Chapter Six – The Raven in the Window

"Not… sure? How can you be not sure? She'd be back in the school by now!" By the expressions the others gave each other, he could tell that they'd already acted out on their surprise. Brad looked at the floor while Green pretended that there was something amazing to look at through the window. Lucas and Ryan also looked away, the latter of which went about lacing up his boots in the silence.

"She was probably just tired," Kylee said. "I went up to get her, but she wasn't in her room… Maybe she went to the hospital."

Tired… It was perhaps the most optimistic view any of them had. They all knew Alexia changed inside the school. It was possible the staff had to find a way to eliminate a rampant werewolf before it harmed any of the students. It would be kept quiet for a while, then someone would leak just enough information to start a rumor that would spread through the school…

Rumors had a way of either continuing things or ending things. Maybe it would become some sort of school legend.

For a moment, Cory wondered how it felt. How would he feel if he knew he was a werewolf, and that every full moon, he'd become some sort of awful monster? How would he feel if he was told that his condition was contagious, and that he could infect those around him? That even though he had people that loved him, he couldn't help but turn on them?

"We can't forfeit the game," Brad said. His voice was the catalyst that brought everyone's' thoughts back from the Forbidden Forest and back into the locker room. "At least it's against Hufflepuff. It would be nice if Alexia was here—" he added, when he got several incredulous looks from the others. "—But we can do this without her. If anything, we should win this one for her."

There were several mumbles of assent. He certainly knew how to get the team's mind back in the game, Cory thought to himself.

Green finally turned away from the window. "Hufflepuff's out there. Doesn't look like the rain's letting up. We might as well go."

If anything, the weather felt colder and wetter than it had before. Now that he was no longer worried about getting to the locker room on time, all Cory could do was think about Alexia and whether or not she was okay. With his mind off of Quidditch, the coldness of the weather was really starting to get to him, and he often found himself shivering during the warm-up laps he was taking around the pitch. The people in the stands looked so warm and dry, all huddled together under their blankets… Some of them were probably magically charmed to provide extra warmth as well. Still, a few people found it within their willpower to remove their arms from underneath their covers and hold up signs cheering the teams on. Most of them rooted for Hufflepuff… In fact, the only section holding up posters cheering for Slytherin was Slytherin.

That was discouraging.

It was also the one thing that picked Cory's mind up and dropped it right into the game. Hufflepuff didn't even stand a chance! He wasn't about to let any shots through during this game!

The ice was stinging his face, and on more than one occasion, he reached up to wipe water from his eyes and saw spot of blood dotting his robes. Cory didn't care; neither did the others, apparently. Seconds after the Quaffle entered play, Ryan already had a goal.

Had they really resigned Alexia to her fate? Was this really her memorial game?

Cory stopped a shot, then tossed it a quarter of the way down the pitch to Green's waiting arms. He and Ryan played catch until they reached Hufflepuff's rings, and then Ryan put it through again.

The most unfortunate thing about the game was its length. Kylee spotted the Snitch several times, but Cory watched as each of the opportunities ended with the Snitch flying into the wind… Which in turn caused slivers of freezing rain to fall right into the Seeker's eyes. It wasn't just Kylee, though. The other Seeker was having the same problem; it was almost as if the Snitch was toying with them. Eventually, Kylee outsmarted the thing and watched it through a wide arc until she was finally able to catch up with it and grab it.

The game was easily Slytherin's with a score of 320 – 60.

It certainly hadn't been as fun as the first game against Hufflepuff had been. The rain seemed to be a deciding factor in that. Still, the good-natured captain congratulated each of the Slytherins in turn, and gave Kylee an especially hearty pat on the back for her capture of the Snitch. Surprisingly, even Green shook his hand, and when the captain got to Cory, it was almost tempting to ask the Hufflepuffs if they wanted to get together for an after-game party in the Great Hall. After all, they'd survived the torrent of lethal freezing rain, and that was an accomplishment all by itself.

Not long passed before those on the field felt it was in their best interests to seek cover from the rain. It hadn't let up at all in the two hours – almost three, really – that the game had lasted. As everyone hurried off toward the castle, Cory's teammates tried to find solace under the water-repelling blankets of the other Slytherins. Cory himself was able to share some sort of charmed raincoat with a second year student that insisted on talking to him all the way back to the common room about goal tending. The conversation would have been pleasant if the student hadn't continued to remind him that the Slytherin team would be needing a goaltender after the current year was up.

As was usual, there was a bit of a party in the common room. There usually was after a win… And even if the game hadn't turned out in their favor, the others in the house still would have procured some food from the kitchen, and they'd have a bit of a sore loser party. No one was really happy when they lost, it was just that the Slytherins tended to imagine the other teams' heads spitted on pikes and set up outside the school. For some reason, that was considered cheerful.

Cory noticed that Brad was trying to gather the others into a quiet corner to talk. However, as cold and tired as he was, he took advantage of the chaos to slip up the stairs and into the seventh year dorms. If Brad wanted to talk, they could talk later.

---

Though the excessive warmness of the dorm was quite welcome when he first reached it, now that he was settled and dry, Cory found it to be near-unbearable. Evidently, the heat from the fire below had risen upward and stopped at the very highest point it could go.

It was still raining outside, but the room would have to be cooled somehow. If anything, his roommates would thank him later. He worked at the ancient latch and was finally able to get the window open a bit – enough to let some air in, at least. As he rubbed a towel through his hair, Cory flopped down on his four-poster, thoroughly drained from the match. Grabbing his Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven from the nightstand next to him, he paged through it in an attempt to find some sort of simple healing spell that would get rid of the annoyingly stinging cuts on his face and arms. After searching for a bit and finding nothing that didn't require some sort of complicated poultice, he leaned back on his pillow and closed his eyes… He could deal with the annoyance for a day or so.

"Been holding down the fort up here, Gus?" he asked the grey owl that sat on a perch across the room. The old bird's eyes were partially closed, though he drew himself up almost regally at the mention of his name. Smiling, Cory finally drifted off to sleep, resolving that it would be much more restful than curling up in the dungeon window.

His sleep was mostly dreamless, except at the end where an annoying car horn eventually resolved itself into the frantic hooting of an owl. Cory awakened with a start, sitting upright as he tried to focus on Gus. The owl was still sitting in his perch, but he was looking toward the window. Just inside it on the ledge sat a horribly disheveled black bird that looked to be completely soaked.

Cory's first reaction would have been to get rid of it, though it didn't seem to be making a pest of itself. It just sat on the ledge staring at the floor.

"Wanted to come in from that storm, eh, fella?" he said to the bird. It looked up, staring at him for a moment with tired blue eyes. Cory reasoned that it was likely some sort of pet, as he'd never seen a blue-eyed raven before. The creature looked back out through the window, fluttering for a moment as if it were about to fly away… Then Cory realized that it wasn't thinking of fleeing; it was actually drying itself off… because the next thing the bird did was hop down to the floor.

"Yeah, you don't mind people, do you?" He spoke slowly and quietly, so as not to scare it away. It didn't seem to care, however. In fact, beyond initially looking up when Cory had spoken, the raven didn't seem to notice the boy was there at all. It took a couple steps into the room before nesting down on the floor, ruffling its feathers in an attempt to keep the warmth in.

Taking a chance, Cory stepped off the bed, gauging the bird's reaction. It looked up at him, but didn't seem to be nervous or upset in any way. He leaned down a bit, slowly reaching his hand toward it, and finally, he picked it up.

The first thing he noticed was the fact that it seemed to be bony and underfed. Second, was the fact that the bird's long, black flight feathers were dotted with red, and that its entire plumage seemed to have a green sheen to it. Cory didn't know too much about birds, but he was sure this one had to be a magical creation of some sort, as he was previously sure it was a raven, but it really didn't have the proper markings.

"I should get you to Professor Kettleburn," he muttered, thinking that the Care of Magical Creatures professor might be able to help feed the bird and get it back to proper health. Perhaps then, someone could find out who'd owned it before.

At the mention of going somewhere, though, the creature actually seemed to come alive for the first time, flapping about and making such a ruckus that even Gus gave Cory a scathing look. Having no other choice, he grabbed the damp towel from around his shoulder, and wrapped the raven up in it. It still fussed, but at least he'd be able to carry it now without it potentially getting away. He wasn't really in any position to take care of it, either, especially since he tended to fall asleep during Care of Magical Creatures classes.

It wasn't until he was heading down the stairs from his dorm that he even remotely considered that the bird he was carrying around could actually be dangerous. It had settled down a bit, however… If he could only get it up to Professor Kettleburn in a fair amount of time, he wouldn't have to let it go outside again. Poor thing. It had probably lived so long with its family that it didn't know how to find food for itself.

As soon as he stepped into the common room, he nearly ran into Brad, who was going the other way.

"Hey," Brad stated, stepping back in surprise. He quickly regained his bearing, though. "I was just coming up to talk to you…"

Cory shook his head. "Not now. I have to get this…" He held up the towel-sack containing the raven, who'd begun to thrash again as soon as it heard Brad's voice. "…To professor Kettleburn. It was in my room. I think it might be someone's pet… Some sort of raven, but it's different."

Brad shrugged. "I'll walk with you then."

Having no objections, Cory nodded, and they headed off through the dungeon wall and upstairs. Professor McGonagall, who rarely ventured down near the Slytherin house, was heading in the opposite direction. She nearly passed them by entirely, but just as they reached the top landing, she called up to them.

"…Boys? What do you have there?"

Cory held up the towel-sack again. "Some bird. It flew into my room… I was just going to take it to Professor—"

To their surprise, McGonagall smiled. "May I see it?" she asked.

"It might fly away, Professor," Cory warned, though he noticed that the raven had gone astonishingly still. Perhaps it had died? Worried, he unfolded to towel. The bird was still sitting there, eyes open, looking right at McGonagall.

Gently, she took both the towel and the bird, the faint smile never leaving her face. Cory and Brad looked at each other, confused; Brad looked as if he were just about to ask for an explanation when McGonagall turned back to them and spoke. "You may follow me, boys. This somewhat concerns you." Without offering anything else, she started back up the stairs. The boys, not about to miss whatever it was she was about to explain, quickly followed her right to her office, where she set the raven down on her desk. Calmly, she pulled up her own chair, before reaching into her pocket to retrieve her wand. She then conjured a chair each for Brad and Cory, who both sat.

McGonagall folded her hands in front of her, watching the raven intently. The bird itself was staring down at the grain on the desk. The Professor smiled again. "You'll have to register, you know."

To Cory and Brad's surprise, the raven nodded. McGonagall, however, didn't seem phased in the least as she continued. "They're already aware of your preliminary success, and… As we found several black feathers in the dungeon, they've already been notified that you've succeeded. You will, of course, have to sign the papers."

Suddenly, Cory remembered the quill he'd found on the table the night before. The puzzle pieces were starting to come together…

The Professor looked up at them. "She's been coming to me on and off for five years now—" She stopped, her expression surprised. "You both look absolutely bewildered… Certainly she would have told you something?"

Not knowing what else to say, Cory answered, "No, Ma'am."

McGonagall blinked. "Oh, well, then. Perhaps she should tell you herself. Why don't you change back, then?"

The raven sat there, squishing its neck down into its shoulders until its head was almost invisible. Obviously, it – or she, rather, Cory corrected himself, was an animagus. He'd also come to the conclusion as to who it was, and when the realization hit him, he actually smiled. The tension had totally gone. All the worry, all the uncertainty… It just evaporated. Brad had come to the same conclusion as well. He reached out and poked the bird between the shoulders.

"C'mon, Lex," he said. He was smiling, too. "We know it's you."

"I'd informed you that changing back was just as difficult as changing in the first place." McGonagall's tone became admonishing, but not unkind. "And now you're stuck."

"We… found a book up in her dorm…" Brad said. Alexia turned and stared at him. If ever a raven could look murderous, she came close. Brad, however, didn't notice. "It was torn up. We thought… We thought maybe…"

"She'd been acting weird for some time," Cory supplied. "We found the book, and it looked like a werewolf had… And, I mean, the full moon…"

"An unlucky coincidence, I suppose," McGonagall said. "I assume she tore up the book upon the discovery that she could no longer read. Therefore, she couldn't consult the texts I gave her permission to borrow from the library. She's frustrated."

"…Can't read?" Brad asked.

"Well, she does have the mind of a bird," the Professor answered. "Even if she has full sense of self, she's going to have to teach herself all over again how to do several things in this form – reading being one of them."

Alexia croaked a bit… The tone was almost annoyed.

"I can't help you," McGonagall said sternly, "Except to tell you that you should have read the part about changing back before now. You're going to have to form a sense of self in your own mind. It's not impossible, you know. I can't think of one animagus that hasn't been able to change back." She paused, contemplating for a moment. "Though Fargus the Skittish was stuck for three or four years. Then again, he had the mind of a vole."

She ignored the shuddering start Alexia made, and continued. "I also suggest not hiding from your house. The closer you feel to your human self, the easier it will be to change back. Emiz, Orff," she looked at the boys, and they tore their attention away from Alexia. "See that she gets back to the dorm. Make sure she eats something. Everything else is up to her. You're dismissed."

Brad and Cory stood, looking down at the raven that still sat on the desk. Now that they knew it was their friend and teammate, they were reluctant to pick her up. Finally, it was Professor McGonagall that lifted Alexia up, and, amid squawking protest, placed the raven on Cory's shoulder.

---

By the time they reached the common room, it had mostly cleared out, except for a few that were reading. None of them took a whole lot of notice of Brad, Cory, and Alexia as they sat down in a corner set up with beanbag chairs and floormats. It was out of the way, at least… not the most comfortable area of the room, but they could talk privately there.

Alexia fluttered to the table and sat there, looking tired and, if possible, embarrassed. As Cory went off to collect some food left over from the party, Brad sat down next to her on the floor, folding his arms on the table and resting his head on them. This way, he was eye-level with her.

"I wish you would have told us," he said. She stared at him, her face giving away nothing, as birds couldn't exactly make any sort of expression. Brad wished she could answer him, though; he realized it was probably just as frustrating for Alexia as it was for him. No, that was wrong… Knowing Alexia, she was going absolutely out of her mind. It was a wonder she appeared so calm.

Cory returned after a while, setting a plateful of cheese and crackers on the table and helping himself to a bit. Alexia stared at the selection for a while, as if somehow unsure about something, before taking a cracker in her beak. After crushing it to bits, she finally managed to eat some of it.

"You certainly still know how to make a mess," Cory chuckled. Alexia suddenly wasn't interested in the food anymore. She appeared to be embarrassed again, and looked away from them both.

"I don't know why you'd be ashamed or anything," Brad offered. "I mean, none of us here could do what you did, Lex. Just eat something, alright? Look, we won't watch if you don't want us to."

She turned back toward them, and for a moment, it almost seemed like there was a smile in her blue eyes… And she waited. Blinking, Brad looked from her to Cory, and they both turned away from the table, facing the other direction.

---

Because she wanted to keep it a secret, it wasn't long before the whole team knew about what had happened to Alexia. She was surprised to find that they were actually relieved, and found it quite hilarious that they'd been so sure she was a werewolf. Though her inability to talk to them was quite frustrating, at least they didn't cut her out of the team. They were determined to find a way to help her change back before the next game; as luck would have it, March was their month off. Every house had a by-month, and Slytherin's fell right when it needed to.

She really rather would have kept her transformation a secret, but that wasn't to be. Someone – no one was sure who – must have overheard something, and told a friend or three, who told their friends… Pretty soon, the entire house knew. And because there were many Slytherins with friends in other houses, it wasn't long before most of the school knew as well. It was everyone's topic of conversation for a day or two, but magic in any form was commonplace at Hogwarts, which meant soon enough, Alexia was left in peace. She even started attending classes again. Though she couldn't read the material, at least she could listen to the lectures. There was still hope that she'd be able to take her O.W.L.s in the spring.

At least McGonagall had given her top marks in transfiguration.

She flew over the Quidditch pitch – it was weird, to be able to fly without a broom, but it was one of the abilities inherent to her when she'd transformed. There wasn't much else she could do, though… Ravens weren't exactly known for their ferocity. Looking behind her, Alexia could see the others just leaving the school for practice. For once, she was early. It wasn't that she could do a whole lot, but she could at least watch and try to remember what Brad said to the others. At least her memory still seemed to be good.

Why did it have to be a raven? That was the question Alexia first asked herself when she changed. Why not some huge bird of prey? An eagle, or an owl… Even a falcon would have been nice. A carrion bird, though? She'd been so upset, that she meant to change back to human and never transform again.

That was when she discovered that she couldn't change back.

The day and a half of reflection Alexia had outside the castle afterward also led her to think about how her animagus form would have been some sort of reflection of herself. She certainly didn't enjoy eating rotting meat… The question burned in her mind for hours until finally she realized that her father had, at one point, been in Ravenclaw house.

After that, she was quite proud of her form. Embarassed, perhaps, that she couldn't change back, but after thinking about it, she really wouldn't have chosen anything else.

The others waved up to her as they collected on the field below. This wasn't so bad, really. At least she didn't have to write any essays.