Chapter 3

Raven’s first two classes, Divination and Transfiguration, came and went. After Transfiguration, she joined the rest of the students in heading to the Great Hall for lunch. She was surprised how quick the morning had gone. It had seemed like only a couple of hours had passed since breakfast.

Shortly down the hall, she bumped into Fred and George. George immediately shied away from her. Fred, realizing his brothers’ bashfulness, instigated the conversation.

“How’d first classes go?” he asked.

“Well, where should I start?” Raven placed one finger over her mouth and thought for a moment. “Would you like me to give you the honest version or the over-eager, first year student version?”

“Like we care about the classes here,” Fred said with a chuckle. “Trust me. It’s not going to hurt our feelings if you’re honest.”

“Okay,” she said, smiling, “if you insist. Divination was first and let me say that I think Trelawney is a quack most of the time. I do believe that she is somewhat a Seer, but most of the time she has no clue what’s going on. Transfiguration was better. McGonagall knows what she’s doing and I actually felt like I was in a class. All in all, maybe this experience won’t be so bad. I mean, I’ve actually made some friends, right?”

Fred nudged George to get him to say something. George shrugged his shoulders, not knowing exactly what to say.

“Well, we are glad you’re here.” Fred was still giving George the insisting eye, but George wasn’t budging. “Are you heading to lunch?”

Raven was watching every one of Fred’s cues to George. She couldn’t stop slightly smiling and couldn’t take her eyes off the timid twin. “Yeah, I have to eat sometime.”

“Well, since my brother has apparently lost his voice, I’ve decided to speak for him. Will you eat lunch with him today?”

Just as he finished that question, Raven’s eyes drifted in between the twins. Draco Malfoy was headed her direction and she could tell his intent was to speak with her. Raven had to jolt herself out of thought for a moment and answer Fred’s question.

“I would love to have lunch with your brother today. I‘ll meet you down there. Something just came up that I have to deal with.”

“Then he will see you shortly.” Fred grabbed his brother’s arm. George’s eyes looked as though they would pop out if they got any wider. If he had a loss for words before, they had miraculously returned. Raven could hear the two yelling at each other as they walked away.

“Well, if it isn’t my old friend Raven Snape.” Draco said as he waved off he two friends to leave. “I was told I may see you here.”

“How soon after my father died were you alerted to the fact that I was returning to England?” Raven asked.

“A couple of days. Father told me.”

“Then I should have asked a different question. When did your father find out about the death of mine?”

“The day after if happened. And let me just give you my condolences.” Draco put his hand on her arm. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Raven took a step back to get his arm off of hers. “I’m surprised your father didn’t find out the moment my father drew his last breath. And don’t give me your sympathy, Draco. It means nothing to me after the stunt your father pulled.”

“How can you say that, Raven? All my father and I have ever wanted is what’s best for you. Come on, we have such a history together. If you‘re still mad about that one thing, you need to get over it. I‘ve forgiven you.”

Raven could feel her anger and annoyance at Draco building. “Do you remember what I did to you the last time you told me to ‘get over it‘? I’m a lot stronger now and I can do much worse.”

“We’re not in the United States anymore. You’re in England now. My father holds power in the Ministry. You pull the same stunt you did five years ago and I doubt my father and the Ministry will be so forgiving.”

By this time, the halls had cleared off. Draco and Raven were the only two standing there, staring each other down as if they were about to duel.

Using this to her advantage, Raven grabbed Draco by the front of his shirt and pushed him against the wall. “Do me a favor Draco, don’t make threats your feeble, weak minded body can’t cash. You forget who you’re talking to!”

Raven let go and started to walk away. Unfortunately, Draco wasn’t finished.

“I know exactly who I’m talking to! I know exactly what you’re capable of! And I also know you can’t do anything to me here! I have nothing to worry about. If anything, you should be the one that‘s scared.”

Raven stopped and turned slowly toward Draco. “I have an idea. Let’s replay what happened five years ago. You made a comment, like you did just now, that didn’t sit right with me. And I believe I reacted something like this!”

Raven marched swiftly up to Draco, pulling her wand out as she went. She backed Draco up against the same wall as a moment ago and pointed her wand between his eyes. Draco was dripping with fear. She stared him down while his eyes looked as though they were pleading for life.

After a moment of this, she started to smile. “Just as I thought. The same weak-minded, daddy’s boy you always were. Don’t think I don’t come through on my threats Draco. You should know as well as anyone in this world that my warnings mean something. Just stay away from me. That’s all you have to do. Just stay away!”

No other words between the two were spoken. As soon as Raven rounded the corner, and was out of range of Draco, she ducked behind a pillar to catch her breath. The last thing she wanted to do was start off the year with a confrontation. However, considering the bad blood between them, some sort of conversation was inevitable. Realizing George was waiting for her in the Great Hall, she decided not to give Draco any more thought and ran off to lunch.

When she got there, she noticed George sitting at the table with one spot open next to him. He looked more nervous than before. She felt bad that he was put on the spot by his brother. As she walked to him, she made it her mission to get him to say more than a few words to her. The closer she got to him, her smile became bigger and her heart pounded a bit harder.

“Is this seat for me?” she asked.

George nodded.

After a few minutes of silence and awkward looks around the room, Raven finally broke.

“Okay so the whole school knows you’re not shy. I know you’re not shy. I promise you don’t have to be this bashful around me. I know that’s not who you are.”

George looked at her and her broad smile, and it was as if all of his fear of talking to her had faded. “How do you know any of this? I mean, I haven’t been exactly forthcoming with any information about me.”

“True, but I can tell. You and your brother are known as the school jokesters. Anyone with a reputation like that can’t be shy.”

George chuckled. “I guess you’re right. I suppose I should apologize then.”

“There is nothing to apologize for. As long as you’re talking now, I don’t have to try so hard to get you to open up.”

The two sat for a while and talked about a variety of subjects. They really seemed to enjoy each others company. Smiles never left their faces.

At one point, in between bites of food, George looked out across the Great Hall and noticed Draco looking over at the two of them.

“So tell me how you know Draco?” George asked. “That can’t be a pleasant acquaintance.”

Raven rolled her eyes and finished chewing her food. “How do I put this? I hate him? Is that too forward?”

“No,” laughed George. “I’m not too fond of him myself. So how do you know him?”

“Every summer from the time I was three years old till I was ten, him and his father would spend a few weeks on our farm. Things were okay until that last summer. Before then, we got along fine. Finally that last summer, his fathers influence on him was as clear as crystal and after that my feelings for him, as a childhood friend, did a complete one-eighty.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, George, sometimes a girls’ life is deep well of secrets. Most are comfortable spilling them out and leaving nothing to mystery. I’m not that kind of girl.”

George seemed a little disappointed and a little frightened off.

“I tell you what. I’ll scrape the surface for you.” Raven turned in her seat to face him and took a deep breath. “When I was ten, I found out that Lucius had an ulterior motive for his visits for the previous seven years. He wanted something out of my father.”

“That’s Lucius alright. He never does any thing without some benefit to him.”

“Yes, but my father and I didn’t know that at the time. We had our suspicions but didn’t have a reason to act on them. He had never done anything until that last summer.”

“What did he do?”

“Like I said, Lucius wanted something out of my dad. Lucius is a man of words and threats, and his threats, if worded correctly, can persuade even the strongest willed person to submit. I protested the deal they came up with. I threw a massive fit and my father sent me and Draco outside while they finished with business.”

“Was Draco part of it?”

“Draco really didn’t know what was going on. He was too young to understand. All he knew was that his daddy wanted this deal to work out. And what daddy says goes. When he and I went outside, we fought and his father’s personality came out in him. He turned. He was vicious. Of course, I always had a counterattack.

Things got so heated between him and me, that after one particular comment, I used every bit of strength I had and threw him into a nearby tree.”

George was taking a sip of his drink at the time and choked. He caught his breath and wiped his mouth. “You did what?”

“You heard me. I waved my hand and he slammed into a tree.”

“Did you hurt him?”

“He broke something. Maybe a rib or his arm. I can’t remember. All I really remember is Lucius not being angry.”

“Lucius wasn’t mad? Someone looks at him cross-eyed and he’s demanding a year in Azkaban for that person!”

“Yeah, that was a big shock to me, too. But while his son was rolling around in pain, Lucius simply said it was not a problem. Draco would get better and all will be fine. He said that no harm was really done.”

“That doesn’t sound like Lucius.”

“Or does it? Remember he wanted something out of my father. What better way to ensure that the deal with my dad would go through? Forgive and forget what I had done to his son. If he was mad and lashed out at me, my father would never have accepted Lucius‘ offer.”

“So what is it that Lucius wanted? It had to be big if he was willing to let that one go.”

“Ah,” Raven smiled, “you thought you were going to get me. This is one secret I can’t let go of yet. One day I will be able to let it slip, but until that day I’m just going to have to leave you guessing.”

“You’re a mystery. How intriguing!” George looked at her as if trying to guess what she’s hiding. “Maybe if I use my charm, I can sway you to tell me your darkest secrets.”

“Hmm,” Raven turned back to face the table and a broad smile came to her face, “I’m thinking if you are going to use your charm on me for something, I would rather it be put to better use.”

Chapter 4