"What about you mate? Is there anyone you like?" asked Ron.
Harry leant forward frowning thoughtfully.
Well, I think there might be someone…" he said slowly.
His two friends moved closer with eager expressions.
"Who is it?" asked Hermione with a wide smile. "Is it Cho?"
Harry blinked.
"Cho? What's that?" asked the raven haired boy puzzled.
"Cho Chang, in Ravenclaw." supplied Ron.
Harry frowned, thinking deeply for a few minutes.
"Ooooh! Her!" he exclaimed at last, recognition washing over him. "Of course not, she's Chinese!" he added dismissing the matter with a wave of the hand.
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Ron bewildered.
Harry shot him a look that meant the red haired boy was the most ignorant fool he had ever met and let out a long-suffering sigh.
"I'm not even going to bother answering." announced the raven haired boy with the air of a misunderstood genius.
"Right. So what's the type you like?" asked Hermione quickly, attempting to change the flow of the conversation.
"Let's see…" said Harry tapping his chin and looking up at the ceiling. "I think soft, nearly white hair…."
The bushy haired girl's brain absorbed the information and started scanning all the girls she knew to find one who would match. Nearly white probably referred to platinum blonde, like Luna's hair. But then the young Ravenclaw's mass of whitish blonde hair didn't look soft exactly…
"…and grey eyes. But not dull grey, more like silver." continued Harry.
Definitely not Luna then, thought Hermione. But there really wasn't that any people with platinum blonde hair and silver eyes…The image of one Slytherin floated inside her mind. She paled. No, it couldn't be…Harry had always hated the prat!
"Someone delicate and graceful." finished Harry with a firm nod.
Those additional details only confirmed the girl's suspicion and made her pale further. She turned to Ron who had a similar white tinge to his face. It seemed the red haired boy was thinking along the same lines.
"Er, Harry?" said Hermione uncertainly. "This person you like it couldn't be Mal…"
"It's Hedwig, of course!" interrupted the raven haired boy with a dreamy look.
"Hed…Hedwig?" repeated Ron disbelievingly.
He shared a glance with Hermione.
"Hedwig, is the most beautiful girl I've ever met." Harry rambled on. "She's so distinguished, so…"
Hermione stopped listening. She turned towards the window at the exact same moment as Ron. As they watched the falling snowflakes, they both wondered if they should start worrying for Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Loved-His-Owl…