DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of this…well, only Raven.
A/N: I know this is short but see the author's note for ch. 22 of promises of tomorrow and you'll see why I had to hurry.
Chapter 22: Starting the Battle
"My lord," Raven called out as she jogged into the dark room. All heads turned to look at her.
"Raven," Lucius drawled, "what a pleasant surprise."
Raven glared at him and hissed, "Save it Malfoy, I'm not here to see you."
"Hello Raven," Voldemort interrupted before a fight could break out. He stepped closer to her. "What can I do for you?"
"Just thought you would like to know that Dumbledore isn't at Hogwarts at the moment," she informed him casually, keeping her mind blank as she felt him probing her thoughts.
Everyone stared incredulously at her. Surely the scouts would have seen him…
"How do you know that?" Voldemort asked.
"My sources in London informed me that they saw him arrive last night. He's trying to go unnoticed, of course, but he was seen. Apparently, he went to talk to the aurors. He'll be traveling back late tonight under the cover of darkness."
Raven could feel Voldemort inside her mind again. She erased all treacherous thoughts from her mind and left only the information she had just told him. A little while later, she felt him pull out.
"My lord! My lord!" Two hooded figures ran into the room shouting.
"What?" Voldemort hissed. He did not like being interrupted.
"We just saw Dumbledore!" The first figure said.
"He's in muggle…," the second one started.
"London," Voldemort finished, not taking his gaze off Raven.
"Yes, my lord," the figures bowed and moved back.
"Well Raven," Lucius purred, "it looks as if you have better sources than the Dark Lord."
"What can I say?" Raven smiled mockingly. "It pays to be a girl."
"It would appear so," Voldemort drawled. His red eyes held contact with her ebony ones. "Lucius," he said not looking at the blond man, "prepare the Death Eaters. We will attack Hogwarts before Dumbledore returns."
"Yes, my lord," Lucius bowed.
He left the room with the Death Eaters that confirmed Dumbledore's location in his wake.
"Are you coming with us?" Voldemort asked Raven.
"No," Raven said firmly, allowing no room for arguments, "I'm just the messenger."
Voldemort smiled at her. Not many people would be unwilling to deny him to his face but then, Raven was different from everyone.
"Okay then, I'll inform you after we take the castle. I'll expect you there," he informed her, making it know that she wasn't getting out of it.
"Yes, my lord," Raven bowed. "Till then," she said as she walked out of the room.
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"Do you think that she convinced them?" Hermione asked Dumbledore.
"Miss Granger, I find it very hard to guess what Raven can or can't do," Dumbledore answered looking out into the horizon where the sun was low in the sky.
"What do you mean sir?"
"It all depends on whether she wants to convince them or not. She convinced us that she was good. The only question now is: is she going to switch sides?"
Hermione nodded. The same question had been racing through her head since she had taken Raven to see Dumbledore. She was scared of the answer.
A movement at the edge of the forest caught her eye. "Sir…"
"Yes, I see that too. It appears that they are going to attack before dusk."
He turned towards McGonagall and Snape. "Get everyone ready to fight." He looked back out to the forest. "This is the start of the war."
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Sorry so short. Read the A/N at the bottom of PoT to get the reason.
Please review and thanks for reading
Amaya
