There is a raven at Hogwarts. His feathers black as the Abyss and his eyes as green as emeralds. His wings span over a meter in length, his talons glint in the light of the flames.
Shadows undulate with every flap of his wings as he flies through the halls of the castle. His caws echo mournfully throughout the keep and its grounds. Torches flicker as he flies past, his wings beat their own tune.
Students whisper to each other as they see him fly. Staff are curious at the presence of the bird that does not disrupt. Rumors say the bird is the Dark Lord's spy, others think he is the spirit of a past student, others still say he is a guide for the dead sent by Death itself.
It is known that the raven perches on the Dark Lord's shoulder whenever the man visits, staying calm even as the great serpent that is always with the Dark Lord slithers by. People have seen the bird standing upon the stone memorial of fallen Hogwarts residents every Samhain, have noticed the bird and the ghosts remaining eerily silent should one inquire about any of those named on the stone.
The raven is a mystery. Ever since it has appeared the castle seems to have gained an awareness that feels ancient. Even more eerie is that at dusk on every Samhain since the raven has taken up residence at the castle, deep sounding bells have rung. The raven's call always precedes this, the caw echoing throughout Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and the Forbidden Forest. Odder still is the absolute silence from everything but the bells that occurs when they ring. No one dares to disrupt the bells, not even the Dark Lord should he be there.
In a strange way, the bird flies free yet, it seems to be bound to Hogwarts and its lands as a guardian of sorts. For all that the bird is the symbol of one of the houses, he does not remain with those of bronze and blue. He flies about freely, stopping those who mean harm as he goes. Be they of the red and gold, the silver and green, the rare yellow and black, or even the bronze and the blue, none are exempt from the reprimand of the raven should one try to harm others. Not even the staff are excused from the raven's rebuke.
A mystery of Hogwarts, this raven has become. The raven of Hogwarts inspires much curiosity, from its mourning of the dead to its effort to stop others from being harmed, this mystery remains unanswered. The only ones who seem to know why and how the raven has appeared are the Dark Lord, the ghosts, the shadows, and the raven itself, and none of them are talking. A mystery wrapped up in black feathers and mournful caws.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed. For context, this is an AU where Voldemort won, but didn't kill Harry. Instead he made sure Harry couldn't cause him trouble. Harry, being Harry, does the impossible. I'm sure you can guess what Voldemort did my dear readers.
While there are things I probably should be working on something else, this thing would not leave me alone as soon as October came around. Please tell me what you think. Happy Early Halloween :)