Raven stepped out of her bedroom, freshly dressed and already alert. The quiet hum of morning activity filled the Applewood Home for Wayward Children. As she walked into the hallway, she spotted Harry Potter heading towards her.
She slowed slightly, her eyes narrowing just a fraction as she quietly pushed a thread of magic into her pupils. The subtle glow that passed through her vision revealed something unexpected—Harry's body is healing far faster than any child his age should be capable of. The bruises, the welts, even the countless scars she remembered seeing across his back are now nearly gone.
Some patches of skin looked entirely unblemished, as though the damage never occurred. The next time she returned to Vault Zero, she would need to bring this up with Miranda. Better yet, she thought, she might need to obtain a small hair sample for magical analysis. She didn't yet understand the protocols for magical examinations in this world, but it is obvious: Harry Potter is not normal.
She approached him calmly. "Harry, how are you feeling? Are your injuries healing well?"
Harry looked up with bright, open eyes and shrugged. "Actually, I don't know why, but ever since I've been eating more properly, a lot of the scars and burns on my body have almost completely gone away. I didn't know scars could go away like that unless you get that plastic surgery people talk about."
Raven laughed softly, her tone somewhere between amusement and curiosity. "I don't know about that, but your physique is definitely strange, Harry. I don't think I've ever met anyone quite as unique as you before. Especially with that scar on your forehead."
Harry reached up and touched the lightning-shaped mark lightly. "Yeah. Uncle Vernon told me I was struck by lightning, and that's why I'm unlucky all the time. He said I bring bad luck to the family."
Raven let out another low laugh. "You don't actually believe that, do you? Even though the mark on your head does resemble a lightning bolt a little bit, I don't think you could survive that."
Harry shook his head. "No, I don't believe that. I think Uncle Vernon just dropped me when I was a baby and I hit my head on a table or something. After all, my parents died in a car accident, and it could be from that."
Raven nodded slowly. "It could be, Harry. But then again, maybe not. We'll have to find out in the future."
Harry gave a small wave of dismissal. "I don't think we'll ever find out, to be honest. The Dursleys are complete liars and can't be trusted."
A smile of approval crept into Raven's expression. "Good. I'm glad you're able to identify that the people who took care of you are bad people. Come on, let's go get breakfast."
She reached out, took Harry's hand, and the two of them ran together downstairs. The kitchen buzzed with children talking. They slid into their usual seats at the breakfast table surrounded by the other children. The morning smell of toast, eggs, and cereal filled the air.
"I've been having so much fun eating eggs and orange juice with toast and cereal every day," Harry said brightly as he looked around at the others.
Claire Thompson approached the table and sat down beside him. "Harry, how have you been feeling, dear?"
Harry grinned. "I've been doing excellent, Mrs. Thompson."
Claire raised an eyebrow with mock severity. "Harry Potter, how many times have I told you to just call me Claire?"
Harry scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Mrs— I mean, Claire."
Claire chuckled and reached over to ruffle his hair. Harry grimaced.
"I don't like my new short, spiky hair. I think I might do longer spikes," he said.
Raven leaned in and teased, "Do you want some blonde highlights? Then I can call you skunk-head like I said before."
Harry shook his head quickly. "No. I already have a hard enough time in school. I don't need to be bullied more."
Raven's face fell just slightly. "Don't worry, Harry. With me around, nobody will dare bully you."
Harry laughed. "Alright, I'd like to see a girl protect me for once. I think I would get a real kick out of that. You might get bullied even more than I do."
Raven gave him a dark, knowing look. "I'd like to see anyone try."
Harry paused, then laughed again. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel really bad for anyone who does."
Claire smiled thoughtfully. "I kind of feel sorry for them too. I don't know why. You're such an adorable little girl, Raven."
Raven turned to her with a proud expression. "Yeah. I'm adorable."
Across the table, Cindy spoke up. "Claire, I need help reading this word."
Claire leaned closer. "That word is 'hope.'"
Cindy repeated carefully, "Hope."
Raven turned to look at her. "Cindy, do you need help reading?"
The six-and-a-half-year-old nodded shyly.
"After breakfast, why don't I help you?" Raven offered.
Later, in the living room, Raven sat beside Cindy on the couch, a children's book open between them. She guided Cindy through the simple words, pointing as she explained each one.
"That's 'the.' This one's 'to.' And this one's 'it.' But this one's tricky. This is 'to,' spelled T-O, but there's also 'two'—T-W-O—and 'too'—T-O-O."
Cindy frowned deeply. "Big Sister Raven, I don't understand. How can three words sound the same?"
Raven rolled her eyes. "I don't know. That baffles me too. I didn't make the rules."
Cindy declared with the full authority of a determined child, "When I grow up, I'm going to make the rules so all three words use the same spelling."
Raven laughed. "You go ahead and do that, Cindy."
She reached out and ruffled Cindy's long brown hair.
"Hey! Don't mess with my hair!" Cindy cried.
Raven laughed again. "I'm having so much fun here."
Suddenly, Harry burst into the room, wide-eyed and excited. "Raven! Raven! There's a garden snake outside and I talked to it!"
He ran closer, words tumbling over themselves. "I didn't think I could, but I remembered what happened with that giant snake and Dudley. I tried talking to it and it worked."
Raven's voice dropped low. "Really?"
Cindy's eyes lit up. "I want to see! I want to see!"
Raven immediately stepped in. "Cindy, why don't you go show Claire how much better you've gotten at reading?"
"But I want to see the talking snake!" Cindy pouted.
Raven offered a soft lie. "There's no talking snake, Cindy. Harry just likes reptiles."
Cindy looked at Harry and huffed. "Harry, you big meanie! Don't make things up!"
She stomped off.
Raven turned serious and stepped closer to Harry. "Harry, you shouldn't tell people about your abilities."
Harry blinked. "Why?"
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