Beast Boy lay Raven's limp form down on the hospital bed while the others looked on in concern. Raven's breathing was ragged and coming in short gasps and her skin portrayed a more deathly pale look than normal.
"Will she be ok?" Starfire asked looking scared.
Raven coughed and a thin trickle of blood ran down the corner of her mouth. At the harsh sound of her cough in the otherwise silent room, Starfire jumped and grabbed Robin's hand squeezing it tightly. Robin went a deep shade of pink as she clung to him, but he didn't really seem to mind.
Madam Pomfrey came over after finishing with the professor and pushed them out of the way so she could look at Raven. She flicked her wand and Raven's uniform was replaced with a hospital gown. After examining Raven in silence for several minutes she turned toward the four teens and the headmaster.
"She has three broken ribs, and a pierced lung. Aside from multiple bruises, she is otherwise fine. The ribs I can mend easily, but the lung will take a little longer."
The Titans nodded as she fixed the ribs and then left to get something from her office. Dumbledore followed her to the door and left the hospital wing to give the Titans some privacy.
Starfire finally let go of Robin's hand, only to grab it again as she stared at Raven. The Titans had seen Raven heal people, but they had never seen the healing actually take place. It was usually a sprained arm or something that was hidden by a sleeve, but as they watched, the bruises that were visible on her arms and legs began to lighten and return to the bland, grayish color of her skin. Her breath also became less shallow and more consistent, and after several minutes had passed she looked back to normal, except for the fact that she was wearing a hospital gown that really didn't suit her at all.
"Out of my way, I need to give her some medicine." Madam Pomfrey said as she walked back into the room. She elbowed the Titans out of the way and then stopped as she got a good look at Raven.
"I don't think she needs the medicine anymore." Cyborg said helpfully after she had been standing there for about five minutes.
To the surprise of all the Titans, Madam Pomfrey rounded on him, her face going red.
"How dare you!" She exclaimed causing the Titans to blink in confusion. "You're not certified, you could of killed her, and more importantly, YOU STOLE MY JOB!"
"We didn't-" Robin started.
"I don't want to hear it!" She screamed.
"But-" Beast Boy tried to say.
"That's it! I'm letting Dumbledore know about this!" She yelled before storming off and slamming the door behind her.
"Ok, major over reaction there." Cyborg said as the four Titans starred at the vibrating door.
The sound of something slamming loudly woke Raven from her comatose state. She didn't feel pain but her energy was very low, she must have used the majority of her energy remaining to heal herself while she was out cold. Normally she would have sent her mind out probing to see where she was in a situation like this, but at the moment she didn't have the power. Instead she opened her eyes and let them adjust to the light. The other Titans had their backs to her seemingly staring at a blank door.
Raven looked down at herself and blinked once, then twice, finally she said, "Someone better give me back my clothes, NOW!"
The other Titans jumped at the sound of her voice and they turned around to see her glaring at them, "Pink? I'm wearing pink?" she said in a soft, murderous voice. The Titans gulped and started inching for the door, Raven could be more deadly in her human form than she ever was in her demon form.
"It wasn't us!"
"We didn't do it!"
"Please don't kill us!"
The voices of three Titans filled the room as they all clamored out pleas and renounced having any part in it. The only one yet to pronounce his innocence was Beast Boy. Beast Boy was rolling on the floor laughing with tears streaming down his face.
"You look, haha, great in pink, haha, what I wouldn't do for a camera right now, hehe, Raven wearing pink, hoho, I think I'll die of laughing." Beast Boy then found that his last statement to be coming true as the ground rushed quickly to meet him. Raven it seems, still had enough power left to throw him out the window, no mater how bad things were, she always made sure she had enough power for that.
Later that day Ron, Harry, and Hermione walked into Professor Dumbledore's office in response to his summons. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg were also there. Raven was still building her energy back up with meditation, and Beast Boy was still recovering. When he was thrown out of the window, he had accidentally turned into a gorilla instead of a bird, and as there were no trees under him, you can imagine what followed.
Dumbledore smiled at the three approaching Gryfindors. "I suspect you want some answers, so feel free to ask whatever you like."
Hermione spoke up first, her question surprising everyone but Dumbledore who had expected her to ask something of the kind.
"Why are we the only one's here? What about Malfoy and some of their other friends?"
"Ah you see, this doesn't concern them as much as the three of you. Ask another question." Dumbledore replied.
"Who are you and why are you here?" Harry addressed the question to the three Titans.
Robin stepped forward to answer the question, "We are the Teen Titans, a group of superheroes. Dumbledore asked us to come here to help protect you and the school against Voldemort."
"That still doesn't really explain who you are." Ron pointed out.
Robin was about to answer when Cyborg pushed him out of the way. A panel on his chest flipped over to show a movie screen. Robin's picture appeared first and Cyborg began to explain as the video showed different clips of Robin. The video rolled on to show himself, Starfire, and Beast Boy. Cyborg talked about each different member of the team as Harry, Ron, and Hermione started at the screen memorized as the different Titan's showed off their skills. The screen went blank after showing four of the five Titans.
"I don't have one of Raven unfortunately, she wouldn't let me make one." Cyborg said.
"I don't remember you asking." Robin said, trying to sound gruff, but not doing it very well. Anyone could tell that he was pleased with his performance (especially because it had earned him praise from Starfire).
"Well Raven sensed me lurking around and kind of threatened to go into my head if I didn't tell her what I was doing." Cyborg said sheepishly.
Robin and Starfire started laughing as a picture filled their minds of the huge form of Cyborg being bullied by Raven who was quite small by comparison. They forgot that the same had happened to them on many occasions, one of which was just hours before in the hospital wing.
"Go into your mind?" Hermione asked saving Cyborg from further humiliation.
Cyborg cleared his throat and began to speak again, " Yes, Raven as you already know is half demon, and one of her powers includes mind reading, and she can also control the minds of others to some degree."
Cyborg continued to speak and no one noticed another figure crouching in the room.
Malfoy had followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione to Dumledore's office and had managed to hide himself in the shadows and sneak into the room. He now sat listening with interest as the Cyborg described the aspects of Raven's powers.
"She can also levitate, move things with a dark, shadow like energy, walk through walls, open portals, and teleport. Her teleportation works something like moving through shadows."
Robin cut Cyborg off before he started to talk about some of her other powers like her visions of the future and her ability to turn into a large shadow version of her namesake, "The point is, Raven is probably the most powerful of the Teen Titans, but she also has evil lurking inside of her. She meditates constantly to keep her emotions in control so that something like what happened in the Defense class won't happen. Unfortunately the strain of school wore her down a little, and when the professor mentioned her father and started going on about demons being evil, she lost control. The Raven you know is a good person, it's her demon half you have to fear, fortunately Raven keeps tight control and has only lost control three or four times since we've known her."
Malfoy listened intently, if Raven was as powerful as they said she was, she could be very useful toward Voldemort. All they had to do was make her lose control and give her evil half full rain, 'And hope she doesn't kill us.' He added silently. If she turned, the other Titans might follow, they would greatly strengthen Voldemort's army. He would have to ask his father about it. 'Not your father, a fake, your real father wouldn't want you to do it!' a voice yelled in his mind. Malfoy quickly pushed the thought away, ever since the incident on the Quiddich field he had been having doubts about what he should do. He tried to push them away but they kept coming back, reminding him of the life he used to have, a life where he wasn't feared.
"Let's go to Hagrid's." Harry said as they left Dumbledore's office, they didn't see the figure that slipped past them and into the hallway. Hermione and Ron agreed and the three of them quickly made their way to the little hut sitting on the grounds. Having no more questions, they had left the three Titans after Robin had finished talking about Raven.
"Come in." Hagrid's voice called through the door. When the three entered they found him placing a plate of rock cakes on the table. Grimacing inwardly, they sat down at the table as Hagrid grabbed the tea pot.
"I heard what happened with your friend, Raven." He said in his loud, gruff voice.
"Not our friend." Harry said instantly, portraying how he really felt about the situation. "I mean, she was our friend, but now? I just don't know." He added when Hagrid looked at him.
"Why not? Just because you found out something new about her doesn't mean she's not your friend anymore." Hagrid said taking a bite of a rock cake.
"But Hagrid, she's a demon! Half demon anyway, and Robin even said she was evil." Harry argued, his face showing the conflict in his mind.
"And you should have heard what the professor was saying about Demons, I've read about them, and he was telling the truth about how terrible they are." Hermione said in a soft voice. "I've read about Trigon, her father too. The stuff that he did…" Hermione shuddered at the thought.
"But Raven isn't her father." Ron said causing the others to look at him in surprise. After all, Ron had been the one to worry the most before they found out what she was. "I made a mistake before, when we found out about Hagrid being a half giant. I was doubtful of him at first, but then I realized it didn't mater. That night when we asked her if she was going on the Hogsmead visit I realized I was doing the same thing to her, so I swore not to let that happen again. It doesn't mater to me that she's half demon, she's our friend." Ron looked down, his face taking on a slight pinkish tint as the other's looked at him, sitting in silence and soaking in his words.
The moment was ruined when Hagrid clapped him on the back causing Ron to topple from his chair. "I never knew you had it in ya." He said blowing his nose.
Harry and Hermione couldn't help themselves as they laughed, freeing themselves from the tension hanging in the air, feeling it slip away.
Harry stood up, "Then what are we waiting for, let's we go see her." He said as a grin spread across his face. Hermione and Ron followed him out, both looking much the same as him.
"They grow up so fast." Hagrid said in a teary voice as he watched them climb up the hill, he blew his nose again and reentered his hut.
Beast Boy groaned and sat up. Memories flashed in front of his eyes and he screamed in a high pitch, girlishly way. He turned into a bird and quickly started flapping.
"That would have helped you about five hours ago." A wry, sarcastic voice said from his left.
Beast Boy looked down and realized where he way. He turned into his human form and started to say, 'I was just practicing.' But he never got the chance as he fell the seven feet to the floor.
"If you wanted to fall, you should have at least moved back over your bed." Raven's voice barely made it into his mind as it had to come past the little dancing tofu-dogs first.
"I was just trying to toughen myself up." Beast Boy said in a somewhat slurred voice as he got shakily to his feet and flopped back down on his bed.
"Sure." was Raven's reply.
When the tofu-dogs vanished Beast Boy saw Raven sitting over the bed next to his. She was levitating several feet over her bed, meditating.
Beast Boy starred at her for several minutes, listing to her voice as she spoke her familiar chant. Most people found her voice hard and abrasive, but to Beast Boy it held a type of music. He shook his as Raven looked at him again and quickly thought about something else, hoping that Raven wouldn't suddenly decide to read his mind.
"Do you want something?" She asked, the music was gone, replaced by her usual sharp tongue.
"Just wondering how Harry, Ron, and Hermione will react." He responded trying hard to keep his voice from squeaking.
"They were in here while you were sleeping, snoring actually." Raven responded.
"I'll work on that." Beast Boy said hurriedly, 'How the hell are you supposed to work on not snoring?' a voice asked in his mind.
"They wanted to make sure I was ok, so I think that answers the question. I finally got them to go away and leave me alone, and you wake up."
"I'll work on that too." Beast Boy answered. 'I'm not even going to ask.' The same voice said before it thankfully, went away.
Beast Boy continued to watch Raven out the corner of his eye after she resumed her meditation. He knew she didn't mean that, but that's how she had to be, 'All because of Trigon-' he thought angrily but stopped abruptly as Raven's breathing quickened slightly. Being as close to her as he was, even thinking his name could be dangerous.
Raven felt a lurch inside of her as Beast Boy thought the name, but she quickly pushed it away. She had to stay focused, in control, emotionless. She had to stay empty so her destiny would never come to pass.
She lowered herself down unto her bed and drifted into sleep, craving rest and relaxation. She never got any, her dreams were haunted with shadowed versions of her father, flitting into existence and then disappearing to taunt her from another angle. It was midnight when she was finally released from her sleeping hell as she awoke sitting up and gasping for breath. The water bottle by her side cracked bringing her fully into reality.
Quickly she resumed her mediation. 'Focused, control, emotionless.' she told herself, then unable to stop herself, she added the thing she hated her father most for, 'Alone.'
YAY! Another chapter done!
Sorry, I just feel happy because I haven't updated in awhile and now I am. Well actually just a week, but still, that counts as awhile.
Thank you to all my lovely reviewers, I live to worship thee, so please give me more reviews if you want your worship level upped, hehe.
Please, like always tell me any suggestions you might have, and just remember, just because I don't use them right away doesn't mean I won't.
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