I had caught a glimpse of my surroundings before attaching the roll of parchment to a neighbouring owl: the Owlery always looked the same, definitely smelt the same, but this time felt somehow different. There was a sense of masked uncertainty that followed me wherever I ventured; whether that was my fault for the several threatening situations I had been caught up in prior, or the subtle hint of what was to come, I could not tell you. But none of that mattered at that moment in time: what mattered was the letter I was sending to my mother.
As I pulled the stiff wooden door ajar, the owl flapped its wings and like that he was gone, flying through the battling wind of the night. I had grown empathy for these creature very early on in my time at Hogwarts; their yearning for freedom mirrored mine, however, it wasn't so much that I was cooped up in a small room for half of the year. At least I could explore, for as much as I was allowed, but that was enough for me. So, possibly not so much empathy, but rather sympathy. It was a good thing that I hadn't owned one of these owls, or I wouldn't get anything done. Too much to think about, to question.
I could not seem to divert my view from the horizon, it was almost hypnotising. There were a few other owls dotted around the sky, and I pondered for a moment where they might be heading, and while a lone imp circled the lantern above me, I gave a meek smile as a small lizard-like creature crawled across my hand. It bit me with its underdeveloped teeth, a feathered touch, looked up cautiously at me and scurried off neatly. There was nothing flawed to these magical creatures. Each had been created especially for our eyes only, and I was honored to be a part of their world, however small it may be.
A sudden breeze came towards me like a stampede, which caused my fair, dark hair to dance behind me. A speck of dust caught my dull blue eyes and my reaction was to rub my, now, dirty face. It was springtime, yet there was still a chill in the air, so I covered what I could of my uniform with my robe, cursing myself for not investing in thicker attire.
"Shouldn't you be heading for bed, Miss. Longbottom?"
A scream almost escaped my mouth.
My heart pounded excessively under the newly grown goose bumps as I twisted my body to where that confident, deep voice came from, although I knew exactly who it was. Maclin was standing in front of me, dressed comfortably as usual, with a look I could only describe as concerned.
He scratched the dark mane of hair on his head, as if to question my antics. "Most of the students are heading for bed, I think you should learn from them."
I placed my hands on the wall, my nerves slowly calming as I let out a sigh. "Did my father give you this task?" I asked, with the feeling of exhaustion slowly creeping up on me. The talk of sleep had made me aware of how long I had been up there.
"Well... yes and no. I was coming up here regardless to search for Rubeus' small beasts, I can't count how many times I have misplaced those buggers," he said with a grumble in his tone, scruffy eyebrows furrowed. Ever since Hagrid had retired from Gamekeeper last year, the whole of Hogwarts had been overgrown with creatures, most likely from the Forbidden Forest. With Maclin being the new Gamekeeper, he had yet to live up to Hagrid's role. "Right, let's not bother right now. Come downstairs, or else you'll be tired for your lessons tomorrow."
He was right.
It hardly bothered me when I had to go to my dorm, but I could not lie and say it wasn't a relief to be on my own sometimes. It was extremely loud in the Gryffindor rooms, even my own, and sometimes it was better just to let my mind wander freely, rather than being constricted. Don't get me wrong, I had friendships, very close friendships to be exact, but doesn't everyone need to be free sometimes?
As Maclin accompanied me down the stairs, he asked, "what were you doing, Miss. Longbottom? You know it is still far too cold up there."
"I was sending a letter to my mother." He gave me a look of bewilderment. "I thought she should know of my time here."
There was always an air of uncomfortable silence when speaking about my mother nowadays. It saddens me to think of her, the way she is now, but I rarely dwell upon that thought.
After a while, he replied. "Well, goodnight Coraline." He smiled consolingly down at me, taking a few steps closer. I felt, uneasy, or maybe that was just the drowsiness. "This can be our little secret." Reaching the last step, Maclin took off the other way.
I could credit him on one thing; he was always there for the students at Hogwarts, just like Hagrid was.
Soon enough I had reached the Gryffindor common room, and after looking back at Maclin's retreating figure, I entered. Nothing much had changed in the house's dorms from what my father had explained to me; the flags had been replaced, as did the carpet, but most of the furniture and miscellaneous objects stayed unharmed. The striking colours of red and yellow somewhat hurt my eyes, I was getting quite tired, and the music from the radio did not help, so I continued on to my room. However, a hand planted faintly on my shoulder.
I turned to see James Potter before he embraced me into a hug. Holding ground, I patted his back bashfully, and I wondered why this hug was so important to be expressed in the middle of the common room. He soon let go, however, and a grin was fixed upon his face.
"I got an E in Tranfiguration! Well, in the mock," he gleamed, seemingly unfazed by his increase in tone that attracted most of the attention from students to clap in his favour.
I gave out a laugh while I looked at how cheery he was; he had been revising for weeks, so I was indeed proud, but being the son of the famous Potter sure did make him that little bit more boastful. He bowed his head in a sarcastic manner to the students while he laughed also, his brown ruffled hair shaking in sync. He definitely learned his entertaining manner from his Uncle George.
I guided him to the corner of the room, near the staircase, as to avoid from being in the centre of the room. "Well done, James. But I'm sure you didn't say that just for my benefit," I said with half a smirk, trying not to encourage his childish behaviour, but I couldn't help it. He was my best friend. "Are you actually going to try now in your other classes?" I teased.
With mock distress, he held a hand to his heart. "Why think so negatively of me, Coraline?" But before I could reply, he continued. "Okay, no, you are completely right. There is no chance now that I have the grade I want." We both laughed, and I shook my head at him, smiling.
A yawn escaped me, and I put a hand over my mouth to mask my true feelings.
Looking concerned, James bent down slightly to kiss my forehead. "You look sleepy. Get yourself to bed, Cora, and we will chat more in Potions tomorrow. I can tell you all about my plan for another adventure!" And with that, he sped off in the other direction to the boy's dormitories.
He knew me so well, even if he did mother me like many others did at Hogwarts.
Thus, I dragged my feet up the countless number of stairs, too many for my liking, and finally made it to my room. I was just about to sigh in relief when I opened the door to see my two roommates fast asleep, from what I could tell from the light snoring I could hear. Shutting the door behind me, I crept over towards my bed, changed as silently as I could, and wrapped myself tightly in my duvet.
However, I felt a lump underneath where I had placed my arm, their soft fur grazing my skin to try free themselves. Uncovering myself, I watched as a mouse scurried over my nightgown.
"There you are, Pesyl." I whispered into the darkness, smiling, and stroking his velvety fur with my pinky finger. He was extremely small, so I wasn't surprised that I lost him all the time. My father said he had placed a charm on Pesyl for him to stay this size, to remind himself of me when I was so young. He rubbed himself against my hand, then curled himself on top of my duvet, shutting his beady eyes.
And then I followed, closing my eyes and letting myself drift off to sleep.