The Raven Sisters

Chapter One

A Matter of Acceptance

An owl flies through a window to land on a table, at which the Headmaster and Heads of Houses of Hogwarts were having a meeting to discuss how to handle any problems that might be caused by events at the end of the previous term. The owl hop-steps to Dumbledore and insists on being tended to immediately.

While Dumbledore looks over the envelope, Sinistra turns to McGonagall and says, "Well, I heard that two students up at Durmstrang have driven their house master to St. Mungo's."

"Goodness gracious!" McGonagall gasps. "This early in their term?"

"Not even your Weasley twins could match that, Minerva." Sinistra teases with a grin.

"Did they get away with it?" Snape drawled.

To which, Sinistra answers, "I'm not sure. I didn't hear anything else."

At that moment, Dumbledore looks up from the letter and says, "They were expelled from Durmstrang. Apparently, they're amazingly talented, just a little high spirited."

"Well, I wonder what's going to happen to them now." Sprout muses lightly.

"Apparently, they wish to come here." Dumbledore replies. His answer fell into dead silence as jaws dropped to the floor. It took fifteen seconds of quiet for the responses to get unstuck from their throats.

"Oh no!"

"Impossible!"

"That can't be!"

"Goodness gracious!"

"Oh dear… Whose House would they be sorted to?" Sprout asks weakly, looking at the other Heads of House with a panicky quizzical look. Her question was met with dawning awareness of impending doom.

Dumbledore breaks the silence, addressing the Heads. "I'll be meeting with their mother in Hogsmeade tomorrow. In the meantime, I shall consult with the school governors, and check the rules for Seventh years coming from another school."

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As Dumbledore sits, braced for the coming meeting, at a comfortable table with only two chairs so to prevent any unnecessary visitors, in the Three Broomsticks, in swirls a mysterious looking woman in her late thirties wearing jewel-tone purple robes. The woman had jet-black hair and dark gray eyes that looked as if they could steal souls if stared at long enough.

"Ah, Lady Raven, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Professor Dumbledore asks, gesturing the mysterious woman to the other seat at the table.

"You owe it to my daughters." Lady Raven says, sighing, as she takes the offered seat. "I hope you don't mind meeting on such short notice."

"I don't mind at all, Iris. What have Renee and Lenore been up to at Durmstrang." Dumbledore asks, placing his crossword to one side.

"Well, they managed to drive their house master to St. Mungo's and get expelled three days into the school year, pending formalities." Iris replies, rolling her eyes.

"And?" Dumbledore prompts politely.

"And… I wanted to ask if they could possibly get into Hogwarts." Iris finishes in a rush, biting the inside of her cheek.

"That would depend, really, upon whether they'd gotten an acceptance letter when they were eleven." Dumbledore answers, sounding very matter of fact.

"Want to see something almost frightening?" Iris asks, lowering her voice and leaning forward against the table.

Iris didn't wait for the Hogwarts Headmaster to answer before standing and drawing, from her pocket, a packet of envelopes.

"Kamikaumikun." Iris says, and two letters, sealed with crossed bamboo sticks and a eucalyptus leaf above the sticks, were at Dumbledore's hands.

"El Dorado." Iris adds two more letters to the pile. These were sealed with an Aztec pyramid.

"Beaubatons." Two envelopes with crossed wands and two stars in golden wax join the horde.

"Durmstrang." Three mountain peaks seal the next two to be tossed into the stack.

Iris pauses, holding the last two fanned out so the identical seals were plainly visible.

"Hogwarts." She says, tossing them atop the pile as she sits down again.

"I was so overwhelmed. All five major wizarding schools sent letters for my girls when the rest of Clan Raven could only hope to be acceptable to Salem Institute."

"How did you choose?" Dumbledore asks bemusedly as he looks over the envelopes before him.

"I didn't choose." Iris answers. Dumbledore chose that moment to hold up the two Durmstrang letters, both with a hole through them.

"They threw darts over their shoulders." Iris informs the curious Headmaster, sighing again.

Dumbledore holds up the two Hogwarts letters as well, again with a hole each.

"They did it again. Or, at least, that's what they say they did." Iris adds with a grimace crossed with a sheepish grin.

"An amusing way to select a school," Dumbledore muses.

"It was Lenore's idea." Iris says. "It almost makes me glad Renee is firstborn." Iris adds with a rueful smile.

"Well, what I can do, Iris, is run this by the school governors." Dumbledore says. "Do you mind if I –"

"Not at all. Renee has copied the supply list apparently." Iris replies, cutting him off.

"Then I see no reason why your girls can't get into Hogwarts," Dumbledore says, pocketing the letters, "unless the reason for their expulsion is over endangering the students?"

"Oh no!" Iris denies vehemently. "The Heads at Durmstrang were just sick of their pranks and their most recent trick sent their house master over the edge."

"However," Dumbledore says, waving a hand at the remaining envelopes, "these present a mystery. I'd assumed that the schools had sorted this kind of problem out."

"I hear you on that score. What happened? It was only my girls, I'll tell you that right now. I've asked around in the American Ministry." Iris replies, propping her elbows on the table.

"Indeed. Very interesting, I must say." Dumbledore responds as Iris looks at her watch.

"Oh good graces! I'm afraid I must take my leave. I'm late for a meeting." Iris exclaims, snatching up the letters from Beaubatons, El Dorado, and Kamikaumikun. "You'll write me what the decision is?" She asks, hurriedly.

"Of course, Iris." Dumbledore answers with a benign smile.

"Thank you so much, Professor. Clan Raven is in your debt." Iris says and rushes out of the pub, tossing a few coins and a word to Rosmerta.

Rosmerta quickly got something from under the bar and brought a glass of something over to Dumbledore's table. Dumbledore blinks in surprise and delight as he realizes that Iris had bought him his favorite drink.

Dumbledore, sipping lightly on the beverage, elects to savor every moment of the last respite he would be able to get for the next year.

Authoress' Note and Disclaimer: Hullo! I only own Renee Talryssa and Lenore Ophelia Raven and Lady Iris Raven. Although they haven't appeared yet, J.L. Matthews (the Goddess of Slytherin Rising) owns all of the following players; Luella Martin, Caitlin Tyler, Deanna Tyler, Rianne Stormosi, Melissa Lovegood, Marlie Lovegood, and her versions of Ginny Weasley (the adorable lil Slyth that she is), Severus Snape, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and anything or one I might have missed. All the rest go to the Goddess of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling. Thank you for reading and… You know what I'm gonna say… R! E! V! I! E! W! What's that spell? (Renee and Lenore chorus, "REVIEW!") Tah now!