The Heart of the Raven

Additional Disclaimer: Before Deathly Hallows was released, there was a rumour that book seven would be called The Heart of Ravenclaw. The title of my story was partially inspired by that.

Chapter 2: Deeper Secrets and Darker Shadows

Harry was the first person to arrive in the kitchen fireplace of Number 12, Grimmauld Place. He was rather startled to find Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks having what appeared to be a very private conversation at the kitchen table. Harry stopped dead in his tracks and tried not to stare. He cleared his throat to announce his presence.

"Er..." Remus gasped, pulling away from Tonks immediately. "Hello, Harry." He looked embarrassed.

"Wotcher Harry," Tonks added, grinning at him. "Don't mind us, we were just..."

"Snogging," Ron muttered having arrived at Harry's side. Tonks removed herself from Remus's embrace and sat down in her own chair. She was still gazing lovingly at Remus though, and he was gazing back at her with a knowing look in his eyes.

It had been like that ever since Harry and his friends had first come back to Grimmauld Place (their unofficial headquarters) a few weeks ago. Despite getting off to an initially rocky start, Tonks and Remus' relationship seemed to be going strong. And the change in Remus was remarkable: he seemed ten times more confident with Tonks by his side. Harry liked that Remus had gotten over some of his self-loathing, but he didn't particularly enjoy walking in on their private moments.

"I take it you were successful?" Remus addressed Harry as the others trooped into the kitchen and sat down. Harry noticed a trace of Tonks's lipstick on his cheek and tried not to laugh.

"You could say that." Harry grinned. He suddenly felt exhausted and permitted Hermione to retell the story, which she did quite eagerly.

"We managed to get hold of Rowena Ravenclaw's original scrolls," Hermione announced proudly.

"They were well hidden too," Neville put in.

"We've got a lot of reading ahead of us," Luna added.

"We can help you if you like," Tonks offered, gesturing to Remus and herself.

"That would be great," Harry agreed. "There is an awful lot of information here... it would be really great if we had more people to help us go through it."

"They say Rowena Ravenclaw spent most of her life writing things down," Remus recalled. "Bits of particularly impressive magic, observations of life in the wizarding world, a complete list of her most prized possessions... a lot of them were lost, you know. As the original Ravenclaw line died out, all of her heirlooms were scattered far and wide, never to be seen again."

"So she had a lot of them?" Harry asked apprehensively. "This is not going to be easy."

"I'm sure we'll be able to narrow it down," Hermione reassured him. "For example, the relics that have been recovered can most likely be crossed off the list."

"Fair point." Ron nodded. "Let's get to work."

The scrolls were divided up amongst the group and everyone dispersed themselves around the house to begin their reading. Hermione, Ron, Luna and Neville went upstairs to the library while Harry stayed in the kitchen with Tonks and Remus.

"This is really amazing," Tonks remarked, as she skimmed through her scroll. "This scroll was magically bewitched to record the progress of Ravenclaw's descendents! Offshoots of the Ravenclaw line have ended up in many countries all over the world: Australia, South America, Russia, Canada... those Ravenclaws got around, didn't they?" she remarked with a chuckle.

"And I'm sure their relics did too," Harry remarked grimly. "We could be going off on another wild goose chase."

"I'll see if I can narrow down where Ravenclaw's present day descendents are living," Tonks promised. "There are so many offshoots here, it's bloody hard to tell - some of them died out along with the Ravenclaw name. But others live on with different last names and different lifestyles... it could take me awhile to get through all of this," she added apologetically.

"At least that's useful," Harry remarked dryly. "My scroll is all about Rowena's observations about the other founders. She talks about Gryffindor quite a bit. It's interesting but I'm not sure how much help it'll be."

"You never know," Remus chimed in. "There could still be a mention of a specific relic in there. It would be helpful if we could narrow down the artefacts that Rowena was particularly attached to. Chances are they would have been Voldemort's first targets when deciding which relic to make into a Horcrux."

"Fair point," Harry conceded. "What's your scroll on?" he asked Remus.

"A catalogue of Rowena's many magical achievements," Remus said. "Spells and potions she invented and the like. Apparently she had a very special cauldron that she liked to use."

"Could be helpful." Harry nodded, before settling down to really get into his reading. "Maybe it's a cauldron we're looking for. It certainly sounds like a worthy relic."

"It would be worth looking into," Tonks agreed.

Going through Rowena Ravenclaw's scrolls proved to be a lengthy task. For one thing, the scrolls were very long. At first glance, they'd been deceptively small but Harry was convinced that they got longer the further he unrolled them. The scrolls were also richly detailed and written in language that was rather archaic. The handwritten script was artistically embellished and difficult to decipher. Harry could feel his eyes hurting when he forced himself to keep reading, and everyone had to take frequent breaks. Neville kept getting headaches and even Hermione began to suffer from intense eye strain.

Harry could have never guessed how much time they would have to commit to reading Ravenclaw's scrolls. A week went by, then two. There was a full-moon cycle to go through, so Remus was out of commission for a few days. After his ordeal was over for that month, Remus could be seen stretched out on a couch in the drawing room, half asleep but still resolutely trying to get some useful information out of his scroll. Tonks kept close to him at these times, placing herself next to him and resting her head on his shoulder as she read through her own scroll. Whenever he started to doze off, she would poke him hard in the arm, forcing him to concentrate.

Harry was also reading in the drawing room one day when Remus was fighting back sleep. Tonks eventually gave up, allowing him to doze off right there on the couch. She got up from her seat and walked over to where Harry was working through his scroll at a nearby desk.

"How's it going?" she asked him. Tonks's hair was an interesting shade of magenta that day, with bright green streaks.

Harry made a face. "I think Rowena might have had a thing with Godric Gryffindor. She always complains about how he keeps hitting on her, but it's so obvious that she's secretly into it." He rolled his eyes.

Tonks giggled. "Rowena and Godric: now that's an interesting pairing! But I've heard of stranger ones." She grinned, clearly referring to herself and Remus.

Harry managed a slight smile. "I have to admit Tonks; I would have never predicted that you and Remus would get together. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I mean, the two of you were always together..."

A dreamy look crept its way into Tonks' eyes. "Yeah," she said vaguely. "It's exciting you know. Being in love, I mean." Her dark eyes were shining as she said this.

Harry didn't answer, for his mind had drifted to Ginny. He remembered the time they had spent together before they'd agreed to put things on hold and Tonks was right: being in love was rather exciting.

"You really should talk to her," Tonks said pointedly.

Harry looked up at her, bewildered. "What?" he asked, not yet getting the point.

"Ginny," Tonks clarified. "When's the last time you talked to her?"

"It's... been awhile," Harry admitted.

"You miss her, don't you?" Tonks went on. She could be so annoyingly inquisitive sometimes.

"More than anything," Harry admitted, grudgingly. It still hurt to talk about Ginny.

"Why don't you send her a letter or something?" Tonks suggested. "I spoke to her just the other week and I know she'd love to hear from you. She misses you so much, Harry. She tries to put on a smile, but I know she's really hurting inside, poor thing."

"I just... don't want to get her hopes up," Harry muttered, lamely.

"You're nearly as bad as Remus," Tonks announced bluntly. "He didn't want to get my hopes up either." Her eyes flitted over to her sleeping boyfriend. "But he came around in the end. The real question is: is it her hopes you're worried about, or yours?"

Harry considered this. "Both, I guess," he realised. He didn't want to lead Ginny on, but he didn't want to set himself up for disappointment either.

"Well... at least Ginny knows how you feel about her," Tonks remarked. "It would be a lot worse for her if she had no idea where you were, or if you cared for her..." Tonks was clearly recalling the year she'd spent waiting around for Remus while he was off completing a dangerous mission among the werewolves for Dumbledore. "But even knowing that you love her, Harry... she must be having a difficult time without you. Ginny's a smart, resourceful girl. She could be helping us find this relic."

"I can't ask her to do that." Harry shook his head.

"What if she offered?" Tonks suggested.

"Then I'd refuse," Harry said resolutely.

Tonks surveyed him for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "Well, I tried," she said with a sigh, before turning back towards the couch. As she walked, the toe of her combat boot caught one of the floorboards and sent her sprawling straight towards the couch and into Remus's arms, finally waking him up. Harry watched out of the corner of his eye as the two of them shared a moment together before curling up in each other's arms and continuing on with their reading. Watching two people so in love made his heart ache for his beloved Ginny.

Harry forced himself to keep reading. The sooner he found some useful information, the sooner they could find and destroy Ravenclaw's relic. And once they'd done that, they could destroy Voldemort's last Horcrux, and then the dark lord himself. Then maybe he'd finally have a chance to be with Ginny again...

Harry kept reading. He came across a passage about Rowena's latest cooking experiment with Helga Hufflepuff that made him laugh a bit. Then there was a piece about an argument Rowena had had with Salazar Slytherin on what to do with the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest. Then there was Rowena's reminiscing about a compliment Godric Gryffindor had made on a particular tiara she was wearing... he was getting absolutely nowhere.

Harry drifted off into a sleepy stupor. He suddenly didn't blame Remus one bit for dozing off while reading his scroll. It was probably really boring anyway...

Harry found himself floating into a very vivid dream. He was following a flying raven on his Firebolt, in the darkening night sky over an unfamiliar city. The bird flew with remarkable speed, diving and weaving through the clouds above the city, swooping and circling with an artistic grace. No matter how fast Harry willed his broom to go, the bird always seemed to be just beyond his reach.

Surely it will get tired soon, he thought to himself. For it had become imperative that he must somehow catch that bird. Harry wasn't sure why, but somehow he felt a strange connection to the animal, but he couldn't explain it to himself. Maybe it was because of the raven statue in the Room of Requirement. Whatever the reason, something that he couldn't quite comprehend was driving him on, a man on a mission.

Harry stopped his broom dead in midair as the raven did a sort of pirouetting arc in mid-flight and changed directions completely. Maybe if he snuck up on the raven from another angle, he could get to it. Harry twisted his broom around and began to float along, stealth-like: a vigilante on a top-secret mission, stalking his prey.

The trick had worked! As the raven flew by in the opposite direction Harry twisted himself around on the broom again and caught the bird in mid-flight. Remarkably, it didn't struggle against his grip but allowed itself to be taken in. As Harry held the raven, he noticed that it had eyes the colour of bronze and its wings were tipped with a plethora of midnight blue feathers. The bird gazed up at him imperiously with a deep, searching stare.

"I wish you would tell me your secret," he said, more to himself than to the bird. He wasn't expecting an answer, so he was rather started when the raven gave a loud cry and disappeared.

No! Harry thought to himself. "Come back!" he begged, in vain. "I know you can help me solve this mystery!"

Everything suddenly vanished. Harry was standing in an empty theatre, his Firebolt on his shoulder. All was dark, except for a few candles with burning blue flames. Mesmerised by their shimmering, glittering light Harry stepped over to the source: an ornate bronze candelabra engraved with intricate designs and shapes. He remembered seeing the candelabra in the Room of Requirement, sitting on a table below the matching bronze chandelier. As he continued to stare at it, a shadow fell behind him and he heard the raven cry again. Harry turned to see the stately bird perched on the shoulder of a tall, pale young woman with long dark hair and flashing grey-blue eyes.

Harry stared at the woman. She was very beautiful, but something about her stance seemed serious and severe. She was wearing robes of blue and bronze and at once Harry knew...

"Rowena?" he said out loud. "Rowena Ravenclaw?"

The young woman inclined her head and spoke, "The secret of my heart is man's greatest mystery."

Harry recalled this statement from the plaque in the Room of Requirement. "But what is that secret?" he asked, desperately.

"Only the raven knows," Rowena said placidly, gesturing towards the bird on her shoulder, which continued to gaze intently at Harry. Before Harry could completely grasp what Rowena had said to him, the lights went suddenly out and she faded from view.

"No!" Harry said out loud, reaching out in vain. But it was too late: Rowena and the raven had deserted him, leaving him alone in the dark. The next second, he found himself being urgently shaken awake.

"Harry! Harry, wake up!" came Hermione's anxious, excited voice. Harry blinked and pulled his head up from off the desk, adjusting his crooked glasses. Hermione came more into focus, smiling widely and looking as if she was about to burst with anticipation.

"What's up?" he mumbled as Hermione and the others crowded around him. Even Remus was looking more alert.

"I've just finished getting through my scroll!" Hermione announced proudly. She was the first person to do so. "And I've narrowed down a list of possible relics!"

"That's great news," Harry told her. She smiled again, looking rather flattered.

"Why don't we throw together some dinner and you can tell us what you've found?" Remus suggested.

"Good idea," Harry agreed.

They all trooped back down to the kitchen where they met Ron, Luna and Neville; all of whom looked rather anxious. Remus and Tonks began to search through the cupboards for something to eat while Harry and the others gathered around the table.

"There are three relics that I think we should pay particular attention to," Hermione was saying. "The first one I came across was a bracelet that was given to Rowena by Godric Gryffindor. It disappeared nearly twenty years ago from the private collection of a man called Edgar Stratford."

Tonks gasped. "The Stratfords are one of the offshoots of the Ravenclaw line! They ended up in Australia."

"What are the other two relics?" Neville wanted to know.

"The second possibility is a special cauldron that was said to have many magical properties," Hermione continued. "Remus mentioned reading about it in his scroll, so I looked into it a bit more and I was quite intrigued by what I found. This isn't your average cauldron: it was made of purest bronze and platinum and had all sorts of engravings. It was in a museum, but it disappeared around the same time as the Stratfords' bracelet, which would have also been the same time that Voldemort would have been active."

"I've been wondering who donated it to the museum in the first place," Ron chimed in. "They could be a possible line of inquiry."

Hermione checked her notes. "It was donated by an Elena Tena, nicknamed Ellie, from Spain."

Tonks snapped her fingers. "Another Ravenclaw descendent! And still living in Spain according to my scroll."

"Our last possibility is a tiara known as the Heart of the Raven," Hermione went on. "It was said to have magical properties once again, but the exact quantity was never publicly known. From what I've managed to find so far, it used to belong to a family with the last name Rex. But it was stolen from the house of their family matriarch decades ago and hasn't been seen since," Hermione concluded. "Any other information on it is very limited. Have you come across anyone with the name Rex on that family tree, Tonks?"

Tonks nodded. "I've come across all three names: Rex, Tena, and Stratford. We should do some more research on all three families. I know a guy who runs a library of old newspapers..."

As planning got underway, Harry smiled to himself for the first time in a while. They finally had a lead and everything was coming together. It could only get better from here... at least now they had a vague idea of what they were looking for. And if his dream had been any indication, they had the approval of Rowena Ravenclaw herself.

Author's notes after story: I envisioned Tonks and Remus' relationship being very different to the one in the actual book, so don't be perplexed by Remus suddenly turning into a lovestruck fool. I promise there will be some conflict much later on in the story. And I really think he'd be quite taken with her, even if he has a hard time admitting it.