An Unlikely Savior ~ (Edit) COMPLETED

Chapter 8 ~ Special Delivery

Dear Dad,

I need you to write my Head of House and give me permission to come home next
weekend so I can be fitted for a gown. I’ve finally decided to go to the
ridiculous Christmas ball for once in my life.

I’ll be going with Alsop Potter. Dad, don’t blow a torch. He’s bearable, smart
and a Ravenclaw, not a Gryffindor like the rest of them. We’re just friends.

I love you.

Eileen



Snape stared down at the parchment, at a loss as to how he felt as he found out
his daughter was going on her first formal date. Friends or not, it was a
date—with a boy. A Potter no less.

Snape sat down in one of the wooden chairs he kept for customers to wait in, and
pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d known this day would come. He had hoped
Eileen would be older when the hormones kicked in. But she’d turned sixteen in
November, and sixteen was the age when it started. The interest, the curiosity.
The Potions master had hoped he’d influenced her enough to where she would put
education before boys.

Then again, she had written they were just friends. Eileen didn’t have many
friends, just like he didn’t when he attended Hogwarts. Except for one “friend.”
And that hadn’t worked out well at all. Now, that former friend’s grandson had
designs on his daughter.

Harry Potter had a Ravenclaw in the family? How in the hell did that happen?
Harry barely had half a brain. Maybe his wife had provided the intelligence
portion. Ginny Weasley had always been a rather bright witch. The only thing
she’d done that made Snape question her intelligence was marry Harry. Hm. Well,
everyone had a blind spot.

Alsop Potter. Alsop was an uncommon name. He had to be an uncommon young wizard
for Eileen to suffer through a Christmas Ball with him. Maybe he wasn’t so bad,
and Eileen, as young as she was, always showed good judgment. She was a sober
young woman who thought things out before acting. Still, there was peer
pressure, and it was hard to just constantly shrug it off, particularly for a
teenager. He could tell Eileen wasn’t overly excited about the ball. More than
likely she and her “date” (argh) would stand around, picking it and everyone
enjoying themselves apart.

He sighed, then stood up and walked around the counter, where he kept a stack of
parchment. He opened an ink bottle, picked up a feathered quill and dipped it
into the neck, filling the nib. He had Muggle pens, but he preferred quills. He
started writing.



To: Professor Alexander Darque, Slytherin Head of House

RE: Eileen Snape

Professor Darque,

I will be arriving Friday evening to pick up my daughter Eileen Snape for a gown
fitting. She will return to Hogwarts on . . .



Snape hesitated. He missed his daughter although she would be home for the
Christmas holiday. But since she was going to be here, they might as well make a
weekend of it.

She will return to Hogwarts on Monday morning.

Severus T. Snape



Snape folded up the parchment, then opened a small drawer and took out a bit of
string. He tied it securely around the message, then let out a short, sharp
whistle.

CAW!

A loud raucous caw filled the shop as his familiar, Raucous, flew in from the
back room, landing on his shoulder and preening his lank black hair.

”Enough of that. I need you to deliver this parchment to the Slytherin Head of
House at Hogwarts,” Snape said to the raven, who hopped down to the counter and
held out his scaly leg.

Snape tied the parchment securely around the bird’s leg, then eyed him sternly.

”And no shitting on Professor Darque, Raucous. I mean it. He’s Eileen’s head of
house,” he said warningly. “Just deliver the parchment and leave.”

Raucous cawed up at Snape, who listened intently. Raucous was his familiar and
he could understand him perfectly. Raucous also had an ability that was quite
handy. He could transfer whatever he witnessed to Snape in a way similar to
Legilimency. The raven could be his eyes and ears.

”All right. You can see Eileen, if she isn’t in class. But make it quick,” the
wizard said to the raven, who hopped about with glee.

Eileen always let him shit on people. She’d even tell him what people to deposit
the wet, nasty droppings on sometimes. He loved Eileen.

Raucous hopped back on Snape’s shoulder and was carried to the shop door. Snape
opened it.

”Oh, and Raucous, there’s a young wizard named Alsop Potter. Go and take a good
look at him,” Snape said to the bird.

Raucous cocked his head and let out a surprised caw.

”Yes, a Potter,” Snape said rather tightly.

Raucous blinked at his master for a moment, then let out another questioning
caw.

Snape smirked a little.

”If you think he needs a bit of ‘decoration,’ Raucous, I won’t forbid it,” the
dark wizard said, his dark eyes glittering.

Raucous made a little chuckling noise. He loved his master, too. Of course he’d
let him shit on a Potter.

”Off you go,” Snape said, shrugging his shoulder a little.

Raucous took off, winging his way down Knockturn Alley, the denizens all
cowering and running for cover as he flew overhead. Raucous was well-known for
his dive-bombing. Only one wizard ever made the mistake of clipping the raven
with a spell, and Snape blasted the shit out of him for it.

”Don’t ever attack my familiar for doing what comes naturally,” he seethed at
the fallen wizard, his black eyes murderous before he picked Raucous up and
carried him back to the shop.

Of course, this happened before Snape realized Raucous could shit on demand, and
his dropping a wet one on a witch or wizard was most likely on purpose. Eileen
always knew he could do it, and started directing him early on. They were quite
the pair. It really didn’t make a difference to the Potions master when he did
find out. Bird droppings could be easily Scourgified. Raucous couldn’t be easily
replaced.

Snape watched as the bird zoomed upward after scattering a few Knockturn Alley
standabouts, then returned to his shop, closing the door.

**************************************

Eileen and Alsop were down by the lake when Raucous delivered Snape’s letter to
Professor Darque. They were eating lunch. Eileen was seated on a small boulder
and Alsop was standing in front of her. Raucous let out a caw as he circled
overhead.

Eileen gave a rare full smile as she looked up.

”Raucous!” she cried, waving him down as Alsop looked at the raven curiously.
Raucous landed on Eileen’s shoulder, preening her curly dark brown hair for a
moment.

”I see dad didn’t waste any time,” she said, petting Raucous, then giving him a
piece of her sandwich.

”Cool, a raven. Family: Corvidae, Genus: Corvus,” Alsop said knowledgably,
admiring the large bird.

Raucous eyed Alsop as he took the bit of sandwich carefully from his mistress’
fingertips. He didn’t like him already, the bloody know-it-all.

Aren’t you going to introduce me?” Alsop asked Eileen.

Raucous swallowed down the piece of sandwich, then fluffed himself up menacingly
and rested a death-gaze on Alsop, his sharp beak partly open. The young wizard
blinked at the display.

“He doesn’t seem to like me,” Alsop observed.

”He probably doesn’t, but Alsop, meet Raucous. Raucous, Alsop. Raucous is my
father’s familiar.”

Alsop had heard over and over again how snarky and unsociable Eileen’s father
was from nearly everyone. This snarky bird seemed perfect for him. Alsop had
never met the wizard, just seen him a couple of times when they would take the
Hogwarts Express. But Alsop knew he was a hero in the fight against the now dead
Dark Lord. He had nearly lost his life, and used to be in love with his
grandmother.

Personally, Alsop thought Mr. Snape had a right to be unsociable. Everyone had
thought he was a traitor at the time because he killed Albus Dumbledore, who was
dying anyway. Then, his father, aunt and uncle had left him in the Shrieking
Shack when he was bitten by Voldemort’s snake, not even checking on him. Only a
silently cast “Episkey” and a vial of unicorn blood he kept on his person kept
him alive.

Yes, considering all that he went through, Severus Snape had a right to be
unsociable. He probably should have hexed some people once he got better.

”Hello, Raucous,” Alsop said to the raven, who clipped his beak at him nastily.

Thinking he could win Raucous over, Alsop offered the raven a piece of pumpkin
pastie he was eating. Raucous and Eileen watched as Alsop’s hand slowly moved
closer to the raven. Alsop didn’t notice the slight, knowing smirk on Eileen’s
face. He should have been paying attention.

Alsop held the pastie right in front of Raucous’ face. Raucous closed his mouth,
eyed the pastie, then promptly stabbed Alsop’s finger with his pointy beak.

Alsop yelled, dropped the pastie and danced around, wringing his hand as Eileen
laughed.

”I told you he didn’t like you,” she chuckled, petting the evil Raucous again.
Raucous was smiling, but of course no one noticed because it was a birdie smile.
Only other birds could see it.

”Bloody bird,” Alsop groused. He had stopped dancing and was examining his
injured finger. He pulled out his wand and touched the tip to the small,
bleeding wound.

”Episkey,” he hissed. The wound healed instantly. He scowled at Raucous, who had
his beak open tauntingly.

”You’d make a nice set of quills,” Alsop said as Eileen shook her head. It was
never good to threaten Raucous. The raven fluffed up again, then cawed at
Eileen.

”All right, Raucous. It was good seeing you,” she said, stroking his glossy head
once more. Raucous took off, Alsop watching him wing away. He looked back at
Eileen.

”You might have thought it was good seeing him,” the wizard said, scowling as
Eileen looked over his head. “But I’d be fine with it if I never saw that bloody
bird again!”

Eileen smirked as Raucous made a wide circle, coming back toward them.

”I think you’re going to see him at least once more,” the witch said.

”What?” Alsop said, turning and looking up just as Raucous let loose.

He got it right in the eye.

”Arrrrgh!” Alsop cried, wiping the dropping from his face with one hand and
pulling out his wand with the other, trying to get a bead on the raven winging
away at top speed. Raucous was out of range, and even if he wasn’t, Alsop
couldn’t have got him with his blurred vision.

Alsop let out a string of curses before he Scourgified the mess away. His face
red and absolutely furious, he scowled at Eileen, who looked back at him without
emotion.

”Your bloody bird shit in my eye!” he exclaimed, expecting some reaction.

”You should be glad it was your eye. I’m almost certain he was aiming for your
mouth,” Eileen replied, hopping off the boulder she was sitting on. “Lunch is
almost over. We’d better go.”

And she walked away, her robes billowing.

Alsop stood there a moment, staring after the departing witch. He was so tempted
to cast a tripping spell on her. But, Eileen would retaliate, most likely with
something far nastier than a tripping spell. She was a fantastic dueler. Better
than he was.

Besides, she hadn’t done anything to him. It was the blasted bird. He was just
mad because she wasn’t the least apologetic about it.

Actually, Eileen felt Alsop had brought it on himself because of the quills
remark. She had no idea Raucous had intended to shit on him no matter what
because he was a Potter. Potters were the bane of his master’s existence and so,
the perfect targets for a birdie dump.

The Ravenclaw decided just to cut his losses and hurried after Eileen.

”Eileen, wait up!”

**********************************

And Raucous returns. Lol. He’s so bad. So, Eileen is going to the Christmas ball
with Alsop. Snape handled it pretty well, all things considered. Eileen is bad.
She could have scolded Raucous or something for pecking Alsop. She probably
enjoyed the whole thing. Lol. What a witch. Thanks for reading.