That day was the start of a near perfect friendship. Tom visited Raven all the time and when he could he helped to finish the impossible load of chores his relatives gave him. They always told each other everything and like many things it seemed like it would last forever.

But like all these things it eventually had to come to an end. A few weeks before Raven's seventh birthday, Tom came to visit him. Tom had been accepted into a school for 'special people', a place called Hogwarts. It was a boarding school and Tom would be going there for the whole school year as of the first of September.

Raven took it hard, he freaked out when Tom told him this. Tom was always there for him when things got rough. If Tom went away to some boarding school for most of the year then he wouldn't be there for Raven.

It took Tom a week to calm Raven down. Even then Raven was still mad and refused to talk with Tom, he only listened. Tom promised that he would visit each year and the second he was legally allowed he would take Raven away with him. This made Raven happier but he still became moody any time Tom mentioned his departure.

The day before Tom finally left, Raven was in his worst mood yet. His family had gone out for the day and he had been left to do his chores. When Tom arrived Raven didn't even nod in his direction. Tom spoke about the village he had been to where he was earning money and made a promise to come take Raven away as soon as it was legal. He said he would come to visit every year, he even suggested visiting in the holidays between terms.

The second Tom suggested returning for the holidays Raven turns around in a flash. "NO!" He shouts, drawing the attention of a passerby. "You can't come back! You hate being here!" Tom smiled happily, Raven had finally responded, such a shame it only happened once he suggested returning and it was a negative reaction. If only Raven would understand how much he meant to Tom.

"Raven, I just want to make sure that you're going to be okay. How do you think I'd feel if something happened to you and I didn't find out for nearly a year? I would be devastated do you get that? I need to be able to know you're alright."

Contemplating this Raven answers quickly "Okay, okay, it's hard for you too but I still don't want you coming back more than once a year. I will be completely fine without a full-time bodyguard."

Chuckling, Tom sees their relationship has gone back to the easy rapport it once was and he continues to tell Raven every little detail he can about the wonderful place.

The years pass one by one and each summer Raven would wait anxiously by their meeting place for his friend. This year it was only a few days until Raven's eleventh birthday. He had been receiving letters from an unknown sender but the one time he had managed to glance at one it looked almost exactly the same as the ones Tom showed him.

Raven's hopes were high this year, it had been after Tom turned eleven that he got into Hogwarts. Maybe it was Raven's turn and they could go together. Tom would just love teaching Raven all the secrets the school taught and the ones they didn't.

Eventually Tom arrived with tales of the year he seemed excited for some unfathomable reason. More curious about his friend's news than anything else he forgets about his own and listens to his over-eager friend. Tom talks about how he recently discovered that he is the heir to one the founders of his school and how this improved his standing with the other students so much.

Listening patiently until he could tell Tom his own speculations, Raven noticed how Tom talked less of how what he had learned would be useful when he took Raven away and more of how he was going to do all these great things in this world he had barely told Raven anything about.

After a few hours of this Raven had had enough. "TOM!" He practically shouted. "I get it already! You're excited! You had a good year! I get it!"

Shocked, Tom replied, "Raven, what's got into you? Is something wrong? You don't usually mind me going on forever…?"

Turning away Raven quickly contemplated his answer. "Well," He began, "usually you're more focused on how it will help when you can legally get us both away or how I'm going to react when you finally show me an-"

"So you're jeal-"Tom tried to cut Raven off.

"Maybe! But that's not the point!" Raven cut back in, "I have something to share this time as well and you haven't let me get a word in edgewise! I'm eleven this year! Did you remember that? And if you remember it was when you were eleven that you the stupid invite to this special school anyway! I have been getting letters from someone everyday for a week! My family doesn't want me to read them so I can only guess what they might be! And on top of that, I got to go to the zoo for my cousin's birthday."

Tom tried cutting in a second time, "What does going to the zoo have to do with anything-"

"I was getting to that before you interrupted. While at the zoo I talked with one of the animals. If that doesn't warrant as good enough for your gifted school then I hate to think what is." Finished Raven surprisingly calmly before he walked off.