Hollie took the seat right beside the fire and sat her owl on the arm of
the chair. At about 8:30 p.m. everyone walked in from dinner. Most of the
students went up to their rooms but Harry, Hermione, and Ron decided to
stay behind to get a chat with Hollie. All three walked up and sat in the
opposite chairs from Hollie. Then to a surprise, Hollie said hey first.
"Hello, my name is Hollie. Who are you three? I saw you at the Grffindor table when I wlked in."
Then Hermione spoke,"I'm Hermione Granger, this is Ron Weasley, and this is Harry Potter." Harry began to go red in the face as Hollie smiled and shook all there hands.
"Pleasure to meet you all. I have heard much about you guys from the proffessors. Good things of course I can assure you."
Ron then bumped in on the conversation. "Neat owl! Where did you get it. Almost all owls have green, yellow, black, or brown eyes. I have never seen one with orange with blue."
"I got him as an assigned gaurdian. See my parents travel alot and aren't home very often. So the Ministry of Magic told my parents that owls are good for company and make really good gaurdians."
Harry was afraid to ask but managed to say,"What's her name?"
"First of all it's a he not a she and his name is Torso."
"You mean like your abbs?"questioned Hermione.
"Yeah. I wanted to call him something other than midnight or any of the other common names. So when he was delivered to my house I was doing workouts and thats how he got his name." Hollie began to stroke Torso right behind the wing. Torso immedatly fluffed his feathers up making him look like his body grown twice its size.
"So where you from?" asked Harry.
"I'm from the U.S.A. but we moved to London a year ago. Of course the week before school started my mom and dad took me on one of their travels to China. Unfortunatly the portkey we were using at the time got thrown into a fire so we had no way of getting back to the magical world exccept the muggle way which took forever. That's why I wasn't here on the first day of school."
"So where your parents now?" said Ron.
"As far as I know they could be anywhere. My dad works for a department in muggle traveling and my mom works for Gringrotts bank."
Ron couldn't help but ask,"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"No but I wished I had a little sister to teach everything I know. I've always loved kids. They can really respect you if you show them who is the boss."
"Well you can have mine she is always a pain in the neck. Want any brothers?"
"No sorry Ron but there just isn't that much room in our house." As far as Harry, Ron, and Hermione were consern Hollie seemed like a great person and would be a really good friend. Just as the clock was getting ready to strike a ghost flew in a hover above the mantle peice. It was Sir Nearly Headless Nick.
"Hi Nick. Did the Headless Hunt let you jion them yet?" spoke out Hermione.
"I'm afraid not. Ah and who is this here? A new comer to Hogwarts I suppose. Tell me what is your name young lady?" said Sir Nick.
After reaching out for his hand Hollie said,"It's Hollie, Hollie Bradley. You must be Sir Nick. It's a great pleasure to meet you at last. I read about you and some of the other sprirts around Hogwarts."
"And must I say dear lady it's a pleasure to meet you. Dumbledore has told me much about you. So how is your mother and father after all? It's been several years since I have seen them." said Nick shaking Hollie's hand even harder.
"They are both very well indeed fine. My mother works for Gringrotts bank and my father works for a muggle travel department in the ministry of magic. Both of them are on trips for different cases at this point. So how have you been. Heard you and the Blooded Baron are extremly excellent at fencing. I would like to challenge you sometime that is if you don't mind at all?"
"Certainly. We mainly fence down in the Great Hall. You are more than welcome to come and watch."
"Um....I wasn't talking about watching you fence I meant for me to fence too." Nearly Headless Nick fell right out of the midair onto the fire.
"I'm sorry.... but here.... let me give you a hand," said Hollie as she reached out for his hand. Nearly Headless Nick dusted the ashes off of his pants leggings and took a seat in the chair next to Harry.
"It is not your fault. I have just never heard of a human playing against a spirit at any sport or game." Nearly Headless Nick seemed to go even paler in the face when he fell.
"I'm sorry. I thought it was completly normal for humans and spirits to duel or play against each other. I will let you know that if I play against you I expect to be treated the same way as the Blooded Baron or anyone else that you have fenced against. Is it an agreement?"questioned Hollie.
Harry and the others could not believe there ears. Was it possible for a nonliving person to play against a living one? Harry thought certainly it would be impossible for some one who was living to defeat a spirit.
"I agree Miss Bradley. I will meet you down in the Great Hall tomorrow after lunch." Both Nearly Headless Nick and Hollie reached over the other tree to shake hands.
All four, Hollie, Harry, Ron, and Hermione bid each other goodnight and headed off to bed. The next morning Harry was woken up by Ron.
"Harry! Come here! You'll never believe this!" Harry followed Ron to the landing that sat between the doors of the girls and boys bedrooms. Harry wiped his glasses off just to make sure of what he was seeing was for real. Looking downward, both saw Hollie sitting in the velvet red arm chair left to the fire. Hollie was talking to someone but Harry nor Ron could figure out who till she said their name.
"So how was it outside? Do you like here Torso because if you don't I told the proffessors that I would return home if either one of us can't stay here and still enjoy the life we have."
"I'm very comfortable here I can assure you of that. I meant a couple of really nice owls. There was an especially friendly one named Hedwig. She told me that she belongs to Harry. She was Kind enough to show me around the owlery and find a good spot for hunting."
Both Harry and Ron could hear Hollie talking to Torso but they could not hear her owl speak at all. Ron whispered to Harry,"Harry! She can talk to her owl! You know what she is don't you?"
Harry tried to remember if there was even any language at all for speaking to owls but couldn't think of any. "I have no clue?"
"Harry! Hollie is a owlerlenger! That means she can speak to her owl just like when we talk! Percy said one time earlier in the summer that only three people were owlerlengers. Do you think we should tell Dumbledore?"
"I don't know." Ron and Harry slowly made their way down the ice cold stair case. Harry could feel his stomach twist and turn with a desire to know what was an owlerlenger. Could it be someone who was evil or did it mean that the person was a dark wizard. Then Ron not realizing where he was going bumped into a stand behind Hollie's chair. "Ron!" Harry hissed.
"Oh hey guys what are you doing up at is hour?"stampered Hollie.
Harry was able to see that Ron was so embarassed that he could barely speak at all.
"Uh.....Ron woke me up to tell me something that he thought was important."
"Really? Anything that I can help you with?"
"Yeah. We saw you talking to umm....you know....to your....er.."
"You mean Torso?"Hollie actually began to giggle. "I sorry if it bothers you. I didn't find out I was an owlerlenger till I was nine. My parents thought it was a disease or a virus that someone gave me. Then I looked it up in a book and saw that it was not common for someone to speak-"
"NOT COMMON!? HOLLIE IT'S A VERY RARE AND I MEAN VERY RARE TALENT TO BE AN OWLERLENGER!" shouted Ron."Does Dumbledore even know that you are one?"
"Yes he does know." Hollie began to grin so far that Harry thought you could stick a quaffle in her mouth. Later on Ron, Harry, and Hollie were jioned by Hermione. Ron wasted no time in saying,"Hermione, did you know that Hollie is an owlerlenger?"
"Yes I did. She told me last night up in our room while we were talking about shool."
"Hello, my name is Hollie. Who are you three? I saw you at the Grffindor table when I wlked in."
Then Hermione spoke,"I'm Hermione Granger, this is Ron Weasley, and this is Harry Potter." Harry began to go red in the face as Hollie smiled and shook all there hands.
"Pleasure to meet you all. I have heard much about you guys from the proffessors. Good things of course I can assure you."
Ron then bumped in on the conversation. "Neat owl! Where did you get it. Almost all owls have green, yellow, black, or brown eyes. I have never seen one with orange with blue."
"I got him as an assigned gaurdian. See my parents travel alot and aren't home very often. So the Ministry of Magic told my parents that owls are good for company and make really good gaurdians."
Harry was afraid to ask but managed to say,"What's her name?"
"First of all it's a he not a she and his name is Torso."
"You mean like your abbs?"questioned Hermione.
"Yeah. I wanted to call him something other than midnight or any of the other common names. So when he was delivered to my house I was doing workouts and thats how he got his name." Hollie began to stroke Torso right behind the wing. Torso immedatly fluffed his feathers up making him look like his body grown twice its size.
"So where you from?" asked Harry.
"I'm from the U.S.A. but we moved to London a year ago. Of course the week before school started my mom and dad took me on one of their travels to China. Unfortunatly the portkey we were using at the time got thrown into a fire so we had no way of getting back to the magical world exccept the muggle way which took forever. That's why I wasn't here on the first day of school."
"So where your parents now?" said Ron.
"As far as I know they could be anywhere. My dad works for a department in muggle traveling and my mom works for Gringrotts bank."
Ron couldn't help but ask,"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"No but I wished I had a little sister to teach everything I know. I've always loved kids. They can really respect you if you show them who is the boss."
"Well you can have mine she is always a pain in the neck. Want any brothers?"
"No sorry Ron but there just isn't that much room in our house." As far as Harry, Ron, and Hermione were consern Hollie seemed like a great person and would be a really good friend. Just as the clock was getting ready to strike a ghost flew in a hover above the mantle peice. It was Sir Nearly Headless Nick.
"Hi Nick. Did the Headless Hunt let you jion them yet?" spoke out Hermione.
"I'm afraid not. Ah and who is this here? A new comer to Hogwarts I suppose. Tell me what is your name young lady?" said Sir Nick.
After reaching out for his hand Hollie said,"It's Hollie, Hollie Bradley. You must be Sir Nick. It's a great pleasure to meet you at last. I read about you and some of the other sprirts around Hogwarts."
"And must I say dear lady it's a pleasure to meet you. Dumbledore has told me much about you. So how is your mother and father after all? It's been several years since I have seen them." said Nick shaking Hollie's hand even harder.
"They are both very well indeed fine. My mother works for Gringrotts bank and my father works for a muggle travel department in the ministry of magic. Both of them are on trips for different cases at this point. So how have you been. Heard you and the Blooded Baron are extremly excellent at fencing. I would like to challenge you sometime that is if you don't mind at all?"
"Certainly. We mainly fence down in the Great Hall. You are more than welcome to come and watch."
"Um....I wasn't talking about watching you fence I meant for me to fence too." Nearly Headless Nick fell right out of the midair onto the fire.
"I'm sorry.... but here.... let me give you a hand," said Hollie as she reached out for his hand. Nearly Headless Nick dusted the ashes off of his pants leggings and took a seat in the chair next to Harry.
"It is not your fault. I have just never heard of a human playing against a spirit at any sport or game." Nearly Headless Nick seemed to go even paler in the face when he fell.
"I'm sorry. I thought it was completly normal for humans and spirits to duel or play against each other. I will let you know that if I play against you I expect to be treated the same way as the Blooded Baron or anyone else that you have fenced against. Is it an agreement?"questioned Hollie.
Harry and the others could not believe there ears. Was it possible for a nonliving person to play against a living one? Harry thought certainly it would be impossible for some one who was living to defeat a spirit.
"I agree Miss Bradley. I will meet you down in the Great Hall tomorrow after lunch." Both Nearly Headless Nick and Hollie reached over the other tree to shake hands.
All four, Hollie, Harry, Ron, and Hermione bid each other goodnight and headed off to bed. The next morning Harry was woken up by Ron.
"Harry! Come here! You'll never believe this!" Harry followed Ron to the landing that sat between the doors of the girls and boys bedrooms. Harry wiped his glasses off just to make sure of what he was seeing was for real. Looking downward, both saw Hollie sitting in the velvet red arm chair left to the fire. Hollie was talking to someone but Harry nor Ron could figure out who till she said their name.
"So how was it outside? Do you like here Torso because if you don't I told the proffessors that I would return home if either one of us can't stay here and still enjoy the life we have."
"I'm very comfortable here I can assure you of that. I meant a couple of really nice owls. There was an especially friendly one named Hedwig. She told me that she belongs to Harry. She was Kind enough to show me around the owlery and find a good spot for hunting."
Both Harry and Ron could hear Hollie talking to Torso but they could not hear her owl speak at all. Ron whispered to Harry,"Harry! She can talk to her owl! You know what she is don't you?"
Harry tried to remember if there was even any language at all for speaking to owls but couldn't think of any. "I have no clue?"
"Harry! Hollie is a owlerlenger! That means she can speak to her owl just like when we talk! Percy said one time earlier in the summer that only three people were owlerlengers. Do you think we should tell Dumbledore?"
"I don't know." Ron and Harry slowly made their way down the ice cold stair case. Harry could feel his stomach twist and turn with a desire to know what was an owlerlenger. Could it be someone who was evil or did it mean that the person was a dark wizard. Then Ron not realizing where he was going bumped into a stand behind Hollie's chair. "Ron!" Harry hissed.
"Oh hey guys what are you doing up at is hour?"stampered Hollie.
Harry was able to see that Ron was so embarassed that he could barely speak at all.
"Uh.....Ron woke me up to tell me something that he thought was important."
"Really? Anything that I can help you with?"
"Yeah. We saw you talking to umm....you know....to your....er.."
"You mean Torso?"Hollie actually began to giggle. "I sorry if it bothers you. I didn't find out I was an owlerlenger till I was nine. My parents thought it was a disease or a virus that someone gave me. Then I looked it up in a book and saw that it was not common for someone to speak-"
"NOT COMMON!? HOLLIE IT'S A VERY RARE AND I MEAN VERY RARE TALENT TO BE AN OWLERLENGER!" shouted Ron."Does Dumbledore even know that you are one?"
"Yes he does know." Hollie began to grin so far that Harry thought you could stick a quaffle in her mouth. Later on Ron, Harry, and Hollie were jioned by Hermione. Ron wasted no time in saying,"Hermione, did you know that Hollie is an owlerlenger?"
"Yes I did. She told me last night up in our room while we were talking about shool."