Hogwarts Raven (Harry Potter)

Ian felt more insulted than he ever had in his life. Not even when Voldemort had aimed his wand at his face and spat a curse had he felt this deeply wronged. 

'The Weakness of Human Nature: The Prince's Secret', was nothing more than a glorified children's psychology guide?

"This is utter rubbish! Your grandfather's talking absolute trash! He's just a spell-slinger who's clearly no idea how to write a proper book!" Ian growled with clenched jaws, looking for all the world as though he might tear Grindelwald's latest publication to shreds right there at the Slytherin table.

"I completely understand how you feel. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I'd be furious too," Aurora agreed quickly, and the agreement managed to smooth a little of the scowl on Ian's face.

"You see? You really are a proper friend. The only reason I haven't stormed over to your grandfather and hexed him senseless is because I know I'd lose," Ian muttered indignantly, sinking back into his seat with a huff.

"It's alright. One day, you'll be strong enough to best him. When that day comes, he won't dare slander you again," Aurora said soothingly, her calm understanding working like a charm.

And then, 

Quite unexpectedly, the German girl pulled a small treat from the pocket of her robes.

"If you're still feeling cross… would a crystal lollipop help?" She offered in a tone far too gentle, like a nursemaid trying to coax a fussy child.

Ian's face flushed bright red on the spot.

It wasn't just red like a radish. It was as red as a Cornish pixie's backside.

"I'm not some daft toddler! Children's mind games don't work on me! Do you honestly think a childish brat would do something like this?" Ian snapped, swiping the lollipop out of her hand.

Then, 

Without another word, he marched straight down the length of the Slytherin table, heading toward a group of older students in their third year.

"Want to buy a Christmas sweet?" He asked bluntly.

He stuffed the crystal lollipop into one of the seniors' hands, and while the older boy stared in confused silence, Ian calmly extended his palm.

"You've touched it. I don't deal in second-hand goods. Five silver Sickles, if you please."

The comment brought the third-year out of his daze. He looked vaguely irritated, but surprisingly, he didn't argue.

Instead, he reached for his coin pouch, plucked out a gold Galleon, and handed it over.

"No, I should be the one thanking you. This is bound to be the finest treat I'll ever eat. Worth far more than five Sickles," Said the older Slytherin with something like reverence.

Ian couldn't tell what the boy was thinking, but he did seem genuinely sincere, and even flashed him a picture-perfect, charming smile.

"…"

Ian trudged back to Aurora's side, Galleon in hand, but found himself unable to feel victorious.

Because he had suddenly realised something rather terrifying.

"You've just proven that this book actually works," Aurora said quietly. She had been reading one of the chapters from 'The Weakness of Human Nature: The Prince's Secret' while Ian had wandered off.

The title of the chapter she'd been skimming?

"Ian Doesn't Hit Smiling Faces: On How to Provide Emotional Value to Him."

One could only say, while Ian had suspected something was off about that grinning third-year, seeing the words printed so plainly by Grindelwald made his eye twitch violently.

"How many copies of that wretched book has your grandfather sold?" Ian's voice turned raspy, as if the truth might make him ill.

Aurora didn't say a word. She simply pushed the heavy pouch of gold Galleons across the table back toward Ian.

"It's a bestseller."

That one simple sentence made Ian feel like he'd been tossed into the icy fish holds of a Durmstrang trawler ship.

"He's not planning to publish it publicly, is he?" Ian still clung to a desperate shred of hope.

"Gilderoy Lockhart is an incredibly successful writer, do you know what that means?" Aurora pointed to the small publisher's seal on the corner of the book's cover.

Before Ian could answer, the girl continued cheerfully, "It means by the time you see his name on the cover, copies are already sitting on every bookshelf in every wizarding bookshop from here to the Hebrides."

Her finger tapped the embossed logo at the base of the spine.

"…"

Ian was speechless.

"This sort of shitty literature can be sold across Britain? How many people even know who I am?" He exploded, practically foaming with fury. For a brief second, he even considered outing Grindelwald's secret identity to the world.

But then he paused.

Even the Daily Prophet was under Grindelwald's thumb. The usual channels to make oneself heard had long been sealed shut. This… this was clearly part of Grindelwald's grander design.

"Don't tell me he's got his claws in the bookshops too…" Ian muttered, remembering how, when he first met Aurora, the Hogsmeade bookshop had already been run by one of Grindelwald's followers.

A slow chill crept down his spine.

Given Grindelwald's far-reaching foresight, it wasn't impossible, no, it was likely, that the moment he'd re-emerged into the world, he'd begun plotting to control every flow of knowledge wizards had access to.

Just like some of those old wizarding families who quietly hold sway over The Daily Prophet to steer public opinion… Was Grindelwald quietly orchestrating a similar scheme behind the scenes of the wizarding world?

"To the booksellers, it doesn't matter what Lockhart writes anymore; his name alone is enough to guarantee a profit. And don't forget, you hail from a once-prestigious lineage of potioneers."

"Most witches and wizards find anything to do with mysterious, fallen potions families utterly captivating. So sales outside Hogwarts are hardly likely to be poor."

"Of course, according to my grandfather's 'official' statement, the book is meant as a survival manual for incoming first-years at Hogwarts, written after a full year of 'instructive observation.'"

Aurora didn't directly address Ian's suspicion. Instead, she flipped open 'The Weakness of Human Nature: The Prince's Secret', pointing to the introduction with her slender, pale finger.

Ian cast a glance at the page and immediately looked away. That grim little line, 'We cannot stop schoolyard cruelty, but we can learn how to sidestep it', was a punch to the gut.

"Old Dumbledore must be trying to smear me… I only ever bully the bullies," Ian muttered, his voice growing faint. He had the sinking feeling his reputation was beyond salvaging at this point.

For the next seven years, he was likely doomed. And Merlin helps him, maybe even beyond graduation too.

"Perhaps he's exaggerated a little to rattle the nerves of overprotective parents… But in truth, I think Grandfather's goal is to stir things up, on your behalf."

Aurora wore a smile that said she was thoroughly enjoying Ian's misfortune.

"What sort of twisted help is that…" Ian grumbled, unsure where to even begin venting his frustration.

"No one knows how to stir up trouble quite like him. On that count, I daresay his views are remarkably aligned with Professor Dumbledore's," Aurora said, her heterochromatic eyes glinting with hidden meaning.

"Hmm?"

Ian recalled Aurora mentioning before that Dumbledore had shared details of his past encounters with Voldemort with a few influential pure-blood families. Could Grindelwald's current schemes be part of that same broader plan?

Before Ian could ask aloud, Aurora stood up, dusted off her robes, and, almost as if she'd read his thoughts, offered an answer to the unspoken question.

((To Be Continued…))

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