Harry Potter and the Wyvern's Crown

Chapter 10: ...'nevermore'

Unable to keep the news to himself, Harry divulged his heavy secret to Ron and Hermione later that night. They were in a quiet corner of the library, chosen for its privacy, but now Harry was regretting it. Both of his friends were immediately upset, and their shouts of denial and anger roused hushes from others within earshot.

'Be quiet, will you?' Harry growled at them both, 'This is serious.'

'No kidding, 'it's serious'!' Ron all but shouted, 'This is betrayal! This is...mutiny!'

Hermione puckered her lips, 'Well, I honestly wouldn't go that far, but she's mad if she thinks that Malfoy...'

Harry quieted them both as a third-year Hufflepuff approached. On seeing the look of death on the others eyes, he quickly vacated the area. Harry shook his head slowly, then told them all he knew, including the strange way Malfoy had acted up to, and including, his seeming change of heart about the three of them. And he explained how completely honest it had sounded. There was long moment of silence as Hermione and Ron absorbed the information. Harry let the silence hang. Perhaps he shouldn't have told them after all. At once, they began to speak.

'Look, I can't have you saying anything...'

'She's such a fool. He's going to break her heart just to get at us...'

'We have to stop it!'

The friends looked from one to the other. Hermione continued, 'He will. And we can't say anything to her. She'll be hurt to find out that any of us were spying on her. And you're right Ron. We have to stop this from happening. But not her relationship with him. We have stop the house from tearing at her all the time. This won't stay a secret forever. They'll let it slip, and then everyone will be waiting to have a go at her. We have to keep that from happening. It's only fair.'

Ron looked rather sour over it, 'It's those stupid girls. If they hadn't been so spiteful...'

'It's as much the boys fault!' Hermione's nose wrinkled, 'Them, always trying to get their paws on her...'

Before another argument could brake out between them, Harry raised a hand. 'Hold on. It was everyone. Everyone treated her like an outsider. No one treated her as a real friend, let alone an equal. But Malfoy did. We have no right to step in. None.'

Hermione sighed, but conceded at last. Ron, though he looked more upset than Hermione, also nodded. Harry smiled, 'Now that least we could do is let her be. And if anyone starts into 'Raven-babble' get them to stop...or at the very least make an effort,' He looked down at his hands, thinking about what Dumbledore had said. They need a leader. He wondered silently if that was supposed to be a hint.

* * *

'Now, as winter hols are next week...' Professor Lupin stifled a smile at the brief cheering that ensued at his prouncement. 'Raven and I have prepared a little treat for you. Your next unit, which is Dispelling by the way, is far too large to start now,' Everyone gave Hermione a dirty look, as a moan escaped her lips. His breath blew fog into the air, 'Now, There was a reason that I asked you to wear your heaviest clothing. Because today you will get to see something that you probably wont see again unless you go to the annual DADA conferences on one of the years that presentations are done. Or you go into Active DADA training.'

With this, he nodded to Raven, who was wearing her school robe and had her hair tied back for the first time in what seemed like nearly a month. Her robe was also tied back, with long strips of cloth at her arms and waist. It was also hiked up, revealing dark boots and leggings. Her hands were free, and she had painted some odd symbols on her face. She stood close to Lupin, but not overly. Her wand was free in her hand, and she held it with a sure grip. Lupin, too was done up in the same fashion. His hair was also quite neat, standing up and away from his face, which also had painted symbols on it, including a crescent moon right across his forehead.

Lupin licked his lips warily, 'Now, so you know, both of us have high ranks in Active Defence magic. We know what we're doing. Now, so you aren't worried...we will be casting a mutual defence spell before we start. Anything one of us does to the other isn't meant to be permanent, and so it won't be. We cannot use any illegal magic...and much to her chagrin, she cannot use any magic that would harm a werewolf...because that isn't what we're going to be showing. Questions?'

Neville raised a hand, 'Those symbols...they're Celtic...aren't they?'

Lupin smiled, 'I see the 'World of Magic' text hasn't been lost on you. Yes, they are. Raven, in fact insisted on them. They're welcome defence tokens for the battle, and they also add to magic effectiveness. Ten points for the identification. Anyone else?'

'Sure, he gets points for stating the obvious,' Hermione muttered darkly beside Harry who chuckled and raised his hand.

'Mr. Potter.'

'The barriers?' He brought them up, though Lupin had already explained they were not to cross them.

'To keep you safe. Trust me, it's going to be a quite the show.'

Raven smiled at this and, without further ado, raised her hands. The crowd of chattering students fell silent. Lupin turned with only a slight swish of cloth. They handed the other their wand and raised it to opposite sides of the secondary pitch. They shouted loud incomprehensible words as the light in the surrounding area began to drop. Hermione grabbed Ron's arm (he yelped and complained of her pinching him) as the sky grew as dark as night, though light was still coming from somewhere.

Then, Harry's eyes widened. It was as though he were suddenly seeing through a dark glass. Lupin and Raven were still standing, shouting their magic to the air, casting their protection spell. But Harry was also in the Gryffindor common lounge, as two oddly dressed wizards began to argue.

'Stephan hath gone mad.' A boy only a few years older than Harry, flicked his long black hair back.

'He has not, Raphael,' another boy with cool green eyes said as he sat in a chair. 'He is only protesting what has been done to him. To his love. His father's father...'

'Aye, all our father's father. But inne that respect. Nay. Only his.'

'Thou hast a clever tongue in ye,' the smaller boy smirked. 'But Stephan is not mad.'

'So thou sayest, though I know of the silver blade within thy mouth,' The tall boy sighed, and with one step, hopped to the window sill. 'But if'n he cometh...mark me, Gregory, if'n he comes, thou must watch thy back. If mad he is not, then of foul temper he surely be.' With that, the dark-haired, blue-eyed boy leapt from the window, turning into a large black crow, and winging away.

The shorter boy sighed, blowing a lock of scraggy blond hair from his eyes. 'Thou surely mistakest, Ravenclaw.'

There was a crack across the sky. Several of the girls screamed and a few of the boys couldn't hold back their shouts of surprise. Lupin and Raven's arms were joined as they chanted together. They looked into the others eyes, their faces matching, as Hermione attempted to translate what they were saying on the fly. It had something to do with 'as I harm this person, I do not wish it real' or some other. Harry wasn't sure why his mind had lapsed like that. Honestly, other than the looks of the two boys, he really couldn't remember what they had said. Something about a third boy. Stephan. But it was too vague, and far too indistinct. But the blond boy, his name rung a bell.

Raven and Lupin broke their stances. They paced away from the other. Raven began to cast immediately, her wand lighting the area around her. Lupin took a strong pose, as his magic opened in a fireball around him.

At once they shouted their opening spells. Lupin finished first. A great breeze exploded where Raven stood as she struggled to stay standing and finish her spell. When she did, half the students ducked as a crack like lightening struck Lupin. A smell like death filled the air as Lupin cast another spell. A ferrous one, by the sound of it. Raven's skin began to whiten as she fought it off, both with chant and hand movement.

She shouted and the whiteness cracked off her in a find dust. She waved her wand almost absently. Lupin stumbled, his face suddenly more exhausted then Harry had ever seen. Lupin struggled to touch his forehead, and when he did, the horned moon he had painted there lit up. He snapped back to attention, a smile on his face. Raven looked pleased, and she began to chant, touching her face, then her arm. She raised her wand, and an explosion of white light ripped reality in half, covering Lupin in frost. He howled, casting heat spells to warm himself. Hermione let out a definite squeal. After all, she was one of the few students who had seen Lupin transform before. Raven blasted him with heat then, and almost as a taunt, used a levi-curse to keep him off the ground as she melted the land beneath him. He fought wildly for a moment, then with an extensive spell, a blue cloth opened around him and he dropped like a stone into it.

'Nice one,' Seamus muttered from behind Harry, 'Using the 'night cloak' as a defence.'

Harry was about to ask what else it might be used for, when it became apparent. Lupin burst up from the magma puddle and the cloak reached out, grabbing Raven. She swore and threw her wand to the ground, where it stuck. Harry heard himself cry out in fear along with half the class. Without her wand, how could she defend herself?!

With her free hand Raven pressed her fingers to her forehead, and her rune covered face flashed with mystical symbols.

'Aye, she's fightin' it well.'

'what's it do?' someone else whispered.

'It's like an imperium curse, only worse. It compels the victim to fear, until they faint from it. Never knew Lupin knew that one.'

Harry watched as Raven, in a nearly relaxed state, glared at the cloak and it exploded. Wild magic? But then it had been intentional. Harry noted that she didn't retrieve her wand, but after a simple wave at it, she hopped towards Lupin, and opened up with another light-based blast. Lupin who was still recovering from her break of his control, was blown clear off his feet. He snarled, and with a wave of his wand, called out a familiar sounding spell. A transfiguration. Raven screamed, and landed on all fours. Too far away from her wand, she couldn't undo the spell before it took her. With a snap of her head, she had turned into a large black panther. She snarled at Lupin, who looked honestly surprised. She had enough magic about her to change the transfiguration to something useful. The panther reared and roared, her wand floating into her paw, and with a particularly dangerous look, she became Raven again, her voice shouting in a fine clear tone.

'Lunam Sine Dubio Captivite Tuam!'

Lupin shook, looking more in pain than he had before in his life. He screamed. His body jerked this way, then that. Harry almost rushed past the barrier to him, but Neville and Ron caught his arms. Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing. Lupin was trying to resist the spell, but whatever it was doing made it nearly impossible. And the look on his face was pure pain.

'Videm Lunatar!'

With that, the sky in the field became as midnight, the moon behind clouds that parted. Lupin looked up, enraptured. It was full. What on earth was Raven doing? Lupin bayed, and his body stretched. Several students watching screamed as Lupin wered before their eyes. His body convulsed, and he threw back his head, howling. Harry looked at Raven, who was smiling, as her teacher became a most hideous creature. Then, as quickly, his body stopped shaking in pain. Lupin raised his wolfish head. He growled low and ran at her.

And then it connected. Raven had tricked Lupin into this match so she could kill him. She hated werewolves so completely, she would do this even to a fellow wizard. She was that sick. Then, with a cruel look in her eyes, she chuckled and pointed her wand at him.

'Tuwes cannier meh. Lunest mea. Lunarris non domynes. Eko domyna!'

Lupin jerked to a halt. Then, with a look of doggy joy, he barked (which sounded strange) and wagged his shortish tail. Panting, and looking lovingly at Raven, he sat at her feet and let her scratch him under his chin. She laughed and patted his head, then coalesced the moon, murmuring something at Lupin. He looked sleepy, and somehow, he reverted back to himself (wearing nothing but a tiny tatter of his garments) without pain. She was still holding his head in her hands, but as though she was exhausted, she sat down beside him and let his head hit her lap.

The crowd of students were still silent as Raven waited for a few moments for Lupin to raise his head. They stood slowly together, then with a grin they touched each others foreheads, and clapped their hands together twice. All the marks on the field disappeared, and Lupin's clothes reverted to normal. Harry laughed with relief as Lupin grinned with his former cheer and the two wizards cleared the field. Sitting down with her, side by side, Lupin called the students to him.

'Now, so we can claim that our battle was a real lesson...' He chuckled as the students sat around them. '...Let's go back through it for a moment, shall we?' This pleased everyone. Lupin nodded at Raven, who still looked worn out. 'If you please.'

Raven nodded, 'First I...opened my defensive spells,' She sighed. 'And then...you hit me with a wind blast.'

'Yes. That would be a simple elemental spell, much like the two you hit me with later. Not a true Levi curse, which was to throw her off. It's actually an American hex.'

Raven smiled, 'I recognised it. And I used my hand-of-fate on you.'

'You did twice,' Dean grinned.

'Hand-of-fate?' Hermione blinked.

'It's Japanese,' Yolei smiled. 'It's a major 'holy' blast.'

'Trust me, it is,' Lupin smiled. 'Now, there was a levi, ferrous, and two near-imperium-type curses. Who used what?'

'Raven had you with the levi curse,' Ron recalled. 'Holding you over that fire pit.'

'And you used the ferrous curse,' Neville smiled. 'When you tried to turn her into marble.' Lupin nodded at each.

'And the 'Night Cloak',' Seamus grinned. 'That's a modern move.'

Lupin nodded, 'I added that one to my list only a few months ago. And the other imperium-type?' there was a moment of silence as people thought about it.

'When she turned you into a wolf?'

'Nope.'

'When she made you stop?'

Lupin grinned, 'Part, but that wasn't the curse.'

Harry looked up, 'When she first attacked your were-wolf powers.'

Lupin nodded. 'She reminded me that I have a connection to the moon. If I hadn't have been wearing this rune,' he pointed to his forehead, 'it wouldn't have worked. Then, because she controlled the moon, she could control me. But trust me, that wouldn't work on anything but a werewolf...and if you were male...'He looked over at Raven with a slight smile, 'It still might not work. It's a Celtic charm, and with Celts, witches are always night-oriented.'

Several of the students laughed. Other questions were asked and it was soon discovered that Lupin had only his third level in Active Training. Raven had been a guaranteed win from the get go. But no one seemed to mind. And, Harry noticed, no one asked her how she had managed to change herself into a panther instead of something weaker without her wand.

* * *

It was only two days before break when the news broke. Someone had seen Raven's crow deliver a letter to Malfoy. Soon there were theories, gossip and rumours about anything and everything concerning the two of them. Raven had withdrawn at first, but soon it became apparent that she had no care any longer for her friends opinions. Harry, Hermione and Ron were all supportive (which shocked her) and they were often the ones to dispel the fights that began to break out. One nasty one took four boys to the infirmary, after they began to argue the reasons behind Raven's 'defection' to the Slytherins.

It was then that Harry understood why Dumbledore had told him that the Gryffindors needed a leader. And though he was disliking the prospect, he knew the nonsense wouldn't stop until he put his foot down. So, on the night before the last day, when three girls began to whisper and joke about how Raven was obviously a Slytherin at heart, Raven vacated the room, not wanting to hear more. Harry stood. The girls glanced at him, but continued their gossip. A certain bitterness lingered in Harry's heart over what had happened to him over the years, when they had rejected him first because he knew nothing of magic, second because of his Parseltongue ability, and third because he hadn't wanted to be in the Triwizard tournament. He wasn't going to let that loneliness claim another person.

He touched his wand, recalling the spell that brought peoples' attention to him. He increased the power of the spell until everyone was looking at him, silent. And he held them, making them look. People came out of their dorm rooms, their eyes wide, as Harry's natural charisma took over. Soon the common lounge was packed. And still, he held them, rapt, waiting for his message. Then he chose his words and spoke them in a dark voice.

'From this point forward, you will leave her alone.'

With that, he released their attentions, and took his fingers from the wand at his waist. He sat back down and crossed his arms. He felt his cheeks flush. He hadn't expected his magic to be that strong. But he was upset, and that often made his magic do odd things. Then, after a few moments, people became to come to him. Gryffindors he had never seen before were asking his advice. A bit shocked by all this, Harry answered until long after most people had gone to bed. Then came the last person. Little Ken was holding his kitten close, her wide yellow eyes flicking from Harry to Ken and back.

'Sir, how do you know if your pet is magical or not?'

Harry touched the kitten, who looked up at him and began to purr. He smiled. 'You know, Ken, I think Miwa is. Does she do special things for you, like meow at you when she wants something or sleep at the foot of your bed?'

'Yes, sir.'

Harry looked up, 'She's magical, then. Even Hermione's crusty old cat Crookshanks has some magic to him. She's a wizard's cat. She knows that. And as she grows up, she'll be able to do a lot more things. Don't worry about it.'

'I won't.' Ken smiled and ran off to his room.

Harry sat in his favourite chair for the longest time. He still didn't get up when he felt his eyelids getting heavy. The only reason why he knew he had nodded off was because when he next looked up it was mid afternoon, and he saw two boys, one familiar, the other slightly heavier, with brown hair, who was taller than the first.

The shorter boy with cool green eyes and long blond hair sighed as he leaned against the wall. 'How now, Henry?'

The husky boy smiled, and leaned against the wall in a slightly mocking fashion, 'She doth yet hold thee in the highest regard, Gregory. Thou shouldst not doubt her loyalty so. Stephan hath upset her, but he does that to us all.'

Gregory's eyes winkled with good humour, 'That he does. It causes me to question the judgement of those who permitted one such as he into the Wyvern's Crown.'

Henry laughed joyfully, 'He is as we are, good sir. None but the four head boys may enter, and none but the four head boys may join. It is in good faith that he should become one of us. He has the lineage and proper upbringing.'

'Aye, but does he take it so lightly as to squabble over one rightly mine?'

'I did not claim him to be sharp of wit.'

'And Raphael says I am one blessed with a clever tongue,' the blond boy smirked.

Harry woke suddenly. He looked around. The common lounge was still devoid of people. He rubbed his eyes, promptly forgetting about the dream and headed off to bed.

* * *

The next afternoon, Harry and Raven had a spare together, but were meeting with Hagrid and others to see the Mysticats off, as they were travelling back to Canada during the hols. Raven ran from his side when she saw that Malfoy had also come. They embraced and watched the mysticats as they wandered around their pen. Harry knew from his further studies that the pen was made of solid glass, one of the few materials that they could not break through. But though they couldn't get out, they seemed to like the glass, rubbing themselves, or pressing their noses against the surface, often making faces at those they viewed on the other side. Harry enjoyed watching them and had done his midterm paper on them, as many had chosen to.

The kitten that had been among them was larger now, it's milky blue eyes crossing as it stuck it's tongue out and licked the glass where Harry was crouched, not but a few feet from Raven and Malfoy. He heard someone make a comment about them but before it developed into an actual conversation, he gave the girl a dirty look. She shut her mouth quickly, and bowed her head. He noticed then, that the kitten had developed the hiccoughs. It would discorporate every time it did. By the time it reformed, it would hiccough again. He looked at it with some sadness until a certain word touched his ears.

'...Mudblood had the foolishness to try the spell...'

Harry looked up as Raven made a sudden face. She tilted her head. 'What did you say, Draco?'

'I said one of our few (and I mean FEW) Slytherin mudbloods blew up a quill yesterday when he tried to engorigo it,' He looked a little confused, and as he couldn't see Harry directly he allowed himself to look concerned, 'Why?'

'Why would you call him that?'

'Who, James? Because he is. His mother was a muggle. His dad had a fun night of slumming or some other (so he claims).'

'Slumming?' Raven's voice sounded rather peaked. It was hard to say whether she found it funny or if she upset.

'Oh, do Americans have another word for muggle-borns?'

'I know what mudblood means, Draco. I suppose it doesn't bother you to use it?'

Draco smiled sweetly, 'Of course not. I suppose I shouldn't. Not that it matters to either of us.'

'Really?' Raven's eyes were dark, 'what if I were a,' she paused and the word was dark on her lips, 'mudblood?'

'But you aren't, darling!' Draco laughed and touched her cheek, 'And what do mudbloods care? We ought to put people like that in their place!'

'And where is that?' Her voice had a certain sweet quality to it that made Harry quite suddenly aware that Malfoy was about to take a fall.

'Beneath us, of course,' He laughed with her. Then Draco found himself most suddenly slapped. He touched his cheek in fear and wonder as Raven stood, a creature of fiery anger.

'For your information, Draco, my mother was a muggle. And my father loved her with his whole heart! She died only a few years after I was born. He gave up magic for her!'

Draco shook his head, 'Your mother was a Ravenclaw! You've told me this a dozen times! Don't joke about this. You're as pure-blooded as I am!'

'My STEP-mother was the Ravenclaw. My father remarried after my magic manifested. I thought you were different, but my friends -my friends- were right. You honestly hate people who can't rhyme off their whole family as being witches! You think you're better than everyone because you have a better lineage. Well, fine, I can trace myself back to the very first Ravenclaw, Rowena herself. And if you think that simply because you have 6 generations of Slytherin heritage in this school I have you whipped and beaten. And I'm still a mudblood!'

'You're not!'

'I AM! And I refuse to parley into bigotry simply because you like me!'

Draco's face twisted, 'Raven...' Then he saw her face. The only thing that would draw her back was a change of his mind on this. And he would not be swayed. 'Fine then. Go back to your pathetic house! I can see how your bloodline really has weakened!'

'Sono rikaro!' she howled, and ran from him. Draco clutched at his throat, suddenly unable to say more. He gestured after her, then sat down on the grass. He looked up at Harry, twin tears streaking his face. Harry shook his head, and headed back to the dorm, hoping to catch Raven and calm her down before Malfoy left for home.