I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

Note: After spending a week and a few days on Unwanted, I've been in a weird head space. I was in a more dour mood when I did the original prompt response and hit a rut with Extended and my other plan. I couldn't shake it and decided to try and expand Unwanted and was able to do a lot more with it than I initially intended. After finishing and posting it, I got a really silly idea and thought some sweetness and silliness was called for and wrote this one. I hope you enjoy it. As always, thank you for reading, it means more to me than you know. Have a lovely day and weekend.

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Extended Family

Chapter 45 – Speaking Without Words

Takes place after Dahlia is born

"What am I going to do with you?"

Harry blinked slowly. He felt a little odd, as if things were slightly fuzzy for him. The voice was waking him up and it sounded incredibly familiar but also completely foreign. The tone and the sound were comforting but he had never heard the voice speak like that before. It was warm but sharp.

"Honestly. Sometimes I worry about your intelligence. Well, I often worry about your intelligence. Wanting to fly is normal but do you have to do it like that while playing a silly game? Fledglings show more sense in the air and they're fledglings."

"Quidditch isn't silly," Harry protested, half on reflex, looking around. He tried to find the person talking.

"It is silly," the voice insisted. "Flying about on a wingless stick for something shiny. You can't wear it or eat it; you don't even keep it as a trophy. What's the point?"

His eyes narrowed. He was lying on the couch in his home but he could not see who was talking.

"Down here."

"Ow! Hedwig! That hurt!" He stopped and stared, his jaw hanging wide. "H-H-Hedwig?!"

Hedwig sat on his stomach and blinked slowly at him before her amber eyes narrowed and she nipped him again through his shirt. "Yes Hedwig," she said frostily. "Unless you have some other snowy owl that cuddles with you and if you do, you better tell me who and I can go teach them a lesson about poaching and propriety."

"Y-y-you're talking," Harry stammered.

"I talk all the time." She tilted her head. "Maybe that Bludger did more than rattle your brain about."

"Oh, that makes a lot of sense now." Harry remembered getting hit in the head by the Bludger at his last game. "I've gone mad."

"You have not, don't be silly," Hedwig sighed, plumping down on his abdomen. "You're sleeping and dreaming."

"Oh. Okay. That makes sense too." He felt a sudden chill. "I'm not dying, am I? OW! Stop biting me!"

"Then stop being stupid!" Hedwig scolded, clacking her beak. "You are not dying, you are healing."

He sighed with relief. "Oh well, brilliant. That makes me feel loads better. So I'm healing and we're talking." He blushed at her look. "You can't blame me for feeling confused!"

"Because of the head injury?"

"No! Well yes that too I suppose. But we normally don't talk in English, you know. I do but you don't."

"Fair enough," Hedwig conceded. "Still, you and I communicate very well normally."

"Yeah, but this is nice." Harry scratched her head and she leaned into his touch. "You're a very good dancer and use body language a lot, though."

"Birds are natural dancers and owls are some of the best," Hedwig sniffed. She started to dance, hopping from foot to foot with her wings spread.

"That's your 'I did good so praise me' dance," Harry smiled. He watched as she turned around and waggled her tail feathers. "That's 'I don't care what your opinion is' or 'I'm better than you' dance."

"It's also the 'my tail feathers look especially cute so praise me' dance," Hedwig said. "It's multi-use." She started to sway up and down, puffing out her chest.

"Oh that's 'scratch my chest and/or my belly' or 'give me bacon'," Harry said and scratched her belly.

"To be fair, all my dances can be 'give me bacon'," Hedwig said contentedly at the scratching.

"Do all owls like bacon?"

"Not all. Archimedes doesn't. He thinks it's too fatty which is ironic because he's a fatty."

"Hedwig!" Harry chided while laughing.

"He is!" she insisted. "He's so lazy. Does nothing without being told to. No initiative. Just wants to sit pretty and listen to other owls coo about him. All his taste is in his feathers I tell you."

"I bet owls have all the best gossip," Harry chuckled. "Do owls talk to each other? I mean, is there a universal owl language?"

"Yes and I won't teach you. It is secret. We have special words and names for people."

"Really?"

Hedwig looked at him for a long moment, drawing it out, before bursting into hysterical laughter. "No! You big gullible ninny!" she hooted. "We talk like normal. Though we do make fun nicknames for people because it's fun."

She rolled her eyes. "Did you think we have weird word combinations because owls are simple? Like calling the Weasleys 'fire-heads' or calling Sirius 'dogfather'?"

"I have no idea what I thought to be honest," Harry laughed. "I'm learning a lot right now and didn't want to assume."

She nibbled on his fingers lovingly. "That's because you are one of the nicer humans. I like that about you." She puffed up comfortably. "I do make fun names for you and yours to amuse myself."

"Oh yeah? Tell me!"

"Oh let's see if you can guess," she said enthusiastically. "Sun-Hair."

"Katie?"

"Yup! Moon-Song."

"Easy, that's Luna."

"Sharp-Tongue."

Harry thought for a moment. "Alicia? That fits," he said when Hedwig nodded.

"Land Chicken," Hedwig said, eyes slightly narrowed with annoyance.

Harry burst out laughing. "Angelina? You should be nicer to her," he said and rubbed her belly.

"She's rude," Hedwig sniffed. "Called me a feather duster and said she'd roast me like a chicken."

"She was teasing."

"I'll tease her, with my talons," Hedwig muttered. "Book Biter."

"Hermione of course." Harry grinned. "What's mine?"

"My idiot," Hedwig said, looking pleased at Harry's huff. "Bonehead. Because your head is all bone." She started to giggle. "Butt Warmer."

"Butt Warmer?! Is that why you sit on my head?!" Harry asked indignantly while Hedwig cackled.

"I sit on your head for many reasons," Hedwig giggled. "To impart knowledge. To bless with grace and dignity. To assert my dominance. When I'm lazy."

"And to warm your butt apparently," Harry laughed.

"All very important reasons," Hedwig said, fluffing up comfortably. "If it makes you feel better, your head is the best butt warmer."

"That does make me feel better," he admitted. "I don't know why, but it does."

Hedwig clacked her beak. "Fine, I'll teach you some owl words to soothe your pride." She cheeped a few times. She shook her head at Harry's attempts. "No, it's like this," she cheeped again. After some practice she sighed. "I guess that's as close as you'll get with your human tongue."

"What am I saying by the way? I hope you didn't teach me owl swear words or anything rude."

"I was tempted," she snickered. "You're saying 'Hedwig is the best and most beautiful owl'."

"Well that's the truth," Harry agreed. "What's Dahlia's nickname? Chick?"

"No, she's Star Flower. Or Chick's chick."

"Chick's chick?" Harry blinked. "Oh, you think of me as Chick?"

"Of course." Hedwig blinked slowly. "I remember the first time I saw you. Such a scrawny little thing. If you were a rodent, I wouldn't hunt you out of pity. You were all stringy and gristle, no fat or taste."

"Thank goodness for that," he smirked.

"I knew you needed extra care," Hedwig said. "Needed someone to make you grow big and strong. That's why I got the Big Heart's attention. No other owl could care for you like I could."

Harry's smile turned soft as he felt tears grow in his eyes, and not just from guessing Hedwig's nickname for Hagrid. "No, you're the best at that," he said and hugged her.

She nuzzled his face. "You're my chick. Even when I have egg chicks of my own, you will be my chick."

He pressed his face into her feathers. "Thank you. I love you."

"And I love you of course," she cheeped, tugging on his hair.

"Do you want chicks of your own?" he asked.

"Eventually. My children will be with yours forever. I won't let any other owls in," she sniffed. "Your family needs strong owls like me to keep you in line."

"Yeah we do," he smiled. "Do I need to help you with that or something?"

"I'm perfectly capable of finding my own mate for that," Hedwig said, giving him a sardonic look. "It will happen when it does, I'm in no rush. You just had your first chick. I have time before I need to prepare a companion for Star Flower and future Potterlets."

"I hope your chicks would want to," Harry frowned.

"Oh I'm sure at least one will. Obviously magicals can purchase or adopt owls as companions and the like but some owls share a special bond with some magicals. Like we do obviously. One of mine will definitely bond with yours if not many." She huffed. "They better anyways."

"That's good," he said with relief.

Hedwig hummed. "Besides, life's wonderful with you. You take far better care of me than others do their owls and I'm grateful. Warm place to roost. Nice things to have. Lots of snuggling and cuddling and pets." She looked thoughtful. "I could use a little more bacon."

"I give you so much as it is. The animal healer said your cholesterol is really high!"

"Bah! I know my health, thank you very much. That healer is a duck."

Harry snorted. "A quack?"

"I know what I said."

Harry rubbed her belly. "You're happy right? Ow! Will you please stop biting me!"

"If you haven't caught on yet, I bite you when you're being thick." Hedwig rolled her eyes emphatically. "My life is beyond wonderful and I know my legacy will be forever be happy with yours. You are a lot of work," she sighed, "but it's well worth it."

Harry smiled. "I'm glad. I'm glad you're in my life too." He looked around. The surroundings were starting to shift and become more indistinct. "Oh no."

"You're just waking up," she said soothingly. "Nothing to be worried about.

"But…I've really liked talking like this. Will we get to again?"

"Silly. We talk all the time." She nuzzled him.

"That's true." He kissed her on the top of her head. "Has this all just been in my head?"

"Where else would it be? Just because it is all in your head, doesn't make it any less real." She pressed against him. "Just remember what I taught you."

He cheeped at her.

"I love you," she cheeped back.

-0-

"Hey you, how are you feeling?"

Harry groaned and rubbed his face. "Head feels a bit sore but warm."

Katie sighed with relief. "That's because Hedwig's nesting on your head," she said with a smile. "At first we tried to get her to move because of your head injury but she got a little bitey."

Hedwig clacked her beak in a business-like fashion.

"MumAndi said some kneazles heal by purring, something about their magic helping people heal so we decided to let Hedwig continue to sit on your head." Katie cast a diagnosis charm. "Not even a concussion and I'll say that I was worried. You took a hard hit."

"Yeah, it feels like it," Harry said, smiling up at Katie. "Thanks by the way."

"Of course." Katie patted Hedwig. "Do you think your brain will hatch after all the incubating?"

Harry laughed. "Hedwig also sits on my head to keep her butt warm."

Katie laughed loudly and brightly. "I bet. Having a cold butt is just the worst, isn't it?"

Hedwig hooted in agreement.

Katie continued to laugh a little. "Well if you can crack jokes like that, your head must be doing okay. I'll let the others know. Dahlia will want to come home immediately. She's staying at Angelina and George's for the moment because I wanted to make sure nothing bad happened after the hit."

"I'm surprised you and the mums didn't insist on St Mungo's," Harry said.

"Like I said, Hedwig got a little bitey," Katie said. "And we waited until you were stable to bring you home. We thought healing here would be a bit more peaceful."

"Thanks, I've spent too much time in medical wings." Harry looked up at Hedwig who looked back at him. "How does bacon sandwiches sound for dinner?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll make them tonight. You rest more. I'll call Angelina first and let the mums know how you're doing." She kissed Harry and rubbed Hedwig's belly before walking away, pulling out her mirror.

Harry looked up at Hedwig again. Feeling slightly silly he cheeped at her. For a long moment nothing happened aside from Hedwig tilting her head. She then climbed down the couch and snuggled into the crook of his neck and cheeped back at him, blinking slowly and affectionately at him,

He smiled. "I love you so much."

Hedwig cheeped and plumped up against him, cooing softly.

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Guest - Yes, just haven't written her into the chapters as much.

EbonPurlight - Thank you. Just a small AU idea that will be self-contained. Unless you meant Extended Family as a whole and I suppose it's a collection of one-shots that slowly build on the setting? Not too sure but I'm still enjoying writing in it.

diffident-serpiente - I love a good Harmony story. Picnic Panic and Live Forever are so fun and sweet. I'm glad you liked my version. I really wanted to do something adorable with Hermione and Harry in this instance and glad it was good.

The Booknerds - I'm glad you liked it.

Mattyb4678 - Thank you for reading them. I have another 10 chapters waiting after today so it's still going strong.

Urgwaew - Good to see you again. Hope things are going well for you. It was fun to have Hermione be the one walked in on for once. And as you saw, she wasn't embarrassed by it per se, more irritated by the interruption. I knew I really wanted to do the joke of them sleeping in the same room for the Heads Dorms and glad it came out in such a silly way. My best to you.