The Raven's Omen Book I

Ulva Darklore-Snape was nervous, very nervous. Sitting still in an armchair in her and her uncle's sitting room she feebishly fiddles with the hem of her deep grayish blue dress, finding a loose string and pulling at it until it finally snapped away from the rest of the stitches. Today was a rather important day... or so her uncle puts it. Why? Ulva was to meet her godparents properly for the first time after she had been found at her old home two years ago. Meeting new people was something Ulva was particularly horrid at, loosing her speech and mumbling in German whilst biting her lip. Something in which Snape failed to break her of unfortunately and had to find patience for it.

Hearing footsteps nearing the sitting room, Ulva's eye moves up towards the entrance of the room to see her uncle finally appear whom currently wore his usual black robes and looked down at the young five year old expentingly.

"I assume you are ready to take our leave?" he asks Ulva and recieves a nod from her but she immediately looks down and resumes her nervous fiddling of her dress.

Taking notice of Ulva's anxiety Snape kneels down to her level and places his hands over hers to cease her fiddling in which gave him Ulva's full attention.

"Sie haben nichts zu befürchten, Ulva," Snape speaks softly to her.

During the coarse of his two years raising Ulva, Minerva's German lessons had become great help to form a bond with his niece and slowly but surely encouraged her to begin speaking English so that others' wouldn't feel so estranged from her whenever she would meet them.

Not good with first impressions.

Ulva' bites down on her lower lip and nods again, but Snape knew better and gives her small hands a light squeeze to ensure his words.

"Lucius und Narcissa sind sehr gespannt darauf, Sie kennen zu lernen, und sie haben einen Sohn haben, das ist das gleiche Alter wie Sie," Ulva seemed to have perked up at the last bit of information which made Snape raise a brow at her, perplexed.

He was a bit surprised to see her so interested but he would have to understand that she only appeared to be comfortable with those around the same age as her.

Standing back up on his feet and straightening his robes, he takes Ulva's hand and leads her out of their home and disapparates.

---

Apparating just before the gates leading into the long walkway to Malfoy Manor, Snape allows Ulva to recompose herself as the sickening feeling took hold of her. Ulva had only side-along apparate with Snape on very few occasions so it came to no surprise to Snape that Ulva would react the way that she did. Casting her mess away he kneels down to her and gently smoothes out her traveling cloak and giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze before standing back up again. Ulva lets out a small sigh, feeling her nerves become more erratic but took a deep breath and followed her uncle up the walkway, passed the gate and towards the massive mansion that stood before them. Ulva takes hold of her uncle's traveling cloak and walks closely beside him, her nerves bubbling over as they reached the doubled doors leading into the mansion. Snape reaches up and pulls the cord and a tune is heard playing throughout the inside of the mansion. There was a moment of silence until one of the doors opened and revealed a tall, slim, nice looking pale young woman with long blonde hair and cold blue eyes that suddenly melted upon seeing Snape and a smile etched across her red lips.

"Severus how good of you to finally make it, I was fearing that you have forgotten about today," she greets and opens the door wider for her guests allowing them entrance to her home.

"How could I forget Narcissa after you've made it quite clear with the various letters?" Snape replies while disrobing himself and kneeling down to help Ulva out of her own cloak before standing back up once again.

Narcissa giggles before calling for an house elf who took Snape's and Ulva's cloaks and disappearing into the mansion.

"I trust you've been well?" Snape asks, creating small idle conversation as he felt Ulva's hands grip the bottom of his black button up over coat and hiding behind him sheepishly.

"Very well thank you," Narcissa pauses, her eyes catching sight of little Ulva trying to hide and smiles. "Hello Ulva," she greets gently towards the shy girl.

Ulva doesn't move from her 'hiding' spot until Snape simply steps aside to reveal her to her godmother. Ulva doesn't' say anything, only bites her lip until her uncle pushes her forward gently with a firm hand against her back.

"...H-Hi.." she finally responds with her gentle voice and looking up at the young woman.

"My name is Narcissa, it has been a while since I last saw you, you've grown quite a bit Ulva," Narcissa says with a gently smile.

Ulva remains silent, unsure of what to say to her godmother but thankfully she was saved once another presence entered the room. A young man with long platinum blond hair tied back in a pony tail, cold grey eyes and pale skin. Wearing a suit and accompanied with a walking stick that adorned a head of a snake he approached the three and a small smile graced his lips.

"Hello Severus," he greets the Potions Master and stands besides his beloved wife.

"Lucius," Severus responds indifferently as Ulva retreats behind him once more, greatly intimidated by the man.

Lucius watches Ulva as she hides behind her uncle and smirks before letting out a chuckle. "Quite the shy one isn't she?"

Stepping off to the side again Severus brings her forward for her godfather to see. "You'll have to forgive her, she's not used to being around people she doesn't know," Snape explains and brushes Ulva's bangs off to the side slightly.

A slight appearance of bandages is shown covering her right eye and seemed to be wrapped around her head underneath her black hair. The Malfoys' noticed but they remained silent, unsure if this was something Snape would be willing to talk about. Just then the sound of rapid footsteps are heard coming down the stairs of the mansion. It was a small boy, and he looked like the splitting of Lucius with his pale blond hair and grey eyes and pale skin.

"Father have you seen my-" the young boy pauses once setting his eyes on Ulva who suddenly became at ease and watched the boy with intrigue. The young boy stares back at Ulva, looking as though he were processing the situation before an expression of excitement cascades over his confused one and looks up towards his parents.

"Father, Mother, is she the one you've been talking about?" he asks eagerly.

Snape had to admit his surprise, he wasn't expecting his godson to be so eager about someone he hasn't met, but seeing as how Lucius and Narcissa have already talked to him about her, it was clear he was happy to know someone of his own age. Narcissa smiles lovingly down at her son and strokes the top of his head gently.

"Yes Draco, this is Ulva, Severus' niece, also your godsister," she tells him.

Draco looks back over at Ulva who bites down on her lower lip again, unsure of what to say. She also had a godbrother? How come Snape hadn't told her of this? Draco steps forward and holds out a hand towards Ulva who flinches and takes a step backwards. She stares at his hand, clearly confused as to what he was wanting her to do.

"I'm Draco Malfoy," he introduces himself with a smile.

Ulva remains quiet, looking from his hand up to his face then back down to his hand. She reaches out with her own hand, hesitating before grasping his hand.

"U-Ulva," she responds and slightly flinches again once Draco began shaking her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you Ulva."

Draco's parents chuckle while Snape had a very ghost of a smile on his lips. At least now Ulva will have someone to play with whenever he needs to do important potion brewing and the fact that she won't feel so alone anymore.

"Draco why don't you take her into your playroom and show her your toys and such?" Narcissa offers and receives an eager nod from her son.

"Okay mother," Draco says before tightening his hold on Ulva's hand and begins to lead her towards the stairs."Come on Ulva, let's play."

Ulva follows slowly, half being dragged away as she looks back at her uncle very unsure what to do. Snape simply waves her off as if to tell her to go on and follow her godbrother. Once the children were upstairs and out of earshot Narcissa couldn't help her curiosity anymore.

"Severus," she says, looking back over at the man in black who raised a brow. "Why does Ulva have bandages over her right eye?"

Draco and Ulva sat on the floor of his massive playroom, playing with the various trinkets that were given to him over the years. As they played, Draco caught a glimpse of Ulva's bandages and raises his brows in curiosity.

"Say Ulva."

Ulva looks up at him away from a book she had picked up and began to read.

"Yes?"

"Why are there bandages over your one eye?"

The question had caught the young girl off guard for she didn't respond for several seconds before looking down and placing a small hand over the bandaged eye.

"M-My eye got sick.. u-und zhey had to remove it."

Narcissa's eyes widen at Severus' words and a hand goes up to her mouth.

"The poor dear, how did that happen?"

The adults had migrated over to the sitting room, taking their seats on the couches and armchairs that were situated in the room. Severus laces his hands together and sits back in the armchair.

"An infection had taken hold of her eye and began taking away her eye sight at a slow rate, it was painful, Ulva couldn't walk into a dimly lit room without it hurting," Severus explains. "The infection was prone to spread to her other eye if something wasn't done about it so the only way in stopping the infection was to remove her entire right eye."

"I see," Lucius looks down at his cup of tea, fiddling with it slightly. "So Ulva is to be living with one eye."

"Not exactly," Snape quickly retorts. "A glass eye was surgically placed into the socket after the removal, so, she will have two eyes still so to speak."

"A glass eye? Wow!" Draco exclaims. "That must be an odd feeling, having something cold and hard inside your eye; can you move it?"

Ulva nods and leans in.

"I haff a secret too," she whispers before looking around to make sure no one else was around.

Draco leans in as well, intrigued.

"What?"

"I can see with the glass eye."

Draco's eyes widen and his mouth opens slightly in awe.

"Really? So you can see me with it?"

Ulva nods.

"May I see it?"

Ulva bites down on her lower lip once again.

"I don't zink my uncle vants me to take off ze bandages yet..."

"Oh come on Ulva please? Just a small peak?" Draco presses on giving her his infamous puppy eye look.

There was a pause but Ulva finally sighs and nods her head. "Okay." Slowly and carefully she removes the bandages, all the while Draco sits with tension. Once the bandages were off, Draco was staring back at a very pale blue almost white eye that was a complete contrast to Ulva's natrual black eye.

"Wow... It doesn't even look like it's glass it looks so real," Draco exclaims in awe, leaning in to get a closer look. "It's so... ghost like too."

Ulva blushes and covers up the eye but is stopped by Draco and he lowers her hand.

"Don't I like it, it's very pretty," he says with a smile.

With a soft tint of pink on her cheeks, she looks at him surprised but soon smiles back at him.

"Zank you."