An Unexpected Arrival ( Raven )

[cho]

The Chang kitchen was busy this morning; mother was busy preparing the family’s breakfast while father was reading the owls that had arrived during the night. Missing from the picture was Cho, who was sitting in her bedroom looking into a mirror as she tried to decide what necklace to wear today. “Cho!” Her mother called from the foot of the staircase, “breakfast is ready.” Deciding on the silver necklace she clasped it on, “Coming mum!” She said as she slipped on a pair of white sandals and fastened them on. Standing up she walked towards the door, picking up her purse on the way. Turning down the hallway and approaching the stairs she ran her fingers along the banister then stopped. A slight grin grew across her face as she heard her parents talking downstairs in the kitchen. Sliding her small purse onto her should she raised both her index fingers and gently rubbed her temples. Closing her eyes she cleared her mind of all distractions and concentrated on the kitchen. Picturing the breakfast table, the chairs, more specifically her chair. Taking another deep breath she focused on the light blue tile behind her chair and with a sudden jolt and an extremely loud BOOM! Cho was now standing in the kitchen, right behind her chair, sitting down she was simply unable to contain her smile.

“Cho Chang!” Her mother bellowed as she nearly dropped the pot of oatmeal on the floor, “How many times must I tell you this!? We do not apparate in the house! You can walk down the stairs just like your father and I do!” Picking up the pitcher of orange juice, Cho quickly filled her glass all the while trying to not laugh. This had not gone unnoticed however, as her mother set down the oatmeal on a hot pad she jabbed her husbands letters with a wooden ladle. “Put your work away! Tell your daughter to not apparate inside! Honestly she’s becoming lazy! I will not put up with such behavior!” With a heavy sigh Cho’s mother sat down and began to scoop oatmeal into three wooden bowls. Cho’s father who had also been startled by Cho’s sudden and noisy entrance set aside his parchments. Giving his wife then his daughter quick glances he was at a lose for the right words and in the end simply chose to mumble then trail off at the end, and simply change the subject. “Cho, you’re all dressed up today, going out with friends?” Cho set down her glass of juice and sprinkled some sugar onto her oatmeal and stirred it allowing it to cool, “I’m going to Hogsmeade today. I want to get some writing supplies, but I’d rather not try Diagon Alley, I bet all the first years are running around there crazy.”

When breakfast had been finished, Cho assisted her mother clear the table. Placing the bowls and spoons in the sink she watched her mother quickly clean the lot with a simple wave of her wand. “I’ll be going now” Cho announced as she downed her last drops of juice and placed her glass in the sink. Once more she raised her fingers to her temples and tried to clear her mind, focusing only on Hogsmeade. “Cho” her mother grabbed her by the wrist and interrupted her thoughts, “be careful, try to apparate someplace no one will be, don’t try to go into the Three Broomsticks, you’d be asking for a crash.” Nodding her head, Cho pictured Hogsmeade, the streets, stores and fountains. Where could she apparate to? Then she pictured the small fountain outside of Madam Puddifoots’ coffee shop. It was off on a side street, the fountains on the side streets were never very crowded. Focusing on the fountain with it’s three water shoots, Cho quickly vanished from her kitchen with yet another deafening BOOM!

In an instant she was in Hogsmeade, however she immediately knew things were not right. She had appeared but was for some reason a couple feet above the ground. Before she realized what had happened she toppled down to the ground, her fall was however cushioned by the poor unfortunate soul that had been sitting by the fountain. Rolling on the ground, Cho’s white dress was now blotched with dirt and her elbow was mirrored with a red strawberry that stung. “Oww!” Cho said as she looked her elbow over, then her dress. As the initial shock wore off, she realized her mother would be able to heal her scraped elbow, and clean her dress in seconds. However she hadn’t yet seen to the person whom she had landed upon. Getting up to her knees she looked and saw a little girl sitting on the ground next to her. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” Cho said as she got to her feet and held out her hand to help the girl up.

[raven]

((This may take me a while to reply. Catalina said my posts were short, so I'm trying to work on detail.))

[raven]

Raven had risen from bed late in the morning. Her uncle Frank had already left for work and she was home alone. She went into the kitchen and ate her quick breakfast of toast with strawberry jam along with the orange juice she had squeezed the night before. Then she dressed in her usual jean shorts and plain t-shirt. Which robe should she wear? It was only her fourth day in the wizarding world and she had no idea what robe customs were. Should she wear the same one two days in a row? Or is there a different one for each day? Is that why she had so many? Oh, well, she thought, there must be more important things to do today than worry about if her robe looked just right. She put on her velvety blue and silver one, tied back her short red hair into a small ponytail which resembled more of a ball than a tail and was out the front door to see what adventures she could get into today.

Raven walked the unfamiliar streets of Hogmeade for the third time in four days. She simply could not get enough of the magical world she now inhabited. No matter how many times she strolled these streets, she always noticed something new and exciting. Today she wandered aimlessly and took everything in. On her two previous trips she was buying school supplies or meeting her newly-found friends at The Three Broomsticks for some evening fun and mischief. But this was her day to relax and enjoy the new sights, sounds, and yes, even smells. She had to admit even the scents were alien to her. The aroma of the bakery beckoned her, but she was not at all in the mood for food. There was no time to eat when there were so many other thing, more exciting things, she could be doing. Where should I go today, Raven asked herself.

She decided on Madam Puddifoot's Coffee Shop. It was always calm and quiet. She would sit by the window, she thought, and take in everything there was to see. It was an oppurtunity to sit quietly and see and simply watch the events around her. Perhaps she would grow more accustomed to this new atmosphere she now dwelled in. As she walked towards the shop she stopped to notice the enchanting fountain before her.She stared at it, noticing nothing around her. But she was brought back to the real world painfully.

"Oh," Raven said more out of surprise than actual pain. Something had fallen on her. She turned around to see it was more someone than something. She took a moment to regroup her thoughts after the shock. It wasn't so much that she had fallen down. She had bumped into many people in Hogmeade while she had been looking in the stores, restraunts, coffee shops, and basically everywhere except where she was going. The shock came when she realized someone had fallen on her. Actually on top of her. Raven took the girl's hand and rose to her feet. Was she, this stranger flying? Raven didn't see any broom. She looked at this new peron standing before her. She looked to be older than Raven, perhaps sixth or seventh year.

"Hello," Raven said, exteding one hand while the other was rubbling the sore spot on the back of her head. "I'm Raven."

[cho]

Cho helped the little girl up and was quite relieved to find she wasn’t badly hurt. Though judging by her physical behavior, she could tell the girl was a little bit sore, still she looked alright. Cho gently shook the girl’s hand as she introduced herself as Raven. “Hello Raven, nice to meet you properly this time” she replied as she turned to face the fountain. Brushing away a few leaves that had fallen on the stone she sat down. Moving her hands underneath a water spray she wetted both hands and rubbed the dirt from her fingers. “I’m so sorry Raven” Cho said while she flicked her hands around to dry them. “I didn’t expect someone to be sitting here, this is a rather quiet place for Hogsmeade.”

Crossing one leg over the other, Cho clasped both hands on her knee and leaned back a little, letting the sun bathe her face. This girl was quite curious, she looked to be about 10 or so. Perhaps she was a new first year, but she was all alone. “I attend Hogwarts” Cho said while making a slight gesture with her finger towards the castle. “I haven’t seen you before, are you a first year?” If she was indeed a first year Cho would simply have to inspect everything about the girl to determine if she’d be a worthy Ravenclaw, or if she should simply pray that the girl was sorted elsewhere, Merlin knew that Ravenclaw was in dire need of some good new people, and her name would surely fit in. Brushing more of the dirt from her dress, Cho waited for the girl’s reply.

[raven]

Raven gently brushed the dirt from the knees of her faded jean shorts onto the ground. The seat beside Cho looked inviting enough so she took it and looked at her new acquaintence curiously. She had dark, straight hair that flowed long past her shoulders. She certainly seemed nicer than the other students she had met so far. She watched Cho bathe her face in the sunshine. She turned to look at the fountain before reply to Cho's question.

"I'm also a student at Hogwarts. And, yes, first year. Is it really that obvious?" Raven asked quite unsure of herself. Did she seem lost? Probably, she had been ever sense she arrived here. "I'm in Ravenclaw," she added,"which house are you in?"

[cho]

Cho's notion about the girl was correct, she was in fact a first year, and she seemed quite lost. "Yes, it was a little obvious, you looked like you've never been here before, that gave you away real fast" she said with a smile. What happened next made Cho smile even bigger, "Raven the Ravenclaw" she said while trying to suppress a laugh. "I'm sorry Raven, but you have try on the Sorting Hat before you know house you are in, all first years have to. It's quite scary actually, I remember when I had to do it. You are up in the Great Hall in front of the entire school, everyone is looking right at you while you put the hat on. Luckily it didn't take too long to sort me, some people it takes nearly a minute!"

Cho didn't really want to scare the little girl so she decided a change of subjects would be best. Getting up from the stone bench she brushed off her white dress as best she could once more and looked into Maddam Puddifoots. The large clock by the window read 9am, most shops should be open by now. Perhaps some chocolates would help Raven feel a little better. "Hey Raven" Cho asked as she turned once more to face her, "Are you here with someone?" She asked. Of course she had to be, one never sees a first year alone in Hogsmeade, too many things could happen to them.