House: Slytherin CAtegory: Short Story Prompt: Hedwig Word Count: 901
All of my summers are boring, but this one has been the worst. Normally I get at least a few hours to fly around every week, but this year I'm lucky if I get let out for a minute every day. Harry's been keeping me shut in my cage constantly, and I've had absolutely nothing to do. It happens every summer, and I just can't understand it. All year I dutifully deliver mail for him, and he repays me by keeping me shut inside this tiny cage. There's not even room for me to turn around! I want to get revenge, but it's hard. There's not much that I'm able to do (besides maybe peck him), so it's almost impossible for me to get him back. After all, I am an owl. When he lets me out of my cage, I can refuse to deliver his mail for a while, but right now all I can do is ignore him. Until I'm released, all I can do is hope for something interesting to happen around here.
After days of boredom, I finally got my wish. I had been ignoring Harry when he suddenly took me downstairs, along with all of his other stuff. He started pointing out all of the memorable places in the house, such as the doormat Dudley had puked on after his encounter with Dementors. It was funny, but I wasn't about to admit that. I was supposed to be mad at him. Just as I was going back to ignoring him, an earsplitting bang split the air. I was terrified, but Harry didn't seem concerned at all. A few seconds later, thirteen people appeared out of nowhere in the back garden. I heard them talking to Harry about taking him to an Order house, whatever that is. All I knew was that this was certainly entertaining.
Everyone clustered around Harry, and then some of them began drinking a bright gold potion. I thought nothing of it until I saw six more Harrys! I hope that doesn't mean that I'll be shut in my cage six times as often. Harry — my Harry — picked me up and we went outside with the other humans. There were some brooms, some thestrals, and a motorbike. The thestrals looked awfully hungry, so I hoped Harry wouldn't take me anywhere near them. I didn't want to get turned into a Hedwig Hamburger! Fortunately, I was put on the motorbike, along with the real Harry and the big person, Hagrid. He looked frightening, but Harry talked about him a lot, telling me how nice he was, so I knew he wouldn't hurt me.
We launched into the air, and although it was exciting, it wasn't nearly as great as flying on my own. Still, I thought that this journey would be fun, but I was immediately proved wrong. We were instantly surrounded by scary looking people, and I could tell that they weren't as nice as Hagrid. They started firing spells everywhere, and although I had been upset at him before, I was afraid Harry was going to be hit. When I saw the Killing Curse flying at Harry, I remembered.
I remembered how when I had been a newborn owl, my family had died in a forest fire. I was the only survivor. I had had a brother and sister, who I had loved very much. I remembered how they had been my best friends and how they had always stood by me. I remembered how I had been rescued from my home's ashes by the owner of Eeylops Owl Emporium and how I had grown up there with his taking care of me. I remembered all of the long years I had spent there, hoping that someone would take me home. All I wanted was a family remembered how Harry had bought me seven years ago and how special it had made me feel. I remembered how he had always treated me well. I remembered how much I loved him.
I remembered how before he started at Hogwarts, I would always keep him company and be his friend during those long, boring days. I remembered how he would always let me eat the mice that I caught. I remembered how when he was riding in the flying car, he let me fly behind it because he remembered that I'd been cooped up in my cage for a long time. I remembered how he always gave me attention and never neglected me, even when he was feeling stressed, which had to have been often. I remembered how he had cared for me when I was sick or injured. I remembered how much he loved me.
I remembered, so I pushed my cage in front of the curse that would have killed Harry. As I looked into the bright green eyes of the boy who loved me, I didn't feel any regret. He had taken care of me, and it was the time for me to return the favor. I remembered, so I sacrificed my life for his. It was the last thing I ever did, and I made it count. I made sure that the boy who had cared for me wouldn't be killed then, when he was so young. I made sure that he had the chance to see the light of another day.
I only hope that he will remember me.
