Author's Note: This takes place during Draco's first year.
Lucius watched as his wife attached several packages of sweets to Draco's eagle owl.
Lucius was not the type of man to feel sorry for anyone, but he really was starting to worry about the owl's well-being. All those sweets had to be heavy. How was the owl going to be able to carry them all?
"Narcissa, do you really think that Draco needs that many sweets?" Lucius asked in a very careful voice. His wife could get a bit crazy when it came to their son.
"Of course he does," Narcissa replied, looking at her husband as if his words had wounded her. "I just know that Draco is homesick, and I don't want him thinking that we have forgotten about him."
Lucius once again looked at all the packages that Narcissa intended to send her son. There was no way that anyone could say that the Malfoys had forgotten about Draco.
"But what about the poor owl?" Lucius asked. Wait. Did he just say the word "poor" in a non-mocking manner? Yes, he did. But Lucius figured he could make an exception just this once. Besides, it was just him and Narcissa. There was no way this one instance could ruin his "I'm completely cold and heartless" reputation.
"What about it?" Narcissa asked in a testy voice.
"Those packages are a lot of weight for one owl to carry," Lucius responded.
"The owl will be just fine," Narcissa insisted. "This isn't the first time he's delivered some sweets to my darling Draco."
Lucius gave the owl a look of sympathy. Wait. What was wrong with him? He was Lucius Malfoy. He didn't feel sorry for anyone.
But the owl was already looking weary, and it had not even left the room yet.
Lucius continued to watch the owl with sorrowful eyes as it took off, clearly struggling with the weight of all those packages.
"Do you think Draco will like them?" Narcissa asked in a voice of deep concern.
"Why wouldn't he?" Lucius replied. "That boy will put just about anything in his mouth."
Narcissa once again looked at her husband as if his words had wounded her.
Lucius sighed. It was clear that he was about to be treated to an epic Narcissa lecture about how Draco was the most wonderful boy in the whole entire world, which meant that Lucius should be more sympathetic and caring towards him.
It was going to be a long day.
"Look at that git," Ron snarled, nodding his head at Draco Malfoy, who was making a huge show out of opening all the packages of sweets that his owl had just delivered him.
Hermione was watching the owl. It had practically collapsed on the table, no doubt under the weight of all those packages.
"That poor owl," she said.
Ron looked at Hermione in disbelief. "That's Malfoy's owl," he said. "It gets to live in a manor. How could you possibly feel sorry for it?"
Hermione looked over at Harry for support. Harry, however, refused to meet her eyes. It was clear that he didn't want to get involved.
Hermione sighed in annoyance as she once again looked over at the owl. It looked to be panting. At the very least, Draco could give it something to drink.
But no, Draco was too much into his sweets to pay his poor owl any attention.
Hermione then looked around the Great Hall. No one seemed to be paying the owl any attention. They were too much into their own mail to notice the owl's plight.
Didn't anyone besides herself care about the poor owl?