Raven Chronicles: Lost and Found

Disclaimer: Even after all this time it still isn't mine

Chapter 9: Too Many Socks

Raven paced his apartment. It was thirty paces from the window to far book shelf, and twenty from the door to the kitchen. Jasper had long sense retreated to the manor for a less anxious environment. Never had this apartment felt so small. He was beginning to understand how he could have acted so rashly in the future that Crow saw. But still if he went looking for clues now would it truly be rash. He had a portkey to the manor and another to Hogwarts.

The best bet seemed to be the Ravenclaw family vault. If they were going to protect clues for the location of the letter, that would be the safest place for them. Gringotts had never been successfully broken into after all.

Raven made his decision and grabbed the cloak he had purchased not long ago in Madame Malkins. He had the phoenix pendant around his neck and the eagle figurine in a pocket.

"So much has happened since then. It seems like it was years ago." Raven said aloud.

He slipped the cloak into a backpack and left the apartment for Muggle London.

A short subway ride got him to Charring Cross road and he slipped behind the Leaky Cauldron with his cloak hood pulled over his head and his fringe flattened over his well-known scar.

The denizens of the pub were discussing the Montrose Magpies or some such thing.

"Nah, its Johnson. Gotta be the best chaser in the league." A man whispered very loudly to his neighbor

"What do you know? Johnson couldn't throw a quaffle through a hoop if he was hovering two feet in front of it and the keeper was blind." Another man two tables over replied with force.

Ah, quidditch. A tall blonde man and his daughter walked into the pub, heading quickly towards the alleyway behind it.

"Come along we need to get to the Alley and back home before noon." The man said to his daughter.

Raven decided to follow. The man tapped the bricks and Raven slid into the Alley behind them.

Diagon Alley was much the same as the last time Raven had visited but without the copious amount of school-aged children and racks of Hogwarts supplies on display.

The atmosphere of hooting owls, potions ingredients, robes for sale and the milling wizards was less enchanting than his previous visit. Some of those wizards were targeting him directly. It wasn't just a vague threat of returning to the Dursleys any longer.

His roving eyes picked up a few wizards in blue that seemed to be scanning the crowded Alley. They weren't traveling together but seemed aware of each other as each was watching a different section of the street and no two blue-clad wizard's areas overlapped.

Raven quickly ducked his head and proceeded on to Gringotts as fast as he could travel without raising suspicion.

He did not read the inscription on the door as he past into the white building and set his eyes on an open teller.

A hand grabbed his arm and he could feel the head of a cane hook onto his opposite shoulder.

"Well, just who the aurors were searching for. I believe you'll be coming with me. Your business with the goblins will wait." A silky voice drawled behind.

Raven looked up behind into a pale face framed with platinum blonde hair. It could only be Mr. Blonde Snot Sr. as Crow had called him. Raven mind raced. This was someone he had to stay away from. But what could he do?

His hand came up to clutch the pendant he was wearing and his other hand found the figurine in his pocket. He only needed to get clear of the man to use them. In the mean time being polite and clueless might convince the man that he wouldn't fight him and would give him the opportunity he needed.

"Pardon sir? Who are you?" He asked feigning confusion.

"My name is Lucius Malfoy, Mr. Potter." The blonde told him and began to drag him out of Gringotts. "The Minister has been quite anxious to locate you and place with a more reasonable guardian than those muggles." A sneer was evident in his tone of voice over the word muggle though the expression on his face never changed from bored aristocrat.

Raven hesitated, Gringotts was goblin territory and even this man would think twice before casting a spell in here. But the pressure on his shoulder increased until it became painful and Raven had no choice but to move toward the exit.

The doors of Gringotts closed behind them and two blue-clad aurors approached.

"Ah, Dwalish. I'll be taking Mr. Potter with me. Tell Minister Fudge he had been found and is in good hands." Malfoy instructed the auror.

Raven didn't trust the ministry personnel either. It was the Minister who had given over to Malfoy. Malfoy's hand tightened further, his fingers digging into Raven's shoulder.

"This way Mr. Potter. You've had your freedom long enough. Time to be back in the care of an adult who knows what is best for you." The blonde drawled out and Malfoy's hand tightened again moving Raven towards the apparition point in Diagon Alley. Dawlish was following them now. The auror put a hand out in front of him to push Raven along and Raven jumped to the side not expecting to be touched. It was simply more hands coming at him than he could deal with.

He fell overbalanced. The eagle figurine tumbled out of his pocket and he scrambled to catch it for a moment but could only watch as it rolled toward Lucius's feet. Lucius bent down to pocket the figuring and moved toward him again a sharp reprimanding look on his face. With the option of the manor gone he grabbed the pendant and quietly whispered "too many socks."

The sensation was unfamiliar and for a moment he was disoriented in the flash of colors and noise. He landed hard in a circular office decorated with red carpeting, a massive desk and tables covered with small whirling objects. One stationary object on a table caught his attention. It was a small toy soldier that looked oddly familiar. It had a broken arm and its paint was noticeably worn.

Raven reached out entranced by the object. It was his old toy from Privet Drive. Dudley had thrown two of them down the stairs declaring that he needed the room for his new computer games. One had broken both of the legs off in the throw but the other had survived with only part of the arm missing. Harry had thrown out the first and kept the second. He had named it James because he couldn't think of a better name. It was the only toy he could remember having. He'd missed that toy soldier when he moved into the apartment.

Dumbledore had known someone had accessed his office with a portkey. The only portkeys capable of doing so were ones he had made and he set off to his office.

He gave the gargoyle the password (tootsie roll) and opened the door to his office. Harry was standing next to his desk. The boy's small finger was tracing along the toy soldier he had taken out of the Muggle house he had left him to suffer in. He was truly sorry for what the boy had suffered. He knew Harry was frightened and wanted to stay safe through his independence and Albus was willing to offer him that. He would help the boy try to claim the Ravenclaw lordship and seat. The position of regent would be up to Harry but he was hopeful that Harry would allow him that so he could at least help him learn about the Wizarding world and keep the boy safe.

"Hello Harry" He said from the doorway hoping not to startle the boy. "I imagine you recognize that toy. I found it at your realities' home."

"I'm glad to see you here but what caused you to make use of the portkey?"

Raven was unsure what to answer. He had no way of getting back to his apartment from here. Even Dumbledore's bird was missing.

"I tried to go to Gringotts but a man grabbed me." Raven said backing away from Dumbledore's desk and rubbing his shoulder. There was no use in telling the man that he would have preferred Ravenclaw manor to Hogwarts.

"Are you alright?" Dumbledore asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Raven said and consciously stopped rubbing the shoulder that the man had grabbed.

Dumbledore moved to sit as his desk.

"Have a seat Harry. I had wanted to talk to you soon anyway. We might as well do so now."

"I read the book you sent. That was why you asked about my inheritance from Crow wasn't it? You want to claim his Wizengamot seat and name a regent."

"Yes, Harry. I do." Albus admitted. Harry was exceedingly clever to pick that out of an entire book on Wizarding History. "Claiming the Ravenclaw seat if you are able to and naming a regent will allow you to keep as much independence as you legally can." Harry didn't react much. Apparently he had figured out this much. "I would like to help you claim that seat. Going to the ministry and filing a claim will determine whether you are eligible to do so."

"But if I'm not the Ministry will never let me leave on my own again." His one interaction with ministry workers had been more than enough to leave him paranoid.

"You will have to choose a guardian before you go if you are not able to claim that seat." Dumbledore said wondering if he could get the child to choose himself.

"No. I do not want another guardian, sir." Raven said quickly. He wasn't going to be placed in anyone else's control.

"I know Harry, but if you can't claim that seat you will have to accept a guardian or the Ministry will assign you one." Atleast Dumbledore wasn't going to try to persuade him that this wasn't possible. His respect for the man rose a notch even as his fear for being forced under the control of an adult rose as well.

"No, I don't want another guardian." He said, his voice rising in pitch with his fear.

Dumbledore relented for the moment. The boy had a tremendous fear of being placed with a new guardian and he was beginning to realize that Harry wasn't going to compromise.

"Alright Harry, we won't go to the ministry just yet. There is another way to tell if you'll be able to claim that seat." Now Harry's attention was focused back on the conversation and his fear seemed to have quelled for the moment.

"I was trying to find the letter patent for it. I wanted to check the vault to see if it was there." Raven said following Dumbledore's thought perhaps the man would let him keep searching. Dumbledore had been very understanding. He hadn't forced him to go to the ministry or to give up him apartment. Maybe Dumbledore wouldn't be so bad if he for a regent. He didn't know anyone else after all.

The boy was clever, unusually so, Dumbledore thought to himself.

"Please, let me keep looking sir. Please if I can't find it then… then maybe the ministry…" Raven's voiced trailed off as visions of being forced to go with Mr. Malfoy and the things the man would demand or do to him swam through him mind. There were spells and potions that could make him do all sorts of things and spells and potions that could hurt him and no one would know and no one would be able to help him.

"Alright Harry. You look for the letter patent and if by Halloween you haven't found it then we will go to the ministry." Dumbledore conceded. He wanted to gain Harry's trust and judging by the relief and the smile on the boy's face now he had made a good start.

Raven was indeed relieved. Dumbledore would let him look. Maybe the professor would even make a portkey for his apartment.

"You might want to think about who you name as regent." Dumbledore added, he was still hopeful the boy would accept on his own and allow him to help.

"I will, sir." Though he was considering Dumbledore, he didn't want to commit just yet.

"Well, with that taken care of, what did you think of the rest of the book, Harry? I personally enjoyed the speculation of what modern Brittan would be if we hadn't lost to the French all those years back. Of course that would have made Ravenclaw's prediction incorrect" Dumbledore began, wondering just how far he could push Harry's intellect.

An hour later Dumbledore was impressed. Harry understood the material and could be easily guided to see the implications and bias of the author's assertions. "Truly remarkable" he commented to himself. Someone had taught him to question what he read and apply to the world as he understood it.

"Sorry, sir?" Raven asked. He had relaxed as their talk continued and was sprawled in the chair in front of the Headmaster's desk. A small sandwich dangled in his fingers from the tea the Professors had asked an elf to bring. He had immensely enjoyed their talk. It reminded him of talks with Crow but without other wizards' often harsh comments and opinions about the 'sorry state of the world' as he put it. But now he was beginning to get anxious to be going. One could only sit still for so long at the age of 10 and his scare with Malfoy had long worn off. He wanted to be searching for that letter patent.

"Oh, nothing Harry. Just the mutterings of an old man." The headmaster eyes twinkled at the boy. "You should probably be leaving Harry. I enjoyed our chat. And don't hesitate to use that portkey if you get into trouble again or if you just want to talk."

That reminded Raven "Sir, is it possible for you to make me a portkey to my apartment? I'd like to be able to get back there without going through the Leaky Cauldron if something happens."

"Yes, Harry. I can make you a portkey but I'm afraid you'll need to give me access to the wards so my magic can pull you through them." It would a good measure of the amount of trust Harry was placing in him if the boy allowed this.

Did he want to give Dumbledore access to the wards? Did he trust him that much. The old wizard hadn't asked anything of Raven and was willing to do what he asked. He hadn't forced him to go to the ministry or to name a guardian and truly seemed to want to protect him. Yes, he trusted Dumbledore enough for this. Maybe he would name him regent too.

"Ok" Raven finally replied.


A/N: Well.. its been even longer this time. Did you remember anything about the story? Did you give up on my ever updating? I am sorry for the slow updates. I could give a string of excuses but really i've just not been motivated to work on this lately. My other fic has recieved a bit more attention but even it has been hanging without an update for awhile. I will not abondon this stories though. They will be finished even if it takes awhile. I don't know about you but I really hate abondoned fics they always leave me wondering what happened next and wanting to read more even though i'll never be able to.

I hope you have enjoyed this fic so far and continue to have patience.

Well... questions, comments, ideas or simple motivation to update is always welcome. Please review.