Ravens in Orbit

Author's Note: The muse is a strange thing. It gave me this work, with two existent parts. It may give me more of it. (Feedback tends to do that) For now, though I give you something a bit different, the tale of a different house rivalry.

This story will be presented in rather small parts, mainly because that's the way the muse gave them to me, and I don't think either part currently should be in the same chapter. I may go back and add more to this part later, once the muse gives me a part three.

Part the First

Eric Cunningham was a muggle-born wizard, a sixth-year in Hufflepuff, do not dare call him a duffer. As a sixth year Hufflepuff, in the fall of 1968, one of his duties was to marshal an effort to prank the ravens. It was a sixth year tradition.

Some pranks were small, not really noticeable to the outside world. Those in Ravenclaw tower knew, and their responses were often very complex, and tended to mess up the Hufflepuff's ability to study ... and since that had been the reason the pranks had started because one Ravenclaw had ruined a hardworking Hufflepuff's study guide, it merely reenforced the tradition.

Now Eric had spent his summer across the pond in Florida, which might have explained his particular choice. It was a prank that was going to require a lot of hard work to prepare to do things right. Especially to do things safely, and all Hufflepuff pranks were safe, save certain problems with Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors.

It had only taken until mid-September for Hufflepuff to decide that the current one would be no great loss, and approve Eric's plan.

...

T-minus 30 days: Prank #1

It was a shame to temporarily remove it, but there was no way around it. The charm on the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower had to go, as the entry needed to become an airlock. Fortunately, Eric's good friend, Delunca de la Mancha, who had drawn September for her prank month, was quite willing to take on the task.

There were a couple first year Hufflepuffs passing by when the current Head Boy, Nicholas Smith, a Ravenclaw, gave the password when expected. "Number of civilizations equals rate of stellar formation times stars with planets times number of life supporting planets around that a given star times fraction supporting life times fraction creating intelligence times fraction of civilizations developing detectably times the length detectable."

There was a slight change to the wall, as a ship's wheel had been mounted to the wall, but the Head Boy was used to changes occurring on the wall. "Incorrect," the wall replied. "Again, how much wood would a wood chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?"

"That's not supposed to be the question!" the Head Boy replied.

"Incorrect," the wall replied. "Again, Peter pecked a peck of peppers, a peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where is the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?"

"Now you're changing the question!" the Head Boy exclaimed.

"Incorrect," the wall replied. "Again, if Stu chews shoes, should Stu choose the shoes he chews?"

"Of course Stu should choose the shoes he chews!" the Hufflepuff first year said, taking pity on the Head Boy.

"Turn my wheel to enter the lock," the wall said, in reply. "Only Ravenclaw residents register."

With that, the Head Boy put his hand on the wheel, and found himself in a new compartment. There were eight alcoves about the right size for a suit of armor, a portrait, and several loops hanging from two rods that spanned the compartment. "Access to Ravenclaw tower in progress. Please repeat the password," the portrait. of Uric the Oddball said.

The Headboy replied, "Number of civilizations equals rate of stellar formation times stars with planets times number of life supporting planets around that a given star times fraction supporting life times fraction creating intelligence times fraction of civilizations developing detectably times the length detectable."

"Yes, yes, we know you know the Drake Equation," a portrait said. "But what about Stu?"

"Stu?" the Headboy said, puzzled. He was swiftly hit with a shoe that seemed to come from nowhere. "Oh! If Stu chews shoes, should Stu chew the shoes that he choose?"

"Close enough, but you really should work on that," Uric the Oddball decided, sliding to the side to reveal the common room.

...

Next part next week ... unless another story gets a chapter done.