2 Crows Blues

An impersonal voice echoed through the train. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."

It was already dark outside when the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. The corridor was crammed with students now, pushing their way towards the doors.

Raven was in no hurry. She remained seated- partly out of fear she would get all tangled up in those stupid wide robes and fall flat on her face, but also because she really wasn't keen on all the fuss everyone was making about Hogwarts. It would probably be still there if she did not hurry to get off the train and be crushed in the bulk of over-excited students that crowded the platform.

For a moment she wondered what would happen if she refused to get off the train, if she just remained seated. Would it take her back to London, to her parents? But those thoughts were futile...

"Raven, are you coming?" Lily Evans cried, smiling invitingly. She was much too excited for Raven's liking, but well, she was nice. Perhaps Hogwarts wouldn't be that bad after all?

It was cold on the dark platform, much chillier than in London, and the cool night air smelled already of autumn- of rich soil, harvested fields, bales of straw, leaves changing colour, the smoke of chimneys...

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here! C'mon, follow me! Firs'-years follow me!"

A lantern bobbed up, shining over the crowd of too many unfamiliar faces and illuminating the very hairy one of a definitely big man. All the young wizards and witches gathered around him.

"I'm Hagrid, Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts," he informed them before he continued shouting. "Any more firs-years? C'mon, c'mon! Don't dawdle- you'll get yer firs' sight of Hogwarts in a sec!"

They followed Hagrid down a path, slipping and stumbling. The path was steep and it was narrow, probably lined by a thicket of trees and bushes because one could hear something scurrying in the undergrowth. It didn't improve the situation that it was dark on either side, so you could only guess what was rustling in the leaves. Raven wondered what was so wonderful about the wizarding world if they couldn't even light their roads properly. What was wrong with street-lamps? Or if that was too Muggle, why was there no spell to illuminate their surroundings?

For quite a while nobody spoke- then, all of a sudden, someone shrieked. The high-pitched voice of a young girl rang through the darkness next to her.

Raven saw her make a startled leap and, in order to keep balance, the girl reached for her arm- with the result that they both stumbled and landed on their butts. Skidding downhill until they crashed into the heels of a few other children, which also fell over in a tangled heap of fidgeting limps.

Two boys roared with laughter. Even if Raven could not see their faces she would probably never forget their stupid laughter.

"Cannonball Crow," someone snickered.

Hagrid turned around with his lantern in his hand. It shone directly onto the faces of the two rascals.

"Ah, wha' 'ave we got 'ere? Seems a bunch o' li'le troublemakers arrived at Hogwarts, eh? Do yeh think that funny?"

"It wasn't our fault, sir," the pretty boy said, mischief sparkling in his bright grey eyes though he was feigning innocence.

"Right," the one with the glasses agreed. "We heard a girl shriek and saw her jump- and I'm sorry, sir, but what followed then was indeed funny."

Hagrid seemed to be pleased with such a blatant lie. His dark eyes glittered and the corners of his mouth twitched. "I'll keep an eye on yeh, boys." Then he glanced at Raven and the other kids. "You alright? Now c'mon, ev'rybody. Yeh won't want to miss yer first impression o' Hogwarts."

Raven already had got her first impression of Hogwarts. Her robes were dirty, damp and torn- thanks to those two berks. And everybody who had not fallen in the mud seemed to be thinking it was indeed a funny little episode. Only she couldn't laugh. Tears were burning in her eyes and she wished herself far away from this horrible place.

They walked on without further incidents. Soon the path made a bend and opened to a big black lake ahead of them. On the distant shore the first-years could see a castle, perched atop a high mountain; its windows were illuminated with warm lights.

Raven was just hoping that they wouldn't have to swim over there when Hagrid pointed to a small fleet of little boats, telling them that four were to share one. She hurried to make it to the same boat Lily and Severus were already sitting in, since the last thing she needed now was another encounter with the two obnoxious boys- she really feared she wouldn't survive their wicked sense of humour when they were in the middle of the lake.

"Isn't it amazing?" Lily gushed, her eyes transfixed on the castle ahead.

"Hmpf," Raven mumbled. It was dark and she was cold, she couldn't have cared less. Also, they were sitting in a tiny nutshell of a boat that was gliding across a deep dark lake in which depth many unknown dangers might lie- like a giant squid- and then she remembered the stories her mother had told her about the Giant Squid. To be honest, there had never been a story about the Squid living on a diet of fat little girls, but anyway, the very thought that something monstrous was living underneath the shimmering surface of the lake was quite scary.

She heard Lily and Severus muttering quietly but didn't pay attention to what they were talking, about and she paid no attention to the fourth passenger in their boat either. Only when the castle was towering over them in a truly impressive way- with high towers that seemed to tickle the sky, all its many turrets and arcades, and windows filled with warm light- she looked up.

"This is it!" Severus exclaimed. "Hogwarts!"

She stole a fleeting glance at him. There was so much anticipation in his eyes, so much awe and wonder... and hope upon attending Hogwarts. While she just felt miserable. Her previous thoughts that it might not be too bad had long bowed to a more realistic notion- actually the very same she had become accustomed to ever since she'd received that bloody letter, and why everyone seemed to be so damned excited about Hogwarts was beyond her. To her it felt like having been ripped out of her familiar life and deported to a place of misery.

After disembarking the boats, the group of first-years was walking upstairs for a good while until they reached a door. Hagrid knocked and the door was opened by a witch dressed in emerald green robes, wearing a pointed hat. Almost instantly, she gave Raven a stern look of disapproval.

It came as no surprise, really, given that she was standing there cold and wet and caked in mud from head to toe. Looking pathetic. And for the first time since her stupid, hysterical fit of defiance she wished she hadn't cut off her hair. It would have given her a nice curtain to hide her ashamed face.

The stern-looking witch introduced herself as Professor McGonagall- the very same professor that Lily Evans had described as nice- before she made a speech about the importance of the Sorting and what it would mean to them. They were supposed to regard the Houses they were Sorted into as their new family. They were to eat with them, sleep with them, and go to classes with the members of their newly found families- but most important, to earn them house points by impeccable behaviour, sticking to the rules, or academic success.

Raven listened to her, trying to sulk only a little. She didn't like any of that. She already had a family and was quite happy with them, thank you very much.

Alas, no one asked for her opinion. Professor McGonagall announced that the Sorting Ceremony would take place in front of the rest of the school, and opened the doors to a great hall already crowded with students. They were sitting at four long tables, laughing and chatting. Thousands of candles floating in midair illuminated the hall, and above them the ceiling looked like a perfect imitation of the nightly sky, with hovering clouds across brightly shimmering stars and a waning moon. The fluorescent shapes of ghosts skittered to and fro, lingering for a moment to talk to a student- or scare them- before they dissolved into thin air only to reappear at a different place again.

This is madness, Raven thought, and yet she had no other choice but to line in with all the other first-years that were about to be Sorted.

Of course, she knew all about the Sorting ceremony; her mother had told her. But she had made it sound like an enigma, something mysterious, exciting and wonderful. Therefore Raven hadn't expected that you got an old, ragged hat put over your head that then would decide upon your future. It was a tad disillusioning, actually.

The students were now called on, one by one, to sit down on a stool arranged for the Sorting, and whenever someone got Sorted into whatever house, the students of that table started cheering as if it was mainly their doing...

"Potter, James."

One of the obnoxious boys from the train- the one wearing glasses- sat down on the stool arranged for the Sorting, and put on the hat. It had scarcely touched his messy hair when it already shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"

Just like his father, then. He got what he wanted. Next came the girl who had shrieked on the path to Hogwarts; Raven didn't catch her name but she was Sorted into Hufflepuff.

"Black, Sirius."

The other troublemaker walked up, sat down, and this time the Sorting Hat seemed to have a lot to consider before it finally cried out loud, "Gryffindor!"

Black hurried to meet his chum Potter at the Gryffindor table, smirking broadly as though he wanted to say 'didn't I tell you I might break the tradition?' He looked very pleased with himself.

"Evans, Lily."

And again it didn't take long for the Sorting Hat to make its choice.

"Gryffindor!"

A sad little smile flickered over her as she briefly glanced at Severus, who groaned quietly, then she made her way to the Gryffindor table where she was welcomed with loud cheers.

"Snape, Severus."

Just as readily as the hat had cried Gryffindor for Lily, it didn't hesitate now when it came to Severus. "Slytherin!"

He walked to his table and sat next to a blonde-haired boy wearing a prefect badge...

"Lestrange, Raven."

She watched the blonde boy patting Severus' back.

"LESTRANGE, Raven!" McGonagall sounded a tad impatient and groaned inwardly when Raven stared at her, apparently at a loss. Some of the kids in the Great Hall chuckled. McGonagall's lips became a very thin line as her chin pointed brusquely towards the stool, beckoning Raven forwards.

She almost stumbled over her robes as she hurried to sit down. More laughters erupted.

"Silence!" Professor McGonagall cried.

Raven had probably never felt more uncomfortably self-conscious than at this moment. The whole students body was staring at her, a pathetic little girl with a ridiculous haircut, torn robes, caked in mud. But then everything faded in comparison to the utterly weird feeling when the Sorting Hat was placed upon her head. She had never experienced anything like that before. It was... she couldn't quite put in words what really happened but it occurred to her as if that... that thing was trying to read her mind- and she didn't like that at all.

'I don't want to be here. I don't want to be here. Tell them I'm a Squib and then leave me alone.'

'All right,' the Hat spoke, although the words were only in her head and not to be heard. It let out a cough, "Huff-"

'Please not Gryffindor. Please not Gryffindor...'

'You really believe you have a say in that?' the Hat questioned her mentally, sounding almost mirthful. Then it shouted- to everybody's surprise- "SLYTHERIN!"

The cheers she received from her new 'family' were significantly less jubilant than all the ones before, and some of the Gryffindors even giggled. Hanging her head, Raven shuffled to the Slytherin table. She just knew that her time at Hogwarts would be bloody awful.

A pretty but haughty blonde girl wrinkled her cute little nose when Raven took a seat at the end of the table.

"I cannot believe she is a Lestrange," she whispered to another, just as arrogantly looking girl. "My sister Bellatrix is engaged to one of them, Rodolphus Lestrange, and I always thought they were a decent family- but apparently they have hidden their scum quite well until now..."

"Aw, come on Cissy, you can talk! What about the dirt on your own doorstep? At least that little savage got Sorted into Slytherin, whereas your dear cousin opted for allying with the... foe."

They both glanced over to the Gryffindor table with disgust, not looking quite so pretty anymore; repugnance had an ugly face.

"He was always kind of weird, abnormal if you ask me- can you believe he once sneaked away to play with Muggles? Disgusting! I mean, you wouldn't play with house-elves either- except for hit-the-elf, of course- but you know, my father always calls Muggle cities the slums of the wizarding world, as no decent wizard should live in the neighbourhood of that dirty Muggle trash, and he cannot understand why Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga never considered moving to the countryside..."

Raven half listened to the girls ranting on about Mudbloods and blood traitors that shouldn't be allowed to Hogwarts, and thought it wiser to hold her tongue. She had heard the term 'blood traitor' before but only now she got an inkling of its meaning- it told her to better not reveal her heritage.

Meanwhile the Sorting had come to an end and the last student was Sorted into Ravenclaw. Then everyone fell silent in anticipation as the Headmaster of Hogwarts rose from his golden chair in the centre of the High Table. Well, almost everyone, since the two girls at Raven's table were still gossiping.

"Mad old codger," the girl called Cissy whispered with disdain in her voice, "father always says it's a shame the Board allows him-"

"Shhh," a third girl hissed, chiding the two younger ones. "Narcissa, Elladora, shut up."

She bore a vague resemblance to Narcissa- their eyes were alike, but the rest of them was like night and day; one of them dark-haired, the other one fair- and indeed they seemed to be sisters.

"Really, Cissy, your sister's just insufferable since they made her Head Girl," Elladora muttered under her breath, which earned her a cool glance from the Head Girl in question.

She had the same good looks that were characteristic for the Blacks, but unlike Narcissa or their cousin Sirius, she seemed to lack the haughty attitude. Instead, she wore a kind and friendly expression on her face as she addressed Raven, introducing herself as Andromeda Black, Head Girl. Then she gestured her to listen to what Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had to say.

The Headmaster looked as impressive as he had appeared on Severus' Chocolate Frog card- actually, he was the exact stereotype of what a Muggle would expect a wizard to look like, with his long silver beard, his long silvery-grey hair and the pointed hat he was wearing. His speech, however, was not that impressive for it was rather short.

"Welcome, and welcome back," he said. "Tuck in!"

At once the table in front of Raven filled with plate after plate of food. It smelled deliciously but she felt too miserable to eat much, still dressed in wet and mud-caked robes. So she only ate a little, shyly picking a chicken leg, while she wondered why the Head Girl, Andromeda, had been so insistent in making them all listen to what Headmaster Dumbledore had to say. To her it seemed that Narcissa might be right in calling him an old codger because that was what he appeared to her. It was an impression that seemed to increase with the next little speech he held at the end of the feast.

He mentioned a few school rules- that the Forbidden Forest was forbidden for a reason, and that no magic was allowed in the corridors between classes- then his sparkling blue eyes swept over the sea of students and he said, "Knitting patterns. I see many strands of wool in different colours only waiting to get knitted together in a charming, colourful pattern. Now let us all sing the school song. Ah, music is a magic beyond all we do here!"

He's mad, Raven thought, a nutter- and that was precisely what her fellow Slytherins were thinking, albeit for a different reason. On the quiet they whispered that he was a disgrace to the wizarding race, a filthy Mudblood lover, mingling with blood traitor scum, and that the Board of Governors had better replace him sooner than later. And then some of the Slytherins whispered even more conspiratorially that HE would see to that, which left Raven pondering who HE might be... but after all the things that happened today, she didn't pay much heed, still feeling kind of miserable. It was her first night away from home, from her parents, and it had been as awful as she had expected it to be. She was absolutely convinced she didn't quite belong to the wizarding world, especially not if so many rude, insensitive berks inhabited it.

It was a feeling that didn't improve for the rest of the evening. The Slytherin quarters were in the bowels of the castle, deep down in the dungeons, where it was cold and damp and dark. So very unlike anything she knew from her bright and friendly home with the walls painted in yellow, her mother buzzing around, humming and singing, decorating the rooms with love and flowers-

If she hadn't been so overtired and fed up with everything in general, she would have noticed the gloomy beauty of the Slytherin common room. Its low ceiling gave it a cave-like atmosphere, lit by many candles in exquisite silver candelabras and chandeliers, their arms formed like slithering serpents. And in the morning, when Raven got up after a miserable night of crying herself to sleep, the place was illuminated by a greenish glow for it was situated under the lake; its windows filtering the sunshine in the water. If you looked closely enough, you could see some merpeople or grindylows swimming by, or even catch a glimpse of the Giant Squid- although you rarely got to see him in all his immense majesty, you had to suffice with a tentacle passing by.

But Raven didn't even spare a glance at that the next morning. She hadn't slept well. Additionally to missing her parents and feeling miserable in general, the girls in her dormitory hadn't done anything to make her feel any better. They were boisterous, shallow and arrogant brats, proudly focussed on the superiority of their blood. Also, they knew each other long before Hogwarts, which was another reason Raven felt like an outsider.

When her house mates left the common room to have breakfast in the Great Hall, she followed Severus Snape like a lost puppy- it was so confusing to get around a place that constantly changed, where staircases seemed to rearranged themselves at a whim, and she didn't want to get lost- but his scowl told her it wasn't a good idea. Although he was the only one she knew, he didn't seem to be particularly interested in becoming her friend just because of that chance encounter on the train.

Fighting back the tears that threatened to overflow her eyes because she was all alone and without a friend in a place she didn't even want to be, she hardly cheered up when she received owl post from home. Instead she felt betrayed and abandoned. After all, her parents had insisted she'd go to this horrible place. And she couldn't even write back to them and complain because she had to make it to her first class...

Puffing from running up and down the stairs, from the Astronomy Tower to the dungeons and back, she finally opened the door to the Transfiguration classroom- noticing to her surprise that although she was solid twenty minutes too late, there wasn't a teacher in the classroom yet. Breathing a sigh of relief, she hurried to sit on the only free chair in the back of the classroom, rummaging in her bag for the right textbook, when suddenly she heard an indignant huff right behind her. Raven turned her head and looked straight in the face of a very displeased Professor McGonagall, looming above her in all her imposing strictness.

"Ten points from Slytherin for unexcused tardiness," she exclaimed.

It didn't improve Raven's situation that she explained how she got lost- it only made the awful Gryffindor boys snicker (and one suggested she should have rolled), while her house mates groaned disgruntled because her stupidity had cost them house points.

And things didn't get much better. Their next class was Potions with Professor Slughorn, and although she arrived on time, the next blow came as sure as hell. She made an attempt to sit down next to Severus, but he put his bag on the chair and told her to get lost because that seat was reserved for Lily. Again the only free chair was in the back of the classroom.

thanks to hypnotic ink and Alabaster Princess.

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