Chapter 12 - "I'm Nobody! Who are You?"
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Raven had returned to her dormitory with the explanation that she would receive word from the Headmaster later that day. It was still only around 5 a.m., and most of the students were still sleeping. Dumbledore's face had been grave, and he seemed withdrawn in his thoughts. Clearly what he had seen had deeply disturbed him. From the first glance at his face, Snape had impatiently returned the memories to his head to remember what was so shocking about them. Memories back in place, the surly professor had instantly snarled at Raven to leave his presence and not to speak to anyone of what she had seen. She wasn't surprised at his reaction, but she was rather curious by the fact that Dumbledore hadn't risen to her defense...he had hardly spoken at all after his return from the Pensive. But she hadn't pressed the issue, and left without question, phasing through the ceiling again and reforming into her human self in Gryffindor tower with just enough time to calmly walk into her dormitory room and slip under her covers without arousing suspicion from her sleeping roommates.
It was an hour or so later when a neighboring alarm clock jolted Raven from near-sleep. It was six thirty, and a blond-haired girl was slowly sitting up in bed next to her own. The sorceress cracked an eye open. "I thought classes started at eight thirty," she ground out.
The blond haired girl sucked in a breath in surprise. "Who are you?!" she squeaked.
"Your new roommate," Raven answered sourly.
Several other girls were poking their heads out from their blankets at the newcomer who had mysteriously arrived during the night.
"When did you get here?" the blond asked. "I haven't seen you before."
"I got here late last night," the empath lied smoothly, "I'm an American transfer student, but my plane was late."
Her face showed confusion. "Plane?"
"An airplane!" This was exclaimed by a bushy-haired girl sitting up in bed directly across from Raven. "It's a Muggle transportation thing." She shook her head in annoyance and then shot the newcomer a sharp and calculating stare. "Why is your hair purple?" she asked accusingly.
The dark demoness wondered for a moment whether or not to tell the truth that it was naturally purple, but decided against it, as the truth may spark leading questions which she didn't feel like answering. So she covered for it. "I dyed it for a school play. I liked it, and didn't bother having it removed."
The brunette seemed to accept this answer.
"Sooo," began the blond, "What's that thing on your forehead?"
Raven began to reply, but was cut off by the girl across from her. "It's a bindi, Lavender. It's worn in South and Southeast Asia by married, Hindu women. The area between the eyebrows is said to be the sixth chakra, agni, the place of concealed wisdom. And according to the followers of Tantrism, it's the exit point for kundalini energy. The bindi is said to retain energy and strengthen concentration," she said loftily, "...it is also said to protect against demons."
"If only..." Raven mumbled under her breath.
"So you're Buddhist?" Lavender asked in awe.
Both girls rolled their eyes. "Actually," Raven replied, "I'm neither a Buddhist nor a Hindu. This jewel was implanted in my forehead at birth, though I don't know why," she lied, "and I never got the chance to ask my mother about it."
"Well, I'm Hermione Granger. I'm Head Girl. And you are?"
"Raven Roth."
"And I'm Lavender Brown."
"And why, Lavender Brown," the empath asked, "did your alarm clock go off two whole hours before classes start? I could have gotten in over an hour of more sleep."
"Oh," she giggled, "I have to get ready! There's showering and then make-up!"
Raven's left eye twitched.
"And oh my gosh! What are you wearing?! A leotard?! More like leo-retard!"
twitch
"...I'm going to have to give you a fashion makeover, girlfriend!"
twitch
"...I've got the perfect pink jumper for you! It'll go awesome with your hair!"
Somewhere in the castle, a glass window exploded.
Hermione Granger spared Raven from Lavender's attentions and escorted her downstairs into the Gryffindor Common room after they had both showered and dressed. The Head Girl was full of questions, many of which Raven could only answer with a quick-thinking lie or half-truth. Most times, Hermione would nod or smile and accept the answers she was given, but there were several moments when Raven could swear the girl could see right through her. A pointed look, a questioning frown, or a raised eyebrow. But thankfully, she wouldn't comment or question the validity of the newcomer's claims.
She had, however, asked skeptically why Raven refused to change into the Hogwarts students' robes even after she had learned that the school kept spares. But the sorceress remained firm in her decision to wear her normal attire even when she was told that she would receive strange looks. Hermione had simply shrugged after several more futile questions and walked with her down the stairs.
"I normally eat with my two best friends. We meet here in the Common Room before heading down to the Great Hall. You're welcome to join us if you'd like," Hermione said.
"Seeing as how I don't know anyone else, I'm grateful for the invitation," the dark girl replied while raising the hood of her cloak.
At that moment, two boys came trudging down the stairs at the opposite side of the room. Raven recognized at once the one on the right as Harry Potter, the boy she'd met on the Hogwarts Express the day before. The other was tall and gangly, with a head of bright red hair and a face full of freckles. Both were rubbing the sleep from their eyes, and Harry was the first to see Gryffindor's newest member.
"It's you," he said in surprise.
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I had noticed."
"You know her?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
The red-head gave Raven a slow, thorough look, which took in the blue boots, blue cloak, black leotard and jewel-belt, the blood-red clasp, and the raised hood. "Whoa," he breathed to Harry. "She looks like some kind of comic-book character, or something."
The Boy Who Lived shook his head in response to Hermione's question. "I just met her on the train yesterday."
The Head Girl frowned in confusion. Hadn't Raven told her she had arrived late last night? If she was on the train, why didn't she go to the Sorting Ceremony? All these questions and more swimmed through her mind. There was something odd about this girl. Something wrong.
The red-head poked Harry in the side while whispering fiercely "Introduce me!"
"This is my best friend, Ron Weasley."
'Weasley?' Raven thought, 'Where have I heard that before...?'
The boy in question stepped forward hastily and extended his hand. "It's actually 'Ronald,' but everybody calls me 'Ron'."
"As opposed to...?" Raven dead-panned. Hermione snorted in amusement.
Harry quickly grabbed his friend's arm and pulled it back to his side, quietly murmuring, "She's not much into hand-shaking, mate."
Ron's eyes hadn't blinked for a disturbing amount of time by now. "Sorry," he slurred. The cloaked girl nodded her appreciation to Harry for his consideration.
"I'm Raven Roth."
In an attempt to get things rolling, Hermione stepped up next to the empath. "Raven will be joining us for breakfast this morning. She's new, and she's an American transfer student, so she'll need some help in adjusting."
Ron turned to Harry, still not taking his eyes off the sorceress and whispered, "She's a transfer, Harry! A transfer!"
"Yes I had heard, Ron."
Hermione's eyes hardened. "Shall we go?"
The four sat down at what obviously was their regular seat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. There were already mounds of food and pitchers of drink on the long table, and all one had to do was to reach out and grab whatever looked appealing. Raven swept her floor-length robe out of her way as she sat down next to Hermione and across from the boys. She glanced at the variety of beverages available, noting orange juice, milk, chocolate milk, apple juice, and another orange-colored juice which she was told was pumpkin.
"Are there any hot drinks?" she asked.
Hermione answered while addressing her biscuit with jam. "Yes, just call out whatever you want, and it should appear."
Raven's eyes widened at the amazing service magic could provide. "Interesting," she commented. "I'd like some herbal tea."
Nothing happened.
Raven frowned slightly. "HERBAL. TEA," she repeated, enunciating the words carefully.
Still nothing happened.
Suddenly, a note magically appeared on her plate. Raven picked it up.
"We are sorry, but we do not carry such an item. Please send a request to the kitchens that includes the name, type, and location of such a food item, and we will try to provide it in the future."
"There's no herbal tea? WHY is there no HERBAL TEA?" she exclaimed. 'This has GOT to change!' she mentally snarled.
The sound of flapping wings interrupted her frenzy, and she looked up to see hundreds of large birds flying into the Great Hall. Raven quickly assessed the reactions from the other students and gathered that this was a normal occurrence. She wondered at the sanitation level of the hall, and questioned the safety of the food now that large birds were flying all around, and even landing on tables. But if no one else saw the spreading disease, bacteria and germs from the contact of animals to the eating utensils and food, she supposed it was all magically protected.
A newspaper falling into her lap nearly made her jump in surprise, but Raven, ever stoic, merely took in a breath and passed the paper to its real owner. Hermione unrolled it and gave it a cursory glance.
"Anything interesting?" Harry asked hopefully.
"No. Just the usual drivel."
The commotion in the Great Hall was interrupted by a piercing screech. All eyes were on the beautiful jet-black falcon that swooped into the room and circled several times in a broad arc before coming to a landing on the shoulder of Draco Malfoy at the Slytherin table. The bird disdainfully deposited a white envelope on his plate and then launched back into the air, flapping its enormous wings. Once the falcon was gone, the blond Slytherin broke the silver seal and opened the letter, quickly scanning the contents and stuffing the paper back into its envelope. His eyes flickered up and locked with the lavender ones gazing at him from across the hall.
Normal activity resumed, and the eye contact was broken as the three Gryffindors sparked conversation.
"That spoiled brat!" Ron ranted. "He's the only one who could afford a falcon! And it's not even HE who got it - it's his father's! If it weren't for all his daddy's money, he'd be a beggar on the street!"
"Ron," Hermione chastised, "don't condemn people just because they have money. Judge them by their actions."
"But how do you think the Malfoys got all their money in the first place!"
At that time, school schedules materialized in front of each student present, cutting off the heated exchange between them. "Oh no, not Potions with Slytherin again! That happens every year! You'd think they'd have learned not to put us together by now," Ron moaned.
"Maybe that's why they do it," Harry offered. "To try and make us get along."
"Hey Raven," Hermione commented suddenly, "why don't you have a schedule?"
All attention suddenly found its way to the quiet girl. Her quick reply was that because her transfer was on very late notice, they didn't have time to make one up for her and that she'll get it later. Her explanation was met mostly with acceptance, but Hermione wasn't completely convinced. But she still said nothing and instead told them that they'd better hurry to their first class of the day.
"Oh, 'Mione," Ron whined, "I don't want to."
Harry's face lit up mischievously. "Let's skip classes today," he said with a grin. "I mean, first day and all...they don't do much except hand out class rules and policies...it's not like we've never had those before. And besides, they're all the same teachers we had last year...we're not going to miss anything."
Ron agreed wholeheartedly.
Hermione whispered sharply to the both of them. "We can't skip classes! Especially on the very first day!"
"Oh come on, Hermione, lighten up!" Ron pleaded
It took several minutes for them to convince the bookworm to play hooky, but she couldn't hold out against her best friends for long. The Trio gathered their things and stood up from the table.
At last, all three turned to look at Raven, who until now had been completely ignored...which was fine by her. "What?" she asked.
"Are you going to skip with us?" Harry asked encouragingly.
"You don't know me. And you wouldn't want to know me."
"You don't have to be a stranger," Harry offered. Raven stared at him sharply, evaluating his truthfulness. She was surprised to learn from her empathy that he was entirely genuine. She was further surprised to learn that she wanted to accept the invitation. Since when had anyone actually offered their friendship to her? Not only once, but twice?
"Are you sure?" she asked quietly. "You'll probably regret it, you know."
"Completely sure. We'll have loads of fun!" Harry smiled.
Raven looked between the three of them. "I'd like that," she admitted.
The other three smiled. "Great!" Hermione grinned. "Let's do this."
And so the small group made their way unobtrusively out of the Great Hall. A pair of ebony eyes were the only ones that watched them out.
Raven slowed her normally brisk pace to match her new companions as they exited Hogwarts castle and made their way onto the grounds. Harry led the way while Hermione walked next to Ron with Raven trailing behind, not knowing where exactly they were headed.
Harry wished he could take his friends to Hagrid's hut. That's where they normally went to vent. Unfortunately, because they were playing hooky, so to speak, a teacher on duty wasn't the best person to go to. So he deviated their course and brought them to the lakeside, where they all sat down comfortably under the leafy branches of an old tree. Harry couldn't help but remember this particular tree from the memories he had seen in Snape's pensive the year before, and what had taken place by it. There had been four Marauders in his father's time, and although he didn't approve of Sirius and his father's bullying of the teenage Snape, he couldn't help but admire the camaraderie between the members. Looking around, he appreciated the friendship he had with the other two, and could certainly see the similarities between the "Golden Trio" and the Marauders. Except for Raven. She was so mysterious, and anti-social, and...dark. That was the only word he could come up with to describe the aura which seeped from her very essence. He couldn't bring himself to believe the darkness was evil - she just didn't seem the type - but there was something distinctly sinister about her. But then again, he had been wrong before in judging people's character...
Raven leaned her back against the base of the large tree overlooking the lake. She looked down the gently sloping grassy hill to the water's edge, and then over to the castle, which was planted near lake. The many windows facing out in their direction caused her to question whether or not this place was the best location to remain unseen while they played hooky, but since she really didn't have anything to skip, considering she had no classes to attend, she paid it no heed. The sky was growing cloudy, and the air felt moist and heavy. They would have to return to the castle shortly before they were soaked with typical Scottish weather.
But in the mean time, the group clustered in a circle in front of the tree, with Raven's back to the trunk. Ron positioned himself on her left, Harry on her right, and Hermione in front. Her eyes furtively glanced between Ron and Raven, highly suspicious of Ron's motives for sitting next to the newcomer. "So," the Head Girl said suddenly, breaking the ice, "Where did you say you were from, Raven?"
"I didn't."
A short moment of awkward silence followed.
"Okaaaay," Hermione drew out sarcastically, "Where are you from?"
" America."
The brunette rolled her eyes. "Yes, we gathered that, thanks. I meant, where, exactly?"
" California."
Hermione sighed dramatically. "Anything more specific?"
Raven's eyes narrowed at Hermione's condescending tone. " Jump City. 37°49' North latitude, 122°29' West longitude."
Harry snorted in smothered amusement, receiving a withering glare thrown at him from the bushy-haired Gryffindor. If Harry knew anything about his best friend, he knew she hated it when she was thwarted in areas of knowledge. And Raven had unwittingly entered into a battle of wits with the smartest student at Hogwarts. The least he could do was to postpone it a little until she felt more comfortable. "Neat!" he cut in for her sake, "I've never been to California before...actually, I've never been to the States before. Do you like England so far?"
"We're in Scotland Harry!" Hermione snapped.
The young wizard meekly closed his mouth. With his friend in a temper, normal conversation would be difficult. It was best not to make things worse.
Just then, a drop of rain landed on Harry's hand, which was soon followed by a few pelting softly on the top of Raven's raised hood. "It seems we shall have to return to the castle," the empath stated as she rose to her feet. The group quickly followed her example and stood up. The sky took that as its cue to unload its entire contents on the ground, and within a few seconds, the gentle drizzle turned quickly into a fierce downpour.
The four simultaneously broke into a run for Hogwarts' front entrance. Raven, who was behind the other three, instinctively raised a shield of her black energy above her as an umbrella. But as soon as she did, the full implications of such a second-nature action hit her and she quickly dissolved it, instead having to face the drenching onslaught. Now that she had no protection against the angry elements, her run turned into a sprint, and her speed quickly overtook and surpassed the small group. She came to a halt once she was under the protection of the stone that reached several feet out over the main doors of the castle and waited for her new companions to reach her. Fortunately, no one had seen her knee-jerk reaction back there.
She opened the heavy double-doors and the group trudged inside, shaking off as much water as they could. Hermione pulled out a wand from an inside pocket in her robes and cast a drying spell on herself. The boys did the same, and soon the only one still dripping wet was Raven.
"Aren't you going to dry yourself off?" Hermione asked, genuinely puzzled, "People will know we've been outside if you're all wet."
"Uh..." Raven's mind raced to come up with another lie. But it was too late.
"Where's your wand?" Ron asked. It was the first thing he'd said since before they'd left the castle.
"I - uh - well - I - I - don't have one." She looked down.
"What do you mean, you don't have one?" Harry asked with surprise. "Everyone has a wand!"
"Why are you here, then?" The Head Girl asked harshly.
"She is here on my request, Miss Granger."
All four turned suddenly to face the person who had just spoken. Headmaster Dumbledore stood facing them at the top of the stairs, looking down over his half-moon glasses. His presence filled the Entrance Hall with an aura of power and authority. He walked down to them wordlessly, which increased his impressive presence.
"Headmaster, I can explain..." Harry started, but Dumbledore cut him off with a raised hand.
"I am not here on account of your truancy, Mr. Potter. Unfortunately the matter for which I am here is very grave." His eyes then met Ravens'. "Miss Roth, would you be so kind as to allow us a moment of privacy?" His gaze suddenly intensified and he stared meaningfully into Raven's lavender eyes. "This regards the incident you witnessed last night," his voice ringed inside her head, and Raven realized he was using legilimancy as a type of telepathy. "The young man murdered in the Pensive was young Ronald's brother, and I will be informing his family this afternoon. I am calling a meeting between necessary people and will be gone most of the day, so please feel free to explore the castle in my absence."
To the other three, nothing seemed out-of-the-ordinary, for to the outside world, no time had passed between when Dumbledore had asked Raven to leave, and her silently nodding and sweeping from the Entrance Hall.
Dumbledore then turned to the Golden Trio and explained that there was grim news to be shared with the Order of the Phoenix and that they would be going to Number 12 Grimmauld Place immediately.
In the meanwhile, Raven would patiently explore Hogwarts.
She had just finished gawking at the stunning stained-glass windows on the second floor, when she discovered the library. It took her no time to get absorbed in a shadowy aisle in the very back, and her pile of books was almost as tall as she was. Her selections covered a vast variety of topics that Raven felt were vital for her adjustment to the Wizarding world. Thick volumes documented Magical History, basic Wizarding knowledge, and the many types of issues, both current and old, concerning the Magical population. She knew that in order to be fully accepted here, she needed to assimilate herself. This included learning and respecting Wizarding customs, culture, and their past.
But Raven could never walk through a library and not get sidetracked by other interesting titles. Ancient Runes sparked her interest, as she could read Sanskrit and ancient Arabic, and the origins and creation of spells grabbed her attention when she learned that most common spells were derived from Latin, which she read and spoke fluently. However, she was dismayed to discover that only wizards could perform magic. She had no magic within her, and so the only subject which she could participate in, would be Potions. Raven honestly didn't feel inclined to try it...it seemed boring, and she had had her fill of cooking back at Titan's Tower.
So it was, that when the librarian Madam Prince, as it was labeled on the front desk, had her back turned, Raven levitated the enormous pile of books onto the check-out table. The librarian's sharp eyebrow rose significantly when she saw them.
"You can only keep them for four weeks, you know," she bit out through pursed lips.
"I'm a fast reader," the demoness replied.
"Just get them all back on time. I'll know if any are missing...or damaged," Madam Prince added, giving Raven a shrewd once-over. She then waved her wand over the pile. "Your withdrawal has been noted." The small, shrew-ish woman simply stood there with an irritated glare, apparently waiting for Raven to take her books and leave.
Raven stood there waiting for Madam Prince to leave so she could levitate the books back to her dormitory. The stand-off continued for what seemed like minutes, neither of them blinking.
"Well?" she asked severely, "Aren't you going to shrink them?"
"I - uh..."
"She's waiting for me," a voice said.
The two women turned to see a blond-haired boy leaning nonchalantly on the frame of the library doorway with a smug smile playing on his lips.
The librarian's eyes narrowed almost instantly. "I don't want any trouble from you, Mister Malfoy."
The Slytherin raised his hands in mock-defense. "I'm not here for any trouble, Madam Prince. I'm simply meeting my friend, here. Your presence is no longer required."
"Look young man!" the frail harpy shook her finger, "I won't take any sass from you! This is my library, and you can't tell me what to do!"
"Your library?" Draco's eyebrows lifted in amusement. "And who funds the books for your library, hmm? Oh, that's right," he stated in fake surprise, "my father does."
The old woman's hands shook with barely-controlled rage, and a vein was throbbing in her temple. But she turned and tramped away out of sight.
Draco turned to Raven. "So," he drawled, "why don't you have a wand, Miss Exchange Student? And why aren't you down in the Great Hall eating lunch like everyone else is?"
The dark girl swept her robes together to conceal any part of her that wasn't already under the cloak. "I seem to recall giving you an appropriate answer yesterday evening."
"Aw come now, Miss -?"
"Raven."
"Miss Raven. I just rescued you from the evil eye of Madam Prince -"
"Funny, you don't appear to be wearing any shining armor."
"- so you owe me at least a few answers." With that, the young Malfoy withdrew his wand from an inside pocket and pointed it at the large stack of books. "Reducio!"
The large pile instantly shrunk into a relatively small pile that could easily be carried in a bag. Raven eyed it with surprise.
"There's no need to thank me," Draco smirked.
"That's wonderful, Mr. Malfoy -"
A pained look crossed his face. "Please!" he begged unconvincingly, "call me Draco."
Raven sent him a pointed look. "That's wonderful, Draco, but how exactly am I to restore them once they're back in my room?"
"I could escort you there and enlarge them for you," he suggested through hooded eyes.
"You could. But you won't."
Draco affected a hurt expression. "Raven, will you not even allow me a chance to redeem myself in your eyes? First impressions aren't always reliable."
The dark sorceress paused for a moment. If she was working for Dumbledore, he would appreciate any information regarding the enemy. Her eyes finally flicked back up to the baby blues of the blond Adonis, and a coy twitch of her lips betrayed her latent thoughts. Her hands rose and she slowly, deliberately lowered her blue hood, violet eyes never breaking contact with those of Draco's. "Why Mister Malfoy, I believe I would like some lunch."
A/N: Title is from Emily Dickinson's poem "I'm Nobody! Who are You?"
