A/N: THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE A BB/RAE PAIRING! I know it seemed like that when Beast Boy cried because Raven was hurt, but he was just concerned about his friend, and he was in a lot of pain. I'm not planning on having a Raven pairing at all, at least not with any of the Titans. If you have any ideas as to whom she can be paired with, tell me, but not if it is Robin, Beast Boy, or Cyborg! Starfire is going out with Robin, she makes him happy. Beast Boy needs someone to laugh at his jokes, and Cyborg is like a big brother to Raven. That needed to be said. Oh, and I'm going by the books, not the movie. (You'll understand once you reach the part I'm talking about.)
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or Harry Potter.
Chapter 7: A Kiss on Samhain
For the rest of September, the castle was peaceful. Nothing else threatened the not-so-normal lives of its inhabitants. October was much the same, except that Halloween decorations covered every inch of wall space. Jack-o-lanterns rested on the tables in the Great Hall, and the normal house banners were replaced by banners of orange and black.
Most of the students were content, as well. Kori and Dick often had midnight meetings in a deserted classroom. Mostly they talked and occasionally kissed during their late-night rendezvous. Dick was still close friends with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and he was very happy they had got bored of speculating about Raven long ago. Raven was still a loner. Gar was still annoying, and Vic was still a lady's man.
On Halloween night, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were telling Dick all about the wonders of the Halloween feast. They were about to exit the portrait hole, when Harry noticed someone sitting in an armchair in the corner of the room. It was Raven. She was reading an old, large, leather-bound book from the Hogwarts library. Harry walked over to her, and Dick cringed. He knew this was a bad time of year for Raven. There was a reason so many cultures from the Druids to the Aztecs had chosen this time to celebrate the dead.
"Hey, Raven," Harry said, standing in front of the dark girl. "Do you want to come down to the feast with us?"
Without looking up from her book, Raven said, "I'm not going to the feast."
Harry looked surprised, though Dick didn't. "Why not?"
Raven sighed and looked into Harry's bright green eyes with her own indigo ones. "I've never really been a fan of Samhain."
Ron stepped forward looking extremely confused. "What are you talking about? What's Samhain?"
Raven gave Ron her you're-such-an-idiot look. Ron was still confused. Thankfully Hermione stepped in. "Oh, Ron, don't you know anything?" Ron turned to the girl next to him. She explained, "Halloween started out as a Druid holiday called Samhain."
"Oh," now Ron understood. The entire group looked relieved. "Well, why don't you like it?"
Ron was now really starting to get on her nerves. "You don't need to know that." Raven stood and pushed past Ron. She then went up to the girl's dormitory to meditate. The truth was Samhain was the day that the veil between the worlds was thinnest, so Raven could feel beings all around her. It made her daemon side very hard to control.
After Raven left, Dick curbed anyone from following Raven by putting on a fake smile and suggesting, "Let's go on down to the feast." The others agreed.
The feast was amazing. Pumpkin juice was in every glass, and all kinds of Halloween treats covered the plates: from bread baked in a pumpkin-shaped pan to puddings a swirl of black and orange. All the students were having a great time, that is, all except one.
Raven was floating several feet above her bed, deep in meditation. She chanted her mantra and suppressed the evil side so desperately trying to escape. Raven was completely relaxed until her breath was knocked out of her as if someone had kicked her in the chest. A feeling of fear overwhelmed her. Incoherent images flashed before her eyes, nauseating her. She saw glimpses of a black hoods and rotting flesh. A raspy, rattling noise filled her ears. It was what a corpse would sound like if it tried to fill its decaying lungs with breath. Finally, the vision was over. Raven, drenched in sweat, sat on her bed and tried to steady her breathing. She quickly leaned over the side of the bed as bile rose in her throat. After Raven's stomach was empty, she laid back on her bed, trying to decipher what she saw. She didn't really need to though. She knew something evil was coming, and she needed to stop it. Once her stomach had settled and her breath evened, Raven telepathically called to her friends. She told them something was coming, and that she would meet them by the lake. Raven changed into her Titans costume and teleported to the grounds.
Harry, Hermione, and Dick were all laughing at a particularly funny prank Ginny had played on Ron. His entire face was now orange, though it was quickly subsiding. Ron glared at his younger sister. Suddenly, Dick stopped laughing. Ron turned to him, and saw a look of concern cross his friend's face. Dick spoke, "I'll be right back." He jumped up from the table and ran out of the Great Hall.
Lupin was sipping his pumpkin juice when he saw Richard Grayson run out of the Great Hall. Looking around the rest of the room, he saw Kori Anders, Garfield Logan, and Victor Stone also run into the corridor outside the large doors. Lupin heard a large chair scraping against the floor to his right. Turning, he saw Hagrid leave through the teacher's entrance to the Great Hall. Lupin was now extremely curious and followed Hagrid out.
After Dick's departure, Harry noticed three other students run out as well. Oddly enough, they were all transfer students. Harry pointed this out to Ron and Hermione. Hermione said that she saw Hagrid and Lupin also leave the Great Hall. Now the trio knew something was up. They too left the feast.
Outside the teacher's door, Lupin called to Hagrid. Hagrid turned sheepishly. "What's going on Hagrid?" Lupin asked.
"Um, well," Hagrid stammered not really sure what to tell him.
"It's alright. I know about the Titans." Hagrid looked relieved and surprised. Lupin went on, "Is something going on?"
"No idea. I saw them leave and thought that maybe… But I don't know where they went."
Lupin thought for a second, and then said, "Let's go to the Entrance Hall, maybe we'll find someone who saw where they went."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked around the Entrance Hall for any sign of their friend or the others. The students were gone, but after a few seconds they saw Hagrid and Lupin turning the corner.
"Professor!" Hermione said, running up to Lupin.
"Hermione, have you seen Richard, Victor, Kori, Garfield, or Raven," Lupin asked looking hopeful.
Hermione answered, "Raven didn't come to the feast, but Dick, Vic, Kori, and Gar all ran out just now."
Lupin's hopeful expression faded. "I know."
Hagrid came up behind him. "If they went to fight something, they would be outside to face it before it got to the castle. We should look out there first."
Lupin nodded.
Harry walked up beside Hermione. "What you talking about? What would they fight?"
Lupin headed for the large entrance doors, disregarding Harry's questions.
Hagrid turned to the three confused teenagers. "We'll explain later." Hagrid then followed Lupin. The trio ran to catch up with the adults.
Robin ran out of the castle at top speed, only stopping for a second to take off his robes revealing his costume underneath and slip on his mask. The entire team had started to wear their costumes under their robes at Beast Boy's suggestion. When Robin reached the lake, he found the rest of the team there as well. Starfire and Beast Boy could fly there, and Cyborg didn't need to stop to take off his robes, so they arrived first. When Raven had finished turning Cyborg back to normal, Robin asked, "What's coming?" At those words, the lake next to the group began to freeze. The air became incredibly cold. Starfire hugged her bare stomach to keep warm. A particularly cold breeze rushed past the Titans, freezing their blood. They searched for the source of the icy wind, and saw the horrors that produced it. Five figures in tattered black cloaks glided toward the Titans. Hoods created dark caves for the creatures' heads to hide. Only their hands were visible: long hands made of bone and held with a few decaying tendons. As the figures approached, an overwhelming feeling of sadness came upon the Titans. Images flashed in front of their eyes. Memories flooded their consciousnesses. Cyborg fell to his knees, reliving his accident and his encounters with Brother Blood. Starfire saw Robin, her Robin, wearing Slade's apprentice costume. She saw the man she loved blast her away with new gadgets Slade had given him. Robin saw his parents' deaths. He saw Starfire suffer at Slade's hands. He saw their team beaten, their team defeated. He saw himself attack Starfire. Beast Boy saw the boating accident that killed his parents. He saw Terra attack him. He saw Terra turn to stone.
Raven, though, saw the worst things. She saw Azarath, the once beautiful community, in ruins, burned to the ground. She saw Dr. Light cower before her frightening image. Red marks burned on her skin. She could feel incredible pain like she was being ripped apart as she became the portal. She saw her father. She heard voices, "Skies will burn. Flesh will become stone. The sun will set on your world never to rise again." She saw her friends fighting her father. "This is the world you were destined to create." She saw the stone statues that were once the citizens of Jump City. "The gem was born of evil's fire." Fire. "The gem shall be his portal." Stone. "He comes to claim. He comes to sire." Death. "The end of all things mortal."
"Noooooooooo!"
"Noooooooooo!" The group of five heard a terrible, pain and fear-filled scream come from across the lake. They ran to the area. There they saw a horrific sight. At least ten menacing, hooded creatures were standing next to the unconscious bodies of four teens.
"Dementors," Harry whispered. His breath created a tendril of white fog. Harry gasped as he got closer and saw that the foremost dementor was holding someone in a long blue cloak. The dementor looked as though it was pressing its face against the person, but Harry knew better. It was performing the kiss. It was sucking the soul out of the person it held. "Professor Lupin," Harry pleaded, "we have to do something."
In a quiet voice Lupin said, "It's too late Harry." The limp body of the now soulless person fell to the ground at the dementor's feet.
"Professor!" Harry yelled. Tears fell from his eyes. The person in the blue cloak was now an empty shell, a void, a vacant hole with only madness to occupy it. Harry glared at the dementors, ready to attack them if they took one step toward the other bodies, but to his surprise the dementors were retreating. Their dark forms were floating away into the mist. Suddenly, though, the dementor that had performed the kiss stopped. It became to convulse violently, its form being thrown back and forth. The other dementors didn't seem to notice until a bright light blinded everyone in the vicinity. When the light subsided a bit, everyone could see that the dementor was gone. In its place was a large, ethereal form: a glowing white bird. The bird rose majestically and spread its enormous wings. The feelings of sadness and doubt vacated the people affected by the dementors. Those feelings were banished and replaced by welcomed senses of euphoria.
Swooping down on the remaining dementors, the bird covered the dark creatures. When the bird rose again, the dementors were gone. It turned and melted into the unconscious form of the person in the blue cloak. The bright light dissipated leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and Lupin with identical feelings of contentment.
The other unconscious bodies began to stir. Harry recognized the spiky black hair instantly.
"Dick!" he called, running over to his friend. Robin looked up and grimaced at his friend's confused face. Ron and Hermione quickly followed Harry. Professor Lupin and Hagrid walked past them all to the person in the blue cloak. Lupin turned the person over. Hermione gasped: it was Raven. A man that looked extraordinarily like Vic ran to her.
"Raven," he whispered. A green boy came to stand beside him.
"Please," a girl in a purple mini-skirt, high boots, and a sleeveless t-shirt began, "what were those things that brought the feelings of misery and woe?" Harry realized that the girl was Kori Anders.
Lupin answered her question, "Those were dementors." Lupin stood and Hagrid picked up Raven, cradling her like a baby. Hagrid began to cry.
Starfire/Kori was now very concerned. "What is wrong with friend Raven?"
Lupin turned to her and sighed. "They performed the kiss."
"But Professor," Harry interjected, "what was that white thing?"
"I don't know."
Hermione looked confused for once. "What's going on?"
"Com' on," Hagrid said beginning to walk to his hut. He was still holding Raven. The rest of the large group followed him.
Starfire looked at Robin and said, "Is 'the kiss' not a good thing? Have we not performed 'the kiss'?"
Robin blushed, but he still looked worried. "I think this is different, Star."
The rest of the walk to Hagrid's hut was quiet, though everyone's minds were buzzing with questions.
Hagrid was the first to enter his hut followed by Lupin. Hagrid crossed the tiny room and laid Raven down on his enormous bed. Tears rolled down his face as he tucked the covers around her.
"What happened to her!" demanded Cyborg.
"The dementors performed the kiss, in other words, they sucked out her soul," Lupin said simply.
Starfire gasped and buried her teary face in Robin's chest. Robin stroked her hair habitually.
"But what about that white thing that destroyed the dementors?" Harry asked again.
Beast Boy's ears twitched. "A white thing? What do you mean?"
"It looked like a giant white bird. It destroyed the dementors and then went into Raven."
"Could that have been Raven's soul," Hermione inquired.
Lupin thought. "It is possible, but I've never heard of that happening before. In fact I've never heard of something killing a dementor before either. We won't know if she has a soul until she wakes up."
"So there's hope?" asked Starfire looking up.
Robin smiled at the beautiful alien and whispered, "There's always hope." At that moment, Raven's eyelids trembled. Cyborg was the first to notice.
"Raven!" he yelled pushing Lupin out of the way and running to her bedside. Everyone looked at Raven. Slowly she lifted her heavy lids and blinked a few times.
Lupin pushed to the front. "Raven," he said, "can you hear me?" She nodded once. "Do you know where you are?"
Raven opened her mouth to try to talk. She whispered, "Hagrid's?"
Lupin smiled and nodded vigorously. Turning to the group huddled around him, he said, "She seems okay." The group gave a collective sigh.
"What happened," she asked, attempting to sit up.
"You were attacked by dementors," someone near the back of the group said.
"They were the evil force I felt?" Raven thought back to the images she saw before she passed out beside the lake and shuddered.
Hagrid, his tearstained face hastily cleaned, stood. "Let me put on some tea."
Now that he knew Raven was okay, Ron exclaimed, "Will someone please explain to me why Dick's in tights and a mask!" Raven, now fully sitting up, snickered. Lupin covered his mouth to stifle his laugh. Starfire looked confused, but Beast Boy and Cyborg were rolling on the floor laughing hysterically. The mood had changed considerably with Raven the news that Raven was alright.
Robin looked angry. "They're not tights," he said through gritted teeth.
Ron threw up his hands. "Sorry, man."
Lupin got to his feet in case he had to hold back Robin. "You probably should explain everything to them."
"Wait," said Raven, "how do you know."
Beast Boy looked sheepish and looked to the floor. "My bad."
Raven rolled her eyes. "I should have known."
Carrying a large platter covered with steaming tea cups, Hagrid said, "Let's all have tea while we explain." Raven made to get out of the enormous bed, but Hagrid put a firm hand on her shoulder. "You stay right there missy. You need to rest." Hagrid then pushed a large cup of tea into her hands and went to the rest of the group to finish passing out the tea.
When the entire group had their tea and were seated in chairs pulled around the bed Raven was in, Harry said, "Now will someone explain?"
Robin sighed; this was going to be hard. "Okay, um, we are the Teen Titans. We fight crime in Jump City, California. Um- Dumbledore asked us here do deal with a daemon in the Forbidden Forest."
"A daemon!" Hermione yelled, almost spilling her tea as she jumped up.
Robin looked nervous. "Uh, yeah. We defeated the daemon. Do you remember the lights above the Forbidden Forest the first weekend of term?"
"That was you," Ron asked incredulously.
"Yes! I created the lights of green." One guess as to who said that.
Hermione was still excited, though she had sat down, "A daemon though! They're very rare in this dimension and very evil." Robin sneaked a looked at Raven. She remained emotionless as she sipped her tea.
Beast Boy frowned. "Not all daemons are evil, you know! Some are actually good."
Hermione gasped, "How do you know that? How many have you seen?" Hermione was practically in his face, ready to crack open his head and absorb his knowledge on the obscure subject of daemons.
Harry pushed his friend back into her seat, "Whoa, calm down, Hermione. You can pick his brain later." Hermione reluctantly sat again.
Harry turned back to Robin. "So you guys are like wizards that fight crime."
Robin smirked. "Actually, we're muggles."
"Muggles!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione chorused.
"Yeah, we have other powers. I was trained by the best in martial arts and I design my own weapons." Robin pulled out a bird-o-rang to show the eager teens. "I'm called Robin, though Richard Grayson is my real name." Robin turned to indicate Starfire. "This is Starfire. Her real name is Koriand'r; she's an alien from the planet Tamaran." Starfire waved happily. "This is Cyborg."
"He's a cyborg?" Hermione asked. Her eyes couldn't get any larger.
"Yeah," said Cyborg. "After an accident, my father rebuilt me using cybernetic parts."
"Huh?" Ron's mouth was hanging open. He was completely lost.
Harry tried to explain, "He was rebuilt using muggle electronics."
Robin went on, "This is Beast Boy, real name Garfield Logan. He's a shapeshifter. He can turn into any animal at will."
"How?"
"There was this disease, and the cure was really weird." Beast Boy finished, and Hermione waited for more by way of explanation.
Raven spoke up, "Beast Boy doesn't even understand. That's the best explanation you're going to get."
Robin finished, "And this is Raven."
"How did you destroy those dementors and keep her soul? What other stuff can you do?" Harry asked.
"Dude, she can do a lot. There was this time when-" a band of black energy covered Beast Boy's mouth, stopping his from disclosing any secrets.
Harry laughed. "That's useful."
"How did you do that? Are you an alien too?"
Raven suddenly looked uneasy and looked down at her tea. "They'll find out eventually, Raven." Robin put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "You should tell them now."
She sighed; she knew he was right. In a castle full of wizards, something was bound to happen that would reveal her secret. "I'm half-daemon." Raven turned away and stared at the wall.
"That's why Gar- Beast Boy said not all daemons were evil," Lupin hypothesized.
"Yeah," said the changeling. "Raven isn't evil. Her father was, but she destroyed him." Raven glared at the green loud-mouth.
Lupin did not seem surprised. "Well, that explains a lot. Her soul is part daemon; of course, the dementor couldn't handle it."
"This is weird," said Hermione. "Did the dementors only go after you because you're half-daemon?"
"The dementors only went after me?" Raven asked.
"Yeah, after they performed the kiss on you, they started to leave."
"Why would they do that?" Raven asked no one in particular.
"So it's not because you're half-daemon?" Now Hermione was confused.
"No."
"They must have had a reason for leaving without performing the kiss on anyone else. I mean, there were four other unconscious people there," Harry added.
"Maybe they saw us coming and were scared," Ron suggested.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Please, Ron. There were ten dementors and only five of us. They wouldn't have run away."
"Maybe they had orders to only go after Raven," said Cyborg.
"What good would that do? Who would want to hurt Raven?" asked Harry.
"We have many enemies," Raven answered, "but none of our enemies would have enough power to control a dementor."
Robin spoke, "But someone who had enough power to control a Macabrel daemon would."
"What are you talking about?" Beast Boy asked. Raven explained the Macabrel daemon and how it can be controlled to the group in Hagrid's hut.
"So something's going down," said Cyborg. "Something big."
"And someone thinks that maybe Raven can stop it." Ron answered the ideas with a loud yawn. Hagrid looked at the clock and saw that it was one in the morning.
"It's late. We should all go to bed."
"Hagrid's right," said Lupin. "We won't figure out what's going on if we're tired."
"Someone should tell Dumbledore what happened," said Harry.
"I'll tell him in the morning," Lupin responded.
The teens all surrendered to the notion of sleep. Robin, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, helped Raven stand and return to the castle. Hermione helped her get to the girl's dormitory. Starfire and Beast Boy flew to their own dormitories, and Cyborg walked to his. Lupin finished his tea with Hagrid before returning to the castle.
A/N: Sorry this was so boring. The next chapter will have more action, and the first quidditch game. And the stuff about the origin of Halloween is all true! Please review.