Harry Potter and the Wyvern's Crown

Chapter 11: Christmas Exchanges

Though Harry tried his best, Raven was simply too good at getting away from him and others that Draco had left long before Harry found her, which was the morning after her break-up. The students had dwindled down to extreme minimums. Hermione and Ron had both left to spend the holidays which both their families at Ron´s place. They had invited Harry, but he had declined, not having the heart to celebrate a holiday feeling like a pity-case. Besides which, his two beaters were remaining behind and he intended to keep them working. They couldn´t at their homes, Mark was muggle-born and Devin was a foster child that had been raised in Mark´s family. The family had no idea why both turned out with magic, but they completely forbade its usage (even broomriding) in or near the household. But that was fine with both the boys when they discovered that Harry was staying over. And now, it seemed that Raven, too, was remaining at Hogwarts. When he saw her that morning, he remarked that he hadn´t expected to see her.

She didn´t smile and lowered her eyes. 'Yes. My mother would make it rather unbearable. Plus she still hasn´t managed to sell the property, so it gave me a good excuse to tell her that I wanted to stay here. She complained, but honestly, I didn´t care,' With that, she made her way past him, leaving a trail of bitterness behind her.

Harry had no idea what he could say to her to make her feel better. He knew what she was going through, and he had Cho had never reconciled. But something had to be said, and he wasn´t going to let her suffer like this for standing up to Malfoy.

'Raven!'

She turned, starting to shoot him an angry look that fizzled mid-gaze. 'Yes?'

'He´s not worth it.'

A smiled touched her cheeks and in an ironic voice, 'Was Cho?'

That stung, but Harry understood what she was saying, 'He wasn´t.'

She shook her head, 'Maybe you´re right. But honestly, I think he might have been worth a lot more than you give him credit for.' Then after a moment she sighed, 'Maybe.'

Harry walked forwards, and touched her arm. 'At the very least, we can share our miseries, right?'

She smiled, 'I suppose so.'

* * *

For the next week and a half, Harry and Raven were together almost constantly. It helped that they had much in common, including interests and classes, and that they were good friends as well. Spending time with Raven, Harry felt, was something of a whirlwind. Because of all that had happened to her in her lifetime she was moody, and when her smile faded, nothing was safe from her rages that often ended in tears. And these happened at the most inopportune times. Now that her contact with the pack of Gryffindors that had followed her around for half the year had left, she had very few people to charm with her natural beauty. And Harry found himself with her support when younger students were dogging him for help. She would aid his discussions silently, her cool yellow eyes meeting his for an encouraging grin as yet another second-year begged him for help in charm-casting. And studying, something he once disliked, became something he looked forward to as he attempted to teach Raven to actually pay attention to her potions while she mixed them while she, in turn, helped him with the more delicate of divination methods, including all the possible positive and negative sides of every tarot card in the minor arcana (all four suits).

Time seemed to float by unnoticed, though it rained most of the time, which limited the Quidditch practices. He still drove his beaters out with Raven´s aid and had them practice swinging techniques in the downpour until even Raven was whining about how cold she was. It was just after one such practice that the four soaked Gryffindors were drinking mugs of restorative hot chocolate in the common lounge that Mark grinned quite suddenly.

'You know, it´s Christmas eve. Tomorrow we get presents!'

Harry glanced over at Raven who looked a little disappointed at the news. Harry gave her a look. 'C´mon now, Raven. It´s not as if your mum will send you a Christmas howler.'

Her cheeks colored, 'Well...'

Devin smiled sharply, 'No matter what you get, Rave, it´ll be better than the pair of socks Harry gets every year from his muggle-family.'

Raven gave him a disbelieving look as Harry felt his cheeks warm. He knew that many Gryffindors knew about his horrible family situation, but he didn´t realize that they also knew about his Christmas gifts. She coughed politely, and gave Harry a slight smile.

Did she know already and didn´t care? Or did she simply think Devin was lying?

Harry smiled and rolled his eyes. 'Are you heading back to your folks tonight, then?'

Devin shook his head as he took another long swig. Mark answered for him. 'No, sir. Our parents are owling our gifts to us. We sent them Mog, Zipper and three school great-horns,' He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

Harry chuckled and stood. Raven stood with him. 'I´ll see you guys later tonight.' Mark nodded and Devin waved as Harry and Raven left together.

Once in the hall a particular feeling came over Harry but faded into nervous dragonflies in his stomach as Raven walked with him. He had half a mind to ask where she was headed, but he was pretty sure that she was going to the library. When there came a point where he could leave that route, and get away from that odd feeling he was getting, and he took it. Raven followed. Harry knew that she was going with him and not to any certain place. This shocked and numbed him so much that he didn´t even realize that he was walking into the forgotten stairwell with the four retired house-tapestries. Raven breathed a gasp of shock when she saw them, rampant, bright, and flickering with ancient magic. She took a few reverent steps forward then looked back at Harry with a blush to her cheeks.

'They´re wonderful. Why are they here?'

Harry had to swallow a nervous lump in his throat. 'Umm, I´m not sure.'

He sat down with her, looking at `Gregory´. The lion actually turned it´s head to accord Harry a respectful glance. Raven breathed a soft sigh of awe. Her head turned, looking towards the Ravenclaw banner. The gold raven-eagle, turned quickly. It seemed to lean forwards. It blinked it´s sightless eyes and with a snap of it´s beak, cawed loudly, cracking the air with his voice.

Raven turned away from it, leaning against Harry. He looked down at her, 'What did he say?'

'He forgives my placing. He says I never would have been happy as one of his,' It was then that a mood struck her, and she broke into tears. 'How can I explain this to my mother? I´m a Gryffindor. But I had all the makings of a perfect Ravenclaw. She´ll never forgive me, even if the tapestry does.'

'Raphael,' Harry whispered the name.

Raven didn´t hear him, or chose not to respond. 'I wish my father had never married my step-mother. Then all this wouldn´t have happened. I would be back at Salem, back in the North Wing, and all my friends wouldn´t think me such a freak.'

'What was the North Wing like?'

Raven didn´t alter her position of leaning against Harry and she sighed deeply, 'It was a lot like the Gryffindors before I came, I suppose. I had many good friends there. They thought I was kinda crazy...but it was nothing like this. They were fun. I mean other than Quidditch I think I´d go mad here.' She sighed against him, and Harry felt a tear leak through his cloak. 'I was going to be captain if I´d stayed.'

He touched her hair, and looked up at Gregory. The lion was watching her with a serious look on his face. He looked up with it´s piercing eyes. Harry felt himself drift, seeing, for a moment, the boy named Gregory. It was as though the lion and the boy wanted to say something, but could not. Raven lifted her head and looked at Harry, 'What would I do without you?'

Harry grinned fondly, 'Oh, I don´t know. Maybe you´d actually blast Dean through a wall...'

'Harry!'

* * *

That night, as it was Christmas Eve, the Gryffindors stole their bedding and crashed in the common lounge on couches and mattresses that they dragged out of the rooms. They remained awake (knowing that the presents would be delivered the moment they fell asleep anyway) talking for some time. Devin and Mark were exhausted and were yawning their faces off before anyone else. As the room grew steadily darker and more quiet, the groups drew closer. Raven had been on a couch beside Harry´s mat, but soon had moved beside him. They spoke of her time at Salem, and his time there before she had arrived. She marvelled at the things he had done, curious for detail and quotes. She was pleased with his triumphs and upset by his failures and the bouts of rejection he suffered from, though he refused to speak about his experiences with his Parseltongue (no matter how much she desperately wanted to know). But he was curious as well, and she told him many a tale about adventures her friend had gone on, like one Halloween when they roamed the nearby city of Salem dressed as Muggles. Or her championships, or the two times she´d gone to see the world cup. Apparently she´d been at the game Harry was at, way in the nosebleed section, cheering for Ireland.

When the conversation turned to Quidditch, it had gotten so quiet that they had to lay side by side and whisper for fear of disturbing their neighbours. They argued many of the fine points including how Oliver Wood was now a draft pick for the English team. One of her captains (the beater who had trained her on that position in her third year) had become the Eastern MVP. But with Quidditch came bitter memories for both of them. Harry missed Cho dearly, but Raven seemed to collapse beside him when the topic go too close to her memories of Draco.

Harry comforted her, rubbing her shoulder softly as she told him of all the times she had run off only to find Draco. He discovered that she had first approached him as a crow, listening to him talk to himself, sitting under the oak tree. He had actually asked her how he was to get her to like him. This amused her so much that she revealed herself to him and they had become fast, but highly private friends. She hated that he had used her friendship to get at her friends, and she hated that she hadn´t seen though the lie. She fell quiet then, her back to him, and Harry wondered if she had fallen asleep. He drew his blankets over her, careful not to wake her. It was cold in the common room, even with the window closed, and the fire roaring pleasantly in the corner.

He found himself with an odd sense of satisfaction laying in his heart as he lay quietly beside her. Her back was warm, and when she snuggled against him, he felt a delicious feeling spread across his face and stomach. He oh-so-cautiously let his arm encircle her waist. There was a moment of bliss and stillness when she turned in his arms and in the faint light he saw her smile before she kissed him lightly on the lips. He looked at her face, moonlit and pearly. Her face expressionless, soft. He could actually see her pulse at her neck. And then he could feel himself aching for more of that brief contact. But she was sleeping...wasn´t she?

'Raven...' His voice was barely a whisper.

'Yes?' Her mouth had barely moved.

'Why did you want to know about my...gift?'

'I just wanted to hear you talk in it sometime...I think it might be quite a wonderful gift...if you-know-who didn´t have it.' She licked her lips. 'But you can´t just talk in it, can you?'

Harry knew that since his recent contacts with Voldemort and with his own magic power building, his Parseltongue was getting easier to slip into when a snake (or even an image of one) was near. Suddenly he wanted to try. It was such a simple request, and she was right that Parseltongue wouldn't be considered such a horrible thing if Voldemort didn't have it. And best yet, she didn't fear it. Now he wanted to say something to her, with his gift, just once...

It took a moment to make his throat open. And like taking a thick drink he felt his mouth change. He waited a moment, to steady himself. Then, softly, he hissed, He is nothing next to me.

Odd, that he had chosen those words to say. Odd that she turned back to him when he had done it, and odd that he found it impossible to resist those pale pink lips again. The first kiss was long, still. Then she opened her mouth and Harry´s senses flared. She took his glasses off, setting them above the mattress as he discovered the joy of a person who could lead his mouth with just the barest touch of hers. She seemed to be opening up beside him and he wanted nothing more than to be with her. He could feel it building within him, this desire, and it was crying out to be shared. She touched his cheeks and he cooled, the need lessening. She needed to be romanced, not mauled. They invoked a heady pleasure in one another until they were both too sleepy to continue.

Harry could feel her breath over his face, and wondered, privately, if she really was fond of him, or if she simply needed the contact to prove to herself that was still human. He didn't know if he could answer that question honestly himself. His Parseltongue had faded now, though while they were in contact, it hovered deliciously in his throat. He clenched his jaw, thinking about her and wondering if she were still awake. And he wondered if she would still like him when she woke, only a few hours from now.

* * *

The tall, dark boy strode before his two companions. He was the most stable of the three, his cold blue eyes not wearied by the fearful surroundings. He was the eldest, a prefect and head boy. His feathery raven's hair, always flying away from his face, rustled as he led the boys through the depths of the forest. He had failed two of his classes and had been forced to remain at Hogwarts for another year. And he had still been voted head boy. But why should he be anything else? He was the best, and it gave him access to the Wyvern's Crown.

Harry felt himself wonder what that was, exactly.

The two boys who followed were nervous, looking excited, but extremely scared. Harry didn't doubt their fear. It was clear that they were walking through the Forbidden forest, even if it was in the middle of the day. Suddenly there was a crashing of brush and a third ran up. He was young, his face pale and withdrawn, as though he had been partly drained of life, and though his hair was a startling shade of red, Harry still recognised his face, as cruel as it looked. This had to be Stephan, the one who was thought to be mad. He looked it. His eyes traced across the group and a charismatic smile broke across his face.

'Well, the head boys have at last arrived. Come hither! The Crown awaits us!' He bounded back through the brush.

Henry and Gregory smiled, but the blond looked up at his older companion. 'How is it that Stephan has knowledge of the location of the Wyvern's Crown?'

The tall boy had no bias as he replied, 'Those who speak with a serpents tongue know many a thing.' He swept the two other boys further into the brush.

* * *

Dragged from his sleep almost unwillingly, Harry found himself alone under the blanket. He recalled most of this dream and he recognised that he had similar visions before. But who were these boys and why did they keep running around in his dreams? And worst of all, what should it mean to him? Perhaps he could ask Gregory, but it was unlikely that he would be able to get an answer. After all, he was a Parseltongue, not a lion-tongue or whatever. He sighed and touched the place where Raven should have been. Had their lack of thought last night hurt her? And he tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in his stomach that she might now resent him. He forced himself to think about Cho, but it was suddenly apparent to him that not only was he over Cho, but that he did love Raven. Or wanted her. Or...he blinked, what did he want from her? He just wanted to be with her right now...and hopefully get her to understand that he wasn't sure what was going on, but that if she was upset that he understood and would never do anything like it again... He realized he was looking at the window and that not only was it open, but that snow was floating in, gently.

He got up, his bare skin chilling. It wasn't as if he had never seen snow before, but the huge goose-feather flakes were something to marvel at, particularly since most snow that afflicted Hogwarts was generally far from 'beautiful'. He'd experienced many a blizzard, or soggy flurries that melted made the snow dirty, but nothing as strange as this. He got dressed and headed down to the courtyard, curious and amazed as the snow continued to fall heavily, but without wind. He shivered, squinting at the pristine whiteness. It was then that he saw her.

In her full robes, Raven stood in the center of the courtyard, her wand raised to the sky. He moved softly through the snow, watching her from behind a bush. She danced slowly, her long hair shimmering with dark fire. Her lips sang out the chant, her eyes closed as she concentrated. She held in her hand a charming book Harry didn't recognise. But it was apparent she was calling the weather pattern. Her voice was soft, melodic, her wand humming as the snow poured from the sky, drifting around her, covering the blackness of her robe and hair with white spots of perfection. She turned and the snow dragged around her, but she moved as slowly as the drifting flakes. Her effortless movements were matched only by her patient intonations. Then as she finished the chant, her extended arm flexed and under dark eyelids she gazed at Harry telling him that she had been completely aware of his presence.

Harry's mouth went dry as he stood and walked towards her. They were matched in height, something that Harry had never noticed until now. Her face was expressionless, then a slow tear made its way down her cheek. He started to reach to her, but froze. She bowed her head, and turned from him. Harry's heart fell. What on earth had he done? She walked to a bench, where he followed her, and waited until she invited him to sit with her. He did so, facing her, away. Something made him feel horrible for not sitting closer and something else was making him feel horrible for not sitting further away. Even if he did like Raven, what right had he to move in on to someone else's girlfriend...even if they had been in a fight the last time they had spoken? And even though he wanted Raven more then her, it felt like he had betrayed Cho. And between wanting to apologise to her or just try to blow it off, he had an increasing desire to hold her as he had last night. This mental confusion paralysed his mouth, and he said nothing.

Raven, unable to address what he would not, gestured at the snow. 'I miss Canada. I wanted to see it snow again like it used to when my father and I celebrated Christmas together before he remarried.' She looked at him, and saw his continued inability to speak. 'I guess I wanted it to be like that for us once, too.'

Harry's jaw became unglued, shaking slightly at the cold and in his fear. 'Raven.' He had said it before he had even thought to. 'Raven, I don't know what to say.'

She moved a little closer, so she could touch his lips with her finger to silence him, 'Then say nothing. I want to tell you something,' She swallowed and looked up and away from him, 'I can't say I never heard about you while I was attending SCI. We even had a saying in Witchball about you, 'lure them in like Potter in his cradle'. But even though I knew we were the same age and even though I knew that I had a chance of meeting you when I came here, I never expected...' She drifted off.

This allowed Harry to say what only half of him wanted to, 'you're right, I never should have...' Her finger touched his lips again.

'No. You see...' Her cheeks flushed, 'I found you very different then I expected. Very. And you were so nice. I never thought you would be. And aside from Draco, you were the only person who didn't just drool on my robes. And even though I knew...I always sort of knew that Draco and I might be good for each other, he just had far too many problems with his father being a death eater...and everything...' Her voice was filled with a certain anger, 'I could never really expect to keep him from hurting me whenever he got into one of his pure-blood moods,' Harry found himself nodding. 'And I guess I was just so upset that I made you do things that you didn't want to do...and, I know how upset you are about Cho...and I guess... I'm so sorry.'

Her eyes were downcast. Harry was shocked. Here he was, worried about her feelings about it and she was more upset that she had come to him, thinking that she was using him while he had thought he was using her. And if that was what she had needed then he was inwardly pleased that he had been the one she had turned to.

But he had to be sure, 'So it meant...nothing to you?'

Her eyes were filled with tears. 'I didn't want to hurt you...'

'I'm not hurt.' He touched her arm, 'I don't want you to be hurt. It's okay. We've both been depressed and we're both lonely...and I mean I...' He paused on the word, choosing carefully, 'care for you...deeply. You're a good friend.'

'Did it mean anything to you?'

Her question seemed loaded, but it dawned on him he had just asked the same thing. 'It meant as much as it needed to,' It was the only thing he could say.

She smiled and blushed, 'Then you don't hate me for making you speak in Parseltongue last night?'

He laughed, and rubbed his mouth, 'Hate you? You don't even know what I said, did you?'

She shook her head, 'You don't need to tell me.'

Harry grinned, 'Why not?'

'Because I have a feeling you demonstrated what you said quite well.' She demurred with a grin on her face, but began to move forward, only to turn and lean against him. Harry felt no passion at this moment, just an odd joy that she wasn't upset about what had happened, and that she seemed to have forgiven him.

He breathed on her neck, 'You have no idea,' She laughed pleasantly, and elbowed him.

'Oo. Lookit this!' Harry and Raven looked up as Peeves the Poltergeist drifted out from under the colonnade, 'A pretty picture, wot! Both turning out the knaves to make dirty like the pigeons while the cat's away! Wait until everyone hears! And I know just the people to tell!'

Raven pushed away from Harry and stood, sending him a look that meant that she had Peeves even if the impish ghost didn't know it yet. She spun her wand between her fingers like a baton for a few seconds. She snapped it still with a shout, and a rocket of purple fire struck Peeves in the back side (as he was patting it and making kissing noises). He smashed through a wall, howling. Harry joined her as she sighed. She turned back towards him.

He spoke, 'You know that he's going to tell everyone about this, don't you?'

'We are both single, Harry. It's not a crime to be found sitting together on a bench.' But she nodded, 'But you are right. We have to decide what we're going to do.'

'Then you have to hear me ask this question, Raven. And it's going to hurt,' Harry looked at her carefully. She raised an eyebrow, wondering what he would ask. 'What of Malfoy?'

She looked down, her cheeks colouring. It was a long moment before she shook her head, 'I don't think it honestly would have worked. I don't know why I thought it would have. But Malfoy, for all he was very nice to me, wasn't nice to anyone else. And even though I used to find it funny, I realized that his jokes weren't as good natured as I had first thought. I know the last time you saw us together was a fight, but that wasn't the last time I saw him.'

She crossed her arms and blew fog into the sky. The sun was rising. She sat back down the bench as she explained the fight that had happened in Slytherin Tower that night. She had flown up to the tower window, ignoring the casual curses that protected entry from people of other houses, and sat on a rock outside the window. Listening, she had heard the conversations therein, including Malfoy's brutal explosion when Crabbe had asked what happened between him and Raven. Then the truth had poured from Malfoy. In his anger he explained to Crabbe (in an extremely belittling voice) that Raven had left him out of spite, that he never had any real feelings for her, and that he had only taken her because she had been a convenient way to get at the Gryffindors. Not only that, but that it proved that he could control any woman he wished. After all, if he could tame the lively Raven it meant he could charm any woman, and wasn't that true? It was then that Raven had hopped up to the window proper, and revealed herself. She had come to see if he would change his mind, but now she was simply making a statement. Draco had looked shocked, but as he stood before half of his house he told her that he never wanted to see her again as long as he lived. She hadn't said anything, but simply turned back into a crow and left.

Harry was shocked. Raven smiled through the tears that spilled out of her eyes. 'So it doesn't matter about anything we've done. Malfoy and I are over. And I have to say I'm glad.' She sniffled, her smile trembling off her face. 'Or I wish I was more glad.'

'Come here.' He held out his arms and she sank into them gratefully. The embrace was short lived when a pair of howls erupted from the upper floor above the courtyard. Harry and Raven looked up as Devin and Mark hooted at them.

'That's it!' Harry shouted, 'Two hour practice this afternoon, no quibbling!'