following her out the room when we reached the small cupboard tucked in the corner Tonks pulled me forward.

"Could you grab the red bag you see?" Tonks said pulling the door open. 

I leaned into the cupboard, "Be careful," Tonks said, "It's very delicate!" 

I spotted a bright red back that had already been opened and peered inside it, looking back at me was a black kitten with bright blue eyes. 

"Oh my god!" I said lifting it out of the bag and getting out of the cupboard. 

"Surprise!" Tonks said laughing, "He is all yours! What's his name?"

I thought for a moment, "Pluto."

"Aww, that's cute," Nymphadora said. 

I leaned in to hug Tonks, "Thank you so much!"

After the excitement of Pluto had died down me and Tonks went outside to play in the snow. The second we got outside Nymphadora flung a snowball at me and it hit my shoulder, I quickly turned around and flung one at her, it hit her right in the face.  

"The. War. Begins. NOW!" she said slowly whipping the snow off her face. 

Then she suddenly threw a snowball at me, I shrieked and quickly ran behind a near light post panting slightly. I stood there for a few minutes before slowly poking my head around the tree and saw Tonks with her wand pointed towards the tree.

Hundreds of snowballs were floating around her in the air like a mini-army, I quickly ran around the small front garden with Tonks in hot pursuit. 

"That's not fair I can't use my wand!" I shouted, still running away. 

"It's fair for me!" Tonks laughed throwing a few snowballs in my direction as we went. 

I suddenly slipped on a patch of ice and landed on the ground with a heavy thump. A few moments later Nymphadora came towering over me. 

"Any last word cuz," she said, pointing her wand at me. 

"You're my least favourite cousin!" I spat glaring into her eyes.

Tonks lowered her wand slightly, "Your joking right?" she said quietly lowering her wand down to her side.

I grabbed a fistful of snow and quickly threw a makeshift snowball at her making her tumble over and then took her wand from her hand, holding it up in the air.

"I won!!" I shouted jumping around Tonks'. 

Tonks grabbed my leg while I was in mid-jump, making me fall next to her. We both looked at each other before laughing, the two of us play in the snow for a few hours until our hands and feet started to go numb. Then Andromeda called us to for Christmas dinner, when we walked in the aroma of turkey hit me straight away, I quickly got changed out of my wet clothes and then came down for food. 

In the dining room there were piles of food, from fluffy white potatoes, sizzling pigs and blankets to roast carrots and in the middle was a fat turkey. Andromeda gestured for us to sit down and then proceeded to pass the plates around, soon the whole family was stuffing their faces with food. Just as I thought I couldn't eat any more food and had helped Andromeda put all the plates and leftovers away Ted brought out desserts on a big silver platter, it had a chocolate yule log in the middle covered in gingerbread men, chocolate strawberries and mini cheesecakes. 

The rest of the day went very fast, I and Tonks played bored games, played with Pluto and she introduced me to something called TV, it was quite entertaining, then we went to bed and soon the whole house was quiet.  

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I woke up in the middle of the night to hear a consent tapping noise at the window, I got out of bed quickly and made my way to the window to see Indigo looking very impatient. I opened the window quickly and took the parcel she was carrying,

Open this in private. Keep it safe.

Lucius Malfoy.

I unwrapped the brown paper quickly, it was a small notebook with black leather on the outside with the name Tom Riddle in gold lettering. I inspected for a few moments before going over to my trunk and throwing it in there. 

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The rest of the holidays flew by and soon it was time to go back to Hogwarts, I thanked and said goodbye to Andromeda and Ted before going with Tonks to the train station, I met Hermione there and we got on the train to school.