Raven's Choice
Companion piece to Common Interests, prequel to Common Ground
**WINNER BEST SHORT STORY ! IN PROFESSOR SNAPE'S CREATIVITY CONTEST**
1
A Familiar's Awakening
The ravens perched upon the parapets of the Tower of London hissed and chattered and squawked in Ravenspeak as they watched the latest batch of tourists enter the precincts. Unknown to the many Muggles who visited the Tower on a daily basis, the ravens, called greater ravens by most, but the Towerborn among themselves, were no ordinary birds. They were magical in nature, with extraordinary life spans and the ability to use the magic of the Old Ways, a magic based upon the elemental forces of Earth and Sky, of nature itself, and the deepest secrets of the ancients. The Towerborn were considered royalty, and they bore a great responsibility—to ward Britain against the rising tide of the Dark, and to protect the kingdom and encourage the magical talents of the wizards and witches bearing the Old Blood. Some of the ravens could manipulate wind and weather, others could See the threads of magic, and weave strong protections against dark enchantments, but all could sense one who bore the dwindling Old Magic within them, and it was these individuals that the ravens watched most closely.
The Tower was at once known as the most haunted place in Britain and also the most sacred. Besides being a prison and a place of torture, it also housed sumptuous apartments for the monarchs of Britain and had been the site of the coronation of many kings and queens. It was also a treasury, housing the Crown Jewels, magnificent suits of armor and other fine art objects and furniture. Then there was the Royal Menagerie, a huge zoo with many kinds of endangered animals. The Tower also housed the Royal Yeoman and the Ravenmaster and his family, as well as many other staff who kept the Tower running and ran programs for the tourists.
According to an ancient Muggle legend, if the ravens ever left the fortress, Britain will fall into darkness and the Tower crumble to dust. Charles II believed wholeheartedly in this legend and ordered the seven ravens roosting in the Tower to be protected for all of time. The Ravenmaster was in charge of them and made sure they were fed, safe, and content. Little did the Muggles know that the Ravenmaster was a wizard, and always had been, his post passed from father to son for generations. The Towerborn who shared the fortress with him numbered quite a bit more than seven, though visitors to the Tower only saw seven at any given time, the others concealed themselves with special spells known only to ravenkind.
Derrick Coyle was the current Master, and the birds often mimicked him and any passerby that caught their fancy. He had taught several of them to speak various phrases and they in turn taught them their own tongue. His familiar was Branwyn, one of the most intelligent and magical of the constable of ravens. Branwyn's mate was Merlin and they had several children, among them Munin, Thor, Erin, and Skullduggery. Baldric, Hugine, and Marley were cousins of Merlin's and Gwyllum was Branwyn's brother. All of them were banded and showed themselves regularly to the tourists, except Skullduggery.
Skull was the family scapegrace, a rebel who obeyed Derrick only when he felt like it, which wasn't often. He concealed himself and spied upon the public, and often re-grew his flight feathers after the Master had clipped his right wing and flew beyond the Tower grounds to observe Muggles and their culture.
Now he joined his brothers and sister upon the parapet and observed all the tourists wearing their shiny jewelry, just begging to be nicked, and carrying odd metal devices and cameras that flashed bursts of light as they photographed everything in sight.
"Where have you been, Skull? Out getting into trouble as usual?" asked Thor, the eldest of the brood. He was also the largest.
Skullduggery clucked in annoyance. "Don't be so smug, brother. You break rules when it suits you, same as me."
"I do not!"
"No? Then which one of us stole into the kitchen and ate six fruit tarts last month?"
"I was hungry!" Thor squawked defensively.
"When aren't you?" Erin rolled her eyes. "It's a good thing Master Coyle knows what a bottomless pit you are and gives us extra rations of meat, biscuit and eggs otherwise the rest of us would starve."
"Did you see anything interesting, Skull?" asked Munin, who was too shy to ever venture out past the Tower precincts.
"I learned a new song," his brother answered, preening. "Would you like to hear it?"
The other three nodded eagerly.
Skullduggery puffed up his throat and head feathers, making them stand upright like a chief's war bonnet. Then he began to sing, in a woman's bright soprano, "We're off to see the wizard . . . the wonderful Wizard of Oz!"
Several people walking below stopped and stared around.
"Who's singing?"
"Where's it coming from?"
"I think it's coming from . . . up there, Mummy!" a small boy pointed up at the parapet, where the ravens clustered.
"Don't be silly, Stevie! Those are birds and birds don't sing like people, luv," his mother said.
Skull cocked his head. Of course we do, lady! We're Towerborn!
Before any of his relatives could stop him, the sassy raven flew down and hovered before the astonished group of tourists, and began to sing an aria from Motzart's famous opera, the Marriage of Figaro.
"Figaro! Figaro! Fi-i-g-a-a-ro-o!" He trilled, his voice soaring high and true, his black eyes sparkling with mischievous delight.
His audience gasped and cheered and applauded.
"That's amazing!"
"That raven sings opera!"
"How'd he do that?"
A throat was cleared loudly, and Derrick appeared, with his familiar Branwyn upon his shoulder. He gestured to Skull, who perched briefly upon his arm and gave the tourists a bow, wings spread.
"Show off!" Branwyn chirped affectionately in Ravenspeak.
"Sir, did you teach him how to do that?"
Derrick shook his head. "Madam, you don't need to teach a raven how to talk, they come out of the egg knowing how to do that. Skullduggery here is the best mimic ever born at the Tower." The tall man was wearing the traditional Beefeater uniform of scarlet with a tall black hat and white breeches. Unlike his contemporaries, he also wore a large leather falconer glove to protect his hands from the ravens' talons. He appeared to be about sixty, he was actually younger, but used an Illusion Charm to look older. He was a Muggleborn, and had served in the British armed forces, which was required of the Yeoman Warders.
He turned to the crowd gathered before him in the courtyard. "Skull here is one of our youngest ravens, he's a bit of a rebel, but there's one in every family, eh?"
That drew a laugh from the audience when Skull turned and pecked Derrick gently upon the ear. Then the raven flew back to the parapet.
Derrick continued to lecture to his audience about the ravens and their care and feeding, answering various questions. "Please, for your safety, do not try and pet the ravens, some of them bite and can also attack if startled. Don't feed them either, they are on a special diet, and could also bite if they get excited so please save your bread and crisps for the birds in Hyde Park."
"Spoilsport!" Thor griped. Though they were fed rabbit, hardboiled eggs, and lots of raw meat, such as liver and lamb, the Towerborn actually ate anything, including garbage. Thor was especially fond of baked goods, hence his thievery of tarts and biscuits.
"We wouldn't harm anyone . . . unless they refused to share their lunch," objected Munin.
"Don't whine! You know we can con treats out of them once Coyle leaves," Erin reminded him, fluffing her feathers. "They love to feed the "pretty birds". And I'm the prettiest of the lot."
"Ha! Mother's feathers are shinier," Skull crooned.
"And where have you been lately, you scalawag?" cawed Merlin, gliding down to a landing next to his offspring. He looked at Skullduggery pointedly.
"Hello, Father." Skull bobbed his head in submission briefly. "How was your patrol?"
Merlin patrolled half the Tower, his lieutenants Gwyllum and Baldrick accompanying him.
"Same old, same old." He nuzzled his son.
Just then Gwyllum glided in for a landing, and gave Skull a disapproving look. "And just wha' do you call that piece of tomfoolery, you saucy piece of baggage?"
"Giving the rubes what they want to see—a talking bird," Skull replied impudently.
Gwyllum huffed, his head feathers rising. "Always with the quick tongue, you are. Someday you'll waggle it to the wrong person, fledgling, and then you'll get it."
"Oh, leave off, Gwyll!" Merlin ordered, pecking the other raven on the head. "Like you can talk, brother-by-marriage. Or don't you recall how during the Battle of Britain, you flew up to have a look-see at a Luftwaffen airplane because you wanted to know how it stayed in the air without moving its wings? You almost got blown to bits, you daft bugger!"
"You'll never let me forget that, will you, Merlin?" Gwyllum cawed angrily.
"Never, lad! It's far too funny!" answered the leader of the constable. Then he winked at Skullduggery. "I'm sure that Muggle fair near had heart-failure when you flew up in front of his cockpit."
The younger ravens sniggered and chuckled, amused to see Gwyllum, who was a bit of a stiff, put in his place.
Finally, the rest of the flock fluttered and hopped, because most of them couldn't really fly well with one wing clipped, along the fortress, and only Skullduggery remained behind, watching the influx of people coming and going. He stared intently down at the large group now approaching, and his eyes were drawn to a tall thin young man with long dark hair. The man looked to be in his early twenties, with dark eyes, almost as dark as a raven's. He was dressed in navy jeans and gray shirt with a black pullover, for the autumn day was chilly. Black sneakers completed his attire and he walked calmly at the back of the tour group, looking about curiously, but without the frantic awe and gasps of the tourists. He listened intently to the guide, cocking his head slightly.
For some odd reason Skullduggery felt drawn to the young man. A strange tingling and humming ran through him, and he shuddered all the way down to his talons, his body resonating to the aura about the young man. The raven would have been frightened, not understanding what was happening to him, but Branwyn abruptly left her wizard Yeoman's shoulder and fluttered up to land next to her son. She alone did not have a wing clipped, for as Derrick's familiar could be trusted to stay by her wizard and not stray far from the Tower.
"Skullduggery? What fascinates you so, my fledgling?" she crooned, nudging him with her beak.
The raven blinked. "Mother? I feel so . . . strange," he murmured in Ravenspeak. "That man down there . . . the one with the black hair and pullover . . . he's . . . I can't seem to stop looking at him. I feel . . . like there's a connection between us . . . I don't understand."
"Does it make your bones hum and your blood tingle?"
"Yes. Why?"
"What you're feeling is the aura of a wizard strong with the Old Magic. Like calls to like, my son. Should you choose, you may bond with him."
"Bond with him? Become his familiar?"
"Yes." Branwyn bobbed her head affirmatively. "If you are called, Skull, you may become his familiar."
"But Mother, I don't even know him. He's a stranger, he may not even live in London."
"True. But if it is a true call, you shall not be able to resist it, and as his familiar, you have permission to leave the Tower and travel with him."
"Leave the Tower?" Skull croaked, shocked. " But I belong here, it's my home!"
"And always shall be. But your home, if the bond be true, is also with your wizard." She caressed his head lovingly. "Fear not, you may return here to visit for awhile. The Tower shall not crumble with your absence as we have enough Towerborn living here to avert the prophecy."
"You're sure?"
"Quite sure. Close your eyes. Now let the feeling wash over you." Branwyn instructed.
Her offspring obeyed. Then he opened his eyes and peered down. The young wizard had vanished, moving onward into the Tower. Skullduggery shuddered.
"What do you feel?"
"I feel all . . . jittery and I need to . . . find him," the raven quivered.
"It is a true bond then. Follow your heart, my fledgling and let it guide you where it will," Branwyn said serenely.
"I will, only . . . what if he doesn't want a familiar?"
Branwyn gave a soft caw. "That shall not matter. You have chosen, the bond is such that eventually he shall accept you, for the Towerborn bond only with those strong in the Old Magic that need us desperately. And he does, Skull. He needs you very much. He simply doesn't realize it."
"How do you know all this?"
"Because I am attuned, after so many years, to a human's emotional state. The wizard below radiates much sorrow, despair, and regret. Can you not taste the loneliness upon your tongue? Yes? Good. He needs a friend more than any I ever knew."
Skull knew better than to gainsay Branwyn, she was an old and very wise raven, skilled in magic and also in the human heart. "What shall I do?"
"Follow him, Skull. You belong with him now, as an honorable advisor and counselor. Like myself, your destiny is bound to a human, may it bring you joy."
Skullduggery spread his wings, unable to resist the pulsing need that surged through him. "Farewell, Mother! But someday I shall return!"
He soared into the sky, then used his magic to conceal himself, following the young wizard inside the Tower.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
Severus Snape was not the kind of person to gawk and sigh in awe over the Crown Jewels or the room where previous monarchs had stayed for their coronations. He was more interested in the history of the Tower itself, the beautiful ravens who inhabited it, and the supposed ghosts inside. He had made this trip to London to buy some rare potion ingredients that only Slug and Jiggers sold in Diagon Alley, but had decided on the spur of the moment to go and visit the Tower of London, as he was bored and had never seen it before.
He had done some reading beforehand, so he was aware that the Ravenmaster Coyle was a wizard and the birds were magical, but no more than that. He would have liked to speak with the Ravenmaster, but by the time the tour ended, he couldn't find the man. Disappointed, he left the Tower precincts after purchasing a mug with a raven on it, and returned to Diagon Alley. He purchased lunch at one of the small cafes and sat down under an umbrella to eat it.
He had just taken a bite of his roast beef sandwich when a shadow fell over him and he looked up to see a large raven circling overhead. He cautiously lowered his sandwich and watched the big corbie, who circled him then dove down to land on the table.
The bird eyed the young professor and his sandwich, then said, "Roast beef! My favorite!"
Severus' eyes widened. "You speak! Who taught you?"
"No one. I have always known how," the raven replied, using the cultured tones of an Oxford don. He bowed and spread his wings. "Skullduggery of the Towerborn, at your service."
Severus quickly tore off a piece of his sandwich and laid it down before the raven. Quick as blinking, the hungry raven snatched it up. "You're from the Tower? But I thought . . . you couldn't fly away from there. Your wing . . ."
"Feathers grow back with help." Skull told him, flipping his feathers insolently. "Who are you?"
"I . . . My name is Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Ah, a professor! How marvelous! At least you're not dumb!" the raven declared happily. He wouldn't have enjoyed being bound to a stupid wizard.
Severus arched an eyebrow. "I would hope not." He started to eat again, thinking what an odd conversation this was. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be back at the Tower?"
"Not any longer. I have left, as Charles Dickens would say, to seek my fortune. Or rather, my wizard."
"I don't understand."
"I've come for you, Severus Snape."
"Me? What for?" Severus asked sharply. He knew there were legends that ravens carried the souls of the dying to the Land of the Dead, but he was far from that! "I'm not dead yet."
Skullduggery made a sound remarkably like laughter and replied cheekily, "I don't want to go onto the cart!" It was a dead on impersonation of Monty Python's the Holy Grail.
Severus sputtered. He was one of the few wizards who would recognize that quote, he had seen the movie with Lily when he was a teenager, and had found it extremely funny. "Excuse me?" Surely the bird couldn't be referring to . . .
"Bring out your dead!" Skullduggery crowed. "Have you never seen the Holy Grail?"
"Of course I have. How did you learn of it?"
"There's an old cinema down the street, plays old movies. I was bored, so I nipped inside and watched it."
"Incredible! And you remember that?"
"It's a classic. Ravens never forget."
"Neither do elephants."
The bird snorted. "Ravens are cooler. I'm not here for your soul, silly wizard. I'm here to be your familiar."
Severus was sipping on his glass of lemonade when the raven announced that and nearly went into a paroxysm of coughing. When he finally regained breath enough to speak, wiping his eyes with a paper napkin, he hissed, "That's impossible. You cannot mean that."
"How so?"
"You are a raven, and ravens only choose the most worthy to be their companions."
"What of it? Do you not consider yourself worthy?" Skull peered up at the other.
Severus paled, then whispered, "If you knew what I have done . . . you would never ask that. Go back to the Tower. Choose another."
"I cannot. It's too late to go back now. You are for me, Severus."
The wizard hesitated, a corner of his heart suddenly flaring to life. Could the raven be right? After all he had done . . . was he still worthy? Then he shook his head firmly. He, the chosen of a Tower raven? No. It could not be. Not after he had been a Death Eater. "No. Go away, Skullduggery. You've made a mistake."
The raven hissed agitatedly. "There is no mistake. The bond cannot lie. You are my wizard."
Severus laughed, a mocking bark. "I am not a fool, I know well the legends. Only those who are worthy and pure of heart may be chosen by a raven. And I am that no longer. You are too late. Go home, Skullduggery." He rose abruptly, feeling the old bitterness well up inside him. Then he Apparated away, leaving the startled raven still perched on the table, next to his half-eaten roast beef sandwich.
Skullduggery gave a sharp caw of frustration. Why wouldn't the stubborn wizard listen to him? Could he not feel the bond between them? It tugged relentlessly at the raven, urging him to fly after the vanished wizard.
Skull hissed, irritated. Then he bent his head and began to eat the remains of the sandwich. He would need the energy for a long flight, and he was hungry besides. As he ate, he wondered if any of his ancestors ever had problems like this.
A/N: the names of the Tower ravens and Ravenmaster Derrick Coyle are taken from real life, they are not my own invention. All the usual discliamers apply otherwise.