Ravens and the Streaming Mirror

Barty Jr. stood in the shadows at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, his Wand pointed directly at the boy before him.

Ryan Smith trembled and staggered backward. "I... I heard this was incredibly dangerous... You can't do this... I saved you!"

"Yes, you saved me." A cruel curve tugged at Barty Jr.'s lips. "So you can trust that I will absolutely keep my promise and transform you back!"

Ryan snarled in a low voice, "Trust? What makes you think I can trust you?"

Barty Jr. grew impatient. His gaze darkened as he said coldly:

"You have only two choices, Smith."

"First, I transform you, and you cooperate with my plan. Once the operation succeeds, not only will I transform you back, I'll take you to meet the Dark Lord and receive our master's reward!"

"Second, you keep provoking me, and I'll still transform you. Whether you cooperate or resist afterward, you'll remain a bird forever. Maybe tomorrow, some hunter will tear you apart and eat you."

"So, which will you choose?"

Fearful and furious, Ryan's face showed a tangled mix of regret and resentment. His lips trembled as he said, "You're making me choose... Have you really given me any choice?"

"Your answer?" A faint glow emerged from the tip of Barty Jr.'s Wand as he asked without shifting his gaze.

"I'll cooperate! I'll cooperate, all right?" Ryan shouted hoarsely. "You promise! You'll definitely transform me back afterward!"

"Of course!" Barty Jr. said with a curl of his lips.

He suddenly swung his Wand, and a flash of spell-light struck Ryan in the chest.

The boy's body convulsed at once. His bones crackled with an agonizing sound, and black feathers rapidly covered his skin. In almost the blink of an eye, he had become a raven.

"Go." Barty Jr.