Harry Potter And So It Begins

Harry woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon and fresh flowers. Sitting up, he put on his glasses and saw his breakfast waiting for him on the small table in the room. A guy could get used to this. He thought with a smile. After a quick shower and good meal he read the note:

Harry,

Come to the back yard when you're finished.

Raven

Harry ate and then went to the back yard. He found Raven and the others waiting for him. Harry noticed that Raven's appearance had changed and he looked nothing like he had the night before. He was wearing black military fatigues; tank top and combat boots. What caught his attention were Raven's short brown hair and warm amber eyes.

"Alright, follow me and we'll get started." Raven said. He led them down a path towards a small cottage beside a pond. As they walked, Harry didn't even notice that Charlie and the other teens were staying a few steps behind him and Raven. As they approached the cottage Raven called back to Charlie, "You got every thing covered back there?"

Charlie placed a restraining hand on his brother and sister's shoulders as he called back. "I've got them."

Before anyone could say or do anything else, Raven grabbed Harry's shirt and dragged him to the cottage. Charlie held his siblings back and told Hermione to wait as Raven slammed Harry against the cottage.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Raven. Raven grabbed hold of Harry's throat making it hard for Harry to breath. His eyes were filled with a cold fury as he stared at Harry. "Hurts doesn't it?" Raven asked as his appearance changed right before Harry's eyes. He once again looked like Sirius, as his ice blue eyes stared at Harry. "It hurts being reminded of the dead and knowing that there was nothing you could have done to save them. Sirius, Cedric and your parents all died and you were powerless to save them."

"Screw you," Harry yelled at him, before he was slammed against the wall again.

"I don't think so," Raven said, "Sirius was the first person you loved that you saw die in this war, but he won't be the last. Many more will die before this is over."

Raven's words were cold and cut deeper then any knife. Harry closed his eyes to fight back the tears that were threatening to pour out. His depression was over-riding his anger and he wanted nothing more then to go back to his room and cry behind closed doors.

Raven slammed him against the wall again yelling at him, "Open your eyes and look at me when I'm talking to you." Harry's eyes opened as his anger began to fight back against his depression. "It's time for you to grow up and face the truth Harry. This is war Harry and in war people die. You can either accept it or you can die!"

Raven pulled back as if to punch Harry, but hit the wall instead. "Reducto," he thought as his fist made contact. The wall behind Harry suddenly exploded, before he was pulled by his throat and dragged to the pond.

As Harry struggled to get free, he saw Charlie had bound his friends with rope and was levitating them behind him and Raven. Ron, Hermione and Ginny all fought to get free, but could only watch in horror as Raven shoved Harry's head under water. Harry struggled even harder to break free but Raven's grip was just too strong. A few moments later Raven pulled him up and threw him to the ground.

"You think you're so special, that you're the only one hurting," Raven's words were as cold and harsh as an artic blizzard as he stood over Harry. "You think you're the only one who lost someone they love. I have a news flash for you Harry, you're not."

Harry started to get up, his anger boiling up inside him. "I never thought..."

He was cut off mid-sentence by a backhand from Raven. "You will listen to what I have to say so shut up." He watched the anger boiling up in Harry's eyes. Good, get mad Harry, he thought. Anger will serve you better then pain and sorrow ever could. You'll need that anger if we're to have any hope of winning this war.

"You are too young to remember what things were like the first time, but Charlie and I remember. Even though we were too young to fight we still remember what it was like to have adults we loved, there one day and gone the next," Raven continued. He looked over at Charlie who nodded, and told Ginny and Ron to stop struggling and listen.

"Moody told me that he showed you a picture of the first Order," Raven began again. "He said he told you about the Prewett brothers. What he never told you was that they were Molly's brothers." He didn't even need to see the reaction to his words in the teens' eyes, to know that none of them had known. Mrs. Weasley never speaks of her brothers, because it still hurt too much to remember them.

"Ginny wasn't even born and Ron was just a baby when they died. Fred and George were too young and Percy barely even remembers them, but Billy and Charlie remember their uncles," Raven said, staring right into Harry's eyes. He could see the anger slowly giving way to pain and depression again. Don't do this Harry, he thought. Don't give in to depression; you've got to fight it.

"I... I never knew," Harry said softly. His anger was leaving him and his depression was once again taking hold.

"Of course you didn't," Raven said bitterly. "You didn't know them. Why should you care that your best friend's uncles are dead? It's not like his feelings matter."

Harry's anger flared up again as he leapt to his feet. "How dare you..." Harry roared before Raven smacked him again, knocking him back on his bum. Harry was getting quite pissed off at this point and stood up again.


"What are you going to do Harry?" Raven asked in a tone that was exactly as the one Snape always used with him. "Fight me or run away crying like a little baby?"

Harry's anger flared up even more. "FUCK YOU!" he screamed. "Just who the hell do you think you are?" Harry demanded. "You don't know the first thing about me and don't you dare talk to me about the war. Voldermort..."

"Voldermort killed my parents," Raven finished in the same Snape like tone. "Build a bridge and jump off of it would you?" Come on Harry, don't back down now. Stay angry and fight back. Harry did stay angry as he lounged at Raven who side stepped the attack easily. "If that's the best you can do then I guess you really aren't the so called 'Chosen One' everyone hoped you were."

Harry spun around drawing his wand, but Raven was just too fast. Raven pushed Harry's wand to the side and connected with a right cross that sent Harry back to the ground again. Harry was really getting tired of being knocked on his ass by a man who only seemed to want to mock the pain he was feeling.

You're doing great Harry, Raven thought. Keep it up, don't let go of your anger. Use it, harness its power. It'll keep you alive if you just hold on to it.

Charlie and the others watched as Harry kept attacking Raven who continued to taunt and provoke Harry even more with each attack. That's it Harry, Charlie thought. You can do this, I know you can. I know Raven's being hard but he's only trying to help you, let him.

Charlie thought about the conversation he and Raven had had the night before and even though he didn't like the idea he had to admit that Raven was right. Harry was too depressed to be trained like Dumbledore had asked Raven to do. Harry had to get over his depression and find his own reasons to fight, if they were going to have any hope of winning this war.

Raven allowed the angry teen's attacks to continue for another ten minutes and stopped only when he saw that despite his exhaustion, Harry's anger wouldn't allow him to quit. Offering his hand, Raven smiled at Harry and said, "Very good Harry, I knew you had it in you."

Harry swatted the hand away still fuming. "What the hell are you talking about? You tried to kill me."

Raven laughed as he began to explain. "Harry, if I had any intention of killing you I never would have brought you here. I said, and did those things because I needed you to understand what's at stake." His manner and voice both changed, they were now much softer as he continued. "I'm sorry I had to be so hard on you, but like I said this is a war Harry. In war people, good people die and nothing can ever change that. What can, and has to change is your attitude towards the war."

"My attitude?" Harry demanded.

"Yes Harry, your attitude would have gotten you killed," Raven said simply. "You were so wrapped up in your own pain and guilt that you lost sight of what's really at stake here." Raven took a breath as he continued, "I know you're still grieving over Sirius' death, we all are. I also know that you still haven't gotten over Cedric's murder. And even though you never knew them, I know you still miss your parents."

"So what?" Harry snapped. His anger was still fresh and he refused to let it go. "Voldermort killed my parents to get to me. He had Cedric killed, because he was there. He tricked me to get me to get the prophecy, and Sirius died trying to save me." His fists were once again, clenched tightly at his sides. "It's my fault that they died. Voldermort killed them because of me."

Anything else Harry might have been about to say, was cut of at the instant that Raven's fist made contact with his jaw. Harry once again found himself sprawled out on the ground but this time he could taste blood in his mouth.

"You stupid fucking spoiled little kid!" Raven roared. Until this point, everything he had done had been an act, but now he was genuinely angry. "If either James or Sirius heard you speaking like this they'd both kick your ass. You never knew them the way I did. I know you never had the chance and it sucks, but god damn it Harry they would never want you blaming yourself for what Voldermort did."

Raven's fists were clenched so tightly that his nails cut into his palms drawing blood. "My god, if my father ever heard you speaking like this, he'd kill you himself." His voice was laced with pain but still sharp with anger. "I had to watch my father die Harry. He fought off over twenty Death Eaters to protect my mother, Lily, and me. That's right Harry; he sacrificed himself to save Lily. Just like she sacrificed herself to save you. Just like Sirius and James gave up their lives so that you could live!"

Charlie's eyes widened in fear as he watched Raven closely. It had been years since he had seen his best friend this angry, and the last time Raven killed someone, before leaving England for America.

"I thought that maybe I had gotten through to you but I was wrong. If you want to piss on their memories and throw their sacrifices away then get the hell off my island," Raven said as he turned and walked away.

"Raven no," Charlie shouted as he ran over to his best friend. "Dumbledore said..."

"I don't care Charlie," Raven snapped. "I'm not going to train someone who doesn't even care that people I loved, died to protect him. If he wants to piss away their sacrifices he can do it somewhere else." Raven stopped and hung his head as he spoke so softly only Charlie could hear him, "I was wrong to think I could help him. They're all dead and he doesn't even care why."

As Raven continued walking back up the path Charlie turned and walked back over towards the others. He helped Harry up only to knock him back down with a punch of his own. "You have no idea what you've just done Harry," he said angrily to his youngest brother's best friend.

"Raven loved James, Lily and Sirius very much. I didn't meet him till our first year but he told me how much he missed them," He released the others with a flick of his wand as he continued. "He'll hate me for telling you this but I think you need to hear it. He used to go to your house every break and it nearly destroyed him seeing how your family treated you. He'd go to your parents' grave and cry as he told them how you were being abused and hated the fact that there was nothing he could do to help you. Some where along the way he got it into his head that after we graduated from Hogwarts and he and Tonks were married, they could adopt you and you could all live here."

Charlie turned and began to walk away but paused as he spoke again. "Raven's got every right to hate you Harry. He's lost nearly ever adult he ever loved because they died to protect you. Instead, he tried to help and honor their sacrifice by making sure you come out of this alive. I just hope it's not too late for you to ask for a second chance." He resumed walking and left the teens watching after him, as he headed up the path back to the Mansion.