Aki-I live! I am so sorry I have not updated in forever and I know how it feels to wait for chapters, but school started and field hockey and dance lessons and it just all piled up. Anyway I just saw this really good movie. It's called Hangman's Curse, it is a scary, suspense, mystery. It s really good.
Chapter 18
Lunch Time Quarrels
Raven and Hermione had alternately talked and read for the next few hours, finding a common peace in their similarities and their differences. Raven found it awkward that she could open up to this girl. She barely knew her. It was crazy. It was completely opposite than what Raven was used to do. She was usually so closed off and distant, but right now, she was actually enjoying herself. Raven could never do anything like this with any of the Titans. None of them just liked to sit and talk and read.
The sun had risen properly now and no longer shined cruelly bright threw the windows. Raven was a good way through the journal of Merlin and also borrowed from the shelves Hogwarts, A History for reference. Hermione had several piles of books stacked around while she ruffled through one, before reading a passages, then scribbling something down on a piece of parchment at a speed Raven had previously thought impossible.
Hermione sighed, "I'm finished my essay," she said more to herself than to Raven who was sitting across from her at the table, "though it is a half of a foot longer than Professor McGonagall asked for…" Hermione smiled sheepishly. She checked her watch. "And just in time for lunch," she said getting up, "Here," she said motioning for the books Raven was reading, "I'll check those out for you."
Hermione checked out the books with Madam Pince, before leading Raven to the Great Hall. Raven stopped at the doorway, the room was stuffed with people, with students. Raven had not realized how many people had attended this school. Hundreds, maybe even a thousand. So she stood their, with wide eyes and mouth slightly gaped. She resisted the urge to pull her hood up, the urge to hide.
She had already caught the attention of several students near the back of the room. She did not know if she could take it, the stares, the whispers, the suspicion, the questions, and the whole room so full of emotions.
Hermione turned around when she realized that Raven was not following her. "Are you coming?" she asked.
"Yeah," answered Raven, at least she would have one friend in this room.
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Harry, Ron, Ginny, Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire walked laughing in from the grounds into the castle. They were all a little short of breath, sweaty, and more than a bit hungry, but it was worth it. The three of them which were Hogwarts students had brooms over their shoulders.
"I didn't expect Quidditch to be a sport, I thought it was a place or something," said Robin.
"I wish I was a wizard just so I could fly on a broom," added Cy.
"Yeah, but Starfire, you sure gave us a shock when you started flying around on your own," chuckled Ginny. They all remembered, and it made them laugh again.
The mixed group walked in silence for a little while before the Gryffindors put their brooms away in the dorm.
"Let's go get some lunch guys," Harry stated, leading the two Weasley's and four Titans to the Great Hall. Despite all of Harry's naturally suspicious ways he could not help but trust Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire. Sure they had their share of surprises, powers, and secrets, but, hell, this was Hogwarts, who did not? Plus, who was he, Harry, to judge them by what secret powers they might not share with him. First, he barely knew them, second, that would just be hypocrisy, and they did not know what he was able to do.
"Bet Raven will regret not seeing that," Beast Boy said little-heartedly, talking about Quidditch.
Suddenly all the fun and leisure was replaced by suspicion and anxiety in Harry. Raven had been in the back of his mind all day. She was so mysterious in a bad way. He could just not shack that feeling he had about her. It was a gut feeling and he trusted his gut, more than…anything.
They entered the Great Hall when lunch was already well under way. They went midway up the Gryffindor table to where their was a sizable gap around Hermione and Raven. Harry was about to thank Hermione for saving them all seats, but stopped himself when he noticed the anxious glances that the rest of the students were giving Raven and the other Titans and considered that the gap might be there for a different reason.
Both Raven and Hermione had just finished eating. The group filled in the seats around them and started serving themselves food and eating and making pleasant conversation. Beast Boy, mouth filled with vegetarian food, started telling Raven, exaggerating, what she had missed when she skipped Quidditch for the library. Raven just fixed him with a look of indifference before picking up a book from the bench beside her, opened it and began reading.
Beast Boy looked at her incredulously, swallowed his food, and leaned over and said to Cyborg and Ron, "I don't know how she does it, but she always manages to conjure up a book to read instead of listening to me."
The meal went pretty smoothly until a slim blond boy walked by them and intentionally accidentally hit Harry hard in the shoulder with his book bag as he swung it onto his shoulder.
Harry turned around on the bench to glare at him, "Watch where you're going, Malfoy."
"Ooh, Potter is that a threat," the blond replied mockingly.
"What do you want?" said Harry aggressively,
"Manners, Potter. I just wanted to comment on these," his eyes scanned over Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven, "I never thought I'd see the day, filthy muggles at Hogwarts, but, of course, with Dumbledore as Headmaster I should have expected as much."
Harry's expression was of pure rage, Ginny and Cyborg had to hold back Ron from jumping on Malfoy, the rest of the Titans were rather confused at the proceedings, but knew that they were the target, Raven just sat their, legs crossed, never even looking up from her book, but listening intensely.
Hermione was the first to pull herself together and reply, "Okay Malfoy, you commented, now go."
Malfoy continued as if she had not even spoke, "I should have known Potter, that you would be the first to welcome them into your little club, savior of the world, befriender of mudbloods, weasels, and now muggles, can you sink any lo-,"
"Shut Up!"
"Struck a cord, did I. Of course, you probably haven't told them all the things you have done, the power you have, but that's alright, they probably haven't told you theirs either. We're all allowed to have our dark secrets, our skeletons in the closet per say, but more like demons in the closet."
Raven's eyes widened, but no one saw, it was the first reaction she had had to the whole conversation. She looked up at the boy for the first time and realized that he looked much like the blond Death Eater she had seen so much when she was in captivity. His son possibly? She knew his voice had sounded familiar, but couldn't place it before. It was pompous and smooth, accented in a rich and distinct manner.
His icy cold gray eyes met her purple ones for a brief second, he smirked slightly. He knew, but he wouldn't tell, would he? The smirk answered for him, he would, but he was too smart for that. He was just laying the ground work, the suspicion, the mystery. It was also flaunting his power to her, so she knew that he knew. That she knew that he could tell anyone at anytime. So that she knew that he had some power over her, some advantage. So that she knew that she was still a captive.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Harry. Malfoy just smiled wickedly and walked out of the Great Hall without a back glance to them.
They turned back to their half finished meal, "What was that all about?" asked Robin.
"That's what I want to know," grumbled Harry
"You shouldn't have listened to him, Harry. He is just trying to get a rise out of you," commented Hermione level-headed.
"He was just being a Slytherin," said Ron.
"A what?" Cyborg asked puzzled.
"Oh, I forgot you didn't know," said Hermione picking up on a needed explanation, "Hogwarts students are split into four houses named after the four founders of the school. Each house is known for something. Ravenclaw for being intelligent, Hufflepuff for being hard-workers, Gryffindor, the house we're in, for being brave, and Slytherin for being cunning or ambitious…
"Or pure evil," added Ron.
The Titans looked quizzically at him. Harry picked up, "Slytherins are know for being bullies in school, to be Death Eaters after it. Their parents are evil, they are evil, and their children will be evil. It is what you are condemned to in Slytherin."
"That's stereotypical," said Raven out of the blue, even surprising herself.
"What?" said Harry.
"I said," Raven started, speaking up, "That is very stereotypical. Its generalization, to say everyone ion Slytherin is evil."
"They are."
"I highly doubt that," she said, trying to end the conversation, but could not help but add, "It is also unfair to put a bully and a murder on the same level."
"But the bullies are the ones that grow up to be the murders."
"Not necessarily, can't you think of an exception," said Raven coolly.
"No," said Harry, but it wasn't true, his father and Sirius had bullied Snape in their own time, but he was not going to let her win this debate, "I'm just saying that they were raised in certain way, their parents lives and values will reflect on them. The apple does not fall far from the tree. And Bulling is like a sign."
"Again, not necessarily," Raven said, getting agitated, "How can you judge someone by their parents, it's not fair. Plus, bulling is not a sign someone is going to be evil. It is a sign that someone has a problem. It could be a cry for help or a sign of low self-esteem or insecurity. If they have to put others down to make themselves feel powerful." She did not know why she was defending Malfoy, maybe it was because she was really defending herself.
Harry just rolled his eyes.
"Don't you get it. You are wrong. Just admit it. You cannot judge someone by what their parents do when in fact you are the one forcing them to be the way they are."
"What!" exclaimed Harry exasperatedly.
"You say, they are is Syltherin, or whatever it's called, so their parents must be a Death Eater, they must be evil, and they will grow up to be a Death Eater."
"That might make sense in whatever perfect world you are from, but here if you are in Slytherin, you are evil, or at least, mean, it a law."
"I can't believe you. That is so-," Suddenly a glass was surrounded by a black aurora and shattered, the juice inside spreading swiftly over the table clothe.
Everyone stared at it, but only the Titans knowing where it came from. Raven couldn't believe she had lost control already, in front of everybody. She had not even noticed how angry she had gotten.
"I-I've gotta go," she said before fleeing the Great Hall with a hand on her head. The group watched her leave.
"It looks like you hit a sore spot," said Robin to Harry.
"Yeah, I thought I was the only person to make her that mad," said Beast Boy humorously.
"Why did she get so mad?" asked Harry confused.
The Titans glanced at each other anxiously before Robin spoke up, "We are not really at liberty to say. It's a personal thing."
"I really don't understand what I said that made her so mad."
"Again its personal, you would have to ask her."
