I own none of the characters you are about to read about. Enjoy.
Sun. March 20th
"He is a muggle, not a wizard. He is a very skilled hand to hand fighter and does use an assortment of other weapons. I believe he could help us when we start tracking these horcruxes"
"With respect to your idea, Raven, I don't think it would be allowed for him to live here at Hogwarts as a muggle without attracting a lot of attention" replied Hermoine.
"Maybe he could stay down here then? There would have to be a way to get some food to him at meal time"
"Here, in the Chamber" asked Harry. "It's fine for a basilisk but not really fit for a person, and this is from someone that the Dursleys used to shove in a broom closet"
"There must be someplace" I continued.
"What about the Shrieking Shack" said Hermoine? "It's on the grounds, near the school with a secret passage as long as you can get past the tree. Although getting food out there without anyone noticing will be a problem".
"We could have one of the house elves bring some and just make sure they don't tell anyone" said Ron. "Dobby would be a good choice. He will do about anything Harry asks of him".
"What do you say, Harry? Will Dobby be willing and able to do that without attracting attention" I asked.
"Ummm, sure I guess" said Harry. "That will be Dobby's decision though and he deserves to know why we want him to do this for us"
"As long as he doesn't tell anyone else" I said.
"He won't" Harry said.
"How soon can you ask him then"
"Now, since we are going to tell him what we are doing, there is no harm in bringing him here" said Harry. "DOBBY" he then yells virtually in my ear.
"Yes, Mr. Harry Potter, sir. You called Dobby" replied a house elf who startled us all by appearing out of nowhere just to our side.
Ron was right and then some. This Dobby seemed ready to agree to anything Harry would ask even if it involved smothering himself in honey and running into a bear den while yelling lunch is served. Thankfully, we only asked him for something less suicidal and he agreed. Somehow, I got the feeling Robin wouldn't be as quick to agree.
Wednesday, March 23rd
I had written a message to the Headmaster on Monday to request a meeting with him during the week if he was available and could make the time. His reply arrived Wednesday morning at breakfast and indicated I could make my way to his office at half past seven that evening. I looked toward the teacher's table, caught his eye and gave a quick nod to him before returning to eating breakfast. Classes that day seemed to drag by enough for it to seem like the day was refusing to end. Finally, I was outside Dumbledore's office with the door opening before I could even knock.
"Miss Raven, please come in" Dumbledore called out.
"Thank you for agreeing to see me so quickly, Headmaster"
"Not at all, my dear. I could hardly ask you for the help you agreed to provide plus the inconvenience to your life and time away from your home and friends without doing all I could to support your efforts however I can"
"I appreciate that"
Dumbledore smiled. "I sense that your reason for requesting this meeting is something of an urgent nature. May I ask what it involves"
"Of course. I would like to bring another member of my team over here to assist us in the effort to defeat Voldemort. His name is Richard Grayson and he is a muggle, but he has a skill set that would be beneficial to our effort to find and destroy the horcruxes, although Hermoine Granger believes that a non- Hogwarts employed muggle wandering the grounds would draw a lot of attention. The idea is that he could take up residence in the Shrieking Shack and one of the house elves, Dobby, would be tasked with discreetly ensuring that he receives food at mealtime"
"You and Miss Granger are searching for the horcruxes" asked Dumbledore.
"Yes, with the assistance and Harry and his friend, Ron Weasley. We have set up in the Chamber of Secrets and, I provided what was needed for the spell and cast it. It should lead us to the location of the next horcrux on the 3rd of April After which, I will recast the spell for the next one and track them all down. Hermoine came up with the idea of using basilisk fangs to destroy them as well"
"I see. In that case, Miss Raven, it seems I must share some rather disturbing news. News that concerns Harry, Voldemort and will affect your ability to find and destroy the horcruxes. Before that, however, I will accept Mr. Grayson's presence and hope he will find the Shrieking Shack suitable, though certainly not the best accommodation we have"
"Thank you, Headmaster. Not too worry, Mr. Grayson will, I believe, be rather at home in a subterranean dwelling"
This was greeted with a raised eyebrow from Dumbledore although he didn't pursue the matter.
"Very good. As to the other bit of news, as I said it concerns Harry, Voldemort, and the horcruxes.
In the end, I found his ability to consider this news only disturbing to be even more disturbing. How were we ever going to destroy the things keeping our enemy alive, if one of us was one of those very things? In the end, the only answer which presented itself to me while I returned to the Gryffendor dormitory was both simple and sickening. Harry Potter would have to die.
While I considered this problem and tried to find ways around it, I also began considering potential gifts to bring my friends when I returned to see them at the tower. A broom would suit Robin more than Cyborg, even if both would no doubt prefer their own transportation, such as the R-cycle and T-car, but Robin would see how practical a broom could be. Cyborg loved the T-car and had to rebuild it often while having to deal with misplaced tools now and again. Perhaps I could find something that would make it easier for him to keep track of the tools. Beast Boy could use some deodorant and soap, but as an actual gift, something about animals that would help him increase his effectiveness. Unique animals with unusual abilities that aren't found in the muggle world. Starfire would probably like some kind of special or unusual make-up case.
After discussing this idea with Hermoine, she suggested I consult with Hagrid for Beast Boy's gift and maybe write to Ron's brothers to help with Robin and Starfire as Fred and George Weasley owned a shop in Diagon Alley which meant they could likely get me the things I had decided to get for Robin and Starfire. With regard to Cyborg's gift, she actually had no idea what to suggest. How to get Cyborg his gift occurred to me during the week and I made my way to the library that evening to see to it.
Hagrid had quite a few ideas for Beast Boy's gift, but I limited it to a phoenix, hippogryph and a picture he gave me of "Fluffy". A few days before my return to tower, a broom and an enchanted make-up kit arrived courtesy of Weasley Wizarding.
Saturday April 2nd
I teleported back to my room before walking to the common room, knowing full well that the internal systems would alert Cyborg that I was now inside the tower before I could get there. Needless to say, the rest of the team was waiting by the door. Now, it was seeing who would reach me first and insist
upon hugging. Beast Boy or Starfire. Starfire won.
"Friend Raven, you have returned. I have begun preparing the pudding of joyous reunions to celebrate"
"Yeah, yeah, Star, puddings and reunions. Rae-Rae is back and tofu still rules.
"If you two are done squeezing the life out of me, I still need to breathe here"
They let go and my next greeter settled with patting me on the back.
What's up, girl? Ignore the grass stain. He's obviously still asleep and dreaming about some bizarre place where there is actually tofu and people who like it"
I smiled back at Cyborg. "Obviously"
"Hey, Raven" said Robin, who settled for a handshake.
"Robin" I replied. "Before we start catching up, I have gifts for everyone"
Beast Boy received a photo album with a picture and a brief description of a phoenix, a hippogryff plus "Fluffy", the three-headed dog.
"After reading the description and seeing the picture, you should be able to change into them and make use of the abilities of each of them"
"Dude, awesome. Thanks, Raven"
Cyborg received a parchment that showed images of several tools that I knew he possessed and I had copied from a muggle studies book in the library. The parchment could be used to store the tools simply by touching them to the paper which would pull them into the parchment and produce an image and name of the tool after doing that. When needed, just touch the image of the tool you need and it will emerge from the parchment.
"With this, you can sort your tools any way you want and make sure Beast Boy doesn't go and mess them up so long as he doesn't find this"
Cyborg chuckled. "Thanks Raven. You're a lifesaver since, after that last time, I was ready to kill BB if he did that again, so you're now saving his life"
"In that case, perhaps I should have gotten you something else" I replied with a slight smirk.
"Dude, you two are just wrong for that"
Robin received a broom. All that was needed to use it was focus to make it respond to you. After telling him how to use it, I watched as Robin placed it on the ground and put his hand over it and said "up". As predicted, it practically jumped into his hand.
"Anything else I have to do now"
"Nope, other than get on, set your feet, and guide it with your leading hand to turn it. Then you can actually fly to the next scene of an attack and leave your cycle of death here"
"Gee, thanks, Raven"
Starfire was given a mirror, brush and make-up kit, all enchanted so that the mirror will show different types of looks it can create. When you find one you like, just touch the mirror while that one is showing and the brush and make-up kit will brush your hair and apply the make-up automatically in just the way you chose. After rushing to her room, she returned shortly with her hair brushed differently and slightly more makeup on than before.
"They dance just as Raven said while doing the make-up and hair. Thank you for this very generous gift, my friend"
"Your welcome, Star. Now, we can catch up on what has been going on here since I have been at Hogwarts"
I quickly told them that I had been basically attending school and looking for ways to undo the magic that had been keeping Voldemort alive and in power for a rather long time but had no success yet. They had been having encounters with Cinderblock, Control Freak, Dr. Light, Mad Mod, Plasmus(all of whom they had captured) and Red X(who escaped but went empty-handed). There had been no encounters with Slade and no leads to find him. There were the usual street thugs who committed assaults, muggings, thefts and caused general mayhem. After the stories were over, I then brought up the idea of having another member of the team join me at Hogwarts.
"Well, now that we are caught up, it was recently suggested that another member of the team could join me at Hogwarts to confront Voldemort"
The momentary silence was deafening.
"What, you think one of us should go to this school as well. You do realize we are short handed here already" said Robin.
"I know. I also know we have more than enough possible replacements to cover absences of any of us. I was even thinking that Jinx and Kid Flash would do as temporary replacements, then there would again be a team of five here while two of us are at Hogwarts"
"Hold up" said Cyborg, before Robin could respond. "You already have someone in mind, don't you?"
"As a matter of fact, yes" I replied. "It's Robin"
Once again, crickets chirped.
"Raven, I really can't spare the time to do this. I have for too much to do here"
"Nothing Cyborg can't handle as team leader, considering he has been one before with Titans East. I'm also sure Jinx and Kid Flash will prove capable as our fill-ins"
"Raven, I can't just leave"
"I see. Well, I guess since I would like to have someone with really good hand fighting skills and your not available, I could contact the east team and see if Speedy is available"
"Speedy, your kidding right"?
"Um, no. He's a good hand to hand fighter, you admitted that much, and he's got the bow for range which actually will help him counter their ability to cast spells with their wands. Plus, as a non-magic person, he'll be a complete surprise in a fight as the other side won't be expecting him to be any use"
"Speedy will, wait why would they think that"?
"Well, it's really non-magic users, like you and Speedy. Muggles, they are called. Voldemort really has only one use for them. They are beneath him. Second rate citizens. Fit really to be servants to magical people who themselves are under Voldemort's command. Slaves, basically. It's disturbing that they have such an outlook. Well, better make that call and see about getting a hold of Speedy"
Suddenly, I could feel the outrage Robin was experiencing as well as the rest of the team.
"Hold on. There's no need for that. I'll be packed within the hour"
"You'll need a sleeping bag" I replied as he left the room
Well, if going after his ego didn't work by saying Speedy would do just as well, there always good old fashioned moral outrage.
Cyborg contacted Jinx and Kid Flash and arranged for them to join up as replacements while Robin and I were gone so the team wouldn't be short-handed. A short while later, Robin and I made our goodbyes to the others and I then transported us to Hogwarts. After showing him how to get into the Shrieking Shack and introducing him to Dobby, I left him to get settled with a promise to bring the others by in the morning and returned to the castle.
Sunday April 3rd
Harry, Hermoine, Ron and I made our way to the Chamber after breakfast. The spell, as expected, was finally completed. After holding my hand over the cauldron and speaking the final few words needed, a paper floated out and I grabbed it to read to the others.
"Hogwarts, 7th floor, Diadem of Ravenclaw"
Well, now some good news. We knew what we were up against, had found the location of one of the things we were committed to finding and, even better, it was right here in the castle. Of course, this proves there is no such thing as a silver lining without an extremely dark cloud. I had spent considerable time already thinking about the news Dumbledore had given me and still had no idea how to work around it. The only way to destroy or remove a horcrux is to destroy anything that houses the horcrux. If that wasn't done, then any victory over Voldemort would be temporary at best. At this point, I could realistically only hope for two things. The first thing was that when or if the time came, Harry would know and understand that it had to be done. The second thing was that, if we reached that point, I would be able to do what had to be done. Would I be able to murder Harry Potter?