Shrieking Walls, Owl Calls, And Snowy Balls
A/n: Because I just needed to do some Jeankasa in a Hogwarts AU. Re-post from my tumblr in an attempt for me to organize my writing better.
Omnioculars to her eyes, curiosity was in control as Mikasa Ackerman adjusted a knob on the optical viewing device to tighten focus on the wooden structure nearly half a kilometer away. The winter wind whistled and weaved through the cracks of The Shrieking Shack, creating an eerie wisp-like noise that only fit the aura the place radiated a little too well.
Taking her omnioculars off her face, Mikasa decided that she liked viewing the shack from this distance way more. What was so haunted about this place though? It simply looked like a shack, that was it. Sure, the wind whistled through the cracks made a sound that was creepily shriek-like, but that didn't mean it was haunted.
Before she could over think it though, Mikasa's train of thought was derailed when she heard the sound of an owl hooting up above her. She looked up due to curiosity, expecting it to be a stray. The snowy owl blended into the snowy land scape well, it's dark spotting being the only thing making it visible on the bright white background. What surprised her was the fact that the owl didn't simply fly away into the forest, but instead flew down towards her.
The avian creature circled Mikasa gracefully before eventually setting it's talons on the fence to her right, retracting it's wings back to it's body after doing so.
Most owls that usually approached her were Brownie, Eren's aptly named tawny owl he and Mikasa shared for things like mail and newspapers. And on occasion, Stumps, Sasha's one-legged Little Owl which she claimed to have nursed to health after finding the poor thing injured in the woods outside of her home.
Neither Stumps nor Brownie were of this species, which made her wonder why on earth this owl was approaching her. It didn't even have anything gripped in it's talons to potentially deliver.
The snowy owl ruffled it's feathers just a bit as it looked at Mikasa rather affectionately, which was undeniably adorable to anyone's eyes. A small smile tugged at the corner of Mikasa's lips as she held her hand out to the bird, which the owl lightly nipped at affectionately.
Both Mikasa and the owl enjoyed the moment, all before a high-pitched whistling noise was heard in the area.
"Hey! Enjolras!"
Turning around, Mikasa witnessed a teenaged boy trudging through the snow somewhat clumsily. The red beanie that clashed so atrociously with his yellow and black Hufflepuff scarf allowed him to be recognized easily.
"Is he yours?" she asked, obviously indicating to the owl.
Jean Kirschtein nodded his head, "Yeah, he is. I see that Enjolras has found a new friend." He stepped closer to the girl and the owl, getting himself right next to the fence his companion was perched on. "Was he bothersome at all?"
Mikasa shook her head, "No, he just flew by."
"I'm still new to the whole owl keeping thing," Jean admitted somewhat sheepishly, putting one arm on the fence post. Enjolras took this as a sign to walk itself up Jean's arm, his owner's flesh only staying unscathed due to his winter coat protecting him. The snowy owl eventually scaled Jean's shoulder and scarf before settling itself on his owner's head, finding it rather comfortable up there. "Enjolras likes to fly off a lot, but at least he comes back in the mornings."
"Same with Eren's owl, but at least yours knows how to land better." Mikasa was speaking from the experience of having an owl fly right onto her breakfast plate in the mornings like a projectile from space, or the experience of being woken up at 5 AM to find that Eren's owl had rammed itself right into her bedroom window like a bludger in an attempt to deliver Eren mail from Armin.
Jean could recall seeing Mikasa with a particular owl a few times. Snapping his fingers, he tried to remember the name, "Oh, is his that one-legged fellow by Gryffindor table every morning?"
She shook her head once more, "No, that's Sasha's. Eren's got that tawny one who lands in his food every morning."
"Ah, right," Jean remembered. No wonder Jaeger was so skinny, he was the owner of an owl that only preferred to land in bowls of oat meal or plates of pancakes.
"So he's new?" Mikasa wondered, again, obviously talking about the owl.
Jean would have nodded if Enjolras hadn't dug his talons into the weaves of his knitted beanie a little too deeply. "Got him in the summer. Ma wants me to write her more."
"Hm, that's sweet." The monotoned sound to her voice made her sound colder and more condescending that she intended to, as if writing to home was some sign of weakness.
"Unofficial mama's boy here," Jean admitted, raising his hand up to add to the joke. When Mikasa didn't even chuckle, he really had no choice but to put his hand down and change the subject. "So, what brings you to the Shrieking Shack today? Gonna go in or something?" He looked down to the pair of omnioculars in her hands.
Mikasa put the device back into her hand bag in response, "There's a chance." The large omnioculars obviously could not fit into a bag of that size, thank lord for Armin's skill in undetectable extension charms. It made for one hell of a birthday present.
Today, the only reason she wasn't with Eren and Armin in Hogsmeade was because she was currently banned from Three Broomsticks for the next few months. Apparently, she was being 'too defensive' about Japan's international quidditch team.
"A chance?" Jean's observant nature noticed the small wavering in his voice, noticing enough to make him smirk somewhat cockily. "Don't tell me you're scared or anything, Ackerman. Thought Gryffindor's were supposed to be brave and shit."
"There's a difference between between 'brave and shit' and just plain stupid," Mikasa emphasized, putting air quotes around certain words to make her point clear.
For a girl who seemed fearless and lethal on the qudditch pitch and duelling stage, it was an old wooden shack that made the Mikasa Ackerman want to stay back and hide.
Jean almost laughed cruelly, "Yeah, but it's just a fucking shack. What's the worst it could do?"
Mikasa took this as a challenge, "Oh yeah? Go in then."
It took few things to make Jean Kirschtein's stomach drop. Every Flavour Beans, Thomas Wagner's work in potions classes, and three challenging words like that. If he had not been affected by the cold air, Jean would have turned paler than a slab of marble.
"I uh…. Do I gotta?" Jean excused, suddenly feeling himself sweating nervously. "I mean, it is known as the most haunted building in great britain."
Mikasa crossed her arms, "I know. So go in."
Jean's eyes went so wide that Enjolras would have been jealous if he could see his master now. "Well, maybe I shou-"
POOOF!
Jean's words were interrupted somewhat rudely when a clump of white snow just as big as his fist shot through the air and hit him on the side of his head as if it were fired from a bazooka. It startled both Jean and Mikasa, definitely Jean the most, considering that he was hit so hard that Enjolras freaked out and flew away.
Jean grumbled as he wiped the snow off his cheek, ignoring the cold bits dripping between his scarf and neck, "Ah, shit, Enjolras! Come back!" He looked up into the air, but alas, Jean was too late as Enjolras flew off into the winter sky.
"Just let him go, Jean," Mikasa insisted. Surely, the owl would meet Jean again at breakfast the next morning. "He'll come back."
POOOF!
This time, it was Mikasa serving at the target to another fist sized snowball, this one hitting her right on her torso.
"Ow!" Eyes glancing towards the woods behind her and Jean, Mikasa looked closely at the snow mounds and trees to see who on worth was throwing snowballs at them.
The subtle giggles that could be heard from behind the trees were instantly recognizable.
Jean groaned, "Goddammit, it's Braus and Springer again. They did this last week and practically ambushed me in the village." The two unofficial Gryffindor pranksters were excellent at playing tricks like this on people, and were even better at hiding. Last week, it was like Jean was being ambushed by invisible snow-ball throwing ninjas. He would fight back properly this time, as Jean grabbed a handful of snow into his hands, formed it into a ball and tossed it in the general direction of where the giggles were heard. "I'll fuck 'em up this time!"
The ball hit a tree and fell apart, conjuring more giggles.
"Gotta try better, Jeanny boy!" Sasha's voice echoed through the area. She stuck her head out from behind the tree to stick her tongue out at her victims.
"Good thing seekers aren't known for their throwing skills," Connie's tone added through his snickers.
Jean could feel himself getting angry, therefore, he planned to release that anger by balling up some more snow and throwing it again.
The second Jean released that snowball from his grip, Mikasa put her hands on his throwing arm to stop him, "Jean, wait, you shouldn't fight back like this."
Jean raised an eyebrow. Couldn't Mikasa wait until she was old enough to become a prefect to act like such a goody two shoes?
Letting go of his arm, it was only a matter of seconds before Mikasa contradicted the train of thought currently flowing through Jean's mind. "You should fight back like THIS!" Grabbing her wand from her jacket, she waved it at the snow, summoned a few lumps of snow that formed themselves into spherical shapes, and launched them right at Sasha and Connie.
A confident smirk on his face, Jean reached for his own wand and held it out, ready and armed to face the hellish winter battle started mere moments ago.
What did you think? Good? Bad? Terrible? I'm always open to being told in the form of reviews.
Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki No Kyojin or Harry Potter.