PART ONE

CHAPTER FOUR: ANEMONE

Reviews:

Guest: thanks for reviewing! That's probably one of my favorite quotes in this fanfiction.

FosterJacksonPotter: sorry... but thanks!

Word count: 2,172

ONTO THE FIRST CHAPTER!

Typically, whenever something big was about to happen, there was some sort of pause or silence for everyone who would be immediately affected to gather their thoughts and summon whatever courage they possessed. Normally, the empty moment would've annoyed Raven; she liked to do things at a fast pace with no hesitations so there was no time to regret or overthink things, mainly because she knew that everything she did would involve the first thing. But now that she didn't have the luxury of a pause, Raven wished she did.

Although she had always known that she was putting herself into a school with only humans and no heartless for miles ever since she agreed to it, it never really... sunk in. That was the drawback to quickly going through things; it might've kept her from overthinking things, but sometimes, it also kept her from thinking over things, period.

However, as the door swung open at once, Raven realized this within a second and didn't have the time to consider it even more.

A tall, black-haired, stern-faced witch in emerald-green robes who had opened the door.

"These are the first years, Professor McGonagall," said Ogg.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Ogg. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide.

The stone walls in the entrance hall were lit with flaming torches, like the ones Raven's mother liked to keep back home. The ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. It was a beautiful place that took her breath away, but if Raven went through the doors, she couldn't turn back.

Then, she realized that she couldn't turn back since she spoke with Dumbledore.

If she turned back now, she would be marked as a coward, and cowardice was an unforgivable crime in the world of heartless. And if she refused Dumbledore's offer all those days ago, she'd never be able to release her full potential. She wouldn't know what her full potential even was. And if such a simple question couldn't be answered, she wouldn't be happy. Raven didn't care how dumb and naïve it sounded when she said she wanted to be happy, because it was true; practically no one lived through their life actually wanting to be unhappy. Everyone wanted satisfaction.

And those doors were her only entrance to it.

Raven was fully prepared to charge through the doors without a care in the world, but then she remembered that she had to follow McGonagall, whether she liked it or not. She couldn't afford to draw extra attention to herself... right?

No, it was best to not risk it. Yes, she was powerful and she was smart, but now, she didn't know much of how Hogwarts worked. Once she finally figured out how the gears of the boarding school fit together, she could take all the risks she wanted.

And so, Raven followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor, not looking even a little out of place. Her normally straight posture was slouched just the right amount so it mirrored everyone else's. She kept her eyes wide with wonder; that wasn't to hard to fake, because being the first heartless in a human school was quite wondrous.

Raven could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right—the rest of the school must've already gotten here, but how?—as Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. Raven and the humans crowded in, standing rather close together—something she detested, since she liked her personal space, thank you very much, and humans sort of stank of sweat and other unnameable things, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She saw everyone peer around nervously, and almost rolled her eyes, because what was there to possibly be nervous about for them? They weren't the ones who were surrounded by their mortal enemies.

But she caught herself just it time, reminded herself that she needed to blend in, and looked around the chamber in the same afraid fashion as the humans.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because you will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room. While you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts."

A family within Hogwarts? If that was true, then Raven was glad that she wasn't very good at caring for others, because she would eventually have to use the other Slytherins for her side's victory in the War of Eternity, and that was a fact.

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all... reflect upon why you're here while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Raven, which made her shift uncomfortably. Raven wasn't easily intimidated—but then again, what she was feeling under the professor's gaze was more like a mixture of suspicion, confusing, and uncomfortableness. Did Professor McGonagall somehow know Raven was a heartless? No, there was no way she could just "somehow know" her biggest secret; if she did, it would be because Dumbledore told her. But Dumbledore wouldn't do that.

Although... he didn't exactly seem like the type who was the most conscious of what others wanted—or, if he was, he didn't seem like he cared to much if it didn't directly and positively affect the state of the world. It wasn't necessarily a selfish or bad trait to have, but it was definitely annoying.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall, not giving Raven any insight into what she could be thinking. "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber.

Immediately, voices picked up. If they were reflecting, they reflected loudly. Thanks to her stronger-than-human heartless senses, she could pick out enough to get the gist of the conversations around her.

"—how they sort us into Houses—"

"—a test—"

"—hope that we don't get any mudbloods into Slytherin—"

Raven frowned. There was that word again—mudbloods. It sounded like something awful to say, like a curse exclusive to humans. What did it mean, though?

So, she turned to Hestia, who was standing right next to her. "Just out of curiosity," Raven started, her voice mild like she was about to ask about the weather and not what was potentially profanity. "what exactly is a "Mudblood?""

The reaction was immediate.

Hestia gasped loudly and clapped a hand over Raven's mouth. Raven attempted to push Hestia's hand away, but her grip was surprisingly strong. There wasn't enough space for her to simply move back, either, so Raven eventually just glared at her.

Hestia didn't even flinch.

Hestia Jones is crazy, Raven decided.

"Don't say that!" Hestia hissed.

"Say what?"

Raven blinked at the new voice and glanced to the girl to the side of her.

She had light blonde—almost white—hair that cascading past her shoulders in soft waves, yet despite her fair locks, she had long, dark eyelashes that framed her light grey eyes. She was tall, too, but Raven couldn't take her eyes away from the other girl's. They reminded Raven of ice; cold, sharp, dangerous, and slippery, but—if caught in the changes of winter to spring—easy to shatter. Ice was delicate and required elegance to be around.

Still, ice was comforting; it was strong, and you could fall without getting too hurt, but hurt just enough that it made everyone strive to not fall again.

Then again, ice could break if you fell, the sharp corners cutting into your flesh and drawing blood as you sank deeper and deeper into cold water.

In other words, ice was unpredictable.

This girl was... unique. And beautiful, in a way that Raven expected from a heartless, not a human.

When neither Hestia nor Raven said anything, the girl made a sound that was a mixture between a laugh and an exhalation of breath. "I'm Marlene McKinnon," she said, giving both girls a dazzling smile. Raven was sure she saw her tooth glint, and even if it didn't, her teeth were still white enough to draw attention. What did she do, brush her teeth every hour, on the dot? Even if she didn't, she must've been a favorite at the dentist's.

Hestia was the first to snap out of... whatever that was. "Oh! I'm Hestia Jones, and this is Raven Nightshade."

"Cool." Suddenly, Marlene's smile turned into a grin that was a little teasing and a little curious at the same time, like the ones Raven gave to either Grey or Teal whenever they almost said something but quickly cut themselves off because it was too embarrassing to be said aloud.

It was a little strange to be smiling like that at a stranger, though.

"So, what did you say?" Marlene asked, her tone matching her grin.

It didn't take long for the beans to be spilled. "Mudblood." Hestia blurted out in a hushed tone.

It also didn't take long for Marlene's beautiful face to twisted into an ugly sneer.

"You said what? Wow. I didn't think you'd be an awful person—although eyes are the windows to the soul, after all."

Raven blinked. Did she just call her beautiful, silvery-green eyes that resembled some sort of precious stone... ugly?

Hestia was quick to reassure her that Raven was just asking what it meant, and immediately, Marlene went from furious to sheepish. She didn't apologize for creating a scene, though.

Before Raven could ask her question again, though, Professor McGonagall walked back in.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Feeling oddly unnerved by Marlene, Raven got into line behind Lily and in front of Hestia and walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

As a member of the House of Nightshade, Raven had seen many impressive places in her short life. She had been to Rome, Seoul, Cairo, Washington DC, and so many more places in her twelve years. But the Great Hall of Hogwarts?

It was amazing.

Thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables lit up the room, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like warm, skin-toned lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, ghosts shone misty silver. When Raven looked upward, she saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars, like a night sky. It wasn't real—it couldn't have been, the stars weren't in the right positions—but it was definitely convincing.

Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat began to sing.

Of course, Raven had grown up with magic. It was a part of her. But she had never seen a singing hat.

Forget Hestia Jones; Hogwarts was insane.

In the language of flowers, ANEMONES represent expectations.

Questions:

1. Favorite quote?

2. What do you think about Marlene?

And, remember; please review!

~Sarcasticsnark13