Raven continued to enjoy her new life in London, even though the knowledge that it was still 1990 lingered at the back of her mind like an unsolved equation. On this day, Claire has taken her to the zoo after Raven mentioned, in passing, that she wanted to see animals from all over the world. The zoo was busy, filled with families and children, the air carrying the mixed scents of popcorn, hay, and damp stone. Raven walked beside Claire through the winding paths, wearing a light sundress that fluttered slightly as she moved, her blue hair standing out sharply among the crowd.
Claire glanced down at her with a gentle smile. "Raven, how are you enjoying the animals so far?"
Raven reached up and scratched the back of her blue hair, her expression thoughtful. "I really like the animals a lot."
Claire nodded approvingly and asked, "What animals do you like the most?"
Raven didn't hesitate. "I like snakes."
Claire stopped walking for half a second, her expression tightening just slightly before she recovered. "Oh… you like snakes, Raven? That's… awesome."
Raven narrowed her eyes at her, clearly unconvinced. "You don't like snakes, do you, Miss Claire?"
Claire let out a small, nervous laugh. "What makes you think that, my dear?" She quickly gestured toward a nearby building. "Why don't I walk you over to the snake enclosure? You can go inside and look at the snakes." She added a little too quickly, "I'll stay right outside and get you a bundle of cotton candy for when you come out. How does that sound?"
Raven's face lit up with enthusiasm. "Oh, okay, Miss Claire. No problem. I can totally handle it." She puffed out her chest with exaggerated seriousness. "I'm a responsible adult."
Claire laughed, shaking her head. "You certainly are, Raven."
They walked together towards the snake enclosure building. Before going inside, Raven turned back towards her. "Miss Claire, wait for me right here. Once I come back out, we can eat that cotton candy."
Claire nodded. "Have fun, Raven, okay?"
"Don't worry, Miss Claire. I'll have fun." With that, Raven turned and walked inside.
The interior of the building was dimmer, and cooler. Raven immediately noticed several children gathered around a large glass enclosure. Her attention was drawn to a large boy yelling loudly at a smaller boy with messy brown hair and round glasses. Raven frowned as she focused on him, her senses flaring. Something felt deeply wrong with this kid. A powerful, lingering, sickening magical presence bled off him, like the residue of a curse meant to kill someone.
This child feels like he's been cursed with something powerful. And corrupting. But it's unlike any magic I've ever felt before.
She blended into the background, moving closer while listening. The smaller boy spoke, his voice tense. "Dudley, stop bullying me."
Raven glanced at the larger boy. So this is Dudley.
Dudley sneered and snapped back, "Harry, I told you to get that snake's attention."
"Okay… okay, Dudley," the smaller boy said nervously.
Dudley crossed his arms. "That's right, Harry Potter. You'll do what I say. Otherwise, I'll make sure you don't get any supper tonight."
Harry looked around, his face flushing red as people watched. "Fine. Fine. I'll do it."
As Harry moved closer to the glass, Raven felt the magic around him react. The fluctuations spiked sharply as his anxiety grew.
His magic is spiraling out of control.
Harry stepped up and tapped on the glass. Dudley shouted, "Hurry up, Harry! Get the snake's attention!"
"Okay, Dudley. Okay," Harry said, his voice tight with anxiety. He began pounding on the glass. Raven watched intently. "Oh… something's going to happen."
Without warning, the glass vanished completely. Harry fell straight into the enclosure. Raven blinked once. "That's a neat parlor trick—making the glass disappear like that."
Inside the enclosure, the snake slithered slowly towards Harry. He scrambled to his feet, panic written all over his face. The snake hissed. Harry instinctively hissed back. Raven's eyes widened just a fraction.
Yep. I've definitely found myself a weirdo this time.
She studied him closely. There's no way talking to animals like that isn't magic. Ever since the glass vanished, he's been radiating immense magical power. Her gaze fixed on the lightning-shaped mark on his forehead. That corrupting presence is focused there. That mark is important.
Discreetly, Raven raised her hand and traced a small symbol in the air, slipping a subtle tracking marker into Harry without drawing any attention. "I'll keep track of this kid." She watched him carefully. "Maybe he'll lead me to the mysteries of this world."
The snake suddenly turned its attention towards Dudley and slithered out towards him. Dudley shrieked. "MOMMY! MOMMY! HARRY POTTER SICKED THAT SNAKE ON ME!" He turned and ran as the crowd panicked and scattered, leaving the area nearly empty within moments.
Raven stepped forward toward Harry, her posture relaxed. "That was a really cool trick you did. What did you do?"
Harry looked at her, clearly startled by her blue hair and her calm tone. "I—I don't know what happened." He hesitated, then asked, "You're not scared, are you?"
Raven scoffed lightly. "It takes a lot more than a puny snake to scare me."
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