7 Life is Strange

"You there!" Narcissa called, flinging a bundle of cloth at Raven, who was sitting on one of the sofas in the Slytherin common room, reading a magazine. "Iron my robes! I will need them later."

Raven glanced up, defiance in her eyes. "Do I look like a bloody house elf?"

A collective gasp rang through the room, then everybody fell silent. No one dared to defy Narcissa Black. It was a common habit that the younger students assisted the older ones in whatever they deemed necessary and besides, Narcissa was a Black. The Blacks were almost wizarding royalty, therefore it was like defying a princess.

A girl of Raven's year volunteered immediately. "Please, Narcissa, let me do it for you. I will iron your robes."

"There's a willing lackey!" Raven snorted and focussed on her magazine again. She knew it had been a mistake to sit down in the common room- usually she avoided that, but it had been so pleasantly quiet in here only a few moments ago.

Gracefully, Narcissa allowed Clementine Bulstrode to do the task at hand, because it didn't matter to her just who ironed her robes, as long as it would be done in the end. Nevertheless, she arched a sophisticated brow at Raven.

"It would be in your best interest if you learned some simple household spells, since otherwise-just look at yourself- you will hardly find a decent husband to take care of you."

Some of the attendant students cheered at Narcissa's words; Raven was really not popular in Slytherin house.

Severus frowned. He was sitting in a dark corner, watching the incident in silence, and he had no intention to interfere. Lestrange had made her bed, now she had to lie in it. He was wondering though- did she truly possess the nerve to read a Muggle magazine in the Slytherin common room?

"Guess what!" Raven snapped, putting down said magazine. It showed a curly haired Muggle bloke on the cover. "It might come as a surprise to you, but just because you are a dimwitted, brainless beauty doesn't mean everybody is. Ever heard of women's liberation? I don't even want to find myself a husband! I can take care of myself!"

The silence in the Slytherin common room was almost deafening now. Severus rolled his eyes. Then somewhere, a boy was chuckling. Others joined in. They were thinking Raven absurd. She was an unpopular, plump little girl and her idea of women's liberation was laughable to the ears of the traditionalists among them.

"You will regret your words!" Narcissa threatened in a dangerously cold tone as she drew her wand and pointed it at Raven. That filthy disgrace of a Slytherin had not only dared to disobey, but had also insulted her. She would pay for it!

But before the beautiful blonde could even think of an appropriate curse, Raven stood and hissed at her, "Just Leave. Me. Alone!"

And then she was gone. Had simply disappeared, dissolved into thin air, whatever.

Some said she had Disapparated, but Apparation wasn't possible within Hogwarts- had any of them ever read Hogwarts: A History? Severus doubted that.

He thought he'd caught a vague glimpse of her from the corner of his eye as she was walking by (apparently hidden under a Disillusionment Charm- although that was quite advanced magic, he wouldn't put it past her), then the entrance door to their common room was opened just wide enough for someone to slip through. It was his nagging curiosity that made him rise and follow her, not concern about her well-being or anything as sentimental as that- just his inquisitive nature and his thirst for knowledge.

All the same he was pretty much aware of the fact that he merely found her, sitting on a boulder by the shore of the lake, because she had allowed him to find her. A subtle hint here and there, nothing too obvious.

"I've so had it with Her Haughty Highness!" She fumed when she heard him approaching, having already expected him.

It was funny, he still couldn't see her clearly until he was sitting right next to her. There was something like a pinkish haze surrounding her, clouding the outline of her shape- and then it vanished.

"How're you doing that?" He asked without preamble.

Raven shrugged. She couldn't explain it either- at least not in words that would satisfy his academic nature. It had just come to her, that very day when she had been cornered by those four Gryffindor bullies once again. Looking for a way out, she had shouted: 'Leave. Me. Alone!'

Of course, she hadn't expected that to leave any impression on Potter and his cohorts. She knew they would hex her anyway, and she really didn't want to end up in the infirmary again.

Then something weird happened. All of a sudden she felt strangely... protected...

'She's gone,' Pettigrew breathed, standing there gaping, a hint of awe in his voice.

'Nonsense!' Potter chided him. 'That cannot be. The Fat Crow is much too plump to ever dissolve into thin air.'

Black laughed out loud. It took a while for Pettigrew to get that pun, but then he giggled uncontrollably. 'That's great, James! Fat Crows and thin air doesn't work- tee hee...'

But it had worked. Well, she hadn't completely disappeared; she was she was still there, hearing their exchange- only they just couldn't see her anymore. She was in a bubble, a pink bubble. It had just happened...

"That's not possible," Severus interjected. "'Leave me alone' isn't even a proper spell,"

She shrugged, not having a sensible explanation for it either. "I know."

He cast her a sidelong glance and changed the topic. "It wasn't wise, challenging Narcissa Black like you did. After all, she stems from a well esteemed pure-blood family-"

"So what?" Raven cut him off. "That doesn't mean anything."

It means a lot, Severus thought, arching a surprised brow at her. When had she become so fierce?

"For my part, she can wet herself in excitement about her blood status, but it's not her merit. She cannot take credit for what her parents are. All this talk about the purity of blood is ridiculous."

"How the hell did you end up in Slytherin house?"

"I didn't want to be in Gryffindor."

Well, that was something he did comprehend, but it was still no proper explanation. You couldn't just tell the Sorting Hat your preferences and expect it to follow your bidding. Although, it had definitely shown a wicked sense of humour by Sorting Raven Lestrange into Slytherin, where she truly didn't belong. After all, the purity of blood was a very important matter there, and she seemed to give a damn about it. But perhaps she merely pretended not to care because her blood was tainted by her Muggle father, just like his? No- he noticed the magazine she was holding in her hands and it was definitely Muggle. Her heritage didn't bother her, she accepted it willingly. Reading a Muggle magazine in a wizarding school as if she couldn't decide which world was really hers.

And he still wasn't any wiser. She was an enigma to him he wanted to figure out before he could finally forget about Raven Lestrange.

"So the Sorting Hat placed you in Slytherin of all houses, without even considering any other one?"

"Well, it had also Hufflepuff in mind- my Mum was a Hufflepuff, you know- but I... I-" Raven fell silent. Yes, she had wanted to be in Slytherin because of Severus, because she had taken an instant liking to him on the train. He was so different from those Gryffindor bullies and all the other boys in her year; he wasn't bragging with his talents and yet he was simply brilliant, so clever and smart.

Of course, if she had bothered to read up on Hogwarts houses beforehand, instead of pushing all thoughts about this school in general as far aside as she could, because she hadn't wanted to come here in the first place, then she might have chosen differently. But now she was in Slytherin and had to get used to its politics of pure-blood supremacy, no matter whether she liked it or not.

Whatever had gotten into her earlier, she couldn't change it any more. She had defied Narcissa Black, and that meant she would have to be very careful from now on. Staying as invisible as possible was a wise option.

Smiling at Severus, she busied herself with the latest edition of Melody Maker again- there was a fascinating article about T. Rex in it that she hadn't finished reading yet.

It was nice, though, that he remained seated next to her on the boulder, glancing surreptitiously over her shoulder to see what was keeping her so interested. Perhaps it wouldn't harm him to be reading about the wonderful Marc Bolan for a change, instead of always burying his lovely big nose in books about magic.

"By the way, it's nice you're worrying about me."

"I don't," he grumbled.

Raven smirked and enjoyed this very nice afternoon at the lake.

*

'What did you choose as your additional subject?' was the main question all students asked their friends at the end of the second term, and once more when they started their third year at Hogwarts. They had the choice between five new classes: Ancient Runes, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy and Muggle Studies, and they had to pick at least two.

Raven had thought it over thoroughly during the Easter holidays and then again over summer break, and had finally chosen Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. She still preferred classes in which she did not have to wave a wand, although she was getting better at that and was feeling more comfortable with her ebony wand. It seemed she was slowly becoming friends with it.

She was thrilled to find out that Severus had made the same choices, whereas Lily had picked the more girlish subjects- Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. Cute beasties and fortune-telling...

In Raven's opinion, Divination wasn't something one could learn. Either you had that gift and were a true seer- or you were not. It made no sense to her if she had to try and read a meaning into some tea leaves.

She wasn't keen on listening to what the odd wizard or witch knew about Muggles either, because she was certain she could teach her class mates a lot of things that the curriculum didn't cover, so Muggle Studies wasn't an option.

Care of Magical Creatures sounded interesting at first- until she recalled Professor Kettleburn's appearance and decided against it. She wanted to keep all her limbs intact, thank you very much, but that wasn't exactly guaranteed when dealing with magical beasties. Professor Kettleburn was the living example for that.

*

In third year, the regency of Slytherin Head Boys and Girls ended- much to Narcissa Black's dismay. She had so hoped to be the next Head Girl, but her hopes got shattered when Dumbledore rewarded Frank Longbottom and his girlfriend Alice with that honour.

Gryffindors! Narcissa thought with disgust as she faked a smile and applauded politely.

Lily, however, was very pleased with the course of events, as she was certain that a couple of her own house would represent the interest of all students in a much better way than any Slytherin could, given that the Snakes were horribly prejudiced. They believed only pure-blooded wizards and witches had a right to attend Hogwarts, and that simply wasn't fair. Of course, not every Slytherin was like that. The head of their house, Professor Slughorn, never grew tired of praising Lily for her natural talent at Potions, and he always invited her to his parties. He was a really nice man.

Having additional classes and a Gryffindor couple as Head Boy and Girl weren't the only changes in third year. The students were now also allowed to visit Hogsmeade on special weekends. Everybody was excited about it, especially Lily, because it was the only all-wizarding village in Britain. She couldn't wait for her first Hogsmeade weekend to arrive.

Finally, the time had come.

Hogsmeade was a picturesque village of hatched cottages, some of them housing the most amazing shops Lily had ever seen. There was a place called Honeydukes that sold all kinds of magical sweets- not only the ones you could buy on the Hogwarts Express but lots more, and everything was just so very, very awe-inspiring and wonderful. She couldn't believe what she had missed, growing up in the dull Muggle world for far too long.

Oh, she could have stayed at Honeydukes for days without getting bored. Unfortunately, her companion wasn't as impressed as she was, and although Severus tried to hide his growing impatience very well, she noticed that he wasn't enjoying himself. On the other hand- did he ever have fun? He was always so grumpy and sullen, and it didn't surprise her at all that her other friends wanted nothing to do with him.

Why do you even speak to that greasy oddball? they often asked her, but Lily thought that that wasn't a nice thing to say about someone either. He was bright and- in his very own way- even witty. He just wasn't a social person. Nevertheless, he was her friend. Her best friend. No one knew her as well as he did.

She only wished he would be more agreeable when it came to socializing, that he wouldn't call her other friends mindless prattling chicks. She wished he would enjoy himself more instead of standing in Honeydukes, totally unimpressed by all the wonders born out of chocolate and sugar dreams.

At least, she thought as she went to pay for her collection of sweets, he finally made a friend in his own house. Raven Lestrange was quite a decent person- for a Slytherin. Sometimes she wondered if the Sorting Hat might have misplaced her, and if Hufflepuff wouldn't have been a more suitable house for her... but then she glanced at her and recognized a scowl on her face that appeared to be typical Slytherin. In some strange kind of way, Raven and Severus were very much alike. They both seemed unable the enjoy themselves. Lily was curious if that was a specific Slytherin trait while she looked longingly at the cheerful group of Gryffindors leaving Honeydukes and heading for Zonko's, the joke shop. It would be so much more fun if she could go with them, but she had promised Severus that they would spent their first Hogsmeade weekend together. After all, they were best friends.

*

Third year was Raven's happiest at Hogwarts so far. She spent a lot of time with Lily and Severus, and although she sometimes felt left out because of the history her friends shared, it was still better to be the odd one out that being completely alone with only a moping ghost as a friend.

Strangely, third year was also the one the friends were slowly drifting apart, although none of them seemed to notice it then. It began with slight misunderstandings, barely detectable at the time they happened, but in the course of years they became bigger and more prominent. Especially when the kids hit puberty.

"Which boy do you like best?" Lily casually asked Raven a few weeks into fourth term, while they were waiting outside on the grounds for Severus to join them.

"Sev," she answered honestly, because Lily was her friend and it was the truth.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, of course I like him too. He's my best friend- but I mean, which boy do you think cute? With whom would you like to go to Madam Puddifoot's? You know, holding hands and stuff..."

"Stuff?" Raven inquired, not really getting Lily's question because she had already answered it- besides, Madam Puddifoot's tea shop was definitely not her favourite choice of places since it was much too frilly for her liking .

"I mean... snogging..."

She arched a brow at her friend, wondering what made her blush and giggle so stupidly. And why did she seem to consider Severus not snogworthy? To Raven, he was the most adorable boy at Hogwarts, and he had the most amazing eyes- deep, dark pools of blackness that only seemed to light up when somebody had something interesting to say... or when they were focussed on Lily.

"Marvin Bode is quite nice- don't you think so?"

Hufflepuff, Raven recalled, one year above them and very popular, due to his handsome appearance and kind manners. He played keeper for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.

"Ewan McFarlan is also cute."

Another one of the pretty Quidditch boys! His father was Captain of the Montrose Magpies before he became Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Slughorn adored the boy because old Hamish McFarlan gave him free tickets for every national Quidditch games he liked to watch.

It didn't surprise her that Lily seemed to fancy the most popular boys, given that she was not only the most popular but also the prettiest girl at Hogwarts, now that Narcissa was gone. Of course the most popular girl would like to date an equally popular boy because it must be so much better to snog someone who really mattered...

"So, is there any boy you fancy?" Lily asked again.

Raven glanced at her- there was a hint of curiosity in her emerald green eyes, mingled with something else she couldn't quite fathom. So she decided to not repeat herself, since she had already answered that question. Yes, she liked Severus. Very much indeed. And she wouldn't mind snogging him- not at all. But she wouldn't tell Lily. Some things were best kept secret.

So she said, "Well, I think Marc Bolan is really hot."

"He's the singer of that Muggle band you like, isn't he?"

Again, there was that certain something, now in Lily's voice. As if she was... pitying her. Probably thinking that Raven was living in an illusionary world of teenage dreams without ever getting to know the real thing. Whereas Raven wondered if Lily, in that self-righteous way of hers she often exhibited around others, had ever been kissed before.

Well, it would surprise her to know that little Raven Lestrange had already made this very experience. Last summer. In Spain. With a dark-haired, dark-eyed Spanish boy. And it had been very nice. Especially, since Miguel had not seen her as a Fat Crow, like everybody at Hogwarts still called her without even bothering to notice the growth spurt she had made over the last couple of years. Admittedly, she still wasn't as perfectly slim as Lily, but at least she could pride herself that she filled out her shirt quite nicely.

That, however, didn't make her more popular. Those Gryffindor bullies were still trying to hex her at every opportunity, but she had found ways and means to escape them- at least most of the time...

Turning her head to avoid Lily's scrutinizing eyes, she saw Severus approaching and noticed he was limping somewhat.

"What kept you?" Lily inquired, apparently unaware of his dishevelled appearance.

There was a thin trail of blood dropping from a cut at his left eyebrow down to his cheekbone. Although it was neither a deep cut nor was it bleeding seriously, Raven made a point to produce a clean handkerchief in order to dab it away.

Severus flinched and scowled at her, but let it happen nonetheless, while explaining to Lily why he was late.

Raven wasn't listening. She had just noticed the delicate curve of his long lashes and the sooty shadows they cast on his pale cheeks as he kept his eyes down to avert Lily's glance. He was adorable... and he was lying to Lily. Probably because she wouldn't want to hear the truth anyway. It was so much more plausible to make her believe he had fallen down the stairs than having to admit that the boys of her house had hexed him- again. Mind, Lily didn't agree to her house mates' sense of humour, and she even called Potter an arrogant toerag for hexing students in the corridors only because he could, but she was nevertheless of the opinion that Severus must have provoked him whenever they had a fight.

After their Ancient Runes class, Severus had sent her ahead to tell Lily that he would be a tad late because of something he needed to ask Professor Babbling. Potter and his gang must have been lurking in the corridors, waiting for him. He could possibly fool Lily with his story of falling down the staircase, but since Raven was often a victim of the Gryffindorks' so-called pranks- just like him- he couldn't fool her. She stared at the blood-stained, crumbled handkerchief in her hand and sighed.

*

Severus could have accused her house mates of attacking him, but he had no proof for it; he had not seen any of them, had only heard Potter's voice shouting an incantation, and suddenly his book bag had grown fangs that were attacking his legs while he was walking down the staircase. He was certain the result was even funnier than a Tarantallegra jinx since his legs had done sort of an equally mad dance just to escape the sharp teeth of his book bag- he merely wished it would have been someone else and not him, being the victim of their wicked humour and crashing down that damned staircase. Black's spiteful laughter was still ringing in his ears, but- just like with Potter- he couldn't spot the miscreant.

There were some others, too, laughing and reminding him that he wasn't particularly popular. He knew that. However, they soon fell silent when he scowled at them. He didn't give a rat's arse on being popular as long as they feared him, and they had every reason to because he already knew more curses than anyone in seventh year. If only he had seen his attackers, who seemed to be invisible.

Severus understood the concept behind Raven's strange Disillusionment Charm and the reason she had invented it- or rather, why such an advanced magic had come to her so easily. It was for self-protection. And he knew a lot about that, too.

That, however, didn't explain Potter and his cronies being invisible at the most opportune moments. He mightily doubted that they needed any magical form of protection when they were already tucked safely away under the headmaster's protective wings... his precious Gryffindors, who couldn't possibly mean any harm but just wanted to play...

What made things even worse was Lily's attitude. His best friend seemed to believe in the prejudices against his own house, that Slytherins in general were evil, while all the Gryffindors were naturally fair.

She didn't even want to hear the suspicion he entertained towards that Lupin guy, and yet it was mightily suspicious that he- or his mother, for the purpose- always seemed to fall ill when it was full moon...

*

In fourth year, all their misconceptions seemed to blur and fade away soon, giving way to the joy of being together, being friends. Severus forgot that Lily wouldn't believe him if he told her the truth, and besides, he was a very private person anyway. Raven ignored the pitiful glances Lily was shooting her occasionally, because the most popular girl at Hogwarts couldn't possibly grasp that life didn't end outside the walls of the castle, but began, and she didn't blame her for being utterly wrong. After all, they were friends and she was happy being friends with Lily Evans and Severus Snape.

They met at the shore of the lake or later, when the days were getting shorter and colder, in the library. As study partners, they were perfect, complementing each other due to their different personalities and interests. But the rift was still there, driving them apart a little more each day.

thanks to hypnotic ink and Alabaster Princess

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