Chapter 14
Silent.
Raven was silent when she returned back from the bathroom. She hadn't said a word, hadn't even acknowledged the two Gryffindor students beside her who have stopped talking as well. Though, it looked as if Ronald was in pain with the way he was rubbing his shoulder as if someone smacked him hard. Either way, Raven didn't want to acknowledge them.
And pretty soon, they were dismissed for their next class. Raven quickly gathered her things and made her way down towards Melanie. It wasn't like she wasn't worried about Sophia. She was, but the girl could handle herself against the Crabb and Doyle, plus they were in the front row. Professor McGonagall was already keeping a close eye on them.
But Melanie, on the other hand, she needed someone to look out for her. In an instant, Raven grabbed Melanie's things as Daphne pushed past them and out the classroom.
"What are you doing?" Melanie asked in a quiet voice unlike her usual happy tone.
"Helping." Raven grabbed her things, placing them in her pile before she hesitated, holding her hand out for Melanie to grab. Her hands had a slight shake to them at her own action, but she'll push through.
(She pushed the sounds of a whip hitting the floor in the back of her mind.)
Melanie watched for a few moments before interlacing their fingers. Raven gave her hand a squeeze as she guided Melanie—who looked as if she were inside of her head—towards Sophia.
"You ready to go?" Raven asked.
"Yes." Sophia whined. "Finally! I thought class would never end."
Raven couldn't help but agree. The three of them made their way out of the class, ignoring the burning gaze on her back as they walked. Raven didn't stop till she finally felt the gaze stop, allowing herself a moment to sigh. She was used to be looked at sometimes, but god, feeling Hermione Granger's eyes on her was something else entirely.
"What happened to you?" Sophia nudged her shoulder against Melanies. The muggle born girl didn't even flinch. Her eyes had fogged over and it looked as if she were on another planet. "Hello? Earth to Melanie?"
"Enough." Raven stated causing Sophia to glance at her. She didn't know if Melanie wanted anyone to know, but.. they were her friends and it was their job to look out for her. "Parkinson got into her head."
"What?" Sophia exclaimed. Her eyes filled with concern and worry. "What did she say?"
"Ya know, the usual." Melanie broke the silence just as Raven opened her mouth to explain. A weak chuckle left her lips. "You stink. Your filth. You're a m— mudblood. Priceless, right?"
"Melanie." Sophia said in a soft voice, reaching out for the girl. But Melanie crossed her arms over her chest—letting go of Raven's hand—and moved away from Sophia's touch.
"I'm fine." Melanie gave a weak smile. "It nothing I can't handle it. Besides, that gringa don't scared me."
Not with the 'conversation' Raven just had with her in the bathroom. Melanie won't be bothered by Pansy anymore. Or else, she'd have to deal with Raven and the Parkinson girl knows when to back off.
But Melanie didn't have to know that.
"Well, if she tries anything.."
She won't.
"Don't worry, Soph." Melanie shrugged her off before sending the girl a tight smile. "They're just words. Besides, next time she tries something, she's catching these hands."
Melanie turned to face the girls with her hands up as if she was getting ready to fight someone. Raven could feel the genuine smile creep up onto her face, while Sophia looked confused.
"Sometimes, I don't understands you Americans and your grammar." Sophia sighed before she tilted her head confused. "How can someone catch hands?"
"It's an expression." Melanie giggles before she explains. "It means that there going to fight someone."
"If catching someone's hands is how muggles fight, then.." Raven's eyes widened at her own words. "Muggles are insane."
"Exactly!" Sophia agreed. "How can you catch somebodies hands? By cutting them off?"
"What?" Melanie exclaimed before she chuckled, a smile gracing her lips. "No!"
Melanie's laughter echoed throughout the rest of the hallway bringing a smile onto passerby's faces at how contagious it sounded. Raven and Sophia continued to walk Melanie to her next class as they talked and laughed—Raven giggled, a tiny perfect giggle—before they dropped her off. Raven made sure to hand her all of her things.
It wasn't far from their own class with Veronica. Only a five minute walk away since Melanie had History of Magic while they had Defense Against the Dark Arts. So, they walked through the halls, passing by classroom by classroom as the two of them talked.
"So, I heard that you're trying out for the Quidditch team with Cedric?" Sophia smiled, a teasing grin on her face as she spoke. Raven nearly rolled her eyes, but she kept her stone expression.
"Let me guess, Veronica." Raven guessed.
"Yup." Sophia hummed as they got closer and closer to their door. "She heard it from Henry."
"Spires?" Raven questioned. "Cedric's friend?"
"Supposedly, Cedric can't wait to tryout on the team with his girlfriend." Sophia teased. Raven sighed, shaking her head.
"How many times do I have to tell you we're just friends?" Raven stated. "He's a big scary cat and a dork."
"Ouch, Ray—Ray." A voice groaned from behind Raven. "Nice to know what you think of me."
Raven turned to him, her eyes narrowed into a glare as he leans against the wall outside of their classroom door. "I tell you that on a daily basis."
"Doesn't make it hurt any less." Cedric pouted with his hand over his heart. "See? My hearts breaking from this conversation alone."
"Please." Raven shook her head.
"Hey, Cedric." Sophia waved her fingers at the boy with a flirty smile.
Cedric sent the girl a genuine smile as he nodded in her direction. "Hey, Sophia."
"Why are you changing your voice?" Raven blurted out as she turned to Sophia. The dark red haired girl blushed under her friends gaze.
"What are you talking about?" Sophia kept the voice going. "I sound like this."
"You don't sound like that!" Raven exclaimed.
"I've been known to have that affect on people." Cedric said smoothly. Sophia and Raven both look at Cedric.
"Okay. You ruined it." Sophia says to the boy before she glances at Raven. "Don't take too long. Class is about to start."
"Alright." Raven nodded at the girl and watched as she walked into the buzzing classroom. After a few seconds, she turned back to her friend. "Now, what do you want?"
"Okay, rude." Cedric huffed before he rolled his eyes. "Not even a 'How was your day, Cedric?'"
"Cedric, you know how I feel about being late to class." Raven sighed, hoping that he'd try and understand. To her friends, it was common knowledge how Raven hated being late to any of her classes. Maybe it was because she enjoyed learning through every possible minute. At least that's what they thought.
Katherine and Christopher knew better.
If Raven was even a second late to dinner or their pureblood lessons, then she would get punished. The ruler had become her friend during the summer before her first year when the rule had been implemented.
"Still, you don't have to be so rude about it." Cedric grumbled. Raven tightened her hold on her books as she saw his fake hurt expression. They hadn't talked all day and usually, he walks her to class, but after they had been dismissed early, it ruined the whole schedule between them.
"How was your day, Cedric?" Raven said sarcastically.
"Oh, it was good—" Cedric stopped before he narrowed his eyes at her. "That was rhetorical, wasn't it?"
Raven nodded.
"Okay, here's the quill you let me borrow." Cedric sighed before holding out her quill. Raven had let Cedric borrow her quill after he had asked in the morning. He said that he needed it for an assignment during his first period, and she'd get it back at the end of the day since she didn't need it today.
Though, she hadn't been realized that she used some of her time to study in the library with her friends.
"Why are you giving this to me now?" Raven furrowed her eyebrows as she gently grabbed it from his hands.
"I heard your having a quiz today." Cedric explained. Raven's eyes widened.
"Are you serious? Bloody hell." Raven exclaimed before she began to ramble. Cedric snickered at the curse. "All Professor Lockhart does is talk about himself. We haven't even learned a single spell and it's nearly been a month."
"Look, I'm just telling you what I heard." Cedric placed his hand up. "Besides, we both know that you're going to make a good grade on the test."
"If I know the material before hand!" Raven exclaimed. "I don't know what's going to be on the test."
"You got this, Ray—Ray." Cedric placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Raven pinched her nose as she closed her eyes. "I have faith in you."
"Cedric—" Raven opened her eyes and, suddenly the boy was gone. She glanced around herself before spotting him at the far end of the hall, running. "Cedric Diggory, you get back here!"
"What? I can't hear you. You're too far." Cedric shouted back before he waved. "Anyways, bye!"
"That little—"
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Test.
Turns out the test was a disaster. Cedric was completely wrong to put his faith in Raven. She was absolutely certain that she failed. Professor Lockhart's test had been all about him and his adventures. Or little things about himself that they should know. Like what was his favorite color? Or his greatest achievement? Or even his ambition?
He wanted to test each and every one of them about how well they knew his books, which Raven hadn't read at all. Originally, Aunt Eleanor had bought his books with some of the Rosier families money since it was a requirement for his class. But then, she kept them. She hadn't even thought to include them in the pile of books for her second year.
Though, at the time, she wasn't complaining since she hadn't wanted to read them. It all seemed like a load of rubbish to her. Unlike the rest of the girls, including her two friends, Raven hadn't fallen into the spell of Professor Lockhart. She hadn't fallen for his charms or his lies.
Perhaps it was because she could see right through them. Or because she had spent so much time around Uncle Nicholas that she knew a pretend act when she saw one, especially from a man. Woman were much harder to read. At least to Raven.
"What do you think you made, Rae?" Veronica whispered, breaking her out of her doodling. She had her sketchbook out and she was drawing the classroom. She drew her fellow classmates and their backs to her. Many of them were blurry and in the background of what she was really drawing.
Hermione Granger and how she looked when she was answering questions on the test. She would tap her finger against the table when she was stuck on a question. She would bit her lip whenever she would think a little harder to try and figure it out. If she was really thinking—which only happened during one question—she would twirl her finger inside of her hair and bit her lip as she focused. God, Raven felt as if her heart would burst with how focused the girl was.
But overall, Raven drew the classroom.
"Honestly, I think I failed." Raven mumbled, the sinking feeling of shame washing over her. If Aunt Eleanor or Uncle Nicholas heard about her failure..
"You're not the only one." Sophia groaned. Her head was against the table since she saw the questions. "How should I know what his favorite color is?"
"You didn't even do the test, Sophia." Veronica said, rolling her eyes as she leaned back against her seat.
Sophia sat up as she glanced at Veronica. "That test was a load of rubbish!"
Veronica sighed. "I know."
"It's like he set us up to fail." Sophia said as she leaned back in her seat watching as Professor Lockhart was grading papers. Raven's eyes were burning into the back of Hermione's head as she watched her happily converse with her friends. She felt guilty for how she treated her and Ron earlier today. It wasn't fair that she took her anger out on them. Now, they're probably scared of her even more.
Sophia followed Raven's gaze before sharing a look with Veronica. The dark red haired girl leaned in close to her friend before she nodded in the muggleborns direction. "I bet you, Granger, passed with flying colors."
"Doesn't she always?" Veronica sighed. Raven tensed up as she slowly closed her sketchbook, feeling a little too exposed with the way they were openingly talking about Hermione as if the girl wasn't a few tables away from them.
"I wish I was that smart." Sophia mumbled.
Raven turned her head to her friends. "You are smart, Sophia. He just gave us a bad test."
Raven knew she sounded like a hypocrite. She knew that she was seconds away from picking a punishment for herself because she failed the test. Because she failed to read the books that Professor Lockhart assigned them. But she wouldn't allow her friend to think that way. Not when the guy surprised them with this test.
"Tut. Tut." Professor Lockharts voice quieted the classroom's chatter as they all turned to the blonde haired man. He shook his head before he glanced around the class once more. "Hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. One of you didn't even do the test. But Miss. Hermione Granger knew that my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair care potions."
"I told you so." Sophia whispered to Raven, but the red haired girl wasn't listening to her. No. She was too busy memorizing the light inside of Hermione's eye when Professor Lockhart acknowledged her intelligence.
"Good girl." Professor Lockhart winked at Hermione before giving the girl a charming smile. The muggle girl practically swooned at the man, even the others around her couldn't fight off the grin at his charming smile. But all Raven did was scoff, rolling her eyes. Suddenly, she didn't find the shine in her eye to be quite as appealing.
"How is that appropriate for a Professor?" Raven questioned. Veronica waved her off, while Sophia shushed her.
"Shh, Raven. I'm listening." Sophia stated.
"He's not done." Veronica said.
"Are you two serious?" Raven whispered loudly under her breath. "You were just talking about how much you hated him!"
"His test." Sophia corrected. "Not him."
"He's so handsome." Veronica swooned into her hand as she leaned against the table.
"He's a middle aged—"
"Now!" Professor Lockhart jumped away from Hermione's desk causing the entire class to flinch. He began walking over to a covered cage by his desk. "Be warned. It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard kind."
Professor Lockhart tapped the cage lightly with his elbow which caused it rattle. Raven felt herself tense up as the sudden energy inside of the room shifted. Veronica sat up in her seat beside Raven as she held her gaze on the cage.
"You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room." Professor Lockhart declared. Raven felt her gaze leave the cage when she heard a gulp in the classroom. She felt her eyes follow after it and landed on Ronald Weasley. The boys eyes were practically drowning in fear. She could see the way his hands had a small shake to them beside the calm Harry Potter. "Know only that no harm can befall you while I am here."
"I must ask you not to scream. It might.. PROVOKE THEM!" Professor Lockhart grabbed the curtain and pulled it away revealing—
"Cornish Pickies?" A Gryffindor boy asked bewildered by what was behind the cage. It was obvious that he had thought that it was a joke.
"Freshly caught Cornish Pickies." Professor Lockhart corrected. A few students began to laugh inside of the classroom, finding the whole situation funny. Even Veronica and Sophia giggled under there breath at the creatures that they had been so scared of earlier. "Laugh if you will, students, but pixies can be devilishly tricky little blighters. Let's see what you make of them. Hyah! Go!"
Suddenly, Professor Lockhart opened the cage, freeing the blue Cornish Pixies. As soon as the first pixies flew out and headed for Hermione, Raven stood up as the muggle born cried out in fear. A sound that Raven never wanted to hear ever again. Just as she pulled up her wand to say something—anything— to stop the Cornish Pixies, Veronica grabbed her arm, tugging her away.
"Raven, move!" The girl cried out causing Raven to stumble from the force of the pool and onto the floor. Thankfully, her wand stayed within arms reach. She quickly grabbed it from where it fell and stood up watching as the class descended into chaos. "I didn't mean to pull that hard! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Raven said before she glanced around for their third friend. "Where's Sophia?"
"Uhhh—" Veronica pointed to the other side of the class where Sophia was hiding as she protected her head with her hands. "There!"
"Come on now. Round them up, round them up!" Professor Lockhart called out to the class as the Pixies continued to cause trouble. Raven winced at the sound of a page ripping near them. "They're only pixies!"
"Bloody hell!" Veronica ducked as a Pixies flew past her head. She grabbed onto Raven before leading the two of them towards Sophia. "We need to get out of here!"
"Sophia, let's go!" Raven raised her voice to be heard over the screaming around the classroom. Raven grabbed Sophia's left arm while Veronica grabbed her right before they pulled her out from under the table. "No man left behind."
"You should have left me!" Sophia cried out as she fought against them. "Now, they're gonna mess up my hair!"
"I'll fix it!" Veronica shouted. "Let's go!"
Raven guided them over to the exit while trying to avoid the pixies and the other students. Sophia still had her arms over her head as she tried to block off her hair. Veronica was guiding the girl with her hand on her back as she followed after Raven.
"Ah! Ah!" A boy cried out from beside them. Raven's eyes widened at the sight of two pixies holding onto his ears before they began to pull him up and off of the floor. "Ah!"
"Bollocks, it's that—"
Raven gasped. "Neville."
The Rosier quickly sprung into action as she grabbed one of the book copies from a nearby table before she grabbed Neville's robs and pulled him down with all the strength she could muster against the pixies. It seemed to be enough since the boy went down just enough for Raven to be able to smack the pixie away from him with the book. The other pixie soon lost its strength and dropped Neville.
Raven reached out as she grabbed the boys waist before breaking his fall with her own body. She gasped as soon as her back hit the floor, feeling the oxygen in her lungs vanish in an instant.
"Thank you." Neville cried out. He hadn't seen who saved him yet. "Thank you so much!"
He shouldn't be thanking her. She didn't deserve it. Not after everything her parents did to his. So, instead of agreeing with him, Raven kept her mouth shut as she waited for him to turn to see who it was that saved him. And when he did, the grin on his face vanished as if the sight before him was truly disgusting.
"You." Neville scrambled off of Raven as if the girl had burned her. "I— I didn't need your help."
Raven nodded, not saying another word to the boy so that she didn't upset him anymore. His eyes already had growing tears as his ears burned on the side of his face in shame.
"Raven! Help!" Sophia shrieked causing Raven to turn around to face her. "They're ruining my hair!"
The sight before caused her breathe to hitch. On either side of Sophia, a pixie had grabbed a huge lock of her hair and pulled up before lifting her into the air as they did with Neville. Raven scrambled over to her friend, slipping on a few pieces of fallen paper on the floor as she tried to reach her. Just as her fingertips grazed the ending of her robs, she was already lifted up too high for Raven to reach.
"Ow! Let go!" Sophia cried out before she screamed again once they actually let her go. Raven opened her arms to catch her friend, but sighed in relief when she was hooked onto the light.
"Don't worry, Sophia!" Raven cupped her hand over her mouth. "Professor Lockhart will get you down! Just hang on!"
"Seriously?" Sophia exclaimed.
"Okay, poor choice of words." Raven smacked away another pixie that came at her before she glanced around the nearly empty classroom. "I need to go and find Veronica! Okay, all be right back!"
Raven ran off, wondering around the classroom as she looked for their friend. She knew that the girl would never leave Sophia even if her life was at stake. She was way too loyal. So, something must have dragged her off and away from the group while Raven had been distracted.
"Veronica!" Raven called out, smacking a pixie on the side of the desk. "Ronnie! Where are you?!"
"Get off of me!"
Raven stopped as soon as she heard the girl. She glanced around the classroom once more before she saw a pair of legs kicking behind a desk as if they were struggling against something. She hurriedly ran over to them, passing the Golden trio as she did who seemed to be hiding near Professor Lockhart.
As soon as she got a clear view of Veronica, she gasped. Her friend was on the floor with a pixie on her face scratching her while a few were scrambling in her hair. Another was messing with her tie. It seemed as if the pixies just wanted to mess with the girl on the ground instead of in the air like Sophia. Raven quickly sprung into action once more.
She gripped onto the book tightly before she smacked away the pixie that was on her friends tie, ignoring the way it cried out in pain. She stomped on the pixies that were in her hair, watching as they flew away for safe cover. Then, last, but not least.
"Get off of my friend!" Raven exclaimed before she swiped her book across the pixie and watched as it flung to the other end of the class room. After a few moments of peace, a pixie smacked right into Raven's face as it began to scratch her.
"AHHH! GET OFF!" Raven stumbled backwards into a desk, feeling a sharp pain go up her spine as she cried out. She tried grabbing onto the pixie to pull it off, but the creature wasn't budging. Then, she felt another pixie attack from the back of her robs as it began to pull her hair. Raven instantly let go of the one on her face as she tried to fight off the ones by her hair. She didn't want to end up like Sophia.
She could hear Veronica cry out once more in the background as she got attacked again. All of a sudden, she heard a loud bang near her ear as if one of the pixies were getting hit with a book. And then another. And another.
"Hold still!" A girl cried out.
Then, all of a sudden, her vision became clear and the person in front of her was the girl who had haunted her every page in her sketchbook since their first encounter.
"Granger." Raven breath. Suddenly, feeling very out of breath by the mere sight of Hermione than by the pixies. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Hermione smiled. Is this how it feels to cause someone to smile? If so, then Raven knows why her friends love doing it so much because her heart feels so warm.
"Veronica." Raven remembered as she glanced at her friend, who was being helped onto her feet by Ron Weasley. Raven quickly ran over to the two of them, dodging the few pixies that tried to fly at her again. "Ronnie, are you alright?"
"Ow! Their nails are sharp." Veronica rubbed her face as she winced before she glanced around the classroom. "Where's Sophia?"
"Well.." Raven pointed up.
"OH MY GOD! SOPH!" Veronica screamed as she ran underneath her friend who was still hanging above the classroom.
"RONNIE!" Sophia screamed. "HELP!"
"Ahh! Get off me!" Hermione shrieked as one grabbed the side of her hair and pulled hard.
"Stop. Hold still!" Raven sprung to action as she grabbed a book on the table and swung it at the pixie flinging it away. Ronald was still covering the two of them as he continued to fight pixies left and right. Harry was with Professor Lockhart by his desk as he fought against pixies, waiting for his friends to return.
"Peskipiksi Pesternomi!" Professor Lockhart screamed with a grin on his face before a pixie snatched away his wand right out of his hand. He looked around fearfully while the pixies flew into the air and began to play with his wand. Light and sparks traveled around the room until they made it to their destination.
A fossil of a dragon that was right above Raven, Hermione, and Ronald.
The pixies waved the wand around before they hit the chain, causing it to break almost instantly. Hermione and Ronald were too busy fighting against the pixies on the ground to notice the skeleton falling directly towards them.
"HERMIONE! RON!" Harry shouted as he stood up to run to his friends to push them out of the way. And yet, he was too far and too slow. The pixies had surrounded him and didn't let him get anywhere near his friends as he struggled against them.
But Raven was right next to them. And so..
She did what any person would have done if something was falling towards them. Raven tackled Hermione and Ronald to the ground to use her body as cover against the hard skeleton dragon.
"Rosier!" Ronald exclaimed as he tried to fight against her. Hermione was bright red beside him as she stopped breathing. "What are you do—"
He seen it far too late.
It had already made its impact onto her back causing her to collapse against the two of them as she cried out in pain. The harden skeleton dug into her scarred back and knocked the wind out of her lungs. She could feel the striking pain spread throughout her body from the harsh impact, and yet it didn't hurt as much as it would if she would have been whipped for an hour.
"RAVEN!" Veronica screamed.
Sophia shrieked. "OH MY GOD!"
"PROFESSOR LOCKHART, DO SOMETHING!" Harry shouted at the Professor, but the man just scurried on out of the classroom.
"I'll ask you six to just nip the rest of them back into the cage for me while I get help!" Professor Lockhart exclaimed before he ran out of the classroom, leaving the kids to figure out what to do.
Raven groaned as she picked herself up and off of the two Gryffindor students. She sat down, holding her hand against the back of her head. She winced as soon as she felt the pressure in her head.
"Raven, are you okay?" Hermione reached out towards her. Raven flinched away from her touch as everything began to ached around her body. When she felt something liquid against her fingers on the back of her head, she pulled her hand out to see the red substance that her Uncle liked to come out of her body whenever she was punished.
"Jesus, Rosier, you're bleeding!" Ronald winced.
Raven tried to smile, but it hurt too much to even try. "I'm fine."
Raven groaned once more as her head began to pound. She brought her hand up to touch her head as she tried to hide her wince. She felt her eyes fill up with tears from the pain. Why was she making such a big show of it? It wasn't like she hadn't been in pain before. Pain that was bigger than this. That hurt more. Heck, that lasted longer and yet, she was seconds away from crying.
"What do we do, Hermione?!" Ronald began to freak out as he started fighting Pixies again.
Hermione stood up, pointing her wand at the pixies before shouting, "Immobulus!"
Raven—despite being in pain—couldn't help but burn this moment into her mind again. The way Hermione stood up with such confidence as she shouted out the spell. Who cares if it made Raven's ears ring? The way the spell left her lips with such practice, such ease that looked so.. breathtaking. It was a truly stunning sight to see. Raven wanted to draw and memorize how the girls eyes began to shine and fill with wonder just by doing a spell. It was as if the girl was truly in her element and she loved it.
Hermione Granger looked as graceful as the leaves blowing in the trees when she said a spell. As confident as the wind blowing a gentle breeze with how the magic left her wand. Raven wanted to sketch it, burn it, relive it over and over again. But it was the artist in her. She felt that way about everyone.
"Brilliant." Raven slowly fell down onto the floor as her eyes became droopy. "Absolutely brilliant."
"Raven!"
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Pain.
All Raven felt was an achy pain that spread throughout her body. It wasn't a bad pain. She was more sore than anything. But the headache was gone. All it left was a little bit of pressure against her skull. She felt her eyes flutter open, seeing the darkness of the room. She groaned as she felt a sharp pain go through her head when she moved it to the side, bring her hand up to rub her forehead.
"Don't move." A voice whispered.
Raven flinched. "Who there?"
After a long pause—that made Raven think she was hallucinating the voice—it spoke again. "It's Hermione. Umm.. Hermione Granger. I don't know if you know my name or not—"
"Granger." Raven felt herself relax as her entire body exhaled. "For a second there, I thought I was going crazy."
"No." Hermione chuckled weakly. "It's just me."
Raven glanced around, wincing as she did so when the strike of pain flooded her mind once more. "Where are you?"
"Oh. I forgot." In an instant, the girl appeared by Raven's right in the unoccupied chair beside the bed. Raven couldn't believe her eyes.
"How— How did you do that?" Raven stammered, absolutely amazed by the girl beside her. "I've never seen magic like that before."
"It's Harrys." Hermione stated before she put her hand in the air or what would have been her hand if it wasn't invisible. "It's an invisible coat."
"Who gave it to him?" Raven asked.
"His father." Hermione stated. "Honestly, I've tried to figure out the details about the coat and how it was constructed. I couldn't figure out what spell they used. I even went back to the 1900 and still couldn't find it. Harry thinks it's pointless and to just be grateful for what he has, but what if we could make more? What if this one breaks? Or what if it's stolen—"
"Why'd you stop?" Raven questioned.
"Ronald thinks my rambling is annoying." Hermione explained. "Especially if it's about research or books or even magic. He says it makes me seem like a know it all."
"I was listening." Raven mumbled before the two girls went quiet once more. Hermione sat there messing with the helm of the coat while Raven was trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness of the room. Neither had wanted to break the silence that surrounded them. But Raven had to know. "What are you doing here, Granger? You do know that it's past curfew, right?"
"I know." Hermione sighed before she sent the girl a nervous smile. "I just wanted to thank you."
Raven felt her eyes widened at her words. Why would Hermione want to thank her? It wasn't like she didn't anything over the top. She just got hit with a dragon fossil. Sure, it might have gotten her in the nursery, but anyone would have done it.
"You're full of surprises, Granger." Raven scoffed, feeling a tug of her lips as she locked eyes with Hermione. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why would you want to thank me?"
"You saved my life." Hermione said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
"Saving your life is going a bit too far." Raven said. She didn't want to take credit for something that she wasn't that serious to begin with. Raven knew that it would hurt and that she would survive. "I just made sure you didn't get a bruise on that pretty face of yours."
Hermione smiled. "You think I'm pretty?"
Raven felt her eyes widened for a split second as a sudden rush of anxiety overcame her body. She hadn't meant to let that slip. It just happened. She blamed the fact that she was half asleep and on who knows what medication. She would never say that if she wasn't drugged.
"Besides, you don't have to thank me." Raven quickly changed the subject, but that didn't take away the smug look on Hermione's face nor the burning on Raven's cheeks. "It's the least I can do after everything my parents.."
"You're really nothing like them, huh?" Hermione blurted out. Her eyes widened at her mistake. "Sorry! I didn't mean to say that."
"It's fine." Raven shrugged it off, trying to act as if this wasn't the first time someone saw the real her so quickly. She exhaled nervously as she looked around the darkroom as the silence built up between the two of them once more. She glanced back at Hermione, confused. "What are you still doing here?"
"I'm sorry." Hermione blurted out again.
Raven couldn't stop the small smile that creeped onto her lips. "You already said that."
"No. I mean.." Hermione sighed before her voice went quiet. "I'm sorry for what I said at Diagon Alley."
"Oh." Raven blanked for a moment as she recalled the memory. "I already forgave you."
"What?" Hermione questioned, shocked by how easy it was for Raven to forgive her for her harsh words. The words that made her cry.
"You stood up to my uncle. That was the best apology anyone has ever given me." Raven explained in a soft voice as she recalled the memory. Sure, Hermione had been mean to her, but she gave her the best thing in return. "The look on his face was everything."
But Hermione wasn't convinced. "Are you sure?"
"I'm positive." Raven nodded. Hermione looked down as if she were in deep thought with her eyebrows furrowed while Raven didn't care enough to look away. She openly admired Hermione. She didn't know the next time that she would get close to the girl. Might as well memorize her face to perfection.
She memorized the way her hair was bushy. And yet, not quite. It twirled around the ends as it wrapped around the other hair follicles and mixed them up. Hermione's hair was one of a kind. It reminded Raven of a dance. When you dance with someone, you give a piece of yourself away to the other dance and vise versa and eventually become one on the dance floor. You have to think the same things, know the same movements.
It is truly beautiful. Just like Hermione's hair. Raven could image herself trailing her hands through it as she gently as possible. A part of her ached to do it, but she knows how it would look. Her Aunt Eleanor had done it enough to her already that she knows it won't be kind to do to someone else.
"Raven.." Hermione broke her out of her thoughts as she spoke in a quiet voice.
Raven hummed. "Mhmm?"
"Can we be friends?" Hermione asked.
Raven sighed. Even if she wanted to be friends with Hermione, she couldn't. Not with her family name. No matter how much she didn't want it to come true. She knew that she'd eventually turn out like her parents. It's her destiny. If not that, then she was already destined to die a horrible and painful death because of her wand.
She had already decided on having very little friends, so that none of them miss her when she's gone. And also, so that if she does turn out like her parents—and she will—she won't have a huge number of people that she would stay away from. It'll be short and easy for her to remember.
For some reason, it felt wrong to add Hermione to the list. Not that she wanted to hurt her, but it felt as if Hermione deserved better than to be on some 'Do Not Hurt' list inside of her brain when she finally snaps.
"No." Raven answered.
"B— But why not?" Hermione stuttered. Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment at the other girls rejection.
Raven sighed. "I can't be friends with you."
"Because I'm a mud—?" Hermione blurted.
"Don't." Raven stopped her, shutting her eyes as soon as the slur almost left Hermione's tongue. She didn't want that word anywhere near Hermione.
"I know Draco and your cousins say it all the time..." Hermione hesitated for a moment before she spoke up in a quiet voice. "But do you ever say it?"
It's not like she would be surprised if Raven did say it. She was Raven Rosier and she was a pureblood after all. All of the other Slytherin purebloods say it as if it's second nature. Even the Flints say it and Raven grew up with them. But it didn't mean it wouldn't hurt if she did. Raven had saved her and Ron. Hermione witness countless times how Raven would defend her muggleborn friend from the other purebloods.
"I'm best friends with a muggle born witch." Raven replied before raising her eyebrow at the witch. "What do you think?"
Hermione smiled happily. "Then, we can be friends!"
"No! We can't!" Raven shook her head before she winced at the pain. Hermione shot her a look of concern, but Raven didn't meet her eyes.
"Why not?" Hermione asked.
"How do you know I won't turn out like my parents?" Raven blurted out. Her eyes widened at her mistake. She never said it out loud before. Not to anyone. And now, she said it to a muggleborn witch no less. Best friend to the Harry Potter. Raven was such an idiot. She sighed, "It's inevitable, Granger."
"I don't think so." Hermione shook her head.
Raven scoffed before she spoke, "And I'm supposed to believe you?"
"Yes, I am known to be a know it all." Hermione said as if she were completely serious. Raven narrowed her eyes as she took in Hermione's gaze. The girl's eyes were filled with no doubt. And that.. scared Raven a little bit.
"You're not letting this go, are you?" Raven sighed.
"I am Gryffindor." Hermione hummed.
Raven wanted to smile at the girls words. Not only were Gryffindor's brave, but they were known to be absolutely stubborn whenever they don't get their way. It was such a common trait that many people forget about it. But here Granger was reminding Raven that she wouldn't let it go.
"Look, Granger.." Raven spoke.
Hermione suggested. "How about a challenge?"
Raven absolutely loves challenges. Every time the girls get into a disagreement, they come up with a challenge to handle it. Last time was during first year between Veronica and Natasha, the two girls had a folding contest. Both of them needed to do laundry that day and what better way to find out who would speak during their presentation than to see who could fold their clothes the fastest. Of course the two of them had the same amount of clothes to make it as fair as possible.
"A challenge? I'm in." Raven agreed immediately. She hadn't been in a challenge before as she never got into a disagreement with her roommates—besides what happened when she first introduced herself.
Hermione giggled, which caused a smile to mark its way onto Raven's face at the sound. "You didn't even hear what I was going to say."
"Sorry. I just love challenges." Raven grinned, for once, it wasn't proper or perfect. Just a smile. After a few seconds, it dimmed a little, but was still just as bright. "What is it?"
"If I can convince you by the end of the year that you are nothing like your parents, then you have to be friends with me!" Hermione declared.
"Umm.. no." Raven concluded.
"You already agreed." Hermione argued.
"I didn't know what the rules were." Raven huffed. Hermione crossed her hands over her chest as she narrowed her eyes at Raven.
"Aren't Hufflepuffs supposed to be honest, fair, and true?" Hermione questioned.
"Who said I was honest?" Raven joked causing Hermione to smile despite herself. The two of them shared a smile and Raven felt as if it were everything she ever wanted and more. Besides, how could she say no to that smile? It would have worked on anybody. "Fine. But I won't make this easy on you."
"I would want nothing less."
"And don't think this means I care about you or anything like that." Raven stammered out.
"Oh, we wouldn't want that, now, would we?" Hermione cooed before she reached out, holding her hand for Raven to take. "Now, do we have ourselves a deal?"
Raven hesitated for a moment. She thought of what Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Nicholas would say if they saw her in this moment. What they would do.. but as soon as she saw Hermione's smile, how open the girls eyes were as she looked at Raven with such innocence.
Raven found herself not caring about what they thought of her and would rather much worry about if she could have the girl look at her like that for the rest of her life.
"Deal."
Raven shook her hand.