Raven moved through the packed corridors,hoping to get to Potions on time, although it wouldn't really matter if she did. The teacher was always late;the last teacher was apparently a real nightmare when a studentwas late. When a studentdid anything wrong, really, but he was a member of the Orderand had been killed. Although there were some unconfirmed reports that he was alive...Raven shookthe thoughts out of her head. Never focus on the past,look to the future, at least that's what her Divinationteacher kepttelling her. She was lost in her thoughts when...

Watch whereyou'regoing someone snappedat Raven.

she mumbled to the over-towering student;she didn't dare say it was he who hadbumped into her. A seventh year Slytherin is like royalty and one doesnot talk back to royalty.

Sorry? You'relucky just to be going to Hogwarts,you hopeless mudblood!
The students who had lined up for the fight gasped at the idea of a muggle born going to Hogwarts! They had been banned ever since Voldemort had taken charge of the magic world.
I'm not a mudblood! Raven snapped back.

How do you even know? Even your parents were ashamed of you when you were a baby, so they left you. Thewords hit Raven hard, but not nearly as hard as she hit him. She was later sitting outsidethe headmaster's office when a grinning Slytherin student came out. Raven didn't know why he had made such a big deal out of it;the black eye went really well with his robes.
Come in, the headmaster shoutedthrough a large wooden door. Raven moved slowly to get up, andas she entered her feelingof dread increased. She stood in front of the desk and looked at the headmaster.His short hair was greased back and kept off his forehead. He had pale skin and looked well overdue for a holiday.

he asked,never looking up from his work.

shereplied.

It says here your name is Raven. He looked up at her.

Its my nickname, but everyonepretty much calls me that, shesaid,shifting her footing.

Last name? heasked,looking back at his work.



The orphanage gave you that name? he inquired.



You don't have any friends here, do you? he said lightly.

Not really, she said,growing increasingly embarrassed.

The staff has better things to do than worry about one antisocial trouble case. Raven was hurt when he said this.If you want to be an outcast, fine, but don't drag hard working
students down with you. Raven could tell she was going to be expelled. She felt ill, the school thought of her more as a burden then a studentThere was a minute of awful silence.

I'm taking twenty points from Gryffindorand giving you three months detention;that should be plenty of time for you to be antisocial. She stared,wondering what had just happened. He looked back up at her.

You may go now he said before diving back into a pile of papers.
As Raven left the office a sudden relief washed over her. Her stomach un-knotted itself, after being so sure she would be expelled, to have at least one more day was the best she could hope for.She went through the day and couldn't concentrate on a single thing, she was a bit distracted by the Gryffindorshissing at her. They didn't get house points very often so to lose twenty was very serious.
Later,when she was doing detention,she had an unexpected visitor.
Oh hello, Raven said to the rather large cat that was rubbing against her ankle. The cat stayed with her for the last hour of detention.It wasn't a very good-looking cat. Really, it was grotesque, a large orange tatty fluff ball, and very old. But it was friendly.

Who owns you? she asked,looking for a collar. A new rule at Hogwarts was that all cats had to have collars, but this cat didn't have one.
Do you want to come back to the Gryffindor common room with me? she asked. The cat purred in response. But as soon as she started to walk it went in the opposite direction,towards the library.
Wait,that's the wrong way. She shouted, before sighing, stupid cat she murmured before chasing after him.
I said wait up, she shouted,trying to keep her voice quiet;she would get into so much trouble if she was caught. She stopped after losing sight of it, soshe turned and was about to leave when a long meow echoed through the corridor.

Raven said, starting the chase again. She finally caught sight of the catat the entrance to the library, soshe followed it to the very back of the restricted section. The orange moggie, had curled itself up on the floor.Raven went to pick it up when she noticed the creak. She moved the cat just to try to stop the infernal creaking when the planks came loose. She lifted them up to find a small dusty box, which she took out and opened. Inside was an old cloak. She pulled it out and felt the soft fabric. A piece of parchment was folded up in the box;she tried to unfoldit but it looked as though it was really a mile long.There was a note underneath whichshe read with awe.

A friend left these in my possession before he passed away; I now leave them to you.
Use them well.
H.G.