Lacci opened her eyes and looked around her new surroundings.
Window. Dark out. Open cage. Mine? No. Boy. Harry Potter. Savior. Bed. Floor? Floor. Lacci. Lacci on floor. Bed? Boy on Bed. Harry Potter Savior on Bed. Sleeping. Lacci Sleeping? Harry Potter Savior Sleeping. Good. Move Arms. No. Jacket. Strangle Jacket. Bad Strangle Jacket. Gooonneee...
Lacci moved her shoulder a bit, and moved her chest forward. After a few seconds of straining the material of the arms, there was a snap, and the buckle broke in half. Lacci pulled her arms free, and removed the jacket. She was wearing nothing underneath, but that didn't bother her.
"Fweee.." She said quietly. She looked at the clock, which said '2:34 am'. Wrong, she thought. 14:43, she told herself in her head, mentally correcting the clock. She didn't seem to notice that the clock hadn't actually changed.
Lacci looked around. It was hard to see, because of the blood in her eyes. "Infra-red!" She squealed happily. "Beep beep beeeeee beep beep," she said, making noises and pretending she was wearing night goggles. "Ni' giggles," she said, Grinning. She tried to pronounce the things in the room.
"Tay-bull. Foow. Selfh. Boook. Hindoo. W...W... wok. Ook. Ool. Ool." The last word gave Lacci some trouble. She hadn't seen one of those in a long time. Hedwig gave her a funny look, as she flew through the window. That is, Hedwig flew through the window, not Lacci. "Ool!" Lacci said happily, running over and hugging Hedwig. The owl squawked and woke Harry up.
"What is it Hedwig?" Harry asked irritably. He looked up and saw Lacci. "Let go of my owl, Lacci. That's right, set it down. That's good. The owl can hurt you if you are mean to it."
Lacci gave the owl a surprised look. "Hoot?" She asked.
"And I don't think she can understand you."
"Hoot me?" Lacci asked again. "Hoot Lacci? Ool dun hoot."
Harry was about to comment on that, when he understood what she was saying. "Owl doesn't hurt? Not if you are nice. Watch." Harry stood up and walked up to Hedwig. "I'm sorry Hedwig, she doesn't understand that well. Are you back from your night fly?" Harry reached out to stroke her neck, but she snapped irritably at him.
Lacci giggled. "Hee. Durgrumpled ool. Hayyee hoot?"
Harry gave her a pained look, but didn't comment. He wasn't positive if she was just out of practice in talking like a human, or if she had some sort of speech impediment, or if she was just pretending or what. It probably wasn't best to ask. "I'm fine," he replied.
Hedwig lifted her leg annoyedly. There was a letter attached to it. Doesn't anyone ever pay attention? Why does he think I'm back so early, to be cooed by an obnoxious little human girl? She wondered.
Lacci shook her head. "Noo. I is think that's not reason."
"What?" Harry asked. He hadn't remembered saying something. "Look, Hedwig brought me something.
"Thas what I did," said Lacci triumphantly. Harry ignored her, and took the letter from Hedwig's leg. He hadn't remembered sending any letters, and if he had received any, surely they would have been sent by someone else's owl. He opened it.
The letter was from Ron. It said:
"Dear Harry,
Hedwig just happened to be flying past my house, and I thought 'Hey, I'll write to Harry.' So here I am, writing to Harry. You know how hard it is to get a decent owl for mail over here. Percy wont let me touch his owl, Errol has to stay in his cage for a week, and Pig probably cant carry a piece of bubble gum. Hope you don't mind. Whats up? Anything interesting happen? Did any evil criminal show up at your door and try to kill the Dursleys? If they did, did you let them? Write me back, I gotta go. It's my turn to do the bloody laundry.God I hate the laundry. I tried to tell mom I did it last time, but Ginny says she did, and mom believed her. She always takes Ginny's side, cuz she's a girl.
- Ron
"Wassit want?" Lacci asked, snatching it from Harry's hands. She tried to read it out loud.
"Flumpum Trumpnut.
Fweetily notkoo an' furshoo 'bee are ler bitty widdle git Trumpnut'. Sou wai on' foot-canoo, widdley git Trumpnut. Yoo wat go.." Harry took it back.
"Thanks. I can read it myself, in my own language. You're very helpful." He tried to sound thankful without sounding too skeptical. She didn't seem to notice. Harry set it down on his table, and patted Hedwig on the head. "Thank you, Hedwig. I'll reply tomorrow. Go wherever you want for tonight."
Hedwig flew greatfully out the window, and Lacci tried to follow suit. Harry grabbed her and pulled her back in. "You cant fly Lacci! Get back here. You'll wake up the Dursleys."
"Bi bi ool... out de hindoo. Ool out de hindoo. De hiiinndooo..." Lacci stared dreamingly at the sky from her safe spot inside the house. "Neet."
"Yes," Harry said, trying to be stern. She was rather cute. In the same way a baby was cute. He tried to be firm. "Come on now Lacci, you have to go to sleep. Big day tomorrow. Sleep." Lacci reluctantly pulled herself from the window sill, and curled up on the floor. Harry wanted to tell her she could sleep in the bed with him, but didn't want her getting ideas and certainly didn't want any of the Dursleys to see him in the same bed with her. He got into his bed and drifted back off to sleep.
Window. Dark out. Open cage. Mine? No. Boy. Harry Potter. Savior. Bed. Floor? Floor. Lacci. Lacci on floor. Bed? Boy on Bed. Harry Potter Savior on Bed. Sleeping. Lacci Sleeping? Harry Potter Savior Sleeping. Good. Move Arms. No. Jacket. Strangle Jacket. Bad Strangle Jacket. Gooonneee...
Lacci moved her shoulder a bit, and moved her chest forward. After a few seconds of straining the material of the arms, there was a snap, and the buckle broke in half. Lacci pulled her arms free, and removed the jacket. She was wearing nothing underneath, but that didn't bother her.
"Fweee.." She said quietly. She looked at the clock, which said '2:34 am'. Wrong, she thought. 14:43, she told herself in her head, mentally correcting the clock. She didn't seem to notice that the clock hadn't actually changed.
Lacci looked around. It was hard to see, because of the blood in her eyes. "Infra-red!" She squealed happily. "Beep beep beeeeee beep beep," she said, making noises and pretending she was wearing night goggles. "Ni' giggles," she said, Grinning. She tried to pronounce the things in the room.
"Tay-bull. Foow. Selfh. Boook. Hindoo. W...W... wok. Ook. Ool. Ool." The last word gave Lacci some trouble. She hadn't seen one of those in a long time. Hedwig gave her a funny look, as she flew through the window. That is, Hedwig flew through the window, not Lacci. "Ool!" Lacci said happily, running over and hugging Hedwig. The owl squawked and woke Harry up.
"What is it Hedwig?" Harry asked irritably. He looked up and saw Lacci. "Let go of my owl, Lacci. That's right, set it down. That's good. The owl can hurt you if you are mean to it."
Lacci gave the owl a surprised look. "Hoot?" She asked.
"And I don't think she can understand you."
"Hoot me?" Lacci asked again. "Hoot Lacci? Ool dun hoot."
Harry was about to comment on that, when he understood what she was saying. "Owl doesn't hurt? Not if you are nice. Watch." Harry stood up and walked up to Hedwig. "I'm sorry Hedwig, she doesn't understand that well. Are you back from your night fly?" Harry reached out to stroke her neck, but she snapped irritably at him.
Lacci giggled. "Hee. Durgrumpled ool. Hayyee hoot?"
Harry gave her a pained look, but didn't comment. He wasn't positive if she was just out of practice in talking like a human, or if she had some sort of speech impediment, or if she was just pretending or what. It probably wasn't best to ask. "I'm fine," he replied.
Hedwig lifted her leg annoyedly. There was a letter attached to it. Doesn't anyone ever pay attention? Why does he think I'm back so early, to be cooed by an obnoxious little human girl? She wondered.
Lacci shook her head. "Noo. I is think that's not reason."
"What?" Harry asked. He hadn't remembered saying something. "Look, Hedwig brought me something.
"Thas what I did," said Lacci triumphantly. Harry ignored her, and took the letter from Hedwig's leg. He hadn't remembered sending any letters, and if he had received any, surely they would have been sent by someone else's owl. He opened it.
The letter was from Ron. It said:
"Dear Harry,
Hedwig just happened to be flying past my house, and I thought 'Hey, I'll write to Harry.' So here I am, writing to Harry. You know how hard it is to get a decent owl for mail over here. Percy wont let me touch his owl, Errol has to stay in his cage for a week, and Pig probably cant carry a piece of bubble gum. Hope you don't mind. Whats up? Anything interesting happen? Did any evil criminal show up at your door and try to kill the Dursleys? If they did, did you let them? Write me back, I gotta go. It's my turn to do the bloody laundry.God I hate the laundry. I tried to tell mom I did it last time, but Ginny says she did, and mom believed her. She always takes Ginny's side, cuz she's a girl.
- Ron
"Wassit want?" Lacci asked, snatching it from Harry's hands. She tried to read it out loud.
"Flumpum Trumpnut.
Fweetily notkoo an' furshoo 'bee are ler bitty widdle git Trumpnut'. Sou wai on' foot-canoo, widdley git Trumpnut. Yoo wat go.." Harry took it back.
"Thanks. I can read it myself, in my own language. You're very helpful." He tried to sound thankful without sounding too skeptical. She didn't seem to notice. Harry set it down on his table, and patted Hedwig on the head. "Thank you, Hedwig. I'll reply tomorrow. Go wherever you want for tonight."
Hedwig flew greatfully out the window, and Lacci tried to follow suit. Harry grabbed her and pulled her back in. "You cant fly Lacci! Get back here. You'll wake up the Dursleys."
"Bi bi ool... out de hindoo. Ool out de hindoo. De hiiinndooo..." Lacci stared dreamingly at the sky from her safe spot inside the house. "Neet."
"Yes," Harry said, trying to be stern. She was rather cute. In the same way a baby was cute. He tried to be firm. "Come on now Lacci, you have to go to sleep. Big day tomorrow. Sleep." Lacci reluctantly pulled herself from the window sill, and curled up on the floor. Harry wanted to tell her she could sleep in the bed with him, but didn't want her getting ideas and certainly didn't want any of the Dursleys to see him in the same bed with her. He got into his bed and drifted back off to sleep.