Secrets and Protection

First Day

On the morning following Raven's horrific vision, the Great Hall was bustling with excitement over the start of a new school year. None were more excited than the first years--their anxious minds filled with wonder over what their first day of classes would bring. Over at the Gryffindor table Ron and Harry were at either side of Raven, with Hermione sitting across from them

"I cannot believe we have to start the year off with Potions!" Harry grumbled as he looked down at the schedule in front of him.

"Come on you three," Raven started as she saw the looks of disappointment on their faces. "This teacher can't be as bad as you make him out," Raven mused, knowing that the man she'd grown to know was not at all the way they described him, but then she never knew what he was like in the classroom.

"Why don't we head there now so we won't be late," Raven yawned as she spoke. The black-haired witch was still tired from not sleeping well the night before and the nightmare was slowly becoming a distant memory.

"Early to potions! Are you mad, girl?" Ron stammered at the mere suggestion of arriving early for the dreaded class.

"Fine," Raven smirked with a slight giggle. "We don't need to go early. I just wanted to make a good impression with this professor on my first day," Raven continued in an innocent tone although secretly, she knew that she didn't have to do anything to get on her father's good side.

"No matter what you do Snape is never going to like you. You are in Gryffindor and that is enough for him!" Harry said excitedly.

Raven made a face at the trio, "If that is the case. It doesn't matter now. It's time that we should head to class anyway," she grabbed her bag and began to leave the Great hall with Harry, Ron and Hermione following not too far behind. She knew exactly where to go in order to reach the dungeon cell she remembered from her days of roaming the castle from when she was younger.

Without any discussion, the four took seats next to one another near the front of the room, as that was the only place they could sit all together. Raven sat down nervously as her lack of sleep the night before began to catch up with her. She could feel her eyelids drooping when the door swung open and made a loud sound as it came in contact with the wall. The half-sleeping witch was jolted awake as her father came swooping into the room. Raven prayed to herself that no special attention would be drawn to her....

Raven's prayers had almost been answered when suddenly Snape's eyes bore down on her only a few minutes into class, "Ah. Miss Makowitz! And just what exactly makes you think a fourth year such as yourself can handle my fifth year class?" the potions master sneered.

Raven did not say a single word, but her gaze grew a few degrees colder when aimed towards him. How could he say something like that? He was the one who had taught her all that she knew, at least when it came to potions. He knew that she could do potions that most seventh years could not even do. "I do not know, sir," was all she could manage to squeak out, hoping furtively that her father was only putting on an act by being so cruel.

The class went on without a hitch until it was time to cut up frog brains for a potion. Raven had just added the correct amount of dried nettles when Hermione whispered in her ear. "That is too much," the prefect said, knowing Snape would love to revel in one of them making a mistake of that magnitude. Hermione could see the tiredness in Raven's face and knew it was the cause of an obvious lack of attention.

"Ms. Makowitz!" Snape boomed, causing Raven to spill all her frog brains into the cauldron she has been sharing with Hermione. Suddenly a large cloud of pink smoke came rising out of it. Laughter rose, erupting from the Slytherins in the class. Snape gave a quick wave of his wand and the smoke dissipated. "Ten points from Gryffindor for your mistake. And another 10 points from Miss Granger for not paying attention!" he seemed amused as an evil smile cracked upon his face.

"It's such a pity that two top students could not manage to make a simple potion," Snape said, giving them a menacing stare. "Miss Makowitz, you will stay behind after class so I can tell you when you will be serving your detention," Snape taunted his only-child. He was amused at the tears that he could now see forming in her eyes. Snape had no intention of giving his child detention, but it was the best way he could get a moment to talk with his offspring.

Raven was about say something but class was over and everyone started to rush out to get to their next class. Raven's trio of friends stayed behind a second, "Do you want us to wait for you by the exit?" Hermione comforted her, knowing she was close to tears.

"No, I'll be fine. I'll see you later in Charms, alright?" the shaky witch stuttered. She watched numbly as the three started to protest. Eventually she assured them that things would be just fine and they skipped off to Transfiguration together.

After they were gone, Snape turned to his daughter. "What has gotten into you? You have been able to make that potion since you were eight!" he berated the shivering child.

"Nothing has gotten into me," Raven snapped into a defensive pose. "How do you expect me to concentrate with you breathing down my neck?" Maybe he had not been breathing down her neck, but it seemed like a plausible excuse. "Or maybe I am just upset that you had to ditch me this summer," Raven growled, although she knew full well that he'd had his reasons.

"You know what I had to do this summer. So let's not put the blame on me, kitten," Snape lowered his tone to one of comfort as he put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I am simply aware that you already know this material and I find it peculiar to see you making such foolish errors. Errors, I might add, that I would expect out of a first year or out of Neville Longbottom."

Raven sighed as she looked up at her father, "Sorry to be such a disappointment to you, dad." She glared at him, "But I guess one disappointment deserves another?" Raven choked back some tears as she huffed out of the room.

As the day went on it did not get much better for Raven. In Care of Magical Creatures she dropped a blast-ended Skrewt and it set several students' robes on fire. Then in Herbology, the bouncing bulbs they were working on got loose and created bruises along Raven's right arm. Things were not much better when it was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts. The bruised witch had hoped that she might be able to get some relief in her mother's class, but this was not the case. Things went so horribly wrong that by the end, her fellow students thought Raven was a big joke.

"At least Charms is next, maybe something can go right there for me," Raven grunted to herself as she headed out of the classroom, sensing the disappointment her mother had felt.

"Raven, wait up," the witch stopped and saw Ginny trying to catch up with her. "Are you okay?" Ginny gently asked seeing that Raven was almost on the verge of tears.

The youngest Weasley noticed the confusion and lack of recognition in Raven's face, "I'm Ginny. Ron's sister," the red head explained.

Raven shook her head wordlessly as she looked at Ginny, "I have Charms next, maybe something can go right there." She sighed as she managed a weak smile for Ginny. The pale witch was paler than normal and was in no mood to be sociable right now. "I'll be okay. It's just the first day jitters," she surmised, hoping that was only what it was. Raven quietly made her way towards the Charms classroom. She felt her right arm begin to cramp up from the bruises. This was not a good sign if she was unable to have full use of her wand arm. Just as Raven reached the correct corridor she turned around and ran the other way, opting to go to Madame Pomfrey to have her arm checked out. It was an easy way out, which she took to avoid whatever disaster might be waiting for her in the next class.

Hermione was worried when Raven didn't show up for Charms, but Ron and Harry were too busy being boys to notice. After class was over everyone headed back to the dorm to drop their bags off before dinner. Again, Hermione noticed that Raven still was nowhere in sight and this worried the prefect further. She then caught sight of Ginny who was coming in, "Ginny, have you seen Raven lately?" Hermione inquired.

"Last I saw her was when we were leaving Defense Against the Dark Arts. She wasn't having a very good day. She was almost crying when I left her." Ginny replied before she headed up the tower. Hermione stood alone shaking her head with a pensive look upon her face.

"What is it now Hermione?" Ron sighed as both he and Harry joined Hermione in the common room.

"Raven was not in Charms and Ginny says she has not seen her since her DADA class," Hermione pondered this information, taking into account Raven's weird behavior the night before.

"Maybe she's with her mum. After what happened in Potions I wouldn't blame her if she were complaining about Snape," Ron mused as he rubbed his grumbling belly.

"Maybe you are right Ron," Hermione nodded, knowing that Ron might have made sense but she could not ignore the feeling she had at the pit of her stomach. Hermione could not ignore the hungry looks Ron and Harry had so they headed down to the Great Hall. But Raven didn't show up there either. Engrossed as they were in their meals, they did notice Professor Makowitz was missing as well. They did, however, fail to notice that Snape was missing.

After dinner everyone returned to the Gryffindor common room and Hermione saw Raven sitting in one of the chairs in the corner facing the fireplace. She noticed that her right arm was in a sling. "What happened?" she pointed to the sling. "What happened to you in charms?" Hermione inquired as she sat down next Raven. Harry and Ron joined her.

"Bouncing Bulbs in Herbology. Was up in the hospital wing getting my arm looked at," Raven revealed the black and blue bruises that showed up strikingly against the pale skin of her arms and quickly covered up when she saw the trio wince. "I need to talk to my mum about a few things," Raven's voice was tender as she rose out of the chair, although her unsociable mood was still with her. Harry shook his head as the battered witch left, as did Ron.

"Ron, why don't we start on our homework for Divinations to see what horrible fates we can make up for ourselves this year?" Harry suggested when he could not think of anything else to say. Ron saw the look of displeasure of Hermione's face when Harry said that, and snorted gleefully.

"I am going to get a start on some real homework," She countered. "Spending the summer with you two did not give me a lot of time to read. I only read fours books when I normally get through at least twenty." Hermione turned on her heel as she went to get started on her homework.

Raven had been just standing out of site and heard everything that had been discussed. Things were normal for them. They were getting along fine so far. Raven did not know if she would ever have that or if she could actually fit in with them. Would they only see her as the new girl on the train? The person they felt obligated to help? Or would they actually be able to consider her a friend one day? Raven then left the common room, heading towards where she knew her mother's living quarters were. The young and unhappy girl stooped just short of the door when she heard the distinctive voices of her parents in a screaming match on a level that she had never heard before. Raven had heard them fight plenty of times before but there seemed to be something so much more intense about this one. She was about to give up and turn back when the door flew open.