Aki- Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, pauses for breath sorry, sorry, and sorry for not updating in forever and ever, but I think this chapter turned out really well, because I have been writing a lot lately, mainly my original story, so I think my skill and style have improved, more dialogue, some of its funny and Raven says something very sardonically hilarious at the end of this chapter so…R&R!


Chapter 20

Conversations and Confrontations

Part 2

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Starfire, Robin, Cyborg, and some other

Gryffindors were hanging out in the Gryffindor common room. Harry and Hermione had

just reentered a few minutes ago. Harry was sitting alone in front of the fire. Robin, Star,

and Cyborg were chatting with Ginny and Ron. Hermione was working on some

homework, which was due in two weeks. The portrait whole sudden swung open to reveal

Beast Boy who was shortly followed by Raven. The sound of conversation ebbed, not to

complete silence, but enough for Raven to notice. Some stared, some glanced uneasily,

some looked worried, the incident at lunch was still clearly fresh on their minds. That

fevering argument and the explosion of the juice glass was to much to forget. Hermione

jumped up when she saw Raven and rushed over to her.

"Here, let me show you were you're going to sleep tonight," said Hermione,

commandeering Raven and leaning out of the prying eyes of the common room to the

privacy of the girls dormitory.

Raven looked around, observing the room slowly. It seemed like a cozy place

thought Raven, shuddering at her use of the word cozy even if only in her thoughts. It

was a curved room that appeared to have two extra canopy beds asymmetrically in with

the three others as if they did not belong, and did not.

"Those are yours and Starfire's beds," said Hermione pointing to the two out of

place beds. Raven merely nodded in answer before sitting down on the edge of one of

them. Hermione followed her lead. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Hermione suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" answered Raven, slightly put off by this sudden outburst.

"Are you okay?" repeated Hermione, "You kind of stormed out of lunch."

Raven gave her a look before replying, "Kind of or did?"

"Okay, you did storm out of lunch. So, are you okay? I hope Harry didn't upset

you too badly." Raven just shrugged in a noncommittal answer. "I mean, he's a good

person, he just doesn't trust people as easily as he once did. I can't blame him. I

wouldn't trust people either if I had had a live like his."

"A life like what?" asked Raven showing an unnatural curiosity.

"A life like…Harry's I guess. There is no other way to put it. To start his parents

where murdered when he was one year old…by Voldemort." Raven broke her eyes away

from Hermione's in thought and in shame. She noticed the pause before the bushy haired

girl had added that onto the sentence. Her tone was not accusatory, but rather curious. No

one had asked what happened while she was in the employ of the Dark Lord and she was

glad of it, but she knew it would come. Raven remained silent.

"He grew up, "continued Hermione after ample time to asses that Raven was not

going to answer, "For ten years, with his aunt and uncle, knowing nothing about them or

this world. Then he entered school here at age eleven and I swear there has been an

attempt on his life at least once every school year. So you see, people have tricked him,

lied to him, pretended to be his friends then betrayed him. He used to be so friendly and

innocent, but things change, he changed, but I am not sure if it is for better." A silence

ensued once more.

Raven had to comprehend what was being said, and realized that herself and

Harry were two of a kind. 'I don't trust people either,' thought Raven, 'I mean I trust the

Titans with my life, but not much else. Not my secrets or my feelings, I did not tell them

about the whole destined to destroy the world thing until I was practically forced to by

the situation.

"So please don't get to upset with him. Can you understand his situation?"

"I understand completely," answered Raven.

linelinelinelinelineline

Robin watched as Raven and Beast Boy reentered the common room and

Hermione whisking Raven away. Beast Boy came to sit with them.

"She okay?" asked Robin quietly.

Beast Boy nodded, "She just needed some time to chill."

"We all do, every now and then."

"Particularly Raven."

"Especially Raven."

"Amen." Beast Boy got involved I the conversation going on between Starfire,

Cyborg, Ginny, and Ron as Robin stole a glance at Harry sitting alone. He broke himself

free from the group and walked over to Harry.

He pointed to the seat next to him and asked, "Any one sitting their," even though

he knew very well no one was.

"No."

Robin sat down before asking Harry, "That fire is either really interesting or you

are thinking about something?"

Harry gave him a look as to say, 'Is this how all Americans start conversation?'

and replied, "Just thinking."

"Can I guess what?" questioned Robin

"Probably."

"Does it start with an 'R' and end with an 'Aven?'"

"Possibly."

"I'm not stupid-"

"I didn't say you were."

"- I can tell that there is some…friction between you and her."

Harry shrugged in answer.

"I just want to say that I have known her for years, and I don't care if you like her

or not, but you can trust her. I trust her with my life everyday and she has yet to fail me.

So, if you trust me, which I am pretty sure you do, you can trust her too. Raven's a hero,

and if the stories I've heard around here about you are true, so are you. And we hero's

need to stick together if we got any chance of stopping evil. You can trust her, she

wouldn't betray us, I swear."

Harry sat in silence for a moment before saying, "I know I can, I'm just finding it

hard to do."

linelinelinelinelineline

"When, my Lord!"

"Tomorrow night, you imbecile, I already said it once, don't make me repeat

myself again," said a tall, gray-skinned man with a snake-like face and red eyes.

"I heard you, Master, I was just shocked. So soon?"

"Are you questioning my plans?" asked a vindictive voice.

"No, Master," the other man replied swiftly, "I was just curious to

your…motives."

"Not that it is your business,"

"Of course not."

"But it will be perfect timing. We've attacked and failed and have been absent for

a few days, they have been lulled into a sense of safety, a foolish one. They'll never

expect it. We sneak in late at night, through the side entrance Avery noticed when we

were," Lord Voldemort paused for a moment before saying the next word with malice,

"fleeing. We hide, using their own tact against them, and wait till morning…," the Dark

Lord trailed off and an evil smirk lingered on his lips.

linelinelinelinelineline

Raven awoke with a start, sitting up in a scarlet curtained canopy bed. She looked

anxiously around the room, making sure she had not awoken any of the others. The three

Gryffindor girl and Starfire slept soundly.

Raven got quietly out of bed and closed the door to it slowly behind her while

wrapping a blanket she had stolen from bed around her to keep out the cold. She walked

down the stone steps to the common room, but their was already somebody their.

Harry turned around at the sounds of someone behind him. Raven stood their

nervously.

"S-sorry, I'll just…," she began to turn around to return upstairs, but Harry

stopped her.

"No, it's okay. Come, sit down," Harry said, trying to the let the conversation he

had with Hermione and Robin take some affect.

Raven slowly approached the coach where Harry was and sat on the far end. For a

moment they just stared at the dieing fire together.

"So I guess you couldn't sleep either?" said Rave conversationally.

"Yeah," answered Harry lightly, both obviously being very careful what they said,

"Bad dream. You?"

"Same," Raven simply, but her mind was reeling. It was a one in a million

chance. It was so unlikely, so crazy, but she had to know and so she asked.

"Dream…or vision?"

Harry turned his head to look at her curiously, "Why do you ask?"

"Because if it was the latter, I think we just had the same one."

"Voldemort?" asked Harry.

"And the attack?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Sounds like the one," Raven looked down and then leaned a little closer to Harry, "I know you do not like me much and, trust me, the feeling's mutual, but what are we going to do about this?"


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