Harry Potter And So It Begins

As they walked back to the Mansion they were still trying to process everything had learned. Harry’s anger was gone, having burned itself out. He decided to find Raven and apologize.

He found Raven in his room but stopped in the doorway. Raven was sitting on his bed, his head hung low as he looked through an old photo album. He was stilling wearing the same clothes as before but his appearance was completely different. His long silver hair flowed freely down to the middle of his back and was tucked behind his pointed ears. He still had the same toned athletic build as before but his skin was now pale with a faint bluish tint.

"I thought I told you to leave." he said, without looking up. His voice was calm and even but had the tiniest hint pain.

"I came to apologize." Harry said. "I was an asshole and I’m sorry." He walked over to Raven who closed the album and handed it to him.

"I doubt it’ll even matter but you might as well see why I fight." Raven said moving over to make room on the bed. His golden eyes were red from the brief crying he’d done on his way here.

Harry took the album and opened it. What he saw shocked him. Inside were pictures of his father and friends from their school days. He had known that Raven’s father had been friends with his dad but he didn’t know that they had gone to school together. Harry looked at a picture with the Marauders and another man.

Elf Harry corrected himself mentally. The elf in the picture looked almost exactly like Raven did now but slightly taller and thinner, his skin was also a darker blue. The caption under the picture listed everyone’s name. Mikalo Shantor, Harry thought.

He turned the page and saw his mother with a young woman that looked a lot like her older sister and niece. The caption read: Lily Evens and Rebecca Ravenclaw, Summer before seventh year. The next picture was of Mikalo and Rebecca’s wedding. The caption told him that Remus had been the Bestman and Relina had been her sister’s Matron of Honor.

It was followed by Raven’s parents surrounded by Lilly, James, Sirius and Remus as they held a newborn baby. Raven Sirius James Remus Ravenclaw-Shantor, Godparents Lily and James Potter.

"I..." Harry began but Raven interrupted him.

"You would have loved them, just as much as I loved James and Lily. I’m just sorry they never got the chance to see you."

The next several photos were of Raven and various members of the Order and his family. Harry got to see an infant Raven grow into early childhood with people that Harry both knew and had never met. Harry saw both his and Neville’s parents with Raven. The caption told him that both Lily and Alice were seven months pregnant at the time it was taken.

The next couple of pages were empty but then there were a series of photos that were a mixture of Raven, Charlie and Tonks’ schooldays and his own childhood. Charlie had told Harry that Raven would go check on him but he had no idea that Raven had been taking pictures of him. "How did you?"

"Fae magic Harry." Raven answered. "I can materialize any memory in the form of either a picture or an illusion."

Harry nodded as he continued to look through the album. He saw the three friends grow up. He even saw pictures of the younger Weasley children when they were a lot younger.

Raven almost laughs as he tells Harry how he and Charlie used to swap breaks between their houses but always spent Christmas with Tonks at Hogwarts. "We needed the time to plan our pranks in private." He grins as he continues. "Charlie and Tonks would pick the targets and help me plan out the attacks. I would execute the plans and take all the blame. Molly would have killed me if Charlie had gotten in trouble."

"She had to know?" Harry asks laughing.

"Oh she knew," Raven answers, "So did all the Proffessors. Thing is they could never PROVE anything." They spent the remainder of the day talking and had lunch in the room. By the time the headed down to join the others for dinner Harry finally began to understand what Raven had been trying to do that morning.

I've got to stop mourning the dead and focus on protecting those still alive, Harry thought.