Using the Raven

The raven glided silently across the alley, circling the house before landing on a third-floor windowsill. Through its eyes, Alex saw the inside of a bedroom—neatly kept but clearly lived in. He noted small personal touches that hinted at more than one occupant.

The raven continued its sweep of the third floor, peering into each room. All were bedrooms, empty at the moment, but signs of recent activity were everywhere: an unmade bed here, a half-open wardrobe there.

Finding no more useful information, Alex directed the raven to the second floor. It perched on a windowsill overlooking a spacious hall. Through the raven's vision, Alex spotted several people gathered and chatting.

"Five of them," he muttered, counting quickly. His eyes narrowed. "There's Yaxley, and that's definitely Torquil Travers. I recognize him from the station and Sampur's memories. The other three… Death Eaters, no doubt."

Alex guided the raven to scan the rest of the second floor. There were no other people, and the third-floor bedrooms seemed to match the number of occupants. 'Next step: figure out the security setup,' Alex thought, raising his cloak again. Another raven appeared, flapping its wings softly before taking off.

He sent the second raven to circle the house, then land on the chimney. From what the first raven had observed, all the doors and windows were sealed tight. The chimney seemed like the only viable entry point.

The first raven stayed on the second-floor windowsill, keeping an eye on the group inside, while the second raven descended through the chimney. Guided by Alex's magic, it reached the fireplace on the third floor. The vision revealed nothing out of the ordinary—just a clean, unused hearth. "Very well, there's no warning magic on the chimney. Let's start by checking the third floor first," Alex muttered, focusing his control on Raven No. 6.

The raven poked its head cautiously out of the fireplace, scanning the surroundings before hopping out. It moved across the third floor with short, deliberate figure-eight steps. Despite the building being described as "small," this floor alone felt spacious. It had a cozy living room and six rooms, one of which Alex already knew was a bathroom from his earlier surveillance. That left five potential bedrooms.

In the living room, two pairs of sofas faced each other with a wooden coffee table between them. Cabinets of varying heights lined the walls, alongside a large clock that ticked softly. The entire space had a lived-in yet slightly old-fashioned charm.

Raven No. 6 wandered the living room a few times, careful not to disturb anything. Alex scrutinized the feed through the shared vision but didn't spot any traces of warning magic in the room. "It doesn't look like there's any on the floor either," Alex murmured to himself. "Makes sense—if they enchanted the floor, they'd be triggering it themselves constantly. That would be a disaster for them."

Satisfied with the living room, the raven began a more detailed inspection of the corners and walls. Alex avoided making the bird touch anything directly. His experiences with Lily had taught him how easily protective spells could activate, even from light contact.

At the window, the raven paused. Faint runes flickered on the inner sill, surfacing briefly before fading again. Alex frowned. Temporary enchantments often behaved this way, their magic leaking over time. Proper alchemy items wouldn't have such obvious traces, but this level of craftsmanship wasn't uncommon.

"There's definitely a warning spell on the windows," Alex noted, leaning back thoughtfully. "I bet it's the same for the doors. Typical. No sneaking in through the usual ways, then."

Raven No. 6 hopped toward the bedroom doors, each made of dark, heavy wood that had clearly seen better days. A closer inspection confirmed Alex's suspicion: enchantments covered them too. He directed the raven to check the other doors, finding the same results on all of them. 

"So, every window and door is enchanted. Figures. Without Apparition, sneaking in isn't going to be easy," Alex muttered. He thought for a moment, then smirked. "Unless... maybe I don't have to sneak in at all. Poisoning them could work."

Energized by the idea, Alex guided the raven to search for food or water sources on the third floor. However, the floor yielded no results—no food storage, and even the bathroom door was enchanted. He'd have to check downstairs.

From earlier reconnaissance, Alex knew the kitchen was on the second floor. The layout of the house suggested it had been designed for commercial use at some point. The ground floor was largely empty, the second floor housed essentials like the kitchen and another living room, while the third floor was reserved for sleeping quarters.

Raven No. 6 approached the staircase cautiously, its tiny claws clicking faintly against the wooden floor. After confirming no spells guarded the stairs, it began its descent. Flying would have been faster, but keeping quiet while navigating stairs on foot was a challenge.

The staircase had a sharp 180-degree turn halfway down. Reaching the bend, the raven peeked out quickly before darting back into cover.

The stairs opened directly into a large living room on the second floor. Alex caught glimpses of several Death Eaters lounging on the sofas, engaged in lively conversation. To the side, he saw the open kitchen. But one detail drew his attention—a large, ornate looking glass hung above the living room. Its craftsmanship was too refined to be ordinary.

"What's this now?" Alex muttered. "A high-end looking glass? Odd that it hasn't reacted to the raven."

Alex watched the events unfolding through the vision of Raven No. 1. Unfortunately, the shared vision wasn't as clear as seeing with his own eyes. In modern terms, the "resolution" wasn't high enough, making it impossible to identify the runes decorating the house's walls. The raven also couldn't cast spells, leaving Alex unable to disarm the warning charms from the inside.

"It looks like sneaking in isn't an option," Alex muttered to himself. "Do I really have to go with brute force or lure them out somehow? Or maybe..." His eyes lit up as a new idea struck him. He directed the raven toward a specific door, staring intently at the gap beneath it.

"This door's a standard size—probably around 80 centimeters wide and 2 meters tall—but that gap at the bottom? That's bigger than usual, at least 1.5 centimeters. Hmm... if that's the case, there might be a way."

Before diving into his plan, Alex decided to test if the walls were protected by defensive spells. He maneuvered Raven No. 1 to a nearby wall, commanding it to peck lightly at the surface. Nothing happened. Encouraged, the bird continued along the wall, pecking cautiously, until it reached a section near a window. The moment its beak tapped the outer wall, a faint magical pulse rippled through the air.

The reaction didn't go unnoticed. From Raven No. 1's perspective, Alex saw the faces of the people on the second floor twist in alarm.