The Sins of a Father

Chapter 15

 I didn't sleep at all that night, how could I? I had been packing my belongings while my brain shouted all kinds of things at me. I was thinking about how much I hated Umbridge, about George's prank and his kiss, what that meant, how it will change us and about all of my troubles.

I tried to imagine Sirius's face when I arrived or the words he would say about me getting fired. I felt a small bit of heat on the side of my face. My eyes directed themselves toward the transparent glass and watched as a sliver of the fiery red sun invaded the indigo blue sky. I knew that Umbridge would be kicking me out soon as she was dressed. I hurried to the lavatory stripped out of my teaching robes then dressed myself in muggle clothes. As I walked back to the teacher quarters I walked as slow as possible, examining the walls, imagining the pictures slowly waking up from their night time slumber, if they were still there. I knew the "banishment" wouldn't be forever but I remembered when I had been a small first year oohing and ahhing at the magical pictures, I could almost see the ghost of my younger self walking through the halls. I chuckled at the memory but it ended when I saw George standing in front of me.

"Raven please, let me explain," George begged but I only pushed past him and walked faster to the teacher's quarters. Once I shut the door I felt guilty, I should've listened to what George had to say but I didn't know how I felt so I just avoided the situation instead.

I went back to my belongings, stared at them for a long while, accepting the fact that this was the last hour I was going to spend in Hogwarts. I took a few deep breaths then grabbed my bags, held them tightly and started to walk out but was stopped by Snape's dark figure.

"Raven, you will come back once Dumbledore is back, I swear it," Snape promised to me. He meant it and I could feel his affection towards me even if he had trouble showing it.

I shrugged. "Thanks dad, I will hold you to it and I'm going to miss you but I have a feeling I won't be gone for long," I whispered. I walked past him but stopped again because of his voice.

"You should know that the Weasley twin is standing outside the door, waiting for you I assume." I closed my eyes and sighed a breath of defeat. There was no avoiding this like I wanted. I sucked a breath of fake confidence then opened the port hole and there he was.

"George I can't do this right now, I've already got enough on my plate," I argued, I attempted to pass him but he only stood in front of me.

"I'm sorry I kissed you - it's just that I've wanted to kiss for a long time but I wanted to do it when the time was right and I know you are still grieving over Cedric but you need to move on and you will one day and I only hope that when you do you'll see that I'm the one you want," he paused, hoping that I say something but there was nothing to say so he continued. "Can I help you with your bags?"

"Yes, you may," I told him, handed George one of my bags and we headed down the stairs in silence, I couldn't think of anything to say and I didn't want him to say anything about last night either but the world was against me.

"George, I want you to promise me that you'll look after Harry while I'm gone, okay?" I asked him quietly. George looked at my face for a moment then looked away.

"You do know that Harry isn't a little boy anymore, right?" he asked.

"I know that but I'm just worried about what Umbridge will do to him or Voldemort," I shivered at the thought of Umbridge hurting him and then Voldemort coming into Hogwarts and killing him and my other friends, but George merely chuckled at me. I snapped my eyes at his face like lighting then narrowed them.

"First of all, I highly doubt Voldemort is going to march into Hogwarts tomorrow, and as for Umbridge just leave that to the D.A." He answered confidently and it strangely made me feel a lot better.