Raven Chronicles: Lost and Found
Disclaimer: I still own the hamster but not this.
Chapter 7: Schemes of the Immortal Avian
A knock on the door and the trill of a phoenix? Raven only knew one phoenix and that phoenix's owner had expressed a strong desire to meet him. Raven heart was pounding somewhere in the vicinity of his throat. 'Why did the phoenix bring him here?' He thought. No one but Crow had ever come to his apartment. He liked it that way. He was unknown and safe.
"Jasper!" he called aloud hoping the little elf would come quickly.
"Master Ravenclaw calls Jasper?" the little elf looked up at him curiously. He had never called for Jasper.
"Whys Master not sleeping? Masters promised to…" Jasper's eyes widened suddenly at another knock on the door.
"It's Dumbledore, Jasper. The man who put me with the Dursleys." Raven said in a bit of a panic. He knew he wouldn't be able to just wait for the man to leave. Who knows, maybe the phoenix would simply bring the man inside or come in and take Raven outside. Trembling, Raven moved toward the door. He stepped on a sheet of parchment Ebony had scattered to the floor in his flight. His notes. Crow's journals! The man couldn't see these.
"Jasper, help me get these hidden somewhere safe." He said quickly to the elf as he picked up the parchment at his feet. It was the first time he hadn't considered the apartment safe.
Shoving the journals and parchment into the elf's hands, Raven moved again towards the door.
"Papers and books be safe in manor, Master." Jasper said. He could see Jasper pop out of existence with the journals and notes and sighed. At least those were safe. Now, if only he could be safe as well.
Raven could only stare with widened eyes at the door a few inches from his hand. The knocking started again.
Reaching out Raven twisted the door knob and opened the door an inch.
"Hello?" Raven whispered into the darkened hallway. He knew he sounded just as frightened as he truly was.
A man in light green robes with golden stars on the hems stepped into the sliver of light coming through the door.
"Ah, you must be Harry Potter. And I believe you've meet Fawkes." Dumbledore said. The phoenix let out a self-satisfied trill at this. "Fawkes seemed to think I needed to come here. Well, he didn't give me much choice in the matter but I'm very glad to meet you, Harry. I'm Albus Dumbledore." Albus introduced himself hoping the boy would invite him in. Albus could feel the wards around the apartment straining at his presence. If Harry didn't invite him in he would not be able to stay. Whoever had placed these wards had been powerful but there was a weakness. A stranger could do anything once they were invited in. And Merlin only knew who the boy's guardian might invite or who might be able to gain the boy's trust only to enter and do him harm.
Albus couldn't see into the apartment yet but the area he was in wasn't very expensive nor was it very safe. It was a very poor London neighborhood prone to crime and shady dealings. Mundungus would be comfortable here. It was hardly a safe place for a boy to wander about in. He was suddenly glad that Harry hadn't seemed to spend much time outside of these wards.
"Yes sir, I am Harry Potter. Umm…" Raven glanced behind him and saw Jasper had returned and was wringing his hands in worry. At least he wouldn't have to deal with his guest alone.
"Would…would you like to come in, sir?" Raven asked quietly, hoping the answer would be no.
"Thank you Harry." The Headmaster said, moving towards the still cracked open door. Harry moved backwards and the door was pushed open enough to allow the older man to enter. Fawkes flew off Dumbledore's shoulder and perched on the back on a wooden kitchen chair.
Dumbledore moved toward one of only two chairs in the room and a grimace quickly passed over his face as Harry limped toward the other.
Before Harry could reply Jasper came tottering out of the kitchen area balancing a tea service above his head.
"Jasper bring tea for Master Ravenclaw and Misters Dumbledore." The little elf announced, setting the tea things on the scratched table positioned between the two chairs.
At the name Ravenclaw, Dumbledore's eyebrows all but disappeared into his snowy hair before quickly regaining his calm appearance.
"Thank you, Jasper" Raven said quietly. His eyes remained focused on every move the headmaster made.
"Ah, I see you found the sherbet lemons. Wonderful things really." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.
Raven looked at him a bit confused. "Uh… yes, sir." Raven just wished he wasn't sandwiched between Dumbledore and his scheming bird that brought him here.
"Where is your guardian, Harry?" Albus asked looking around at the one room apartment.
Raven tilted his head a bit. He supposed Crow could be considered a guardian. Raven had complete control over what he did and even where he went. That freedom had allowed Raven to feel safe. Crow wouldn't demand he kneel down to be whipped or call his abuser sir. Crow just supplied some rooms he could use and then stayed out of them except for his once a year birthday visit. How missed Crow right now.
"My guardian died." Harry said stiffly, not touching the tea Jasper had set out. What would this man do to him, or force him to do? Dumbledore seemed a caring old man, a caring old man that would continually return to the Dursley. What would they do to him if he returned? It would probably be worse than before. Raven shuddered at his thoughts.
"I'm sorry to hear that. When did he die, Harry?" Dumbledore asked observing every second of Harry's reaction.
The question pulled Raven out of his predicted nightmare with the Dursleys.
"Not long ago. He left me everything he could." Harry said, spinning the ring Crow had asked him to wear around on his finger. Dumbledore's attention was drawn to the spinning ring. Raven noticed him studying it. He stopped and covered his hand.
Dumbledore sighed.
"Did you like living with him?" Dumbledore asked smiling gently.
"I didn't live with him. He sent Jasper and Ebony." Raven said, looking over to indicate the large bird that had delivered Harry's one and only letter.
Dumbledore frowned.
"He gave me a place to stay and checked up on me every year on my birthday, sir." Raven added quickly. Dumbledore was still frowning. He didn't seem to approve. Raven personally didn't see anything wrong with the relationship he had had with Crow. It kept him safe, he didn't have adults around trying to hurt him or send him back to the Dursleys. He even learned a lot even if he couldn't go to school.
"Harry, the Minister of Magic wants to assign you a new guardian. He has people looking for you. I'd like to help you. To make sure you have someone that you can trust to protect you and rely on." Dumbledore said.
"I don't need a new guardian, sir. I'm safe here and Jasper helps me." Raven answered, his voice shaking. A guardian would have control over his life. A guardian would be able to tell him what he could and could not do. A guardian could be like the Dursleys and force him to do all sorts of tasks or lock him in a cupboard or beat him when they wished. And a magical guardian could use all sorts of potions and spells to force his obedience. That had been the most frightening thing he had ever read and even left him anxious of Crow for a time.
"Yes, the wards here have kept you safe and house-elves are very helpful creatures. But you can't stay isolated here forever, Harry. You need someone who can help you and protect you outside of these rooms." Dumbledore stopped speaking as the boy's trembling increased.
"The Ministry won't allow to be entirely responsible for yourself, you are too young, Harry. The Ministry's search would force you to stay isolated here until you come of age. Your parents would not have wanted that for you." Dumbledore said. He paused. Harry was leaning back in his chair, one leg on the seat and his arm it. He was still trembling.
"What do you want to do, Harry?" Dumbledore finally asked the boy.
What did he want to do? Raven thought about that for a moment. He wanted the freedom to be able to come and go as he pleased and to go to school and learn what he wanted and travel like Crow suggested. But he couldn't do that with the Ministry looking for him. He didn't want to stay in this apartment forever. More than anything he didn't want to be a slave, to be locked up and beaten on some else's whim, to be forced to comply with their orders even when it hurt. If that happened again he was sure he would never be the same.
The phoenix trilled softly from his perch in the kitchen prompting Raven to answer.
"I don't want a new guardian. I don't want to have to leave here or be forced to do whatever someone says. I want to make my own choices and not have to be…" Raven's voice trailed off. He hadn't meant to say all of that. He moved in his chair away from Dumbledore.
Dumbledore gave Raven a sympathetic look and a distracted smile. Dumbledore brought his hand up to stroke his bread appearing deep in thought. He looked back up again at Harry, his twinkling eyes traveled once again to the ring peeking out from between the fingers of Harry's other hand.
"I'll see what I can do Harry." He said, and searched around for another topic that might put Harry more at ease.
"Do you like to read, Harry?" He asked glancing around at the truly remarkable library crammed into the room.
"Yes, sir." Raven replied with a slight smile.
"Your mother liked to read as well. Perhaps you inherited that from her." Dumbledore commented. Raven believed it more likely he inherited it from Crow when he walked into an apartment with nothing but books.
"What do you like to read, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, inspecting the books closest to him. That shelf contained American muggle history books and novels. Uncle Tom's Cabin sat sideways on the shelf. Dumbledore ran a finger over the spine "The little lady who started the big war" he commented with knowing smile.
"Abraham Lincoln" Raven answered. Crow liked that game too. He said you never knew a book unless you knew why, when and by whom it was written.
"Very good, Harry." Dumbledore said, looking back over to Harry as if surprised that the boy would know such an obscure quote from American history.
"So which are your favorites?" Dumbledore asked, again gesturing to the myriad of books scattered about.
"I like history, muggle and magical, and magical theory and math and arithmancy and" Raven stopped with a half grin on his face as if a bit embarrassed.
Dumbledore smiled warmly.
"Will you show me?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling. He got up out of his chair and cast his eyes at the bookcases packed tightly into the room.
Raven nodded. He stood up and winced when his leg hit the floor hard.
"Harry, what happened to your leg?" Dumbledore ask.
"It's nothing. I'm fine." Raven replied. Dumbledore gave him a piercing look. Raven backed up, tense again.
"Harry, what happened?" Dumbledore asked softly.
"It's just an old injury, sir." Raven elaborated.
"There's a mediwitch at Hogwart. Her name is Madame Pomphrey. She could heal it if you would come to Hogwarts to see her." Dumbledore said and with twinkling eyes once again added "She looked after her dad when he banged himself up playing Quidditch."
"Maybe some other time, sir." Raven replied.
"Any time Harry. Let me know when you want to come. Perhaps I can show you the Hogwarts library." Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Did my parents leave a will?" Raven asked suddenly. "You said they wouldn't have wanted me to stay here. I just wondered if they had wanted me to…" Raven trailed off a lump in his throat, and finished to himself "live with the Dursleys?"
"They left a will Harry. They loved you very much and would have wanted you to be safe and happy." Dumbledore eyes were no longer twinkling and showed a hint of self-reproach. But the man said nothing else.
Raven thought he might know why that self-reproach appeared in the man's eyes. He knew Dumbledore had left him there but apparently the man didn't want to admit it.
"Will you let Fawkes in with letters?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes, sir." Raven answered, sparing a short glare for the bird that brought the unannounced guest.
"I'll see what I can do about your guardianship problem but someone is going to have to be named responsible for you." Dumbledore said.
Raven's eyes widened. He couldn't let himself come under the control of someone again.
"I'll try to leave you as much independence as I can but I'll need your help. Ok, Harry?" Dumbledore asked seriously.
Raven nodded distractedly.
"Alright, I'll send something with Fawkes soon." Dumbledore said gently. "Come on Fawkes, enough of your schemes." The phoenix let out a trill and flew to Dumbledore's arm.
"And you can take us to the Ministry since you abducted me from my office." He told the bird in a half-scolding tone.
Man and bird disappeared in a flash of flames.
"What is Master going to do?" Jasper asked. The little elf had diligently watched the conversation from the entry to the kitchen.
"I don't know Jasper. But I think we'll gather up the most important stuff and take it to the manor. I don't know when he'll be back but I'm sure he will be." Raven said looking worriedly at the door. "Or some else will be." He muttered.
Dumbledore and Fawkes reappeared in the Ministry atrium. It was the middle of the afternoon and the fireplaces were empty and quiet. No one would take note of his coming today. Albus headed towards the security desk and smiled as he recognized a particular voice from that direction.
The now-retired auror, and his friend, Alastor Moody was lecturing the security guard on duty, Eric, on the importance of adherence to stick security measures. He distinctly heard the words constant vigilance being loudly brandied about.
"Hello Alastor. What brings you to the Ministry today?" Albus asked approaching the security desk. Eric looked utterly relieved to have someone distracting Mad-Eye Moody.
"Ah, Minister's been wanting to talk to anyone who might know where you've got the Potter boy stashed away at. He's been calling in people left and right. Got the whole team I took down to Surry a few years back in his office right now." Moody said gruffly. "The fool's convinced that you're hiding that boy. Want me to send him on a wild Hippogriff chase? Perhaps Belize? I hear that they got vampire problems right now. Maybe we'll get lucky." Moody offered with a grin that made his scarred face look truly gruesome.
Albus's eyes twinkled merrily. "I thank you for the offer Alastor, but eventually the Minister will have to accept the fact that I am not hiding Harry from him." This was technically correct as Harry was hiding himself even if Albus knew where he was and had provided the child with a significant reason to stay hidden for the time being.
Dumbledore moved past Eric, the security guard, with a nod and smile.
"Go right on ahead, professor. Have a nice day." Eric said waving him on. Albus could hear Alastor behind him going on about polyjuice potions and the imperius curse.
Albus took the lift a few floors down to the Department of Magical Records. The wards were set to recognize certain officials without notifying aurors to accompany the individual. His authority as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot got him through the wards and into the department.
He entered a long room with even longer corridors branching off to the left, right and diagonally. Everything down here was covered in dust. He found what he was looking for three boxes from the end of the 21st corridor on the right hand side.
His plan to obtain protection for Harry as well as a certain level of independence was a farfetched one. It was based entirely on the name Ravenclaw and the ring he thought he recognized on Harry's finger. He wasn't at all certain that the plan would work which was why he hadn't mentioned it to Harry. There were many conditions that would have to be met and the first would hinge on the contents of this box. He still had to decide on someone to take responsibility for the boy but he didn't trust anyone else to do so. The poor child seemed terrified at the idea of a guardian. Albus was now worried about the ramifications of both the Dursley's treatment and the neglect of Harry's last guardian. Perhaps it would be best if he himself took over the boy's protection and care. He would be able to guide Harry in the right direction, gain his trust and work to lessen the effects of his isolation. He would also need to make sure he could keep Harry out of Lucius's hands if this plan did not work.
A little over an hour later, Albus found the first of several documents he would need and left a little more optimistic than when he had come in.
A/N: Wow... you reviewers are creative. You thought of things that I hadn't. Ok.. guardian news. There is a groundswell of support for McGonagall who I threw in as filler to be honest. But my plot isn't set in stone. I'll probably dig up the Potter will though it may be long in coming... but thanks for the idea.
Naughty Fawkes... I'd gotten a little carry away with the Fawkes bashing (I truly like Fawkes). At one point, before editing I had Harry call him a flaming hijacker (oops!).
I also want to reiterate that Crow's journals are not the cannon books. There is little to no dialogue and just snapshot of some scenes. What Harry knows is exactly what was written before. As far as Sirius is concerned, Harry doesn't know what happened but he is curious. I can guarentee that Harry will misintrepret causality at some point. But future knowledge is not going to be the only thing driving this fic cause frankly I'd get bored.
Oh and if there is a mr. stick up his arse (definately arse by the way) it would have to be Snape. And bottle blond?... That would be Mr. Bottle Blond the III to you.
I wonder what kind Crow-type names would suit Fudge?
Chapter 8: For the Love of History (And I do love history even more than Harry seems to)