R.I.P Hedwig, 27th July 1997
The snowy white owl was a very fine specimen, and she knew it. Born and raised in a proper magical owl breeding farm, and not one of those cheap, run-down places where most owls were bred, she knew that she was already special, and of high value. Her distinctive white feathers were, in her own opinion, an added bonus, but it seemed otherwise in reality. There had once been a time when bold and beautiful owls, not unlike herself, were truly the most popular pet for any witch or wizard to have, the 'in thing', as people would say, especially considering their rarity, but nowadays, people were scared. They didn't want their owl getting intercepted, and an owl such as herself was too recognisable.
Indeed, the day an owlery owner finally decided to purchase her to sell at his shop, she believed things were back to normal, and that she would be sold to a loving family within a week. How wrong she was.
Being an owl of such an uncommon breed and background, her price had been high - too expensive for many families to purchase, and she accepted this. After all, if a family was willing to pay good money for a pet, no doubt they would be a great owner. Even after a month, she remained confident someone would buy her; she was young, fit and healthy, as well as being much less annoying than the other birds in the shop who constantly kept on hooting. In truth, it was beginning to drive her crazy.
Two months later, however, she was still there, and it seemed that she would be for while longer yet. She was now priced the same as a common barn owl, which made her feel disgruntled and annoyed - she was a pedigree level bird, after all - and her wings ached from being stiffly folded against her body all day, unable to get outside as much as the higher-priced owls. The shop owner just didn't have time to let all the birds out every single day, and there was a standard to be upheld for the birds of greater value. Almost all the other birds sold quickly - she was the only snowy owl in the shop, besides the owner's pet - and it was driving her insane.
She understood what people said about her - how lovely a bird she was, how beautiful her feathers were, how bright her eyes glowed and how intelligent she seemed, but in the end, no one wanted to buy her. The common reason was 'she stands out too much', which meant people were still nervous about the dark side. Another common reason was 'she is too young and inexperienced', which was untrue - she was coming up one and a half, older than many other owls that people bought, but her appearance probably did make her appear younger. Some people even said she was too 'posh' and 'fancy', always cleaning her feathers to make herself shine. There was just no pleasing some people.
One sunny day, a while later, a man came into the shop, a post office owl sat on his arm. The bird appeared tired, worn out and exhausted, but it carried itself the way any proud bird would, and she instantly knew it was a fast-delivery post office owl, known for their speed and their posh appearance, even though they probably felt like death. The man was led to her cage, and she began to nip at the bars, attempting to fend him off - a post office owl's life was work, with no treats, except from maybe the customers, and not-amazing living conditions. She would do anything to get out of going there, and the fast delivery owl sent her an apologetic look when the man agreed to collect her at half her already ridiculous price in a week, if she hadn't sold by then. When the man left, the shop keeper walked to her cage and gave her an owl treat - she was his favourite bird in the shop, besides his own old Bessie.
"I'm sorry, Snowy," he said, shaking his head, "I tried to find you a good home, but I failed. I can't keep you for longer than six months, it's the law, and I have little hope of finding you a home in just a week. I'm so sorry, girl."
She buried her head in her feathers, and hooted miserably. How she had gotten to this - from the great high life to here, a post office owl. She was ashamed, and she was certain that her parents would be feeling the same of her, too - they raised the owlet to be a family bird, not a throw away.
The bell above the door sounded, and she didn't even bother to look up - she knew she'd only get her hopes up again for nothing. The shop-keeper was out the back flying a few of the other birds, the lucky things.
The snowy owl pulled her wing over her head, and gave an owly sigh.
A few moments later, she heard a quiet clicking noise, and lowered her wing to see a small boy, with clothes miles too big for him, with skinny arms and a thin face. She hooted at him, and he walked away, making her bury her head again - she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. Seconds later, however, the boy returned, and in his hand were a few owl treats.
"Careful, 'Arry!" A giant of a man said in a strong, yet kind, voice, but there was no way she was going to do anything to hurt by he child. He could be -stupid hopes- her one-way ticket out of here, after all!
"You know, you're like me." The boy whispered, sadly, "No one wants us, do they?" Then, turning to the giant-man, he said, "I want this one!", his finger pointing at the owl next to the snowy one. Her heart dropped faster than a launching rocket. His company agreed, and went to take her neighbour's cage from the shelf, when the boy shook his head.
"No, sorry..." He said, trailing off, "I meant the snowy white one." The giant looked unsure.
"'Arry, I dunno... She'd be easy to recognise a'mile away! Why not a different owl?" The child looked heartbroken, as was the owl in question.
"But Hagrid!" The child moaned, and his emerald eyes were pleading, "She's just like me! Please!"
The giant looked at her, into her gleaming eyes, and sighed. "Go ahead - she's your owl, after all, I guess." Taking her from the shelf carefully, the man placed the owl cage on the counter and waited for the shop owner to return, who arrived promptly after, and as his eyes landed on the magnificent bird, who was now standing taller and was holding her head high proudly, his face broke into a massive grin.
Ten minutes later, after all of the paper work had been signed and the money had been handed over, Hedwig felt more gleeful than she had for a long time. It felt wonderful for her to walk around Diagon Alley on the boy's shoulder. Clearly, it wasn't going to be the manor house life she'd expected - meeting the Dursleys had proved that - but the boy, who was so like her, was so innocent, and she would protect him with her life.
Seven years later...
Hedwig recognised the green curse instantly as it shot towards her, and a sense of dread fell upon her, but still she closed her eyes, ready for death. She may have lived longer elsewhere, but no one ever understood her like Harry. She remembered the day he bought her, all the time they spent together, and braced herself. She was ready, now - happy with the life she had.
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