Midnight had only just struck when Lena was getting ready for bed.

It was a dark and stormy night. The street lights and the dancing branches of the tree outside her window played a pantomime against her curtains as rain pelted mercilessly against the house.

Lena Sabrewing hummed softly as she turned down her music, Their Chemical Courtship easily overpowered by thick raindrops battering her window, glad that tonight wasn't a night of adventuring outside with the Duck-McDuck extended family.

Over the howling wind she could have sworn she heard a corvid cawing close by.

Lena turned off the music completely, retrieving the CD from the CD-player her dads gifted her when she heard it again.

"CAW!"

Already resigned to a night of constant disturbances, Lena pulled her sweater off over her head when she heard the bird again.

"Magi-CAW!"

Her blood ran cold. She pulled her sweater back on and stormed towards her bedroom window, ripping open the curtains.

There, illuminated by the light from her bedroom, she spotted a raven perched on a branch right in front of her. It tilted its head in what looked like recognition, flapped its wings and hopped closer to the window, its yellow, slitted eyes were still fixed on her as the purple lock of feathers on its head billowed in the wind.

Lena huffed, gripping her curtains so tightly she felt her fingers dig through the thick fabric and into her palms. "Magica..."

Lena felt around for her phone on her night stand, never losing sight of the bird outside. Without looking, she unlocked the device and dialed the number of the one family that could help her.

"Lena? What's up?" Webby asked sleepily. Lena almost felt bad waking her up in the middle of the night.

"I've got a situation here," Lena said, glaring at the raven that still watched her. "I'll bring it to you, but make sure Scrooge is awake," she said quietly, so as not to disturb anyone in her house. "And the birdcage in the attic. I need you to bring it down."

"The birdcage?"

"There's a talking raven outside my window. I think it has something to do with—"

"Magi-CAW!"

There was a pause. There was no way Webby hadn't heard what just happened. Lena could hear her draw a deep breath over the phone.

"I'll go wake up dad."

"Thanks. See you soon."

Lena ended the call and, still closely watching the raven, side-stepped to her closet, plucking a thick glove from the pocket of her winter coat.

The raven's eyes followed her, too. Good. It was targeting her and would probably come willingly.

She slung her emergency sleepover backpack over her shoulder, just in case. Quietly, she advanced towards her bedroom door, slowly pulling it open, pausing just where she knew it would creak. Poking her head out, she glanced left, towards the stairs, and right, towards her dads' bedroom. Finally, she glanced downward, right into the eyes of Violet.

Her little sister was fully dressed and also carrying her backpack. Lena promptly decided not to make note of the baseball bat sticking out the top of it.

"If you think this has something to do with Magica," Violet whispered, "I won't have you facing that raven alone." She resolutely held out her hand to Lena, friendship bracelet dangling from her wrist.

Smiling, Lena took Violet's hand. "Let's go."

By the time Lena and Violet made it to McDuck Manor the raven's talons were starting to poke through the glove the bird was perched on and into the flesh of Lena's hand. The sleeves of her shirt and sweater were soaked from the raindrops that leaked into the sleeve of her raincoat. She was cold. She was tired. She snapped.

"Look," she growled, glaring into its eyes. "I know you need to hold on to something, but you're hurting me." Lena took a breath before she would press on, but the raven released its claws from Lena's hand one by one. "Oh… Thanks?"

Violet rewarded the bird by holding up a handful of granola to its beak, which the raven ate gratefully.

Lena glanced at Violet and smiled fondly at her sister. "You know, if this turns out not to be some evil plot from Magica, we could always ask dad to let us keep it."

"Perhaps," Violet said, looking up at the bird. "But the odds of dad saying yes are extremely slim."

"And so are the odds of this having nothing to do with Magica DeSpell," said not Webby, but Scrooge McDuck standing in the opening of the front door.

Webby, meanwhile, squeezed between the older duck and the door frame with a small 'coming through' and set a birdcage on the ground. "Alright, mister, in you go," she said as she opened the little wire door.

The raven looked at Lena with something like fear in its eyes. Lena gently stroked the purple feathers on his head. "It's going to be okay. No need to be afraid. And Violet will feed you all the granola you need. You'll be out before you know it."

This seemed to reassure the bird enough. Lena brought it down next to the little door and the raven hopped in of its own accord. However, the way the raven kept looking at Scrooge wasn't lost on Lena.

The older duck stepped aside to make way for the girls. "Come in lasses, you must be freezing. There's tea on."

Webby winked and whispered to them, hugging the birdcage to her chest. "Don't worry, I snuck in a fresh tea bag."

The raven looked uncomfortable in its cage. The only sound in the large dining room was the sound of talons clacking against the perch as it shifted from left to right and back and the occasional flapping of its wings.

"He's being awfully quiet for a talking raven…" Webby mumbled after a while.

"You should've heard the racket it made outside my window." Lena took another sip from her tea and shuddered as she warmed back up from the inside.

"Actually, although ravens and other birds can learn to make sounds akin to speech, they don't actually have vocal chords," Violet said matter of factly. "Also, judging from its body language, it's probably nervous."

"As he has every right to be," Scrooge said as he entered the dining room with a second round of steaming hot tea. "Even though I can assure him that no harm will come to him here," he said as he topped up the girls' teacups.

The raven turned to Scrooge and tilted its head as if it understood what he said but couldn't quite believe it. The old duck scratched at his bottom bill, clearly making mental note of the corvid's cognition.

"Interesting," he mumbled. "Must be fading, then."

"I feel kind of bad for it," Lena sighed. "It basically has no space to move around in that cage..."

"It's the biggest one we have," Webby replied, softly placing her hand on Lena's shoulder as Lena took another sip of tea.

"Well, we're not letting him out. I've seen what Poe De Spell can do with magical artifacts and this house is full of 'em, so I'm not taking any chances."

Lena spat out her tea across the table, choking on the remainder and coughing. "Sorry, Poe De Whonow?" she demanded hoarsely, rubbing tears from her eyes.

"Oh," Scrooge uttered. "Oh, this is going to be awkward."

Lena's head felt heavy. Her thoughts were racing as she buried her face in her hands, trying to process it all. "So what you're saying is… Magica has a younger twin brother who she did evil magic with, they tried to steal your number one dime, you then challenged Magica, and deflected a curse with your dime and Poe took the blast for her, turning him into a raven?"

"Yes," Scrooge said.

"And when Magica begged you to help her… to keep a bird from flying through a window not four feet away from you, you just refused?" Lena continued, carding her hands through her pink hair instead.

"I'm not proud of what I did there, Lena," Scrooge said. "Perhaps if Donald and Della were with me then…" he sighed. "Well, that doesn't change anything, does it?"

She looked up, glancing between Scrooge, who looked profoundly ashamed, and Poe, who looked profoundly sad. "I… I'm sorry, but I kind of understand why Magica is so mad at you," she said, setting her gaze on the duck.

Lena liked to think she was a better person than Magica, but honestly, if something like that were to happen to Webby? To Violet or both their dads? Lena couldn't say for sure she wouldn't react the same way.

"So what do we do with him?" Violet asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

"I say we take him to Magica," Lena said, getting up from her seat and reaching for the cage. "I can't restore him like this, but with her amulet…"

"Lena, wait," Webby said, taking hold of the hand that reached for the cage. "Magica... she caused you nothing but pain. You don't owe her anything."

"Maybe not, but… remember when Magica made me a shadow again? You would have done and did pretty much do anything to bring me back," Lena said, taking Webby's soft, warm hands into hers. "Heck, you and Vi pretty much made a new kind of magic to make that happen!" She gently squeezed Webby's hands, stroking her thumbs over her knuckles.

"Pink, if it were any of us in her situation with her mindset and her way of life… we would have done the same. Because under all the hate, anger and resentment I felt when Magica first created me, I felt the love and grief she felt for Poe. And it was as fierce as the love I feel for you or Violet or anyone in our family. So sure, I don't owe Magica anything. Sure, she and Poe might have been a totally evil power-duo terrorizing a town in Europe for who knows how long. And sure, the curse might already be fading… but still. Returning him to Magica and restoring him to his former self feels like the right thing to do."

Webby sighed and hugged Lena. "If you say it's the right thing to do, then that's what we'll do," she mumbled into Lena's chest before pulling back. "But I don't like it. Why can't we just try it with our friendship magic?"

"Because I can only turn him back with the talismans that made him the way he is now. One of them being with Magica."

"The other one being…" Violet mumbled, the realization finally dawning on her as well as Webby. The girls and the raven turned to the older duck.

"Oh no. Absolutely not. You cannae be serious."

Once they reached the bog, the rain had subsided from a downpour to a drip. The bog was more wet and squelchy than it normally was, and darker, as the clouds and the canopy of the trees overhead blotted out the moon and stars. But Lena could navigate this place blindfolded. Or at least, the relatively short walk to Magica's house.

Lena clutched the birdcage containing Poe tightly to her chest as she followed Magica's aura. Violet clutched the back of her raincoat with one hand and held Webby's in the other, who dragged along Scrooge.

"Isn't it a bit late to be calling on a witch, though?" Webby pondered aloud.

Lena shrugged. "I don't know. She's edgy and dramatic enough, she's probably thriving at this hour," she said, wiping her rain boots on the doormat.

Releasing Lena and Webby, Violet walked up to the door and knocked three times.

No answer came.

"Maybe she's sleeping?" Webby suggested.

Violet knocked again.

Again, no answer.

"Perhaps she's out of town?" Scrooge added.

Lena rolled her eyes. "Nice try, Scrooge, but she's here. I can feel it."

"Well, they say three times is the charm," Violet said, about to knock again when the door swung open.

"Do you lot have any idea how loud you are?!" the monster that answered Magica's door roared. It vaguely resembled a duck, but it was composed entirely of green goop that dripped down its face and… nope, it was just Magica in a face mask. She leveled a glare on Scrooge. "You've got a lot of nerve showing your face here."

Poe cawed from his perch in the birdcage, flapping his wings, attempting to hop towards Magica.

Instead, Magica turned to the cage, looked in Poe's general direction and slammed the door. "After that whole business in the Karmic Court! If you think you can just bring me a random raven and expect me to forgive you, you're dead wrong, Scrooge McDuck!"

"Magi—" Scrooge started.

"CAW!" Poe cawed. "Magi-CAW! Magi-CAW!"

The rusty hinges of the door creaked as it slowly opened. Magica stood awestruck, staring at the raven in the birdcage. "Poe?" she whispered as if she couldn't quite believe he was sitting right there in front of her.

"It's him," Scrooge confirmed.

"Magi-CAW!" the raven cawed, hopping and flapping his wings excitedly.

"Alright, alright, I'll let you out!" Lena said, carefully placing the birdcage on the ground and opened the little door.

Magica kneeled on the ground just outside her door, mud caking her otherwise fluffy bathrobe, but she didn't seem to care. She reached a hesitant hand out for Poe, who eagerly hopped out of the cage and into her arms. A sob wracked through her body as she embraced her brother tightly. Sniffling, she said, "If you think I'll ever let you out of my sight again, you're sorely mistaken."

Lena couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her. It was strange, looking at the woman who caused her and her family so much pain and grief and to feel so genuinely happy for her. Then again, Lena knew what it was like to be separated from her family, and she wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy.

She took a careful step towards Magica and knelt down by the woman she once called her aunt, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I want to help you," she said resolutely.

"How could you possibly help me?! I'm still the greatest sorceress the world has ever seen, you know?!"

Lena didn't flinch. She didn't even blink as Magica lashed out at her. "Maybe," she said, humoring Magica. "But I think I know how to turn him back."

Lena tried to focus, sitting on Magica's ratty old sofa with the Magica's amulet in one hand and Scrooge's number one dime in the other. Closing her eyes, she felt the presence of Poe, in front of her on Magica's stained coffee table. She focused on her breathing. On the energy coursing through her body. On the magical aura the artifacts in her hands radiated. The auras turned into a physical glow as Lena pulled the magic into herself, allowing the opposing energies to mingle. Finally, she directed her focus towards P—

"I hope we can get this over with quickly. I feel so naked without my dime." Scrooge grumbled, only to be shushed by Webby, Violet and Magica.

Lena sighed, opening her eyes and shooting the raven an apologetic look as she tried very hard to not imagine the older duck naked.

Poe nodded.

Lena closed her eyes again for a second try. She took a deep breath, focusing on her energy and pulling in the magic from the artifacts in the same motion. Directing the artifacts at Poe, she—

The bright and cheerful sounds of Violet's ringtone echoed throughout the little house.

Lena heard her sister gasp. "It's dad! They must have noticed we're gone!"

Lena's eyes snapped open. "Uh-oh…"

"Yikes," Webby replied. "Let's give Lena some space and answer that outside."

"Thanks, Pink, you're the best," Lena said, watching the other girls leave. "Okay, this better work, or I'll be grounded for eternity for nothing."

She felt the weight of a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she found it was attached to Scrooge. "Don't worry, I'll put in a good word for you."

Lena smiled, nodded, and with a slightly lighter heart closed her eyes. Poe's presence. Breathing. Energy. Pull. Mix. Back to Poe—

Sproing!

Lena didn't yell. She definitely didn't shriek as one of the springs once confined to Magica's sofa jumped towards its freedom. But she definitely did send the amulet and the dime flying across the room. As her elevated heart rate pulsed through her ears she jumped out of her seat and sprinted for the artifacts, picking them up only to find that Magica… hadn't moved an inch. She didn't make an attempt to get the dime.

Making her way back to the coffee table, she held her arm out for Poe to perch on. "I'm using your bathroom."

With Poe perched on the edge of Magica's bath tub -which still contained the bubble bath Magica was about to get into when they came knocking- Lena made herself comfortable sitting cross-legged on the bath mat. She closed her eyes and went through the motions again. Finally, she directed the magic towards Poe. A perfect hit! Expectantly, she looked at the raven, waiting for him to change back into his former self.

Poe stretched his wing and tilted his head, inspecting it. Still a raven.

Lena huffed, trying again and again and again and again.

She groaned in frustration, pulling her legs up to her chest and burying her face in her knees. "Ugh, why won't this dumb magic work?! I have the right artifacts and everything! What am I doing wrong?!"

Wings flapped inside the little bathroom, followed by talons clacking against the wooden floorboards. Lena looked up as soft feathers brushed against her leg.

"Lena, it's alright," the raven said in a smooth voice with a British accent. "You did your best."

"Did you just…?"

"Speak? Yes, I did."

"How long…?"

"About five minutes," Poe said, shrugging. At least, Lena thought he was shrugging. "Vocal chords take some getting used to when you haven't had any in several decades."

"I'm sorry I couldn't fully turn you back," Lena mumbled, casting her gaze towards the floor. "I was so sure I could do it, but I guess I got overconfident."

"It's quite alright. I've been a raven longer now than I've ever been a duck, I think, so I feel like changing back would be somewhat awkward. Not to mention, I'd rather stay a raven the rest of my life than accidentally turn into some in-between mix. Or to have the mind of a raven in the body of a duck."

A wry smile crept its way onto Lena's face. Disappointed at the lack of total success, but relieved that her attempts didn't end in a total failure.

"Also, Lena dear," Poe said as he flapped his wings and perched on her shoulder. "I know what overconfidence looks like -it's what got me into this situation to begin with- and you show no sign of it."

"Thanks. That kind of helps."

"My pleasure. Now, speaking of my sister, would you be so kind as to open the door?"

"Sure."

"Lena," Magica snapped the second Lena opened the door. Her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping the floor. "Why is there still a raven on your shoulder?"

"Are you alright, lass? I could have sworn I heard you talking to someone in there," Scrooge added.

"Yeah," Lena said. "And someone talked back. He's cool, by the way."

Poe flew from Lena's shoulder to perch on the backrest of Magica's sofa, glancing at the escaped spring that broke Lena's focus earlier before looking back up at Magica.

"Magica, this place is a mess," he deadpanned.

"That's my little brother!" Magica yelled as she scooped Poe up in her arms and twirled around. "Finally, after all these years."

Poe smiled as well as he could as he rested his head against Magica's cheek. "It's good to be back. Wait, is that cabinet on the far wall made of pizza boxes?"

"Hush, sweet Poe, don't ruin this," Magica whispered at him loudly.

Lena looked up at the sound of Scrooge's voice.

"Come on," he whispered as he extended his hand to her. "I'm sure your dads are going to want to know where you are."

Lena nodded and took his hand, following him to the door, which creaked again as it was pushed open.

"Wait."

Lena froze mid-step at the sound of Magica's voice, turning to face her. It wasn't Magica's magic which compelled her to anymore, but rather the remorse that flowed from that single syllable.

"Poe truly is the only person I've ever cared about. You didn't have to return him to me, but you did. So… thank you, Lena."

The raven looked rather smug, giving his sister a satisfied nod.

"I, uh, yeah," Lena stammered, scratching the back of her head. "I just did what any sister would do."

"And Scrooge?" Poe prompted.

Magica sighed and rolled her eyes. "Maybe learning the 'turning people back' spell would have been a more productive use of my time and effort than exacting my sweet, sweet vengeance on you, so sorry about that I guess."

"I'll take it," Scrooge replied.

"Now, was that so difficult?"

"Lena, lass, I hope you know what you've done," Scrooge said on the way back to the car. The rainclouds had cleared and the rising sun bathed the bog in pink light. "Those two could cause us loads of trouble."

"Hm, I don't know. I have a good feeling about this," Lena said, turning back towards the bog and smiling. "But if they do, at least they'll do it together."