Chapter 2

The Silver Flute

Nearly ten years had passed since the trial, although many wizards and wizarding families such as the Weasley's still suspected they were not entirely innocent. The Moss' twins were now eleven and were counting down the days until they left for Hogwarts, eagerly awaiting the magic and wonder their older siblings had promised them.

Raven Moss was considered "odd" in her family, she spent most of her time huddled in the branches of a large elder tree that grew in the corner of the yard, reading stories or carving new objects out of wood that she gathered from the surrounding forest. Her sister, Crow, was seen as a great example of what the Moss family should be. She was witty, sly, gifted and a Voldemort supporter.

"Raven! Get down here, now!" Her mother's shrill voice echoed across the yard, causing Raven to wince.

"Coming..." She leaped nimbly down the branches, leaving her books in an abandoned owl hole.

"Crow is getting ready for the party, I want you to put on your best dress and meet us in the living room. Got it?" Avery narrowed her eyes at her daughter.

Raven nodded and raced over to the mansion, her mind still on the book she had been reading. "The Pied Piper" a muggle children's book, something her parents would not approve of. Her hands itched to carve her own flute, one that would rival the flute her sister had bought on one trip to Diagon Alley. She raced into her room and let her black hair loose, allowing it to flow down her shoulders. She opened her cupboard and snatched a green velvet dress. She grimaced and pulled it on over her head, then shoved on some black patent shoes that in her opinion looked more like school shoes than formal attire. Before she left her room, she grabbed a box from the back of her cupboard, opening it to reveal different wood pieces. She grabbed a block of silver elder wood from the tree outside and dropped it into a black handbag.

As she raced downstairs she slipped her carving knife into her pocket, just as her sister stepped out of her own room.

"It sucks that mum makes us wear matching outfits, I wish she'd just let me express myself!" Crow complained as they quickly descended the staircase. Raven nodded and they burst through the door to where their parents were waiting.

"Ah, looking good! Now, let's just quickly use the floo network to get to the party." He motioned for his wife to go first. She smiled thinly at him and stepped into the fire.

"Malfoy Manor!" She said clearly, disappearing into a puff of green smoke.

"Wonderful, wonderful! Crow, please go next."

Her sister smiled broadly and stepped into the fire with a pinch of floo powder.

"Malfoy Manor!" She said.

Just as Raven was about to take a pinch of floo powder, she felt her father's bony hand on her shoulder.

"Now, listen here. You aren't going to disappear into some corner, you're going to stick around and make a good impression. Got it?" His eyes glared witheringly into her, as if searching for any sign of disobedience. Raven nodded and stepped into the fire.

"Malfoy Manor." She whispered, and soon felt the familiar sensation of travelling by floo powder. She came to a sudden halt in the Malfoy's fireplace, stepping out and dusting herself off. Soon her father appeared behind her, looking slightly ruffled.

"Ah, Corvis! What a pleasure." A man dressed in dark robes stepped forward, smiling thinly.

"Lucius. I'm honoured that you invited us to your magnificent house." The two men shook hands.

"Dobby! Make our guests at home!" A small house elf scampered out from the kitchens, he had tennis-ball eyes and wore a dirty pillowcase. He took Mr. Moss' cane and propped it up in the hallway, ready for him when he left. Crow and Draco were already discussing something to do with Slytherin, whilst Mrs. Malfoy and Mrs. Moss were chatting near the fireplace. Raven quickly slunk into the shadows, searching for a quiet place to carve a flute.

After a quick search she discovered a staircase leading into a basement. Clutching her pocket tight, she took a deep breath and hitched up her skirt, pattering down the stairs to find a large wooden door. As the door creaked in, the damp smell of the room overcame her, making her want to gag. Soon she stepped inside and took a box of matches out of her purse, something that she had stolen from her older sister's room once when she had been trying to enchant it to light itself every time someone sneezed. She struck a match and lit a small candle, placing it on a stony ledge.

Satisfied with her work, she sat down on the ledge and started to chisel away at the flute, trying hard to remember all the details from her book. Time to seemed to stop as she carved the block of silvery wood, all her troubles seemingly melting away.

Chip. Chip. Chip.

"What are you doing down here?! Draco wants to meet you. And Dad's been searching!" Crow scowled at her from the doorway, her pale face illuminated by the warm light emitting from the candle. Raven sighed and blew out the candle, wrapping it in paper before laying it back in her bag. Soon she had packed up everything and was heading upstairs with Crow.

"-And then the idiot actually believed me!" Corvis finished as everyone started laughing.

"Ah, there she is!" He cast a warning glance at Raven.

"Please, tell us more stories about Mr. Weasley." Lucius asked Corvis. Raven sighed and turned to try and slip away, only to be met by Draco.

"Hi there, where were you?" He asked lazily, something told her he didn't actually care.

"Bathroom."

"Oh. You have wood chips on your dress." He pointed at the silver shavings scattered on the green velvet.

"Thanks." She brushed them off, secretly hoping that Draco would lose interest and go away.

"Are you excited for Hogwarts?" He pressed.

"Yes."

"I expect I'll be sorted into Slytherin, you?"

"Same."

"I suppose you must be, with your family's history. We're pretty similar in that sense."

"Yeah." She was starting to wonder if he could tell she wanted him to leave, or if he was too invested in chatting.

"I really don't think I could cope with being any other houses, they all let in the other sort." He lowered his voice for the last bit, as if it was a forbidden thing.

"Other sort?" But she already felt her heart sinking as she realized who he was referring to.

"You know, Muggleborns." His voice was filled with scorn as he said it out loud.

"What are you excited about for Hogwarts?" She desperately tried to change the subject.

"I hear Harry Potter's gonna be there, I wonder if he's a pure blood?"

Raven opened her mouth, but was saved from answering by Lucius announcing it was time for dinner. She sat down in between her mother and Crow, happy to finally be free from the awkward conversation with Draco.

"Before we feast, I would like to say that I am honoured to host the Moss family, and I wish them a wonderful evening." Lucius said in his usual tone, the kind that felt like you were being insulted despite how kindly he welcomed them.

Dobby floated platters of food onto the table, bowing as he did so. Raven couldn't help but feel bad for the little house elf as she noticed how poorly he was treated by the Malfoys. She dipped a piece of buttered bread into her bowl of soup, hoping she could make it through the rest of the evening without causing her father any more reason to be mad at her.

As the dinner progressed, she continued to think about her flute and how close she was to being finished with it, if only she wasn't at this party.

"Ooh, let me tell you about this one time when I found all these creepy little wooden statues outside, all perched on the windowsill!" Crow started excitedly, something about this scenario sounded familiar.

"Well, go on dear." Mrs. Moss encouraged her gently.

"I was outside and saw these weird little wooden statues of stupid stuff like dogs and cats, all just sitting on this rock dripping with paint. I mean, only a total weirdo would ever make something like that!" Raven flinched at her sister's words, stung by her harshness.

"So then I started playing this game, where I threw these on one side of the bridge and raced to the other side to see which ones were fastest. It was really funny, and it serves such a weirdo right for leaving their junk lying around Moss property." As she finished the others laughed, but all Raven felt was anger.

"Those were mine." She growled softly.

"What was that?" Crow asked.

"I said, those were mine!" She stood up suddenly, her chair falling to the ground. Her flute lifted out of her bag, playing a somewhat familiar theme. The water in Crow's glass rose up like a snake in theme to the song, then lashed forward and drenched her sister in water.

The next few minutes were a blur, she remembered laughing, her sister getting up angrily and their parents quickly ushering them back to the fireplace. When they appeared back in the living room, the adrenaline she felt died down and she saw Mr. Moss glaring at her like an angry hawk.

"Room. Now." He hissed quietly and she quickly raced upstairs, her heart pounding with fear.

Much later, she was lying on her bed fidgeting with the silver flute as she wondered how she could have possibly made such a fool out of herself, and when they'd let her out. Something told her that it wasn't anytime soon, so she changed into some comfy leggings and sweater before lying down on her bed, ready to read the next chapter of her story book.