Ancient Prophesy

Chapter 14

Past a cottage bright with candle,
Yellow flame against the night.
Matron Mother, Mabon cradling,
Willow guard by pale moonlight.

Her hand still throbbed with the energy generated by her anger and her head felt like a balloon ready to pop, but that didn't stop Raven from quickly finding her way to Harry's quarters, looking around all the while for any sign of students or staff. Locating no one, she headed toward the Hospital Ward, wondering just what she would do if she did, in fact, locate a Death Eater.

To her, it was just a name, like 'bad guy' or 'enemy spy'. Did a Death Eater have a look? Raven smiled nervously to herself at the thought of walking up to a robed figure with a shoulder patch reading Department of Death Eaters. How little she truly knew of this world. God, she felt silly walking through a deserted castle, looking for someone or something she'd never seen before with a wand drawn, ready to try magic she'd never used to defend her life or the life of Harry Potter. Calling herself silly would be an understatement; stupid, idiotic, foolish and just plain dumb--yes, much better words, she thought.

A number of voices began to filter up from the stairwell she had just climbed, and Raven turned around quickly, wondering if she should hide or meet them head on. Stepping quietly into an open door to her left, she stood watching from around the doorframe. The voices sounded young and nervous, with several older ones speaking directions to them.

"If you have eaten please retrieve your books and packs from your last class and return to your common room until your next lesson starts. Those of you who have not finished breakfast, please do so now and then report directly to your next scheduled class."

"Is anyone going to tell us what happened, Colin?" A quiet, young voice asked from the hall just outside of Raven's line of sight. "Was it really He-Who..." but she never finished. As Raven came into her field of vision, the young Gryffindor girl shrieked in fright and then uttered in quick succession a series of hexes all aimed directly at Raven. Her aim hit the mark and Raven found herself engulfed in a swirl of light and energy that, when dissipated, left her weak in the knees. At least two dozen older students had drawn their wands as well and stood at point, like fencers ready to duel.

The looks on their faces showed she was in danger of being hit by a volley of spells and Raven opened her mouth to tell them they need not be afraid of her. She felt her world lurch from the spinning in her head and quickly grabbed the doorframe for support, taking deep breaths to clear her vision. This was going to take some getting used to. Standing up straight, she stepped out into the hall and several of the students stepped back, their eyes open wide in disbelief or shock.

Before she could speak, a young woman she had seen briefly before stepped forward, motioning everyone to stand down. Red hair, and ivory skin splashed with freckles, Raven knew she had to be Ginny Weasley.

"I'm sorry if I frightened them. Ginny, isn't it? I didn't think any students stayed to help. I doubt I could remember any spells right now let alone help Harry, but I had to try."

"You're certainly good at deflecting them," Ginny noted, a tone of disbelief in her voice. "Mary hit you dead on."

"Yeah, well...an American trick. Remind me to show you sometime." What else could she say? At least 50 students stood staring at her, half with their wands still drawn.

"Yes, please do," Ginny answered back, the distrust clear in her voice this time. "Harry's fine. Dumbledore's with him now." Her mouth worked to form a question, but it was clear to Raven she was uncertain how to proceed. "You didn't leave with Professor Snape, then?"

Raven bristled. She couldn't help it. "Fight with Snape...fight with Death Eaters--I'll take the Death Eaters, thank you."

The sarcasm in her tone was not lost on Ginny, and Raven watched as she struggled not to smile, but several older students around her did. Clearly, they would have chosen the Death Eaters also.

Ginny continued before Raven could add further commentary on Severus Snape's behavior. "Really, there were no Death Eaters. Someone put a boggart in Harry's office. Once it got out, it turned into some awful things that Harry...Mr. Potter," she sighed, rolling her eyes, "shouldn't have had to deal with today--or any day for that matter."

"Then, he's okay?" Raven asked, hoping she was not revealing her ignorance of what Ginny meant by a boggart.

"As well as can be expected, I guess. Those things are awful." She shuddered and Raven realized it wasn't a contrived motion. She really loathed what she spoke of.

Ginny turned to Colin. "Colin, this is Raven--I'm sorry I don't know your last name. She's the American witch who appeared so suddenly in Potions. "

Colin reached out hesitantly to shake her hand. They still didn't trust her.

"I'm the one that Ginny was sent to spy on Thursday. Though, by that point I think I was stoned on whatever it was Snape gave me! Nasty stuff." At this she cracked a smile and raised her brows. "Nasty man," she added smoothly to Colin, hoping her joke would lighten the tension all around her.

Flushing slightly, Ginny spoke. "I didn't mean to spy. Actually, I had papers for Harry to look over and . . . "

"It's all right, really," Raven interrupted. "I realize I caused quite a...um...situation arriving the way I did." She thought about blaming the Portkey but changed her mind. Too much to explain there. Colin saved her the trouble of saying anything further.

"Hogwarts is unplottable, so they must have miscalculated with a Portkey? I've worked with them in charms and they can be really tricky if you're not careful. With all the wards around here, I'm surprised you didn't get hurt worse. You need exact plotting to even attempt to get through, and that will fail without knowledge of the specific wards designed for Hogwarts."

Smiling weakly, she nodded her head. Most of the spinning had stopped, but she had a blinding headache now and just wanted to find Harry.

"I'm sorry again to have startled you...Mary?" Raven walked to the young student, whose eyes were still wide with shock. Many of the surrounding students stepped back, giving her ample space. "Good shooting." Winking once at her, she turned and waved goodbye to Ginny and Colin. Harry was with Dumbledore and she wanted to speak with both of them.

"How did she stop those spells?" Colin asked Ginny quietly as the group once more began its procession toward Gryffindor Tower. "Those hexes should have done some considerable damage. Remind me to talk to Mary," he said, shaking his head. "Second years have no business knowing those!"

"I don't know, Colin," Ginny answered, watching Raven's pink robes disappear around a corner, "but I intend to find out."

Raven continued down the corridor and up several flights of stairs, only once having to double back when the stairwell shifted and dumped her on the opposite side of where she wanted to be. The way they jerked and groaned beneath her, she wondered if her agitated mood was affecting them as well. Deciding to read all she could find on a Ban-Druidh, she hurried up the last hall and stopped at the end in front of the magnificent winged gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Headmaster Dumbledore's office.

"Canary Cream?"

Slowly the statue turned aside and Raven stepped gingerly onto the upward spiraling staircase. As she reached the top, voices echoed around her and she cringed, realizing Severus Snape stood inside bellowing at the top of his lungs.

"Severus, please."

"She broke into my work room!"

"Severus."

"She threw a slug at me, Headmaster!"

"Severus, surely she didn't mean to..."

"THE HELL SHE DIDN'T! I will not accept that behavior in my room and I will not allow her to behave in that manner in front of my students. She is a danger to my class, herself and me. Twelve cauldrons of shrinking potion! If any of those had been finished she would have killed me!"

"Severus, shrinking potion will not kill you. Inconvenience you for a time, but kill..."

"SHE DUMPED ALL--TWELVE--CAULDRONS ON ME!"

Raven didn't even bother to knock. Pushing the door open, she advanced on Snape, shouting back at him before she even cleared the entrance.

"I did no such thing!"

Severus leapt to his feet and was across the room in seconds.

"Where in bloody hell have you been? How dare you just walk in here like you've done nothing..."

"I didn't touch your stinking potions!"

"Raven, Severus, that will be enough! Sit down!" Dumbledore had come around to the front of his desk and stepped between the two--for whose protection he was uncertain. "Sit. Down. Both of you."

Staring daggers at one another they begrudgingly obeyed, choosing spots as far from one another as they could. Dumbledore couldn't believe that Severus actually walked around his desk and sat in his chair like a spoiled child proving who was the favorite.

Suppressing the urge to stand each of them in a corner, he shook his head in frustration and began.

"Raven, first years do not have the skill or knowledge to levitate cauldrons." At this his mustache quivered from the effort it took not to laugh at the look of triumph on Severus' face. "I'm afraid you may have inadvertently directed magic at Professor Snape. Our...frustration at times can manifest itself in uncontrolled magic--if you had your wand out?" he added, gesturing casually to the wand clutched in her hand, knuckles white from the grip with which she held it.

"Well, um, yes. Yes, I guess I may have." Damn, it killed her to say that, watching Snape gloat across the desk while she did so.

"She guesses," Severus sneered at her. "You guess with magic and someone gets hurt--or worse, killed."

"Like you care!" she sneered back.

Turning to Dumbledore, she continued. "He didn't even care that there were supposed to be Death Eaters around. He just kept working, like he had nothing to fear from them, which he probably doesn't!"

"And I told you to keep your mouth shut about things you know nothing about!" Snape snarled, slamming his hands down hard and lunging forward across the desk.

"I know you were at Ravenglass! You helped destroy everything that was--her!"

In a flash, they were both on their feet again and Dumbledore watched in quiet silence as identical looks of fury lashed out across the few feet of desk left between them--height, grace, fluid movement even in angry gestures. Black hair, snarled sarcasm--Merlin help him, why couldn't she have gotten her mother's calm demeanor? What he saw before him solidified the suspicions he had hoped would not be true. Yes, she had Ezmarelda's beauty, with Severus' steel blue strength and brooding passion. His temper too, by the sounds of the vicious exchange that continued in front of him.

Taking his spectacles off and closing his eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose in a futile gesture to slow the rush of thought as the complexity of the situation sunk in. Oh, how this complicated matters, he thought. And yet...the possibilities.

Allowing the sounds around him to filter in once more, he turned his attention back to the row before him. Even snoozing portraits of former headmasters had come awake and were listening to the verbal brawl with rapt attention.

"If Potter doesn't know how to fight a boggart, that's his problem, not mine."

"You...you!" Raven screeched. "You put it in there, didn't you?"

"Of course not," Snape smirked. "It was contained when I sent it up with two fifth years. They had instructions to place it in Potter's office--as the Defense instructor I thought he could use it. Now, if I find they chose to deviate from my instructions, they will be dealt with accordingly."

Raven pounced. "What? Reward them with house points. It's written all over your face how much you're enjoying this."

Dumbledore marveled at Raven's ability to so quickly read Severus. The momentary look of amusement on his face would hardly have registered to the untrained eye, but in only a few hours with Severus she saw it and called him out on it instantly.

"I knew Potter was in no danger. Death Eaters won't stroll down the halls of Hogwarts to attack you and Harry."

"Why? Is Voldemort leaving it up to you to finish us off?"

Dumbledore flinched at Raven's cruel words and watched as Severus struggled, his entire body rigid in the effort to control the violence boiling within him. Little did Raven realize how close to the truth she was. For a moment Dumbledore feared for Severus, wondering if his instinct to strike out would prevail; but Severus turned his anger in upon himself and once more swallowed the poison of self-hatred down.

Slowly, Dumbledore walked to where Severus stood behind the desk and placed a calming hand on his arm. He realized it was the second time in under an hour he'd used this gesture--first Harry, now Severus. Last night would have been physically as well as emotionally draining on Severus. Asking him to work once more with Voldemort had not been an easy decision, yet Severus had accepted the task without complaint, leaving Dumbledore to deal with more of his own guilt. He had watched and waited last night for Severus to return. He had waited for all of them to come home. Add to that the shock of having Raven thrust into his life; Dumbledore knew Severus had reached his limits.

He spoke in what he hoped would be a neutral voice, one that would not divulge his concern for Severus. "Raven, what you have heard in the brief time you have been here does not justify your treatment of Professor Snape. I am well aware of people's opinions, correct or otherwise, in regards to Severus, and until you have determined for yourself Professor Snape's merit, as well as his faults, I implore you to show him the respect you have shown me." He could still feel the tension in Severus, and Raven had gone an ashen white from his chastisement. Oh yes, she was her father's daughter.

Motioning them to sit down again by redirecting Severus to a spot other than his desk, Dumbledore continued.

"Professor Snape has explained his role to me involving the boggart, and he never intended the unfortunate outcome. The boggart could have done far more damage than it did and I am quite pleased with Mr. Potter's handling of it." A snort from Severus' direction caught his ear, but he chose to ignore it. "Professor Snape is not trying to kill either Harry or you. I again give you my word as an old and wise wizard that for your own safety you must trust both Professor Snape and myself."

At this Raven snorted and locked eyes with Snape. Merlin, you'd think Severus had raised her, Dumbledore thought, resisting the impulse to look at him. Raven didn't blink, she didn't say a word. Looking away first, she spoke in a quiet reserved voice. "I trust you, Headmaster; but I just can't trust him yet."

"Child, before this is over you will have to," he said, fervently hoping that when she learned the truth of what he knew she wouldn't doubt them both. "Now...you go and get some breakfast. A good many students did not make it there this morning and I've asked the house elves to continue serving until ten. Severus, if you would stay, I'd like a word with you."

"Headmaster..."

"You will stay, Severus."

His words brooked no argument and Raven watched as Snape stiffened in his chair. She thought it impossible for him to be paler than before, but watched as all remaining color drained from him. He sat staring at her, his face marble, and she returned the look, eyes blue and brilliant meeting his black and brooding ones.

"Class begins at ten o'clock," he spoke, his tone revealing nothing of the emotions she knew were boiling within him. "Do not arrive late."

"I'll go clean the mess I made before I eat."

"I've taken care of it already."

With a curt nod of her head she turned away and left the office, feeling his gaze upon her until she closed the door.

Both men sat in silence, each trying to gather his thoughts around him. Dumbledore knew he would have to be the one to start, but how to do so troubled him. An extremely private man, Severus Snape rarely let anyone see more of him than he wanted them to see. And Dumbledore was quite certain Severus did not want him to see this. Too late--the spark of knowledge burned brightly and there was no way to extinguish it now. Casting a locking charm on the door and a silencing charm around them, he began.

"I had hoped you'd come to me before I found a need to broach this subject, Severus, but you didn't, so I doubted my conclusions."

"And what conclusions might those be?" Severus challenged, feeling the wall of secrecy crumble away under his Headmaster's gaze.

"Severus, do you think I am so old as to be blind? I am only grateful that you have let no one get to know you as well as I. Hopefully, no one else will see what I now know. For her safety as well as yours."

Dumbledore watched in silence as Severus Snape crumbled with his wall. Not many things unsettled Severus; this shook him to his core.

"So, Headmaster, what do you think of my daughter?" he asked, the strain on his face clear.

An unfamiliar, imploring look followed, a look that Dumbledore had only seen once before on Severus' face.

"Sir, you have to believe me when I tell you, I did not know!"

"I believe you, Severus."

"She never told me. I thought like you that Ezzy died that night. I had no reason to believe otherwise! I saw her mother standing before me when Raven arrived. I thought for a moment her ghost... then when Raven ended up in my room for the second time...and stood there like a woad-faced Boadicea challenging the Roman Centurion, I knew. God, how often in my dreams have I seen that look of fury on Ezmarelda's face as I tried to explain to her..." He stopped and made a dismissive gesture, but Dumbledore could see the flare of angry self-loathing in his eyes. "Ezmarelda should not have had to raise a child on her own. Not like that, not because of my mistakes." he said.

"Raven's nineteen, Severus. By my calculations she was born at a time when Ezmarelda would not want to reveal that you had conceived a child with her."

"And once again, Headmaster, you understate the obvious."

"What would you have me say, Severus? You understand the complications of this as well as I do."

The mocking sneer that won Professor Snape his reputation appeared across his face. In a rare show of self-pity, he responded to Dumbledore's statement. "Certainly I do! Why, I'll just march right up to Lord Voldemort and announce that the White Witch he's been searching for has finally appeared in my very classroom, no less. When shall I bring her to you, my Lord? Yes, my Lord, her blood will work perfectly for the spell! Oh, and by the way, did I mention to you she's my daughter?" The level of his voice rose with each statement and, despite the silencing charm, Dumbledore found himself cringing at the volume of Severus' final words.

"And if Ezmarelda had told you, Severus, would it have made a difference? Raven may have only ended up in his hands sooner." He spoke calmly, trying to help Severus realize that what Ezmarelda had done was for Raven's protection, not to hurt him.

"I WILL NOT HAVE THE MURDER OF ANOTHER WOMAN ON MY CONSCIENCE. I WILL NOT!" He leapt from his chair and paced the floor like a cornered animal, nowhere to turn.

"Severus, I'm not implying you should hand Raven over to Voldemort, but I am saying that he will learn of her soon enough, and we must take the necessary precautions. In fact, he may already know."

Severus froze at these words and turned to Dumbledore.

"Raven had a run-in with Draco Malfoy Saturday night. At the time, she was unaware as to who he was. To say the meeting went poorly would be an understatement," Dumbledore added gravely. "A wizard by the name of James Wallace also spotted her. He was in the company of Lucius before they left for yesterday's gathering. "

Severus felt the little color that had returned to his face once again drain. Wallace. He knew just who Wallace was, a low level minion who would do anything to gain Voldemort's favor. But where had Raven been that the Malfoys and Wallace would see her? Then it hit him and his blood boiled.

"POTTER!" he snarled. "BLOODY HARRY POTTER!"

"Severus, if you snarl at me like that again I'll put a muting charm on you. Now sit down and listen to what I have to say! I spoke briefly with Harry last night. He came to see me rather late, in fact, worried about Raven's safety..."

"Oh, now he worries!" he hissed, standing tall before Dumbledore. Let Dumbledore mute him; he'd been humiliated worse than that before the man.

Throwing a hard stare Severus' way, Dumbledore continued. "Wallace works as a barkeep in a pub know as the Shandygaff. A pub located in Ravenglass."

Severus felt the words drill into in his brain and explode. Ravenglass. He knew what this information meant. Voldemort had a spy in Ravenglass and Harry had led Raven right to him.

"Don't blame this all on Harry, Severus. Raven went there looking for her father."

Once more the headmaster had heard his thoughts before he voiced them and once more he found himself quite annoyed by it. The only other person who had been able to do that was Ezzy. And then another piece of the puzzle connected.

"Ezmarelda. Wallace found Ezmarelda, didn't he." It wasn't a question.

Dumbledore continued without answering him. "Do you remember a Ministry worker by the name of Elizabeth O'Connor? She and I, shall I say... kept company for a time in my younger days."

"Ezmarelda and Elizabeth were half-sisters if my memory serves," Severus answered. "I remember seeing the two of you together at the Ravenglass memorial service."

"I wasn't aware you were there, Severus."

"No one knew I was there. No one knew I'd...I'd. No one knew," he answered lifting his chin defiantly. What could he say? No one knew he loved Ezmarelda? Right. He showed her that love by abandoning her for Voldemort and his promises--promises of power and respect. Promises for control over destiny. He'd tried to tell Ezzy that night, explain to her the life he wanted. A life he wanted for them both, together. She'd have none of his reasoning and fought with him tooth and nail to change his mind.

"Severus?"

He realized he had returned to his seat at some point, lost in the memories of their final evening together. Dumbledore had sat watching him, and Severus knew full well the events that had played through his mind were the very memories Dumbledore wanted exposed. "Yes, I know Miss O'Connor."

"Elizabeth O'Connor learned of the Hufflepuff Prophecy while working at the Ministry. I discussed information on the translations with her myself." His thick silver eyebrows furrowed at this. "Not only did she know Ezmarelda was still alive, but she also assisted in setting her up in the States by selling off the Ravenclaw property which had been left to her. She then funneled the money from the sale of the land into the shop Ezmarelda opened in the States."

"A shop in the States? She opened one then?" She had opened their shop.

"Apparently a very successful one, from what Elizabeth had to say. I spoke with her the Sunday before Raven arrived, but it wasn't until the three of them ran into Wallace at the Shandygaff that Harry and Raven realized Wallace had been spying on Elizabeth," he said, with a bite of anger in his voice. "Wallace saw the three of them together, and Harry could only assume that since Wallace kept company with Malfoy then there was a chance that Raven's appearance would be reported to Voldemort. If Draco and Wallace piece together she's a White Witch then..."

"Then both our lives are over," Severus finished.

"Overstating what is best left unsaid," Dumbledore said in a level voice, staring Severus straight in the eye.

"What would you have me say? He will bide no betrayal by me again. If he hears from Lucius before he hears from me that Raven is at Hogwarts, then he will kill me."

"Then you will tell him."

Severus drew a deep breath through his nose and let it out again slowly. He knew the difficulty of the situation, but until now he had no idea just how difficult it would be. The pit of his stomach cramped and a sickness he had felt twice before crept through him. "Tell Voldemort."

"We control the information, we hold the cards...literally, the Tarot reading. Voldemort no longer has the Hufflepuff Prophecy. The translations the Ministry had were old and incomplete. Harry and Raven retrieved them Saturday. The information Voldemort has on Raven is incorrect and incomplete as well. You, Severus, can complete it for me," said Dumbledore with a smile. "There is no doubt in my mind Voldemort will learn of Raven's arrival here. Wallace reports to Lucius, and Lucius is far too shrewd to miss the connection. Draco, however, may not have recognized the powers Raven exhibited."

"What happened? Turned down his advances, did she? And where was our hero Potter through all this?" He asked sarcastically.

"Acting the gentleman, unlike Draco," Dumbledore bit back. "He bid Raven goodnight at her door and retired to his own room. Raven, however, had other ideas. Apparently, she returned to the bar to work on the translations they took from the Ministry, and Draco spotted her."

"She's a foolish girl!"

"She's an untrained White Witch who has found herself in a world she knows nothing about! It's up to us to change that. Severus, I know this is difficult for you, and whether you choose to admit it or not, Ezmarelda has given her a background we can work with. From what I've seen and heard she has advanced Potions and Divination skills equal to most Hogwarts graduates. Unfortunately, those skills didn't include knowledge of Magical Maddog!" He chuckled to himself despite the severity of the situation. "Harry tells me she and Draco got into a drinking match with Maddog and the situation got out of control."

"Maddog? Are you sure?" His whole body seized with tension. "There is no reason for that stuff to still be legal."

Dumbledore was uncertain which memory Severus was dwelling on, but it wasn't a pleasant one by the looks of it. "Quite," he continued. "Young Malfoy's idea I'm told. Raven had no idea what it was and I'm certain his motives were less than...honorable."

Severus darkened. On more than one occasion he had found it necessary to speak with Draco in regards to honorable behavior. The last discussion in the spring of the year concerned a fourteen-year-old Hufflepuff girl, and Severus had been forced to involved Madam Pomfrey.

"Some type of an explosion occurred," Dumbledore had continued, "and a struggle between the two began. In the end, Raven 'vaporized' Draco's wand while he tried to drag her from the Cauldron. Of course Harry ended up in the mayhem at that point and the Ministry showed up, complete with a team of Aurors, just in time to see what Raven did."

"So the Ministry is involved now as well?"

"No," Dumbledore said with a sly grin. "Ron Weasley was one of the Aurors. He pulled the report."

"Still Potter's faithful lap dog," he sneered. "Why were there Aurors at the Ministry at night in the first place?"

"The summons before the Board of Adjudicators, which is why the Malfoys were in Diagon Alley, no doubt. Weasley and Levine stayed to do some work for Moody. Work that I requested late that afternoon."

"The charges were dropped, of course," Severus added snidely.

"Of course," Dumbledore sighed. "Fudge spoke in Lucius' defense himself."

"And Moody's testimony on Polyjuice?"

"Inadmissible--no proof that Polyjuice was made, let alone used by anyone at Malfoy's fundraiser."

"That's because I made it. Of course there'd be no proof." The irony of the situation was not lost on either man. That very potion had been used to capture Harry; a capture Severus had then helped him escape from two days later. "Voldemort trusts me enough to make his potions, but not enough to tell me what he plans to use them for," Severus added, closing his eyes in fatigue and laying his head back against the top of the chair.

"Which is exactly why you need to be the one to inform Voldemort of Raven's presence. Lucius needs to be taken out of this loop. We need to control the information Voldemort is being given. Now," Dumbledore added quickly, "just when was Raven conceived?"

Severus neither opened his eyes nor moved. He never would be able to out-maneuver Dumbledore. The old fart waited until the exact second he had chosen to let down his guard, just enough to relax for a second, and in he'd come for the kill. "About 7 PM, 21 December, 1978. The night Ezmarelda left me."

~*~

Raven didn't feel all that hungry, but she knew from experience that once the coffee wore off she'd be in a world of trouble without a little food in her stomach. She had left Dumbledore's chamber feeling worse than when she went in--feeling more like an outsider than ever before. As much as she was loathe to admit it, she felt quite out of place here and the feeling only increased as she made her way toward the dining hall. Everywhere she encountered students, she encountered whispers and stares. Doing her best to hold her head high, she ignored them. She had years of practice, after all. She always had run with the odd group, not caring what people thought or said about her. But even with the "geeks and freaks" of the theater world as her friends, she sometimes knew she hadn't belonged there either. And now the people here seemed genuinely afraid of her. God only knew how they would react if they learned she was a White Witch. As soon as she found breakfast she'd find the library and get as much info as she could on the subject--that, and every textbook in print on the subject of potions. She'd show him just what she could do.

Reaching the pair of doors leading into the dining hall she stepped through them, eager to spot Harry. At this point she'd even settle for Ginny or Colin. At least they wouldn't feel the need to stare at her. What she found, instead, only unnerved her more. Hundreds of students sat in various places along four long tables. Slowly, faces turned in her direction and a quiet hush descended around the hall. In an effort to avoid staring them all down, Raven looked up and saw the autumn morning above her. The entire ceiling opened to the heavens and Raven marveled at the strange and splendid sight. It had rained last night and drops of water hung from the ceiling beams like strands of gold in the morning sun. The water, however, never reached the heads of the students below; rather, it dripped down, the sparkling orbs vanishing midway in their decent.

The raindrops certainly couldn't dampen the hissing little fires of gossip that sparked around her as she walked further into the hall. She caught phrases and words, most of which included "dungeon" and "Snape". From one cluster of older boys she caught a faint catcall which caused her to turn and roll her eyes at them. The group laughed and she couldn't help but smile back at them. Their crests identified them as Ravenclaws, and realizing the staff table at the head of the hall held no one she knew, she walked towards the young men who shifted nervously as she approached.

"Your opinion of me seems to be the nicest, gentlemen; mind if I join you?"

They looked uncomfortably at one another but shifted to make room for her to sit down. Grabbing an empty glass, she poured juice from a pitcher whose spout was the snout of a hog.

Holding the pitcher in front of her she asked, "Any bacon to go with the pig?"

Someone passed her a platter of bacon and she grabbed a piece of toast off the plate of the young man sitting next to her, sandwiching the strips inside it. With the way he was watching her she suspected it had been he who had whistled at her.

"You certainly be lookin' a lot better than ya did Thursday morning in the common room," he remarked casually. "Most of us thought ya'd died right there on the spot. Did Snape do that to ya?"

Raven stopped mid-chew and swallowed. "He only wishes he had." Again the group laughed and she raised her glass in toasting fashion to them.

"Well, he just might if ya call 'im Dracula again. My name's Gavin, Gavin MacLeod. You do na' want to hear who the rumors say you are." At this he raised his brow and Raven realized he was waiting for her name. Certainly she couldn't tell him she was actually the descendent of his house's foundress. No, that wouldn't work at all. Instead she used the first name that came into her head. If he was a MacLeod, she could be an O'Connor.

"Raven O'Connor."

"Oh, Irish American then?" he replied, his highland lilt much clearer this time. "Any thoughts on a Scottish man?" he said puffing up his chest and smiling charmingly at her.

As he spoke, her eyes wandered over his shoulder and through the entrance doors to a man and a dog that had just walked by. Grabbing another piece of Gavin's toast, Raven stood quickly and smiled sweetly down at him. "I'll let you know what I think of a Scottish gentleman when I meet one." She waggled her eyebrows at him playfully and hurried away to the howls and hoots of Gavin's companions. Rushing through the door she called Professor Lupin's name, hoping she had recognized him correctly from a distance.

Raven watched as the Professor descended back down the Grand Staircase, followed by the biggest mop of a dog she had ever encountered. "Finally, a semi-familiar face. And a handsome one also!" she added, as a wet nose thrust itself into her hand. "Are you here to see Harry? I've been looking for him all morning," she added, kneeling down to feed the dog the remains of her bacon sandwich. She began to scratch the shaggy underside of the black dog as he rolled over lazily, massive paws hanging limp in the air. "I haven't a clue where his classroom is and I'm worried about him."

"Actually, Raven, we're here to see the Headmaster; and please call me Remus," he added, looking down at her.

Raven noted a look of disapproval on Remus' face as she continued to rub the belly of the dog, now wiggling contently from the attention. "I'm sorry, should I not have given him the bacon? He's just too handsome to say no to."

"Yes, and the problem is he knows it," Remus answered, bending to tug the dog away from her by his tail. "He's a beast and is behaving like one!" he added, pulling the relaxed dog to his feet.

Turning her attention from the dog, Raven's thoughts turned once more to Harry. "I just came from seeing Headmaster Dumbledore. I was looking for Harry and found Snape instead. If Snape is still speaking with the Headmaster, I'd avoid the area for a while. He's in a foul mood right now."

"Really now, more so than normal?" Remus questioned with a gleam in his eye. "But, unfortunately we need to speak with Professor Snape as well."

"We?" Raven asked quizzically. "Because if you're including your dog he looks none to happy about it."

Remus looked down at the dog sitting next to him on his massive haunches and Raven could have sworn the dog looked angrily back at him. His ears were flat and the fur from the nape of his neck to his tail was bristled up like a porcupine's quills.

"Snuffles and Professor Snape don't care for each other's company, I'm afraid," Remus answered, sticking his foot under Snuffles' tail and giving him a little push.

"Smart dog, can't say that I blame him," Raven added. "Harry had trouble with something called a boggart this morning and I'm certain Snape's to blame for it."

Snuffles stood up at once, a deep reverberating growl issuing from his throat and Raven, with a start, took two steps back. "I take it a boggart's not a good thing, Remus?" Raven said, marveling at the dog's ability to follow the conversation.

"No, not for Harry it isn't." His eyes flashed and Raven could have sworn something similar to a growl came from Remus as well. "A boggart is a shape shifter, Raven. They will assume the shape of whatever most frightens the individual it has oriented on. When I taught Harry, it became a creature called a Dementor." He looked down at Snuffles who began to whine, pawing the stairwell. "Now, I'm not certain as to what he would see." Reaching down, Remus placed a calming hand on Snuffles' head.

"Boggarts, Dementors, Death Eaters, I need to find the library in this place," Raven stated flatly. "I get more confused by the hour. That and I've got to catch up on seven years' worth of potion making so that I can wipe the smug, arrogant, smirk off of Snape's face. Mum made sure I knew botanicals and herbs by heart, but Billywigs and bicorn horns are a whole other ballgame."

With these words Snuffles came around Raven in a quick bound and leaned into her legs, pushing her forward. Carefully taking her hand in his immense jaws, he began to climb the stairwell, dragging Raven with him.

"Umm...umm, Remus," Raven stuttered over her shoulder, "what's he doing?"

"Taking you to the library, of course."

Ten minutes later, Raven found herself parting company at the doors of the library with the overly-friendly dog and Remus. Jumping up on Raven and placing a paw on each shoulder, Snuffles licked at her cheeks as she ruffled the fur on the back of his head. Remus pulled the dog off her and smiled politely when she thanked him, but Raven had a feeling he was very unhappy about the dog's behavior.

"It's all right, I love animals."

"Oh he's an animal, all right," Remus replied. "And if he keeps misbehaving like this Dumbledore will have him neutered."

As Raven watched the pair head toward Dumbledore's office she could have sworn she heard Remus chastising the poor mutt for his perverse behavior. She added werewolves to her growing list of research, wondering all the while if werewolves could talk to dogs.

~*~

The next two weeks were some of the busiest of Raven's life. Not that she minded. Much. Hogwarts' library had delighted her beyond words and Madam Pince provided her with every text necessary to begin, in her words, "your proper education as a witch". There were twenty-two books, no less, for the first four years of study and that number did not include the six Pince had removed from the pile and incinerated in front of Raven's face.

"Gilderoy Lockhart indeed!" she sputtered. "You'll learn nothing reading that drivel." With a snap of her wrist, five additional books came zooming at breakneck speed to replace the smoking pile of ash that had once been second year Defense books.

Not only had the little librarian provide her with school texts, but she also provided Raven with supplemental tomes of every size, shape and weight. Arms laden with books--using the largest, Hogwarts: A History, as a tray--a quill clenched in her teeth and a bottle of ink stuck in a pocket of her robe, she had left the library in a rush, knowing she had to get back to the dungeon before Snape's next class started. She had carried what she could down to her chamber with Madam Pince's assurance that she would send the rest of the needed books with a house elf. That, too, joined the list of things to look up.

The pace of the days didn't bother her so much as the fact that Harry seemed to have disappeared into the walls of the castle. She knew he hadn't disappeared into the dungeon; she spent too much time down there not to have noticed him. When she finally did meet up with him, she began to wonder if he was intentionally avoiding her, confirming the notion when he twice turned down her request for help with defense spells. He seemed to Raven to be withdrawn, turning further and further into himself with each of their encounters, brief though they were. An undeniable air of sadness seemed to surround him, trailing like a dark cloud as he kept out of sight, avoiding her at every turn. An expression of confusion and loss overcame his features every time he looked at her, and he would not meet her gaze for more than a fraction of a second. Raven sadly realized she missed his heart-rending eyes and truly missed the friendship they had shared the first weekend she had arrived. And it certainly didn't help matters that she now spent more time in the dungeons with Snape than anywhere else.

For every one hour that she worked with another teacher, Snape had her for three. Oddly enough, as the two settled into a pattern, Raven found herself engrossed in everything Snape had to teach her. Of course it helped that she knew what she was doing with regards to general potion making. She managed to drive the point home in an argument over decoctions verses infusions. Continuing to make coffee in the morning, she had begun to make him a cup of tea as well, after identifying each and every ingredient within his morning cup by smell, and a stolen sip when he hadn't been looking. The fact that she knew what was in his cup was not the issue; the truth was that hers tasted better than his and it galled him to no end. She had promptly informed him that tea was better prepared as an infusion, allowing the leaves to steep rather than a decoction, which called for a rolling simmer. He had then promptly drilled her on macerates, ointments, poultices, tinctures and washes and by the end of the debate they had found themselves having a quite amiable discussion for the first time since her arrival on the proper methods of drying leaves.

But the moments of peace were few and far between. Snape's attitude simply belonged to the like it or lump it method of teaching and he considered her presence in his classes to be a nuisance that necessitated tolerance. Consequently, his sarcastic attitude had improved not a whit, but at least now after the past week of perfect answers, precise brews and invaluable assistance with class preparation, Raven felt comfortable enough to insult him right back when he got too difficult; when he claimed her vermilion work robe was giving him a headache, she simply told him his snarling was doing the same for her and continued with her work.

One by one over the course of the week, each instructor--with the noticeable absence of Harry--had come to claim her from Snape's clutches and a schedule had been set up to begin her formal magical education. Ancient Runes at six o'clock in the morning was fine until she realized that Astronomy didn't meet until midnight the same day. Or would that be twelve a.m. the next day, she wondered, as she flopped exhausted into bed, once again not bothering to remove her clothes. Tomorrow she had her first flying lesson, and she wanted to get at least a few hours of sleep before reporting to the Astronomy Tower. She didn't have anything decent to sleep in anyway.

"Miss Raven, please, you're still covered with dirt. Do go wash up and I'll see to having some dinner brought down to you."

"I like dirt, and I love Professor Sprout more. I think I'm going to marry the woman!" Raven giggled, as she rolled off the bed sending a shower of dirt raining down on the tapestry rug. At this moment the scene on the rug depicted a beautiful maiden, cradling a sleeping child in her arms while walking stealthily through a willow grove bathed in moonlight. She moved from tree to tree as if using their sheltering branches as cover from some unknown pursuant. Feeling guilty for dragging in so much dirt, Raven bent down and brushed as much of it as she could off the wondrous rug and toward the fire hearth.

"Professor Sprout told me she would show me a willow grove just like this one so I can get willow bark for Madam Pomfrey. She asked Snape to lay in a supply before winter set in and it became too difficult to get. She has shown me more in the last week than I ever dreamed could exist. Well, really they don't exist, at least not from a Muggle botanist's view. It's just unbelievable the plants they're missing out on--what Mum couldn't use because..." As her brain caught up with her mouth, the thought trailed off and she shrugged her shoulders as she walked into the bathroom to clean up.

"At least Mum taught me the full scope of Divination," she added loudly over the running bath. "Professor Trelawney threw me out this afternoon. I made the mistake of arguing with her over the Anaretic degree she had drawn for a reading she was doing with a third year. It's the 29^th degree or the line of fate, and she had the poor child in tears telling her just awful things about the Aspects between Mars and the girl's planet, Neptune. Fate my fanny! Shift Mars over by two minutes and it would change the entire child's profile. After she walked to another table, I showed the girl just how unreliable astral charting is without exact times, then I pointed out the mistake to Trelawney and the bitch threw me out! Actually she did me a favor, I got an extra half day of Herbology in because of it!"

Peeking her head out from the bathroom she concentrated on her wand still laying on the bed. "Accio wand!" Like a javelin, it shot through the Grey Lady and narrowly missed Raven's right ear, crashing into the doorframe next to her. Uncertain as to whether the withering look from the Grey Lady was due to her language or having a wand hurled through her, she apologized quickly and continued.

"Unfortunately, Professor Flitwick is a bit more solid than you. But fortunately he's lower to the ground," she added with a twisted grin and ducked back into the bathroom. "What's the spell to fasten my hair up again? He seems to have a lot of bad luck around me and I think it might be my fault rather than his. I really do feel badly, but Dumbledore said not to mention being a White Witch unless anyone questions me directly and then to send them to him if they did."

"Cilium Filmentous." The Grey Lady said, answering the question Raven had already forgotten she'd asked in the excitement of finally speaking with someone other than a professor.

"Thanks," she answered. Using the spell she crawled into the tub and sunk into the hot water and bubbles up to her shoulders. "Oh, this does feel good. Look out! Accio Anthemis oil! According to what I've read, I shouldn't affect Professor Flitwick directly, but any spells or charms he tries to demonstrate on me, or even too near me keep backfiring on him. I'm afraid he's suspicious already and I know McGonagall knows. She's given me three historical texts on the last Ravenclaw with this problem...power. Told me she thought I'd like to read up on my ancestors, but these read more like a how-to rather than a who's who. Um...Miss Grey, do you see any oil moving around out there?"

"No, but I do."

Raven sunk even lower in the tub, bubbles to her chin. There was no mistaking the unctuous voice that spoke from the doorway. Resisting the impulse to get up and slam it in his face, she decided on a less direct approach to get rid of him. "If you're thinking about joining me in here, Snape, I hope you brought extra oil and a bottle of wine. I've got the candles already."

Stepping into the room, he leveled a stony gaze upon her and held up the bottle of oil she had summoned. "Miss Ravenclaw, I assure you, if I wanted to bathe with someone who considered herself a nubile beauty, I would rather choose a Naiad. For you see, a water nymph knows how to keep her mouth shut."

She slipped lower into the water, blew bubbles at him with her breath, and held her hand out, wiggling her fingers at him impatiently for the oil--a gesture he often employed on her.

"There is a reason," he continued, his voice an icy contrast to the warm water in which she soaked, "why magic is forbidden in the corridors."

"I wasn't in the corridor. Now are you going to hand me that oil, or do I need to retrieve it myself?" She made a motion to move up higher in the water, only intending on reaching for her wand, but the movement caused Snape to spin his back to her, sputtering out words which included "modesty," "decorum" and "decency."

She couldn't help laughing. Snape always knew what to say and the fact that she had him sputtering without intending to do so made the situation even sweeter. She had lost track of who was ahead in the battle of wits in which they were engaged, though she suspected it was he. "Oh, honestly Severus, you didn't think I was going to stand up, did you? Accio Anthemis ." His fist tightened around the bottle, but not quickly enough to stop her from retrieving it from his grasp. "Such a low opinion of me, and for that matter quite a high opinion of yourself, if I might add."

"No, you might not!" He snapped, turning to face her once more. "That oil belongs in the student cupboard, not flying through the dungeon at your beck and call. Reville came within inches of having it shattered on the back of his head."

"Derrick? Slytherin seventh year? Should have let it hit him. The boy could use a chamomile bath to calm him down. And I made more than enough of it to use for both class and my bath. Which, in case you haven't noticed, I'm still trying to take."

"I will never understand the necessity of Ravenclaw women to use potion supplies to make their bath oils. I simply do not have the time to be gallivanting across the countryside in search of fresh chamomile now that you've used the last of it."

Having drained the bottle into her water, Raven sat stirring circular currents in it with her wand tip. She stopped as what he said sunk in. Looking him in the eye, she tilted her head and paused for a moment before opening her mouth to speak. She wasn't about to risk him telling her to shut up with this question. "Let me get this straight. As I read it, you're not angry with me for using the last of the chamomile, your problem is with me being a Ravenclaw."

A strange glint in his eye told Raven she had hit upon the truth and she continued before he could deny it. "Is it Ravenclaws in general you hate, or one person in particular--because you're far more obnoxious to Gryffindors than you ever are to any Ravenclaw student. Except for me, that is."

For a moment Snape simply stared at her. Then, like a curtain falling to the stage, he instantly closed himself off. With his emotions once more under control he made it impossible for her to read him any longer. But echoing in the back of her mind was the conversation between them in the forest, the day he had learned who her mother was. "We were ...schoolmates. Friends. The ring was your mother's but we used it to travel quickly between here and the castle." He had been guarding something then, and Raven knew he was guarding something now.

"So, you used the ring together to steal potion supplies and then made what you wanted with them in the forest glen," she said, watching carefully for any and every reaction he might show. If he were hiding something about her mother she'd find out one way or another. Her gambit paid off and he did react, but not the way she expected. A shrewd smile played across his face and he met her look without hesitation.

"Touché, Miss Ravenclaw. Quite observant you are. Yes, I was a friend of Ezmarelda. I've made no secret of it. Yes, we did use the ring to take potion ingredients."

"Then why the lecture--or for that matter, the animosity between us. Unless Mum broke your heart and you're taking it out on me?"

Snape stood motionless with the firelight behind him, his tall lean figure casting a shadow across her. Then with an exaggerated bow to the victor he spoke to her for the first time as an equal. "I take responsibility for my actions, as should you. It would be hypocritical of me otherwise." This said, the normal acidity returned to his voice. "But I suggest from now on you ask for the ingredients you wish to use. I'd hate for you to make the same mistakes your mother and I did." Turning his back to her he made to leave, but stopped at the door. Without looking back, he spoke words that raised goose bumps on Raven's wet, chilled arms. "And I assure you, Miss Ravenclaw, your mother had nothing to do with the rending of my heart. I take full responsibility for that as well." Quietly, he walked out of the bathroom, leaving Raven to her own chaotic thoughts.

~*~

Harry thought it was late in the year for a serious storm, but the weather had been unseasonably hot and humid and it smelled like a major storm; the reek of lighting stung his nose. In past weather like this he would call Quidditch practice on the field to a halt, and then hand over the locker room training to Ron whose expertise in tactics had become an invaluable part of the Gryffindor team.

He lifted his nose to the west again, noting once more the odor of rain and brimstone but the lack of thunder. Turning, he watched Madam Hooch for a few more moments as she instructed the first year Slytherins and Ravenclaws with their beginning broom lessons. Surprisingly, he noted Raven among them. She hadn't mentioned anything about it, but then again he hadn't given her much of a chance to spend time with him over the last few weeks. Snape was a madman, demanding that every free moment she had be spent on potion instructions. And even if she hadn't been so immersed in lessons he had been avoiding her. It was just easier not to see her. Heaven knew he thought about her enough.

Raven looked quite out of place, standing head and shoulders over the students around her. He paused and watched as she laughed. Her entire body seemed to light up when she did so and Harry couldn't help but feel a smile tug at the corner of his mouth when the students began to laugh with her. She was stunning when she smiled like that, when she smiled with the joy of a child upon the discovery of something new.

The reaction she set off in the brooms around her was causing Madam Hooch fits. As she reached out for her broom the entire row seemed to shy away from her like wheat blowing in the wind. An invisible current pushed the Comets helter-skelter around the green and the first years were forced to catch them one by one before they flew off on their own.

The beginning of October was definitely late in the year to begin flying lessons, but after all that had happened the first week of school, Dumbledore had decided it would be unwise to have inexperienced students in the air so soon after a Death Eater attack that had emanated right from the Forbidden Forest itself.

Someone had to have been watching Hogwarts to know that he and Hagrid had gone off inside the Forest. Turning, he continued his way down in search of Charlie, who he knew should also have first years doing lessons in the paddocks behind Hagrid's hut. He hadn't been down there--down to the hut--since the day of the attack. Stopping again, he noted with surprise that the Care of Magical Creatures students were nowhere around and Charlie was dressed in leather breeches and boots, a long canvas jacket and a pair of dragonhide gauntlets tucked into the front of his belt.

"Well, if you're planning on wrestling a skrewt today that should work well." Harry joked.

"Nope. Something much better."

Harry looked around once more wondering just what it was that Charlie intended on doing. Dumbledore had suggested at lunch that Harry should go down afterward to meet with Charlie because he had something that Harry might be interested in seeing.

"Would you like to know why it smells like a storm's coming?" Charlie commented, following Harry's gaze as it once again turned to the sky.

"Yeah, I wondered."

"Dragons. You smell dragons." The look on Charlie's face was rapture at its finest. He knew what was coming and he leaned into the blowing wind, scenting it like a hound for prey. "Watch."

A/N...

Brief this time I promise. The two month delay is to be blamed on Jedi Boadicea my SQ beta. She was so busy in fact that she completely missed the homage I paid to her in this chapter. "... and [when Raven] stood there like a woad-faced Boadicea challenging the Roman Centurion, I knew. " That was all for her and she dared pay more attention to the jury duty she was being selected for than her lap top!!! The nerve. ;) Plus, she made no comment, what so ever, about Raven being in a bubble bath in front of Snape. My beta Midnight Reader had a cow!!! But that's only because she wanted to be the one in the tub... :)

Chapter 15 is in the hands of both my Editor in Chief Wahlee, who is getting her tonsils out this week, poor dear--adults shouldn't have to go through that, and Midnight Reader, who printed it out and is taking it to San Francisco with her this weekend to beta. Wahlee gets to stay at home and eat ice-cream, Ben and Jerry's of course, while she reads. Doesn't sound like too hard of a job for them does it? Wrong! It's 50 pages of dragon riders, which means Charlie, Voldemort which means an R rating, and at last, a kiss for Harry.

I remind you that you are always welcome to stop into the Yahoo group to read. Half of 15 is posted already and 16 will be up by the end of the month. I'll figure out the link thingy and add it below.

http//groups.yahoo.com/group/ancientprophecy/

Elizabeth.