The next day everyone woke up to the shock of lost points when they later passed the hour glass in the Great Hall. I followed Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville down to the Great Hall for breakfast and could tell Harry was very ashamed to even be in the Great Hall. Soon everyone knew who got their hard earned points taken away and couldn't believe it when they found out it was their precious seeker, Harry Potter. He turned from the most admired to the most hated, even those saintly Hufflepuff's and know it all Ravenclaw's turned their backs on the little guy. When that happens it's basically a big 'You fucked up big time' to the face. I gave Harry a sympathetic, barely noticeable look before making my way to DADA with the third years while the group of first years separated to head to Charms. I walked into the classroom filled with cheerful third year Slytherin's and pissed off third year Gryffindor's. The third years welcomed me as usual and we talked excitedly about how Slytherin was a shoo in for the cup once again. I laughed and ignored the glares of the Gryffindor's surrounding us. "Were you even worried about losing in the first place?" I asked as we took our seats, knowing Quirrell would be in, in a few minutes. "Not really." smirked Adrian. I giggled and pulled out my DADA note book and listened as the Slytherin's conversed around me.
XxX
After class ended I walked out of the classroom waving good bye to my friends before bounding down the staircase and headed to my next class and the next until it was my last class before lunch, Charms. It was during my walk down a corridor did I come at an impasse. A certain set of red headed twins were waiting just a ways away, both were leaned into each other and talking in excited hushed tones. I heaved a sigh and continue my way forward with a silent prayer that they would just let me pass but lets face it that's never going to happen. I stopped in front of them and placed my hands on my hips as their murmurs stopped and turned towards me.
"Shouldn't you two be heading to class?" I asked.
They both gave me their dashing identical smirk before Fred replied, "Why would we do that when we could spend our days setting up our next prank and helping our little sister become more rebellious."
I raised an eyebrow, "Rebellious?" I questioned. "I would never do such a thing." I puffed out my cheeks in a childish pout.
"Growing up with us, you think she would be slightly like us, right Fred?"
"Right, George. We'll have to fix that immediately!"
I took a step back, cautious of what they were planning and going to do to me. "Besides it's almost lunch time anyway!" Fred said.
"Just say you went to the Hospital Wing." suggested George.
"Not a chance." I hissed out and moved past them to continue down the hallway. Fred and George followed after me. "Oh, come on, Raven! Just this once!" pleaded the Twins.
"I've already given you that pass once, everybody get's one and you used up yours already." I told them and walked up the stairs.
"But that's only one of us!" George pointed out.
"The other hasn't used the other one yet!" commented Fred.
I thought back and cursed even though I meant it as a joke, they were right. "Not today. I've skipped enough times this year."
"Raven!" They shouted childishly and ran ahead of me stopping me from moving any further. "Just one more time!" pleaded Fred. "No, I have exams to prepare for unlike you two, who don't care." I replied moving around them and continue down the hall.
They were silent for a minute and I would have thought they would have left if not for the fact I could hear their footsteps. One of the boys wrapped their arms around my body and carried me into an unused classroom. George, who held me in his arms carried me to a nearby desk and sat me down on it as Fred locked the door. I looked at George in confusion before I felt his mouth on mine. I jolted at the sudden kiss, fists clenching on the front of his robes. Heat rushed to my face as I felt myself respond to his kiss. I pulled away when I felt another pair of lips on my neck, Fred was kissing up my neck and I bit my lip when he started to bite down gently leaving marks I'm sure. George's lips found mine once again and we continued to snog. It wasn't long before the two switch, George taking the other half of my neck that was left untouched by Fred, who smashed his lips against mine gaining a gasp from me. They pulled away, leaving me gasping for air.
"So," began George. "Are you going to come with us?" finished Fred. As if to persuade me more they both attacked my neck, giving pecks and love bites wherever they could. My voice failed me as they went back to kissing my neck so they only thing I could do was give a weak nod. They both went from my neck and gave me a peck on the lips before they smiled at me. They let me catch my breath before they each took a hand and dragged me up to the third floor corridor, heading towards the statue of the Humpback Witch.
XxX
The twins dragged me through Hogsmede, steering clear of the shops. No Honeyduke's, even though that's where we came out at, no Zonko's, not even the Three Broomsticks. I tilted my head in confusion as we passed the ever busy pub. "Where are we going?" I asked as we neared the edge of town.
"You'll see~!" they sang, both giving me their signature smirk.
I sighed and didn't ask anything more. We passed the town and went into the forest until we came upon a fenced off area with a no trespassing sign.
"The Shrieking Shack?" I asked tipping my head in confusion.
"Yes and no." They replied.
I looked at the building with curiosity as we came closer to it. We came to the old wooden door and Fred, who pulled out his wand, opened the door letting us inside. The inside lead to a hallway with two open doorways leading to the living room on one side and a kitchen on the other with a staircase at the end of the hall whose boards we bent upwards letting the nails poke through. Beside the door was an old rickety table covered in a thick layer of dust, showing how old and abandoned the house was. There were empty frames with thick dust covering the glass scattered throughout the hall and rooms, noting that whatever furniture was covered by what use to be white sheets as we passed by heading towards the stairs. I held their hands tighter as we went to the upper floors. I was afraid the stairs would collapse from our wait judging by how they were squeaking and groaning. We came to the second floor landing. They pulled me into a bedroom with an old four-poster broken bed still covered with a blanket and pillows, on the other side was an old couch but what struck me as odd was the old grand piano by the window. Who would ever leave this behind? I let go of the twins hands and went to inspect the piano. I ran my fingers along the keys before I took a look at the inside. Heavily dusted and abused from the lack of playing over who knows how long, some of the cords were rusted. I pressed along every key of the piano, doing a sound check. Although old most of the keys still worked but their tune was off.
"Well?"
I snapped my head up alarmed at the sound of Fred's voice. I had completely forgotten they were here! "How is it?" asked George.
I looked down to the piano with a sad smile. "It's old, out of tune, and needs fixing. Nothing a reparo can't fix and a few tuning spells. Poor thing got left out here who knows how long." I replied gently patting the top of the piano before turning back to the boys. "Is this what you wanted to show me?"
They nodded sheepishly, "You still play don't you? When you go to the Malfoy's?" They asked, approaching me and looking at the piano with a wistful look. I nodded looking back down at the keys. When I was younger, around six, I took up piano. We use to have one in the family room, an old stand piano, "as old as dad" mum claimed when I asked her what was beneath all books, papers, and random stuff. She said it was a piano that they no longer used anymore.
~FLASHBACK~
"Mum, what's under that stuff?" a six year old me asked pointing towards a large pile of stuff.
Molly stopped and looked at where I was pointing. "Oh! That's a piano" she replied. "That thing is as old as your father. It belonged to his Great Grandfather, he use to play you know, your dad. He stopped playing not long after we left Hogwarts, shame too. He was brilliant at it." Molly sighed "Now it just sits there gathering dust and getting lost in a pile of rubbish." Then she carried on with the basket of clothes. I looked back at then back to where my Mum disappeared to before I went over and started pulling things off of it.
When it was cleared off I sat down and pulled up the covering for the keys before I gently pressed one of the white keys. Hearing the sound come from it made my heart spark with joy and curiosity. I kept pressing keys, listening to all the different sounds they made. A warmth settled in my chest as I started pressing random keys. I was too busy in making music happen that I didn't know that the eldest at thirteen, Bill, came from downstairs. "What are you doing?" he asked popping up behind my shoulders. I jumped and my hands spazzed out, slamming on the keys before I turned around to Bill, tears in my eyes.
"Big brother! You scared m-me!" I sniffed.
Bill's eyes widened, "I-I'm sorry!" he apologized, not wanting me to cry. "I just wanted to see what you were doing."
"Oh... That's okay, Bill!" I smiled before turning back to the piano. "Mum said this was a piano, Daddy use to play it."
"Once upon a time." chuckled Bill taking a seat next to me, pressing some of the keys. "You sounded quite good at it!"
He place both hands above some keys and began to play, producing a beautiful melody that had my heart speed up and close my eyes as a scene played in my head from the mere tune. "I use to practice once upon a time too."
"You play wonderfully!" I told him opening my eyes to see him press the keys. I brought a hand up and copied what he played from my end of the piano.
It was from then on that Bill taught me to play, teaching me the basics and how to read music until he went back to school. The rest I learned by myself. Almost every minute of every day you could find me downstairs at the piano practicing some piece or making up my own pieces, but I still made time for my brothers especially the twins who were so needy. Right after dinner I would go straight to the piano and pull out the piece I would be practicing for the night everyone would sit around in the family room to listen to me practice. I've seen those old muggle musicians and listened to the songs they played on the piano like Pachelbel's Canon or Mozart's Moonlight Sonata. It moved me to the core and I wanted to be able to play music like they could. It was very rarely I would be seen somewhere else besides the piano. Even on holidays when Bill and Charlie would come home, I would be absorbed into practicing. When Bill came home he would teach me what he knew and would help me with certain parts of the songs that I didn't understand.
However, when I was 10 Mum sent my siblings and I to visit Aunt Tessie, a rather strange woman if I might say so. We came home and I was floored when I went to the family room. My piano was gone.
"Where is it?!" I screamed running up to Mum, causing my siblings to look at the scene that was unfolding before them.
"I-I'm sorry dear, I'm afraid we had to sell it." replied Mum, solemnly.
"Why?!"
"We needed the money."
"So you decided to sell the one thing I loved most in the world?! I loved that piano! And you took it away from me!" I screamed at her, glaring at her with all I had. "I'll never forgive you!"
There was a crash and glass shattering from my magic going haywire as I stomped and pushed past my brothers and sister.
"Raven!" Mum yelled after me but I didn't turn around to reply and stomped up the stairs. "You get back down here this instant! I will not tolerate that kind of behavior!"
"Not until you bring back my piano! I won't ever come back downstairs!" I screamed back and when I reached my door I slammed it shut and locked it. I slid down to the floor, knees to my chest, and cried. That's when I decided to run away and during that time was when I met the Malfoy's.
During my first year of Hogwarts, after I found out who my Dad was, on break for the Holidays when I went to the Malfoy's did I pick up piano again. But this time I didn't spend every waking moment on it, seeing as how I spent most of my time with Draco and sometimes Narcissa. The Malfoy's also enjoyed my playing much like my family did, like Bill did Narcissa also helped me with the piano, as she played it herself once upon a time. So from then on out I had the luxury of playing the piano once again.
XxX
Snapping out of my flashback I brought out my wand, giving a few flicks and waves muttering spells. I placed my wand on the piano and pressed the keys once more. Starting from one end to the other I checked the sound and raised my wand and tuned it until it was perfect. Placing my wand away I brushed the keys and started out with simple songs to make sure it sounded right, twinkle twinkle little star and Mary Had A Little Lamb. I nodded in approval and placed my left hand in the middle of the piano and the right near the end. I inhaled and exhaled before gently plucking the keys once more. Disney's Cinderella A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes flowed from the piano. I closed my eyes as I played the song from memory. As I played I wasn't aware that my lips were moving and I was singing along.
As the song came to a soft end I opened my eyes with a smile on my face. The Twins' eyes were closed as they listened along, both a soft smile and a blush evident of their face. Only when the last note was plucked did they open their eyes and clapped for me, saying how beautiful it was and to perform another. I blushed slightly as I nodded, cracking my knuckles and positioned my fingers. Chopin's Spring Waltz flowed out and the tune filled the room, it was a piece I learned over the summer at the Malfoy's. The boys and I stayed in the Shrieking Shack for who knows how long, when I played the music took over and I would lose touch with reality and become lost, absorbed into the music. Fred and George didn't say anything either, they sat down on the dusty floor and listened, both neither caring how much time we spent there.
It was after dinner time when the boys and I got back to Hogwarts, so they dragged me down to the kitchens. After that we went our separate ways, I headed towards the library to continue studying for the final exams. I waved to Jesse who was slumped over a book looking stressed about whatever subject he was studying. He looked up with a strained smile giving a small wave before dropping his head back into his book.
"Let me guess? History of Magic?" I teased as I sat next to him.
Jesse scoffed but nodded as he turned a page then dropped his head into the textbook muttering, "It's just so boring!" He turned his head to the right to look at me. "There's too much Binns wants us to remember."
I giggled at him as I held up my Astrology book, "And what about Astrology, hm?" I asked before opening it to the last subject we studied. "Have you started working on that yet?"
Jesse groaned and rolled his eyes, "No. I don't even want to think about that one either. Staring at the stars and planets are not my thing either."
"You think Astronomy is bad, wait until you start Divination next year."
Jesse and I looked up to see Adrian join us, slumping down in a chair across from where we were sitting. "It's all about 'Using your inner eye to see the future' nonsense. Trelawney is as loony as they come."
"Seriously?" asked Jesse as he pushed his book away from him, deciding to take a break.
"Yeah all about peering in crystal balls, reading tea leaves, making predictions. I'm no Seer and don't think I ever will be."
The three of us shared a laugh before heaving a sigh and turning in our seats to study. I jotted down notes of each planets respective moons- except Mercury and Venus, drawn little examples of different constellations I deemed hard to remember, and anything I thought Professor Sinistra might throw at us on the exam. Jesse barely moved his quill on scrawling down a few dates and names before giving up and just read instead. Adrian was writing nonstop to get down as much as he could, seeing as he didn't do well in Divination and needed all the help he could get. Occasionally as our study session went on either me or Jesse asked Adrian for advice on certain sections of a subject we didn't understand, seeing as he already completed second year. I only needed a few questions answered seeing as how most of my classes were mixed and came easily to me.
It took until Madam Pince told us it was closing time and ushered us out did we say goodbye and parted ways to our respective common rooms. As I walked along a hallway that led back to the grand staircase I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Freezing in my spot I turned and looked out the window. Peering through the window I searched for whatever it was that caught my eye. Searching along the lines of the Forbidden Forest I spotted a dark cloaked figure. As if sensing me the hooded figure looked up and I felt our eyes connect and instantly felt as if I was drenched in ice cold water. Chills ran down my spine as I stared back at him. My eyes widened in fear as he ran across the courtyard towards the school. I immediately took off from the window and ran straight to the common room as fast as I could, hopping the stairs two at a time.
I burst into the Common Room to see it empty of life except for my sleeping younger brother, Ron, who was waiting for his two friends who were serving detention tonight. Freezing in my spot I recalled overhearing where their detention was to take place, the Forbidden Forest! That's where he came from... He better not have! I hope they're okay! Before I even realized it I started pacing back and forth in front of the fire place waiting for the two first years.
The portrait swung open and Harry and Hermione tumbled in. Harry roughly shook Ron awake, who screamed something about Quidditch fouls making me smirk in amusement. When Harry began to tell the three of us about what happened in the forest his drowsy expression turned into shock. Harry couldn't sit down. He paced up and down in front of the fire, much like I had done while I was waiting for the two to get back, Harry was shaking from the whole ordeal.
"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort..." Harry theorized, "and Voldemort's waiting in the forest... and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich..."
"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.
"Harry, Snape would never work for Voldemort! He isn't as bad as he looks, I swear!" I argued, trying to defend Severus. His days with Voldemort were over!
Harry wasn't listening.
"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so... Bane was furious... he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen... They must show that Voldemort's coming back... Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me... I suppose that's written in the stars as well."
"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.
"It's just a name, Ron." I told him with a roll of my eyes.
"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off... Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."
Hermione and I looked at each other, She looked very frightened while I was looked slightly annoyed. Harry shouldn't be believing what everyone says, the Centaurs have been wrong in reading the planets before. Hermione was the one to give a word of comfort to her frightened friends.
"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."
"Hermione's right, Harry." I piped up, nodding my head in agreement to what Hermione says. "You shouldn't always believe what people tell you. The Centaurs have been wrong in their predictions of the planets before. You make your own future, you shouldn't let anyone try to tell you otherwise."
Harry still looked unsure but nodded anyway. The four of us sat in the common room talking until I got a look at the night sky through the window. The sky had turned lighter, signaling daybreak was almost here, so I told the three first years it was time for them to head to bed. We went to bed, our throats sore. I dropped Hermione off at her dorm room before hopping up the stairs to mine and crawling into bed.