The Raven II

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JKR, various publishers of the HP series. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author's Note: Since posting the last chapter I changed to a new job/new company which requires more brain power during the day. I had been writing to keep my brain cells from dying off at the old job. I am trying to get motivated to write in the evening, but it's been tough.

Chapter 7 (uploaded 9/9/04)

Remus fire-called Dumbledore from Mrs. Figg's house. "Albus, there were three Death Eaters. I had a look around before Ministry officials got there. They completely trashed the house, but they left satisfied that the Dursleys knew nothing about Harry's whereabouts. Harry's relatives weren't physically harmed. But the Death Eaters left the Dark Mark over the neighborhood."

Dumbledore waved his wand and said, "Step through, Remus." As the former Hogwarts professor dusted himself off, he was asked, "Could any of them be identified?"

"Two of them kept their hoods and masks on the whole time. The one who was unconscious the whole time, punched out cold by Harry's cousin, was described as a nervous, mousey looking man with rainbow-colored hair and a bald patch. There was a neon yellow streak down his back, and ran under his cloak. They remembered a deep voice of the tall one with black eyes. The other one had gray eyes and a cold laugh."

"Did you witness the attack?"

"I'm afraid not. Arabella had called us in for tea. A little black raven came rapping on the window and told me the Dursleys were being attacked. He said his name was Harry. As soon as we apparated there, we heard them disapparate."

Albus made a short gasp and looked at his desktop gadget. Sure enough, Harry's dot and Severus's dot were laying at the bottom. "I assume the Ministry is restoring their house and wiping their memories of the event?"

"Well, they weren't going to because as Harry's guardians, they have been exposed to our world already. But they were hysterical. Moody showed up and ordered their memories erased of the evening's events. He can still swing some weight around, despite the fact that he's retired. The Ministry is setting everything straight in the house. The tall one with black eyes made a big mess and lots of noise upstairs. He broke glass and scorched the place, but nothing beyond magical repair, except for Harry's mattress and the door to Harry's room. He turned the door into a pile of toothpicks and the mattress...well, let's just say the mattress stuffing will be blowing around the neighborhood for the next year."

"Do what you can to restore Mr. Potter's room to your best memory. He needs to be able to return to the house next summer, for his protection."

"Not the bars on the window's, Albus. Not the locks on the doors."

"Yes, even the bars, even the locks. Trust me. As accurately as you can remember."

Remus nodded. "What about this bird, Harry? Where did he come from?" After a very long pause, "Albus?"

"What I'm about to tell you is extremely confidential, but I'm telling you this because you are the next closest parental figure that Mr. Potter has and respects. Harry Potter is the young raven as the result of a student prank. Somehow he came into Professor Snape's possession and is now bonded to Severus as his familiar, whom he is calling Munin. Because of this bond, Severus will do everything in his power to keep Harry safe. Unfortunately, Harry will attempt to do the same for Severus."

"What are you saying? My best mate's son is running around on Death Eater raids? Apparently you haven't informed the Dursley's of Harry's current situation."

"Well, he is in hiding," the old man's eyes twinkled. "And technically he is in the care of a qualified faculty member. I don't suppose you found anything out about their plans?"

"Don't change the subject!" Remus growled.

"Remus, please. You're quick to anger in your current state."

"I know, that's why I wasn't selected to be Harry's godfather or guardian," Lupin sighed. "Alastor was questioning them before their memories are erased. It sounded like they were directed toward the Weasley's. Who is this Death Eater with rainbow colored hair? Are they recruiting clowns now?"

"Hmm, I'll have to remember to ask Severus about that. Don't worry about the Weasley's. They are quite capable of taking care of themselves. After you restore Harry's bedroom, I want you to go home and rest. The full moon was only last night, so its influence on you is still very strong and you are very tired."

"Thank the stars, or I wouldn't have been able to understand Harry. No, I've got to go back on duty."

"Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore walked over to the lycanthrope and put his hand on Remus's shoulder, "if you refuse my order, I will be forced to put you into Madame Pomfrey's care. Do I make myself clear?"

Remus shuddered and answered, "Yes, sir." Lupin stepped back into the fireplace, threw down a handful of floo powder, and called, "Arabella Figg!"

-----ooOoo-----

"OW! Let go, stupid bird." Severus growled and shrugged off the claws digging into his back when he arrived at their pre-determined meeting place, before taking off his mask. Harry climbed into a pocket, just before two more cracks of apparition were heard.

Lucius laughed evilly, "You've stayed in good form, mate!" He took his mask off as he walked over and slapped the tall dark wizard on the back. "But YOU, idiot," he pointed at the rat animagus, "knocked unconscious by a child, a Muggle child, at that! How you ever graduated and qualified as a fully educated wizard is a mystery to me."

"Child? The kid is a mountain, he's been trained to fight with his hands!" Peter said defensively, as he clutched his own mask. Snape leaned back against another wall with gleaming eyes to watch Malfoy intimidate the little rat-fink.

Harry stayed quiet in his dark pocket to listen and to identify the feelings emanating from the bond. 'Humor, not the funny kind though, mischievous. I think that's it. Dark and vengeful mischief. This is scary territory.' Just as Harry thought 'scary,' Snape's hand snaked into the pocket to caress the black bird.

When Lucius finished berating Wormtail, he turned to Snape, whose burning black eyes were now unfathomable. He had calmed his feelings back to neutrality and stopped petting Munin, not wanting to go too far the other way. "What did you find in the house?"

"Nothing. I literally turned the place over. I found no evidence that Harry Potter had ever been in the house. Not now, not ever."

"You've been there before."

"It looked the same as the last time I was there. Potter wasn't there last time, either." Snape answered. "How about you, Wormtail, look the same to you?"

"Yes," Peter huffed and glared at Snape.

"That's odd," the tall blonde wizard paced. "Did you find his room? Where does he sleep? You found none of his possessions?"

"There was a shooting gallery in the smallest bedroom and the guest bedroom was overperfumed and decorated with frilly little flowers. I think Potter would rather sleep in the cupboard under the stairs than in that monstrosity." Snape smirked. 'That's true,' Harry thought.

Lucius ran his hand through his hair, "Nothing at all?"

"Not any more. I redecorated the house, blasted everything to bits."

Lucius's gray eyes were on fire. "Fine, then it's on to the Weasley's. Wormtail where is their little hovel?"

"Why should I tell you? I don't like the way you're treating me."

"Because," Malfoy walked slowly and ominously toward the silver-handed wizard, "I'll skin you alive for just for offending me and the wizarding race with your hair and skin colors. Have you at least taken a bath?"

"Of course! But it was a magical potion that got me this way, it's going to take a potion to fix it." Wormtail glared past Malfoy's shoulder at the potion master in the shadows with renewed intensity.

"We all know how good I am at skin and hair care, don't we," Snape bared his yellow teeth. 'Snape made him that way? Now that's funny!' Harry wanted to laugh, but Snape held his hand firmly over the lump in his pocket.

"We're wasting time. I will not report back to the Dark Lord empty-handed." Malfoy growled. "We all know what will happen if we fail."

"Fine, follow me." Pettigrew disapparated with a crack. Snape and Lucius pulled their hoods over their heads and put on their masks before following.

Harry's head popped out of the pocket when they reached the Weasley house, or rather where the house should have been. He had been apprehensive and was trying to think of how he could warn the family he thought of as his own. He got a kick out of what he saw. It was a swamp!

"I don't understand," Wormtail shook his head, "this is where it should be. They aren't the type to keep wards on their place other than the required anti-Muggle wards." He walked toward where the front door should have been. Suddenly an alligator came out of the water and chased him back a dozen feet. It snapped and roared before backing into the swamp to join a curiously identical alligator. Snape felt Harry's mirth and smiled under his mask as they both remembered the end of the last school year when the Weasley twins first demonstrated their portable swamp at Hogwarts.

Lucius grabbed Wormtail by the collar, "What are you playing at?"

"I lived here for 12 years," Wormtail gasped for air. "This is where the Burrow was."

Snape peered into the trees, "We can't stay too long. Obviously, they were expecting us." As he said that, green bolts of light shot at them from all directions. Malfoy and Snape took refuge behind a tree stump, sending their own spells back. Meanwhile, Wormtail transformed into a rat and ran toward the trees.

"Wormtail, get back here!" Malfoy ordered.

"What's that?" Snape pointed to a hazy field above them.

"Argh, anti-apparition ward. I just tried," Malfoy said, as he dug into his pockets.

Snape pulled Harry out of his own pocket, "Munin, fetch the rat. Bring him to me." Harry flew hard and fast, diving quickly and digging his talons into Wormtail's neck and haunches. Wormtail squealed as he struggled against the black bird, "OW! OW! Let me go!" Harry, being a young raven, was actually almost the same size as the fat rat, but he was a very strong flyer and determined not to let go of the traitor whom he partially blamed for the death of his parents. Harry understood the rat animagus, but was determined not to reveal himself. He pecked at the rat's head and nipped his ears a couple times as he flew back to Severus Snape.

As the two death eaters leaned back on the tree stump, Snape grabbed the bird and the rat. "Ah hah! Portkey!" Lucius grabbed Snape's elbow and held the charmed pendant to the back of Snape's hand that held the rat. When the world around them stopped spinning, they were dumped at the feet of Lord Voldemort in a dark, damp cellar. Wormtail returned to his wizarding form as Harry fluttered to land on Snape's hand. He was grabbed and stuffed into blackness, which was just fine by him. Harry wanted as little exposure to Voldemort as possible.

"What have you to report?" Voldemort hissed. The three death eaters groveled at his feet and kissed the hem of his robes. Nagini, Voldemort's pet snake, wrapped himself around Wormtail's waist. Malfoy and Snape threw themselves backwards and knelt before their dark master.

"I'm sorry, my lord," Malfoy kept his focus on the floor, "the Muggles know nothing. They believe Potter is still at the school."

Snape added, "Sir, I turned the place over and found no evidence that Harry Potter had been there. They lead us to believe the Weasleys might know something, but we were ambushed at the Burrow."

"What do you have to say, Wormtail?" Voldemort was but a few inches from his face.

"Air," Peter gasped, "please, can't breathe." Nagini loosened up a little. "I'm sorry, my lord, I saw nothing."

"Crucio! Crucio! Crucio!"

Harry thought his head was going to explode as Snape suffered under the Cruciatus curse. A combination of his link with Voldemort feeling angry, and his bond with the Death Eater under his curse, he imagined. He was surprised that Wormtail's was the only screaming he heard under the torture. Snape tensed and bucked on the ground, yet he suffered silently until the curse was finally lifted and still managed to keep his wits about him, enough not to crush the bird in his pocket, at any rate. It seemed like an eternity before Snape was left panting on the floor. Harry ventured out of the pocket when it remained quiet for a long time. He climbed out of the pocket and put his throbbing head down on Snape's heaving chest. "Shhh," the dark wizard cautioned his pet.

"What have you there, Severus?" Lucius gasped.

"This is Munin. A baby raven, given to me by my godson." Snape scooted on his back about a foot so that he could rest his head on the stone wall. Somewhere in the darkness, Wormtail could be heard whimpering.

"Draco?" Lucius snorted, "Sentimental fool, he's too much like his mother to ever be good at the dark arts."

"Maybe it was a bribe," Snape said softly and stared straight back at Lucius.

"Hmmm." Malfoy rolled over to his hands and knees and struggled to stand. As Snape attempted the same, Harry fluttered up to Severus's shoulders. "Let's get out of here."

It was early Sunday morning, the dawn was starting to break as Severus stumbled into the castle. He supported himself against the walls and shuffled his feet as he made his way to the infirmary. Harry flew on ahead and woke Madam Pomfrey. The potions professor went straight to the potion stores and was helping himself when Madam Pomfrey arrived in her dressing gown. "Something for your headache, Munin?" Snape dipped his finger into his own goblet and offered a couple drops to his raven. Harry involuntarily trilled as relief washed through his head, earning a smile from the sallow-skinned wizard.

The mediwitch supported Snape by his arm and lead him to a bed at the end of the room and drew the curtains around him. 'What, no argument? Nobody said anything.' Harry thought. 'Looks like a routine.' Harry watched sleep claim the double agent quickly before he realized that he had been up all night, too. He flew out the window and straight to the owlry.

To be continued...soon!

----- ooOoo -----

A/N: Thank you for staying with the story while I get my busier life sorted out. Your reviews keep me focused on the story. Thanks for your reviews: Ms. Padfoot, Heart of the Wizard, starangel2106, atraxis, w´erinaya, kaaera, Anna Taure, texasjeanette, Romm, Persephone Lupin, Wren Truesong, Rory, Lucky (x2), Toras.

Ms. Padfoot: I wondered if you had been reading. Welcome back.

Persephone Lupin: Sorry, no more Boris, it was a cameo appearance.

Wren Truesong: Right you are! But, from my own parrot-pet experience, you shouldn't feed chocolate to birds and avoid raw almonds. They have a chemical that can be toxic to little birdie bodies. I had to be careful my too-smart-for his-own-good bird didn't steal my chocolate almond candy bars.