The Heart of the Raven

Chapter 8: The Other Potions Master

Raven Rex reported to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place at ten the next morning with her potions expert friend Sebastien St. James in tow. Hermione was elected to meet the two of them at the door and bring them back to the kitchen, which she promptly did upon their arrival.

Sebastien was on the short side, with spiky blonde hair, grey eyes and a rather surly expression. Upon their initial meeting, Harry found himself forcibly reminded of his old nemesis Severus Snape in regard to Sebastien's mannerisms. Fortunately, Sebastien was a lot nicer than Snape. Harry guessed him to be about the same age as Raven, but his serious attitude made him seem a lot older. He was the last person you'd expect to find playing in a rock band. Harry suspected that Sebastien was one of those people who was interested in the mathematical side of music. However, Sebastien also had a penchant for wearing very cool sunglasses.

"Harry, this is Sebastien. Seb, this is Harry," Raven said as she introduced them. Sebastien nodded a greeting to Harry, took off his sunglasses and shook his blonde bangs out of his eyes.

"I suppose zis is as good a place as any to start working on zis potion," Sebastien said in a vaguely French accent. He deposited his bag of potions ingredients on the kitchen counter and began to riffle through them. "Tell 'im about our other idea," he added to Raven.

"Oh right." Raven nodded. "We had another brainstorm last night," she said to Harry. "Once the soul fragment is removed from the tiara, it will have a sort of after-effect: an essence that we can trap. If we could instil the essence of the Horcrux into the fake-snake..."

"...Then it would buy us some more time," Harry concluded. "That's a great idea, Raven. But how would it be done?"

"Another potion," Raven explained. "The essence of the Horcrux would have to be suspended in a potion then fed to the fake-snake. It would be tricky, but doable. What do you think, Harry?"

"I think we should go for it," Harry agreed.

"Good, then we'll get started on the second potion as well," Raven said. "I'm glad we brought two cauldrons," she added. She had a mischievous glint in her eye.

She took a second cauldron out of Sebastien's bag and placed it on the counter. Hermione, who was also in the kitchen at the time, let out a gasp.

"That's Ravenclaw's sacred cauldron!" she exclaimed, pointing. "The one that was stolen from Elena Tena! However did you get it?" she asked Raven.

"My grandfather Allan always told everyone that he found it in a magical antique store," Raven told them. "But I always suspected that he was the one who'd stolen it from old Ellie Tena. The man had a bad case of sticky fingers: you could never trust him around anything related to Ravenclaw, it would just disappear. Like that bracelet of the Stratford's, he stole that too. We still have no idea what he did with it though, he probably hid it somewhere."

"We've been through 'is entire estate searching for it," Sebastien added. "Never saw a sign."

"I was hoping to find it and give it back to the Stratfords as a sign of good faith. But, no such luck," Raven sighed. "Be careful Seb, you're letting it overheat," she added to her friend.

"Relax," Sebastien said soothingly. "Zis one needs to be 'ot to work. It gets zee chemical reactions going faster."

"Oh," Raven sighed. "You were always better than me at potions," she added dejectedly. "Always showing off."

Sebastien laughed good-naturedly. "Well my 'showing-off' just might 'elp us destroy a dark lord."

"I'm just teasing." Raven smiled. "You know you're my favourite potions nerd, Seb."

"Why thank-you Raven," Seb joked in a pompous voice. "You're too kind."

She gave her friend a playful shove, then stepped off to let him get to work.

"So Harry, Hermione," Raven said as she dropped herself into one of the kitchen chairs. "Why don't you tell me a bit more about all of your friends? Did you all meet at Hogwarts?"

"Yeah," Harry responded. "Ron, Hermione, Neville and I were all in the same year at school, but we took some time off to hunt down the Horcruxes. Luna's a year younger than us, and in a different house, but we met her when we started an underground Defence Against the Dark Arts society a few years ago."

"Underground society? Sounds like fun," Raven remarked. "Very rebellious. What about Tonks and Remus, how did you meet them?"

"Remus was one of out teachers one year, and we met Tonks when Dumbledore brought back his Order of the Phoenix to fight against Voldemort," Hermione told her.

"Those two are a very interesting couple," Raven remarked. "Not the kind of people you'd usually expect to see together. But they really seem to like each other. I mean, they're wicked cute together..."

"Cute," Harry echoed. It wasn't the adjective he'd been thinking, but it worked, he supposed. "How did you meet your friends?"

"We all went to the same magic school," Raven told him. "The Amaranth Academy of Sorcery: best wizarding school in North America. We each grew up different places, though. Seb and Arty lived in Quebec, Medea was from BC, and Elektra was born in Alberta before moving to Ontario. But we all came together when we started grade seven. Seb and Arty already knew each other before school started, and the rest of us got drawn into their little group when we had classes together. We used to help each other out. Seb got Medea through potions and she got him and Elektra through charms. I tutored Arty in transfiguration and he helped me through History of Canadian Magic. We each had an area that we were really good at, and then one that we were garbage at. But it all worked out in the end. I mean, it would be boring if we were all good at exactly the same things. It would rid life of those fun little complications."

"If you call fighting dark wizards fun," Seb remarked dryly from his position behind Ravenclaw's cauldron.

"Just kidding." Raven shook her head. "Poor guy can't take a joke," she added to Harry and Hermione. "Lighten up Seb, you're making us nervous."

Sebastien smirked at them, but the gesture turned into a wide smile. "You'd better be nice to me Raven, or I'll leave you to make zis potion all by yourself."

"I could do it," Raven protested. "I wasn't hopeless in potions, you know. And Tonks could help me. You said she was good at potions, right?" she asked Harry and Hermione.

"That's right," Harry chimed in. Raven and Sebastien's fun banter reminded Harry of the way he, Ron and Hermione used to talk and joke with each other. Had it really been that long ago that it had only been the three of them? Sometimes he missed those days. But it was nice having other friends around as well.

Seb sighed in defeat. "You're too funny, Raven."

"I'm just trying to lighten things up a little," she said defensively. "This mission isn't going to be all fun and games. At some point we're gonna have to do some breaking and entering. Although, that can be fun too," she said, then giggled.

"Elektra loves breaking and entering," Sebastien remarked reminiscently. "Remember zee time we had to get zat sacred Ravenclaw pendent out of zat maze in Greece?"

"I loved Greece," Raven recalled. "Such lovely scenery. Not to mention all those old columns and statues."

"And zee mythology," Seb added.

"The ancient magic..." Raven went on.

As Sebastien and Raven got lost in their happy memories, Harry couldn't help but feel left out. He glanced over at Hermione, and could sense that she was feeling the same way. Harry and his friends had never travelled to other countries in search of mystical artefacts. He'd never even left the country. But it sounded like Raven and her friends had already seen half of the world. How could that be possible, when they were only a few years older than Harry himself? What about school? Did their parents just let them leave for long periods of time? How did they manage it?

I've had adventures too, Harry reminded himself. Just because I haven't travelled the globe doesn't mean my experiences weren't just as meaningful. But at least Raven and her friends have a life long mission, a real purpose. What will I have left once Voldemort is destroyed?

I'll have Ginny, he thought. If she still wants me, that is. I can still become an auror if I want to. I wonder if Tonks would be my teacher? Or maybe Kingsley or Mad-Eye! But what about Ginny? Auror training takes up to three years. Am I really prepared to leave her again?

"Earth to Harry," Raven's melodic voice cut through Harry's thoughts. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," Harry said hurriedly.

Raven nodded knowingly. "Does 'nothing' have a name?" she asked, with her usual appraising stare.

Harry looked up at her. Was it really that obvious? "You really can sense things about people, can't you?" he said. It was remarkable that Raven could sense things about people without having to break into their minds. She just had to look at someone, and she could see it all.

"I've learned to trust my instincts about people," Raven told him. "And right now I'm guessing that you're pining away for some girl. You're annoyed because everyone else around you is happy and in love and you feel alone, even surrounded by your very best friends. I feel that way all the time."

"You do?"

"Oh yeah." Raven nodded. "Whenever Arty or Seb find a new girlfriend, or Elektra and Medea are gushing about some new guy... it's perfectly natural to feel a bit jealous, Harry. It happens to all of us."

Hermione nodded, as if to reinforce Raven's point. Harry knew she was thinking about Ron's brief relationship with Lavender Brown.

"I guess so." Harry shrugged.

"What do you do when you feel jealous?" Hermione wanted to know.

"I write," Raven said simply. "Some of my best material comes out of the strong feelings I get. It's like therapy for me. But it's something that not everyone is good at."

"I just really miss this girl..." Harry said pathetically.

"What's her name?" Raven wanted to know.

"Ginny," said Harry. "Ginny Weasley."

"Ron's sister?" Raven guessed. Harry nodded. "And you miss her a lot, don't you?"

"More than anything."

"So why did you break up with her?" Raven asked.

"It was the right thing to do at the time. I didn't want Voldemort to use her against me. He does things like that, you know," Harry told her.

"Yeah, but sometimes being noble isn't the best thing," Raven said to him. "For your girl, I mean. It makes things way too complicated. You don't need all that extra drama, you've got more than enough to deal with already."

"Yeah, but..." Harry protested.

"I'm sure she's having just as hard a time as you, Harry," Raven said. "It probably wouldn't kill you to let her know you still care."

"That's what we've all been trying to tell him," came Tonks's voice from the stairs. She descended the last few steps and appeared in the kitchen. Her hair was now back to its usual pink. "Even strangers are telling you you're being ridiculous about your relationship, Harry." She giggled, as did Hermione.

"Strangers should mind their own business," Harry grumbled.

"You shouldn't talk to strangers like that," Tonks joked reproachfully. "It's rude. Unless you're looking for a hex..."

"I really wish you'd all quit ganging up on me," Harry complained, for Raven, Hermione and Tonks were now all glaring at him. "I've made up my mind: I'm not going to put Ginny in danger."

Raven sighed heavily. "If that's what it takes to help you sleep at night, then so be it. But it just strikes me as being an incredibly bad idea." She shook her head as if to reinforce her point, giving Harry a very stern look that reminded him of a disappointed Professor McGonagall.

"Why does everyone keep trying to give me advice?" Harry glared at Raven, Hermione and Tonks. "I know what I'm doing."

"If you really knew what you were doing, you'd just do it instead of spending all of your time defending your actions," Sebastien chimed in. Harry glanced up at the older boy in disbelief. Just how had he also managed to get involved?

"You all think I'm being stupid for pushing Ginny away?" Harry asked all of them.

"Very stupid," Hermione said.

"Seriously stupid," Raven alliterated.

"Hugely stupid," Tonks agreed.

"Stupid to zee tenth power," Sebastien added.

"Great everyone, thanks a lot," Harry said sarcastically.

"We just want you to be happy Harry," Hermione reminded him.

"And Ginny makes you happy," Tonks went on. "Happiness can give you inspiration. It can keep you from moping around and wallowing in self-pity, at least."

"Yeah," Raven agreed. "Why not write this girl a letter?" she suggested.

"I told him he should do that," Tonks recalled. "Never did get around to it, did you?" She gave Harry an 'I told you so' look.

"Alright, fine." Harry gave up, defeated. "I'll write Ginny a letter. Will that get you lot off my back?"

Raven grinned mysteriously, but didn't say anything. Seb gave a noncommittal shrug and turned back to his potion. Tonks and Hermione simply turned away, refusing to respond.

"Oh, what am I getting myself in to?" Harry wondered out loud. "How could I let these people, my so-called friends, wear me down? I'd better not live to regret this."

But as much as he fretted, Harry followed through on his promise to write Ginny a letter. He told her how much he missed her and that he hoped they could be together again some day in the future.

He sent the letter on its way, hoping against hope that something good would come of it. At least it kept him from brooding too much over the next few weeks.