Hope

Part 1

Two weeks had passed since Raven stumbled upon the lifeless body of her mother's friend, a victim of a murderous encounter. The haunting echoes of the killing curse still resonated in her mind as she tried to make sense of the tragedy. Raven's instinct to investigate led her away from her class that day, an act that earned her detention from the stern Professor Snape, much to the disbelief and frustration of her friend Hermione.

"I still can't believe Professor Snape gave you detention! It's unheard of!" Hermione ranted, her frustration evident. Raven responded with a nonchalant shrug, her preference for gestures over words apparent. Raven was not one to speak much; she found solace in silence and disliked unnecessary chatter. However, Hermione's loquacious nature persisted.

"At least it's over now. Let's go to Hogsmeade," Hermione suggested enthusiastically, expressing her fondness for the village.

"Let's get changed first," Raven replied, her words more of a statement than a suggestion.

As the two girls traversed through the school, they encountered Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin boy who had a history of bullying Raven in her earlier years at Hogwarts. Unexpectedly, Draco offered his condolences about her friend's demise, catching Raven off guard. He handed her a birthday party invitation, inviting her to bring her friends.

"So, I can bring Hermione, Ron, and Harry?" Raven inquired. Draco hesitated,all he heard was "Can I bring a mud-blood, Red-headed reject, and the stupid potter boy", seemingly wrestling with his prejudices, but ultimately nodded reluctantly.

"Of course," he replied, and Raven watched as Draco departed.

Later, on their way to the village, Raven seized an opportunity to slip away and ventured into the forest. Finding herself in an empty clearing surrounded by trees and large rocks, Raven called out to her companion, "Wing nut? You there?" A large, moss-colored dragon emerged, and Raven's face lit up with joy. Raven ran around the clearing with the dragon close behind with his tongue hanging from his mouth like a puppy. The claw on Wing nut's wing hooked onto Raven's hoodie and lifted her swiftly into the air. He gave her a big lick despite Raven's struggled. "Bloody hell! Wing nut that doest wash out"Their playful interaction was interrupted when Raven sensed a disturbance in the bushes nearby. The dragon, sensing Raven's nervousness, dropped her. 

"Wing nut, leave," she commanded, urging the dragon to fly off by giving the reluctant dragon a few pushes.. Raven, now alone, drew her wand as a shadowy figure emerged, only to vanish at the sound of Hermione's voice.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione questioned, and Raven, with an awkward chuckle, sheathed her wand, the mysterious presence lingering in her thoughts. "Nothing, Just distracted. Lets go" Hermione took Raven's hand and led her the village.

In Hogsmeade village, Raven and Hermione entered the Leaky Cauldron, where Hermione chattered away, oblivious to Raven's distraction. However, Raven's attention shifted when Draco and his friends beckoned her to join them"Come join us, Raven!".

 "Go! Raven seriously, go!" Curious about Draco's unusual behavior, Raven left Hermione's side to sit with the Slytherins.

As Raven engaged with Draco and his friends for an hour and a half, exchanging pleasantries and forced smiles, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. When she finally rejoined Harry and her friends, they questioned her with puzzled expressions.

"Hey, Raven," Harry greeted, while Ron prepared to make a cheeky remark. Raven silenced him with a growl "Save it", leaving her friends intrigued and bewildered. The events of that day had unraveled a series of mysteries, and Raven couldn't shake the sense that more secrets were waiting to be unveiled.

Later that afternoon, Raven successfully persuaded Harry to accompany her to Godric's Hollow. It was her hometown, and she needed to retrieve some belongings she had left behind during her time at Hogwarts. Initially planning to go alone, Raven's intuition led her to bring Harry along as a companion.

Upon entering her darkened home, Raven knew her mother was out, so the lack of light wasn't unexpected. Flicking the switch, she gestured for Harry to take a seat on the couch. Darting up to her room, Raven gathered a few items in her bag, but she looked for a book she had been curious about – "The Dark Arts: A Guide to Self-Protection." Never one to be too cautious, she figured it might come in handy.

As Raven rummaged through drawers for the book, she noticed a trail of black smoke outside the window. Raindrops obscured the view, but she could discern its rapid movement. Opening the window, she observed the smoke hurtling toward her, prompting her to shut it quickly. To her surprise, Harry had vanished. Before she could call out, the smoke burst through the window, knocking Raven off her feet and injuring her lip. Blood quickly drained from her lips and pooled in her hand. Strangely, the smoke collided with a desk on the opposite side of the room, revealing a small, seemingly injured witch with disheveled hair. Raven squinted to see a tattoo on the witch's arm, a dark mark...

Attempting to rise, Raven saw the witch draw her wand and approach. "Well, isn't this lovely?" the witch cackled, lifting Raven's head with her wand. Panic surged through Raven as she wondered why a Death Eater was in her home. Before the witch could speak, Harry emerged from the kitchen, drawing his wand quickly and casting a Stupefy spell to protect Raven from the death eater. However, the witch vanished before the spell reached her. The witch was gone but the two kids were still breathing heavily and fear lingered in the air.

In the aftermath, Raven and Harry sat on the couch in stunned silence. Harry rushed to his friend, concern evident in his panicked voice. "Are you alright?" Raven nodded quickly, still catching her breath. The events were a blur, but soon Aurors arrived for inspection. Raven remained tight-lipped, wondering what the aurors thought they might find if the death eater had vanished into thin air. Raven rose from the couch and walked back to Hogwarts in silence, she knew Harry, his head was reeling with questions and theories but he could read her and knew to stay quiet. 

Raven was escorted to the hospital wing by Harry, where she received attentive care and left with nothing more than a faint scar. As she walked away, expecting to see Hermione or Ron, she was surprised to hear her name called by Draco. Greeting him with a firm nod, Raven was taken aback by the concern evident in Draco's voice.

"Are you alright? I heard you were attacked," Draco inquired, his tone surprisingly filled with genuine concern.

Downplaying the incident, Raven replied, "Oh no, I just fell," avoiding any detailed discussion to prevent unnecessary worry. Draco sighed with relief, though Raven sensed Draco knew something else.

Curious about her attacker, Raven decided to investigate further in the Slytherin common room. Using Harry's invisibility cloak, she slipped into the room and positioned herself in a corner, patiently waiting. Her suspicions were confirmed when Draco entered, pacing with a worried expression. After a few minutes, a tall, long-blond-haired man in elegant robes materialized before Draco, much like the mysterious disappearances of the other individuals.

"Father, I-" Draco began, but his father cut him off with a low growl. "Draco, I expected better from you," he scolded. Raven noted the family resemblance and realized this was Draco's father. The revelation hit her when Draco's father mentioned Godric's Hollow being overrun with Aurors"Well I thought Bellatrix wouldn't let raven get away!" – the reason for Draco's unexpected kindness. Draco's father expressed disappointment, punctuating his words with an angry wand strike to Draco's stomach.

Enraged by the revelation, Raven stormed out of the Slytherin common room. She returned the cloak and, for the next couple of days, deliberately ignored Draco. "Raven!" He yelled her name angrily. "Why are you mad at me?" He demanded answers, grabbing Raven's forearm before she walked off.  Raven glared at Draco, her eyes piercing his. "Did I do something? Atleast come to my party?" Draco's tone was pleading. With a reluctant sigh Raven gave him a slow nod which made him leave. That night Raven couldn't sleep, she didn't want to go but she had already invited her friends so she thought she had too, soon enough she drifted to sleep.