Raven felt a measure of amusement as he stared at the scene before him, a small group of Slytherins and Gryffindor having a disagreement. Which meant they had been shooting spells at each other, typical things for them, however it had started getting heated.
"Now children, who's going to tell me what started this all?" He asked keeping his voice stern, but his eyes twinkled with disappointment, he had copied that from Albus.
"We're the same age." One pointed out and Raven narrowed his eyes.
"Yet here you are immaturely throwing around spells in the hallway over what was most likely a petty argument, so by that logic, children." Raven narrowed his eyes as he put his hands on his hips and stared down at them.
"He called my friend a mudblood." One of the Gryffindors said after a silent minute. The Slytherin, most likely the culprit, huffed, but didn't deny the statement.
"Mr. Beery, is this true?" Raven asked with a touch of disappointment lacing his voice, he didn't feel it at all, well not in the regard expected, but rather the lack of creativeness used by the Slytherin student.
"So what if it is mudblood!?" Raven took a deep breath, he was a teacher, he couldn't just rip out a child's spine, not till summer anyway.
"I see, Mr. Kerl and Mr. Beery come with me, the rest of you have detention with Professor Flitwick on Saturday at 5pm." Raven shooed the rest of them off as he led the other two towards the staff room. Conveniently a staff meeting was to take place now.
•~~~~~•
"Minerva, Snape, may I have a moment of your time before the meeting starts, there was a, incident involving students of your houses." Raven called in as he poked his head around the door.
"Were there injures?" Snape asked and Raven shook his head.
"No major injuries, just small scrapes. They had resorted to spells in a hallway like savages." Raven said with his amusement seeping through for a moment.
"Sounds familiar." Minerva said and Raven cracked a grin before his face returned to a stern look.
"Mr. Beery here called one of Mr. Kerl's friends a mudblood, and when I asked for confirmation he decided to call me one. I have assigned detention with Professor Flitwick for the others, but these two were the main offenders." Raven explained as he slunk into the staff meeting and took a seat, idly he created a piece of paper and a pen.
He ignored the tightening of Snape's face as he heard what happened.
"Everything all right there?" Hagrid asked as he took a seat at his larger seat.
"Just some bigotry of children who don't know better." Raven waved off the gentle giant as he finished writing on the paper he created and folded it like an airplane and tossed it. It flew off with a subtle blue glow around it.
Hagrid didn't reply, but Raven knew he understood, especially as a half giant who went to Hogwarts and has basically lived here for his entire life. He patted the giant on the arm and kicked his feet up onto the table as he summoned a book to his hand as he waited for the staff meeting to start.
•~~~~~•
"I'm glad to see everyone was able to make it. First order of business, any students struggling?" Albus asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Nay, none of my lions seem to be struggling at the moment." Minerva stated simply.
"None of mine either." Flitwick cheerfully revealed.
"A few of mine are homesick, but they should be fine soon." Pomona Sprout, head of Hufflepuff and Herbology teacher said.
"My snakes are their usual selves." Which in Snape terms meant they were politicking away. To see who's daddy or mommy had the biggest influence to throw around.
"Good. Now then, as I'm sure you all remember from the summer meeting, thank you for attending Raven, that there was notice of the triwizard torunemmt bring held. It has been officially confirmed, and the Minister in his wisdom has decided to host it here at Hogwarts." Albus said and Raven rolled his eyes at the snark, but even he froze at the mention of the tournament.
"What!?" Several professors asked shocked.
"It was not my first choice either, I voted for it not to be held at all, but I was outvoted. However I did manage to extract several concessions. Students must be of age and in 7th year. That all participants may have a single coach to assist in their learning. Plus a few more small things that will be revealed to participants only." Albus said softly and Raven hummed in thought.
"Interesting, so bets on Rose somehow being entered without wanting to?" Raven grinned as he placed ten golden coins down.
"That's a fools bet." Snape said, but he placed down ten coins as well with Raven's. The teachers quickly joined in on the betting, eventually two large piles of golden coins laid there on the table.
"Now then, do you know what the task will be Albus?" Raven asked curiously.
"I know some of it. The first shall be against a deadly creature, the ministry is putting out feelers for acquiring the needed creatures. The second shall be a test to retrieve something. The third shall be some kind of obstacle course." He said and Raven hummed curiously.
"Soujfs slightly interesting, at least for wizards." Raven said and Albus laughed.
"That is true, all too true my friend. Now then, I will be informing students at dinner. Beauxbatons and Drumstrang shall be arriving on the 30th and on the 31st names shall be drawn from the goblet of fire." Albus said with a touch of irritation.
"That shitty trinket? Also I'm for sure winning that bet now, that night is always trouble for Rose." Raven grinned with an aura of smugness. His fellow teachers rolled their eyes.
"Unfortunately." Albus replied.
"Is there something wrong with the goblet of fire?" A teacher asked unsure.
"Aye, it's a object made to replicate the holy grail, but was a massive failure, most of its design was stripped away, however it retains the ability to force a binding contract onto a person. Capable of stripping their magic away from them at a single breach." Raven revealed as some paled at the thought of loosing their magic.
"Yes, a very cursed object I've requested destroyed many times." Albus sighed before he continued on with the meeting in more normal stuff, like grades and assignments. Plus also apparently betting on students love lives.
•~~~~~•
Raven stood in a barren plane he had found in a seperate dimension using his portals, he had a massive barrier casted that replicated oxygen and such other necessary things for Rose who needed to breath much more often then he did.
'Do I even still need to breath?' He mused curiously to himself as he decided to make his lungs just stop working. He felt a bit more sluggish, but he was fine.
"Now, I want to talk about fire. What is fire?" Raven asked Rose as he put his hands behind his back.
"Is this a trick question?" She asked unsure, which was fair, because he did like to do that to her.
"No. Give me your true interpretation of fire. What is it to you. Not what it is to others. Just you." Raven smiled as he let himself fall back as a throne formed behind him and he landed in it.
"Fire is warmth, caring and gentleness. However it is also destruction, life, pain and so much more." Rose said as a smal orange flame danced above his hands.
"Good, now here's your next training assignment. Become one with your fire. Draw out the primordial flames inside of you, the birthright bequeathed to you by your divine mother. Don't just wield the flames, become one with the flames." Raven said as he stood straighter.
"Focus, look deep inside of yourself." Raven whispered as he took a single step and appeared not three feet away from her.
"Deep inside of myself?" She asked unsure.
"Hmm, perhaps this analogy will help." Raven shifted his form into a copy of her own. Clothes and all. "When you channel your flames, you feel it right about here, no?" He asked as he pointed to a certain area around the stomach.
"Yes, it's like a burning sensation, or at least I think it is, I've never been burnt before." Rose muttered and Raven titled his head before shaking it.
"Good. Now imagine that as a core, the primordial flames of the hearth lay inside of it, and like with magic you draw it out no?" Rose titled her head to the side for a moment in considering before nodding.
"Good." Raven smiled before he suddenly was covered in flames. The next moment the flames vanished. He went back to himself instead of her form.
"Now, just like how you spread your magic throughout your body to enhance it, do the same with your flames, let them become one with you, become one with the primordial fire." Raven spoke as he took a couple steps back.
"Become one with the primordial fire." Rose repeated to herself as she attempted to do so, and for the first attempt all she did was manage to glow orange and her skin turned red slightly.
"A bad first attempt, if you weren't fire proof, you'd have burnt yourself to death from the inside." Raven smiled cheerfully before he was hit with a fist covered in flames.
"Ouch." He muttered as he fixed his broken nose. He still grinned at her. "Don't be such a drama queen, I wouldn't let you harm yourself too much."
"Too much?"
"Too much." He confirmed with a nod. "If you don't ever fail properly, you won't learn to succeed." He tried to sagely say.
Rose ignored him as she tried again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again.
"Ok, let's take a break." Raven said as he snapped his fingers as a bottle of water appeared floating before Rose, which she gratefully took.
"Hm, perhaps let's try something else. Incinerate Anthem is your sacred gear. It is also a sacred gear aligned with holy fire belonging to the biblical pantheon. A holy relic, capable of choosing its own wielders, however that ability is lost to it. It has bonded with your primordial flames, subsumed by the Greek flames. I want you to bring out both your flames and the sacred gears flames, make them one flame." Raven said with intrigue.
Rose stood up from where she sat on the ground, following his instructions she tried to bring out both flames. Raven watched as both flames slowly combined, orange and purple, forming a russet color.
His eyes went wide, as for a single moment he saw a white flame in the middle of black nothingness before it broke apart into several pieces. He held his head in his hands for a moment before shaking it off.
"Good, I want you to focus on learning to make this your natural flames, but don't forget to train with each individual flame either. There are beings out there who can disable or take your sacred gear." Raven said with a smile.
"Can you?" Rose asked and Raven smiled wider, but didn't answer the question.
"Now, attack me. I expect for you to be able to at least control who those flames hurt before we leave." Raven said with a fanged grin as he summoned malevolent in its fan form.
•~~~~~•~~~~~•~~~~~•
Sorry for the wait on the chapter, my moms car broke down, and when I went to go pick her up, my truck decided to break down, I've been four days into repairs, just finished her car… my truck still ain't got done yet, aka I gotta wait for payday to buy the part. Life sucks balls.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Until next time!
Bye~
-Voidy, The Insomniac Writer