The snowy owl was really quite proud of her Harry. She hadn't seen many other Harrys but she knew they were a lot better than Rons. The Ron was very loud. This Harry was certainly better than the Harry who had tried to take her when she lived in the room with the showy rats. He had smelled like nothing ever should in her mind.
She watched her Harry come into the room with a giant man. She liked the way her acted, curious but still respectful of her space, and was happy to have left with him and the giant man. She would no longer have to watch the showy rats that she could not eat. Probably would have tasted bad any way.
She went with him to the big stone castle and was able to spread her wings and really fly for the first time in ages. She didn't mind carrying things for her Harry either. It was never much and he always rewarded her. He talked to her too even if the others teased him.
That was part of the reason why leaving the castle had been such a shock. Stuck in that horrid cage with horrid food. That huge thing, nothing like the other giant one, had yelled and mistreated her Harry. Knowing that he was in the same mess hadn't helped. She wanted to fly again. One of the first things she'd done when the Ron and the other read heads let her out was leave a present on the shiny car she had heard the rude giant brag about. Not that he was smart enough to figure out where it came from.
After that things went back to normal. The little stone house had one of her older friends living in it and she could fly as she pleased again. Her diet definitely improved. Could have told them to steer clear of that tree though.
Time went by pretty quickly for Hedwig now. It was peaceful. Her Harry would get worried now and then but he seemed okay. The tension built up and the other owls began talking about a huge snake prowling the castle. They said it got that cat that always stalked them but never attacked. Annoying little thing. It knew better than to come into the owlery itself. It tried it once before Hedwig had arrived and been dive-bombed by nearly a dozen owls. He hadn't tried it since.
The year went by and the tension increased. The number of owls in the owlery on a day-to-day basis dropped as the demands of the post increased. Hedwig was glad she didn't have to worry about it was much as the others. Then one day the tension was simply gone. Her Harry was paler and very tired but still, he looked better than he had in months. Back to little house with the rude, fat Vernon. He seemed to have learned this time not to lock them up. The summer went by pretty quickly. She spent most of her time away from the house checking on her Harry periodically. Really she didn't like that cage.
When she found her Harry at the strange little pub by the store he found her in it was a nice change. There were owls she could visit and the Vernon was nowhere in sight. Before she knew it she was back in the castle again. Hedwig noticed her Harry stay behind when the others left. She didn't like it or the tension that had returned. She jotted it off as the presence of the shadowy hope stealers. They bothered her too when she couldn't avoid them.
She was actually happy when they left the castle. The rat was replaced with a little annoying owl. She just knew he hadn't been trained properly. He had no dignity and refused to pace himself. In the years to come he would get quite a few lectures from some of the older owls. He could barely carry his Ron's letters without falling out of the sky. She was afraid to let him out in a storm by himself.
That summer was really uneventful if you didn't count the strange birds that showed up a few times. There were some flashy birds in the owlery. Not even that snob of an eagle owl could beat theses though. The Vernon wouldn't have been pleased it he had seen them. Again the year passed. They returned to the stone castle. This time it became more crowded. There were strange foreign owls in the owlery. They left for long periods of time and Hedwig didn't pay much attention to them. They didn't cause much trouble. Her Harry seemed worried again. It seemed the castle always had something to worry him.
Then there was the night with the screaming. She had been sitting on her perch when she heard it. All the owls did. It set them on edge. They knew things were going to change.
Again they went to the house with the Vernon in it. It was also one of the longest summers she could remember. They didn't stay long before going to the house with the dark magic. The air felt sinister and made Hedwig feel uneasy. Still, that's where her Harry was so she stayed.
When they returned to the castle things had seemed fine at first. She was hurt on her way back from London. The strange house elf took care of her though and returned her to her Harry. Then the owls began to be intercepted before they could get to their people. Quite rude of those people, those letters weren't meant for them
The year ended and her Harry was depressed. He went from depressed to angry. The Vernon didn't help. She hadn't ever seen her Harry that upset before. The summer passed and still his temper did not settle. He was snappish though he didn't take it out on her. The amount of dark magic Hedwig found on her hunting trips increased. There was more fog than there should have been. The tension in the air became thick as time went by.
They went to the house were the loud Ron lived with the little hyper owl. Soon after that they went back to the castle. The year went slower than any other year had in the past. The owls were nervous leaving. Some came back injured. When the year ended Hedwig sighed with relief. Maybe things would cool down in the summer. The somber atmosphere would dissipate. It didn't.
The return to the castle was just as tense. Her Harry seemed to have calmed but he was still tense. Looking at him reminded Hedwig of a taunt string. Some of the owls in the owlery left when their people did. Some went out and never returned. That year was the darkest Hedwig could remember. In the end her Harry left before the other students. One night when all the others were asleep he left. He had her wait next to the Ron until he woke up with a message. She was to stay with him for the time being. She didn't see him for a long time after that. The Ron was furious but eventually that subsided into worry. The school year ended and he took her back to the leaning house. Months passed until one day, her Harry showed up at the door. He passed out as soon as he got inside. Later that day there was celebrations. Still there were tensions in the house. A week later her Harry woke up.
She watched as he found a job and his own house. He was constantly sending letters to the red headed girl in the leaning house. She eventually moved in with him. Then there were little ones running and screaming through the house. Hedwig was getting older. Her Harry stopped giving her letters to deliver and another owl showed up in the house. Hedwig fought with her Harry about that one for a while but in the end he was right. He still talked to her. Then one day in late February while the youngest little one was at the stone castle and the older of the two was visiting she went to sleep. Harry found her the next morning.