Raven couldn't hear the five professors trying to calm her. Their voices were muffled but the voice in her head was perfectly clear.
'Now look what you've done! Ravenclaw? Pfft! What a disgrace! If only you were more-'
A firm hand landed in her shoulder and she felt the familiar heat rise up in her stomach. Another hand touched her left hand, shocking Raven into jumping to her feet. She briefly saw the professors turn to watch her, concerned looks covering their faces.
Raven staggered backwards in the direction of the door, feeling her heart beating against her chest every half second.
There was a clattering of metal coming from one of the tables in the headmaster's office. Raven's head span in alarm. She knew how quickly it would take for her to lose control of her magic and she especially didn't want it to happen in front of these people who she had just met. The whole reason that she had been expelled from Beauxbatons was that her magic had gotten out of control in the presence of some school governors and they had deemed her a hazard to the other students. There was no way Raven was going to get expelled from Hogwarts as well, particularly on her first day at the school.
The invisible pressure of five sets of eyes fixed entirely on her in her dishevelled state made the fiery heat inside of raven flare up to a dangerous level. Following her instincts, she backed to the door and flung it open, darting down the steps and into the secluded hallway.
She stumbled away from the entrance covered by the Gargoyle until she was far enough away that she could try to control her magic.
She took several deep breaths, her back leaning against the hard stone of the wall behind her. Her thoughts were beginning to clear and the belittling voice in her head was slowly quietening. The stone was cold and sharp, scratching against her back as she slid down it onto the floor. She pulled her legs to her chest and her head fell into her hands.
It took a few minutes but the fire inside of her died down to barely a flickering flame before completely going out.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed throughout the hallway but Raven's mind didn't fully register them until a shadow appeared on the floor next to where she was sat. Pale grey eyes peered out from under her arms and Raven craned her neck up to see Snape looking down at her with a hint of sympathy in his usually expressionless face.
"I... I'm sorry for leaving like that," She said quietly.
"You're upset," Snape stated and Raven gave him a look of astonishment.
"Duh!" She laughed.
Silence filled the hallway for a thoughtful second.
"At least you're not in Gryffindor," Snape smirked.
"That's true,"
The fact that the Potions Master was not taking the opportunity to tease or mock her was what surprised Raven the most. If anything, she would have thought he would've commented on her rude exit from the Headmaster's office, but he did no such thing. For a brief moment, Raven considered the possibility that it was not Snape stood in front of her, but a Polyjuiced version of him instead. She shuddered at the thought of Polyjuice. Gods, she hated the way that potion tasted!
A sigh escaped her lips and Raven hung her head shamefully.
"I'm such a disappointment. They're going to hate me," She said quietly.
"And who exactly is 'they'?" Snape asked.
"My parents. I was supposed to be a Slytherin like the rest of my family. Almost everyone we know is a Slytherin, even you're a Slytherin!"
Snape stepped slightly closer and the bottom of his long black robes swished up against Raven's arm.
"Your parents may be... taken by surprise but I'm sure it won't mean that much to them. Besides, Ravenclaw's are intelligent and witty, in some ways they are very much like Slytherins."
"My, my, was that a compliment Severus?" Raven teased despite the glare he sent her way.
The smile faded from her face a second later and she stared at the floor worriedly.
"Will you tell them for me?"
"I think it will be better if you tell them yourself," Snape said.
Raven looked up at him hopefully, batting her eyelashes in a pleading gesture.
"Please?"
He sighed then crossed his long arms over his chest in defeat.
"Fine. I will Floo them tonight."
Raven flashed him a grin in relief.
The Potions Master paused for a moment then held out his hand to her. Raven grabbed it and allowed him to help her to her feet. The contact was lost almost instantly as Snape drew his hand back and began to walk back in the direction of the Headmaster's office. Raven followed him absentmindedly.
"So... what happens now?" She asked.
"Professor Flitwick will show you to the Ravenclaw common room and will help you to settle in."
Raven gave a quick nod of her head.
As they reached the Gargoyle once again, the other professors were descending the stairs from the Headmaster's office. Snape began to walk away but Raven called after him.
"Er... thank you for the help, Severus," She said.
Snape nodded in reply.
Raven approached Professor Flitwick who gave her another encouraging smile and motioned for her to follow after him. They were halfway down the corridor when Snape's voice momentarily halted her movements.
"Miss Malfoy? It's Professor Snape to you."
Raven let out a laugh and continued after Professor Flitwick.
The Ravenclaw Common Room was located on the west side of the castle and by the time they had reached the top of the spiral staircase that led to the entrance, Raven was well and truly out of breath.
The door had no handle but instead, a bronze doorknob shaped like an eagle was placed in the centre.
"Now Miss Malfoy, in order to get the common room you will need to answer a riddle that is asked by the eagle knocker. As a Ravenclaw, I would expect you to get it correct the first time but on an occasion where you did happen to answer incorrectly, you will have to wait for another student to get it right before you can enter." Professor Flitwick told her and gestured towards the door.
As she inched closer to the door, Raven twisted a stray piece of blonde hair around her finger. She had to get this right and Professor Flitwick standing directly behind her was not helping. It nearly felt like a test to see if she was worthy of being in Ravenclaw.
The metal knocker came to life when she was close enough and it uttered a riddle.
"The eight of us go forth, not back, to protect our king from a foe's attack. What are we?"
Raven stared at the wooden door in thought. Eight move forward and cannot go back, to protect a king from an attack. What has eight players? To protect the king from what?
"A chess pawn," She said finally, holding her breath while waiting for a reaction.
For a second nothing happened, then the door slowly creaked open and Raven exhaled quietly.
"Well done Miss Malfoy!" Professor Flitwick smiled, clapping his small hands together.
The Ravenclaw Common Room was a wide, circular room that had graceful arched windows. The walls were decorated with blue and bronze silks and portraits of famous Ravenclaws hung on almost every wall. There was a midnight blue carpet that was reflected onto the domed ceiling; it was charmed to make it appear like an actual night sky. The room was furnished with blue tables, chairs, and several divans. Hidden in a niche, Ravenclaw had their own library which apparently was nowhere as big as the main library, but had almost as many books. Next to the door leading up to the dormitories stood a tall statue made of white marble. According to Professor Flitwick, the statue was of Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the founders of Hogwarts.
Professor Flitwick told her where to find the girls' dormitory and left Raven to explore. She climbed the steps and opened a door into the dormitory. There were four beds inside the spacious room, each with dar blue curtains draped around the sides.
Raven's trunk was sitting at the end of one of the beds and she took her wand out of her sleeve, flicking it so that her clothes began to float into a dresser next to her bed. She sat down on the blue duvet and stared out of one of the tall windows.
From the Ravenclaw Tower, Raven could see the majority of the school grounds: the forest, a huge lake, several greenhouses and the Quidditch Pitch. The view was breathtaking; Raven could look at it forever and never get bored.
When night finally fell, Raven wandered back downstairs and approached a bookshelf, running her finger across some of the book spines. She picked up a book called Merpeople: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Language and Customs and curled up on one of the sofas in the empty common room, trying to pass the time before her brother and all the other students would arrive tomorrow.