1. DISCLAIMER. The obvious. I do not own anything. Thanks to Ms Rowling for giving us such wonderful stories.

2. Thanks a lot to FemaleDemon for helping me with grammar here, and to IWantABetterWebsite who provided valued feedback in a comment and then helped me find the better way to write this chapter.

3. I wonder if anyone ever really reads these notes.

4. Any error here is mine and not from my reviewer. If you spot anything or have a doubt about grammar used or plot just PM me, I'm always swift to answer.

5. Enjoy.


The Great Hall was a sight to behold. Its ancient stone walls and impossibly-large wooden tables stood apparently open to the same bright skies of the forest. Under the fake ceiling, ever-gleaming candles danced majestically above the heads of chattering students. Still, and even gliding through the refreshing morning air as she had probably done hundreds of times by now, Hedwig couldn't but admire the owls.

Granted, she was an owl herself. Nevertheless, the simple delivery of packages was something that had always fascinated her, ever since her first year there. Scores of owls of all sizes and colours swooping through the vaulted hall was a true wonder. The owlery had all those owls as well, but the hot smell of food taking over from that of bird crap gave this place a different mystique altogether.

Hedwig flapped her snow-white wings a few times more, then extended them and gracefully landed next to her master. The boy everyone knew as Harry Potter.

"Thank you, girl. Here, have a bite," the boy offered the owl a piece of greasy and crunchy bacon as she left the small squared package in front of him.

Now bacon was the real magic.

As her small black beak skillfully broke through the crunchy pieces of bacon, Hedwig turned at the girl with the big hair sitting next to Harry. Her name was Hermione, and she was one of her master's oldest friends. The girl was going through the morning paper, sparing only a casual glance at the new package.

The big brown hair had always thrilled Hedwig. She often stared at it, wondering if it could be used to make a warm nest. She supposed it could, and a rather big one at that.

"Nothing new, fortunately," the girl announced with a huff once she had finished skimming through the headlines. "No new disappearances reported today."

Harry gave her a weak smile, turning to scratch Hedwig's neck, which was the best feeling in the world. Harry and Hermione then went on to discuss more of the ongoing war.

Magical owls had always been granted a degree of understanding of the human language How else would they be able to follow mailing instructions that were often so carelessly vague? Hedwig wasn't sure how that magic worked, but she was glad to know more about her surrounding world. Even if she cared about it only a little.

Hedwig was an owl of simple needs. As long as her master was doing alright and there was bacon in her beak, she could consider herself a joyful bird.

Despite her way of thinking though, it was impossible not to hear about the war. Hedwig had heard plenty about that evil wizard, even when she hadn't seen him herself. Voldemort. Sometimes it was all the humans talked about. Voldemort this, Voldemort that… At any rate, all Hedwig knew was that the man wanted to overthrow the order of human things for some reason that was well beyond her. She accepted the information had some sort of value, but she would rather hear about other more interesting topics.

"Were you expecting a package today?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Not really."

"Who is it from?" she insisted.

"No idea."

Hermione eyed Hedwig attentively, as if the owl could give her an answer. Had the girl forgotten that birds couldn't talk like they did? The package had ultimately arrived at the school without giving Hedwig a prior notice, as all packages did. Hedwig had only brought it to the table. If only she could shrug at the girl convincingly enough, she would do so.

"You should take it to Dumbledore. It might contain something dangerous," Hermione said.

"Dumbledore is away. Who knows when he'll return."

The girl grumbled, exasperated. "Honestly, Harry. As if waiting a few days would kill you."

Harry averted her gaze, somewhat annoyed by the words. He lifted the package and gave it a little shake, then looked for a note that was simply not there. To Hedwig, who knew all about Harry's mail, the package was intriguing as well. She had no clue who could have sent it, especially considering that Sirius was dead now.

Through the years Harry exchanged constant correspondence with Sirius, the delivery of letters to the old ragged man had been a highlight for Hedwig. It had been a shame to find out about his death. Honestly speaking, there had been a time when approaching Sirius had proven challenging, what with the rancid smell. However, the man had always provided good treats, which was more than what Hedwig could ask for.

"You shouldn't open it," Hermione admonished when she saw Harry studying the package. The boy threw her a defiant look, and went on with it anyway. So, as was usual, Hermione turned to their ginger friend for backup. "Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked the other boy.

Ron only huffed, wisely absorbed in the task of eating. For a few days now he had been rather edgy, especially towards Hermione. Hedwig reckoned it had something to do with that sport they played on brooms; Quidditch. A subpar way of flying if they asked her.

At his groaning response, Hermione rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Harry.

Hedwig truly couldn't understand those two. Hermione and Ron, that was. It was obvious to her that all that they wanted was to mate their brains out. She could almost smell it from them. Hedwig could relate to that urge. There was this big barn owl at the owlery who had slick plumage and a big puffy chest, and Hedwig was going to ruffle his feathers one of these days. Why couldn't Hermione and Ron stop whatever rubbish they had going on and do the same? It honestly beat Hedwig, but one of these days she might as well peck their pants off and push them together.

"It's probably nothing," Harry argued. "Voldemort isn't going to mail me a killing curse."

What now? Did that exist? Killing packages?

With swift movements, her master opened the package in front of him, revealing a golden Quidditch ball with a note pasted to it. The note said 'Grab me'.

Even Ron raised an eyebrow at that.

"What is this?" Harry asked.

The boy was thicker than Hedwig had initially thought. That was clearly a ball. Was her master blind now? He had his glasses on.

A sudden alarm took over Hermione. "I don't know what it's supposed to mean, but no matter what, don't— DON'T GRAB IT!"

But Harry did grab it, ignoring his loud friend. The next moment, he was gone. Just like that. Hedwig opened her big yellow eyes even bigger than usual.

What in the hooting fuck.

Ron's swearing had been rubbing on her, it seemed. Could they blame her though? Her master had disappeared in a second, not one foot away from her. Hedwig knew humans could do that sometimes, disappear, but giving a heads up before doing so would be very much appreciated.

"By Merlin's saggy balls! Harry Potter's gone!" someone yelled.

"You can't apparate inside Hogwarts!" another one insisted.

"We know!" a few annoyed voices replied.

Hermione rushed to her feet and crouched to peek under Harry's seat. Hedwig stayed perched on the table, then swung her head almost entirely sideways in puzzlement.

So, her master hadn't disappeared intentionally? If that was so, she couldn't understand where he had gone. Nearby, his plate had been left unfinished though, so once she thought no one would mind, Hedwig helped herself with another piece of bacon.

The people who had seen her master disappear into thin air were quick to share it with those who had been too distracted. Soon enough, plenty of students approached, mumbling all sorts of theories.

"Did he truly disappear? It must be some trick…"

"I still don't buy it… He couldn't have disappeared…"

"He's Harry effing Potter. If he wants to disappear or play the drums on a dragon's back, he just bloody does it…"

"I heard he put a 'Wash my hair' sign on Snape's back once…"

Hermione, who had finished casting spells on Harry's seat with apparently little success, glared at the crowd. "Stand back! You're not helping!"

Carefully, Hedwig tip-taloned to the edge of the table and lowered her head to look under. No, her master wasn't hiding there.

"That was a Portkey! I told him not to touch it," Hermione huffed. "But does he ever listen?! Of course not!"

Ron approached, bewildered. "What do we do now?" he asked.

"Now? You should've backed me before! When I told him not to touch that rubbish!"

The boy's ears flushed red as he turned grumbling to his feet.

The commotion in the Great Hall grew louder. Every student was either exchanging prattling gossip or cramming unhelpfully around the place where Harry had disappeared. No one, however, was minding Hedwig as she claimed all of the remaining bacon for herself.

The owl was befuddled. Where did her master go? Had he run tired of Hermione and Ron's growing sexual tension? Or did he leave to release his own frustration? He was unlikely to achieve that in the proper way, as Ron's sister was still at the table with that boy who was foolishly courting her.

"There's nothing to do here. He's gone. We have to get Dumbledore," Hermione sighed, knitting her thick eyebrows closer to each other.

"Dumbledore's gone," Ron said.

"Then we go to Professor McGonagall! But we have to move!" she yelled. The girl noticed their friends just making their way through the crowd. "Harry touched an anonymous Portkey, and now he's left to Who-Knows-Where. Could you give another look around? Ron and I will get McGonagall."

Neville, Harry's plump friend, nodded quickly. Ron's sister was by his side looking tense. "Sure. We're on it."

All of a sudden, Hermione turned back to Hedwig, "You're coming with us."

Now that was unexpected.

The two humans dragged Hedwig away. She wasn't sure why, it wasn't like she had Harry hidden under her wings. They didn't seem to realise that though.

The two students and the owl rushed through halls and doors that Hedwig had never seen. She was still studying her surroundings when they reached an enclosed room, an office they called it. Inside, an old woman was going through some papers. Hermione and Ron quickly explained Harry's disappearance to her. The woman was distressed and alarmed by it.

"That boy's recklessness! It would save us plenty of hassle if he was cautious about this sort of thing," complained the witch.

A couple of moving portraits in the office nodded. One of them was a one-eyed witch.

"He's not— With him, is he?" Hermione asked, anxiously.

"We can only hope not."

Ron was next to her. He didn't say anything, yet he looked terrified.

"Professor, can you find out who sent the package? From Hedwig?"

"Miss Granger, I know you're worried, but if I ever gave you the impression of being an owl legilimens, let me tell you that I am in fact not."

Hedwig hooted angrily as she moved her head menacingly to Hermione and flapped her wings. She didn't like this talk of getting something out of her, especially when she was pretty certain she didn't know who sent the package.

The professor then went on to summon one of those shining, silvery animals. A cat. The next moment she was talking to it as if the cat was Dumbledore, the old wizard who looked like Father Christmas. The cat left in a hurry.

Hermione pondered in a corner, pacing rapidly from one side to the other. Hedwig had her own things to muse over as well. She started to wonder about her part in all of this. Was it her fault? She brought that thing that had made her master disappear, that much she could tell.

Just as the old witch was about to dismiss them, a thunderous voice echoed, as if coming out of the very walls of the school.

"You have lost. Harry Potter is dead," stated the chilling voice.

Hedwig flapped her wings again, turning to the humans.

"It— It can't be—" Ron said, looking as if all colour had been drained from him. At his side, Hermione gasped and turned to the teacher with a look of disbelief.

"Voldemort," McGonagall just whispered.

Voldemort? That was Voldemort? No wonder why they all fear him, with that creepy voice.

The eeriness of that echoing voice continued, "Harry Potter was killed by his own stupidness. And he fought like a scared and crippled mudblood girl."

"Why, now that was just rude," said a man in a portrait.

"Merlin, I knew this Voldemort was a racist, but I wasn't expecting the sexism," added the one-eyed witch in the other portrait.

"He doesn't sound like a champion for disabled people either," said the first portrait, with a gesture.

Professor McGonagall frowned. "Silence you two, this is hardly the time," she reprimanded them in a creaky tone.

Apparently, Voldemort wasn't done yet, "Come meet me at the gates. I have the deepest respect for all magical blood. Together, we can bring about a new society, more prosperous than ever."

Then, a piercing silence.

Hedwig just couldn't believe it, her master couldn't be dead. He was supposed to defeat the evil wizard, save the world, and all that rubbish. The others kept saying it all the time. The owl remembered him then, not as the young lad who had stupidly touched a clearly suspicious package because someone had said he shouldn't, but as the boy she had first met many years ago.

Gloominess invaded Hedwig in a way she had never felt before. Harry Potter had been very kind to her through all of these years. He always bought her premium treats when they went to the shopping market and scratched that place just below her chin which she liked so much. He couldn't be dead.

The next moments were chaotic, as Professor McGonagall and the two teens dashed through the castle in the direction of the main doors. Hedwig flew behind them. She needed to be sure. She didn't want to accept it. Besides, she didn't want to stay in that office with those weird portraits either.

Outside, the whole school seemed to have gathered on the grounds. As most of them had been in the Great Hall when the evil wizard's voice came, it only made sense that they had beat them there. The teachers were there too, including the big giant one whose wiry beard could be used as a fairly decent nest. Even better than Hermione's hair. Hagrid.

Hedwig made her way forward and perched herself on Ron's shoulder. He winced, but was still too shocked to make a real effort to put her away.

On the other side of the gates, a group of humans was coming in. They were all in black, as if they had agreed to dress the same that day, which was a terrible choice for a day as sunny as that one. The man in the front was tall and as pale as possible, but in a greyish sort of way. Certainly not as white as Hedwig's feathers, which were thankfully fresh enough for this weather. The owl had to blink twice when she saw that the man had no nose or beak whatsoever.

At his feet, he let the lifeless body of Harry fall with a thud, like a heavy sack of owl food.

"HARRY!" The shriek came from Hermione.

Whines and cries of disbelief spread untamed through the crowd. Ron was devastated, and so was his sister, Ginny; even so, they were far from the only ones. McGonagall, the old professor, appeared especially distraught. Hedwig couldn't believe it herself, her master had to stand up any moment now. Maybe if they let her peck him a bit...

The bald noseless man — Voldemort it seemed — stepped forward. "Your cause is lost. Any further effort is nothing but wasted energy. Join me now and we can—"

"NO!" a boy shouted. It was Neville, who was moving through the crowd. "Even if Harry's gone, we'll keep fighting. We'll never surrender. We—"

"Avada Kedavra!"

Green light came out of Voldemort's wand and Neville fell to the floor.

Loud gasps and cries came from the students, as people rushed to the boy's lifeless body.

What? Is he dead now? Just like that?

Hedwig had liked that boy. It was easy to convince him to give her food.

"As I was saying," continued Voldemort, "Join me and we can build a better future. One where you're not as dead as that dead boy I just killed." Then he turned to his side. "What was the boy's name? Anyone know?"

A crazy-looking woman answered. "Neville. His name was Neville Longbottom, my lord."

"Longbottom? Really?" Voldemort grimaced. "People are still bullied when they get names like those nowadays, aren't they?"

"Of course, my lord. Very much bullied," a man, who to Hedwig looked pretty much like an arse-kisser, confirmed hurriedly.

"Good," Voldemort said, then he realised he still had an audience of students and teachers before him. "As I was saying, together we can build a future where you're not as dead as this boy, Neville… Longbottom."

A collective gasp was heard, then the crowd parted to reveal Dumbledore striding through the front, the teacher with the greasy black hair following close behind. The headmaster didn't look happy. He looked fearsome, or as fearsome as one could look in long, shining robes. The old wizard had made his dramatic entrance just in time. Or almost in time, actually. The boy Neville would have most likely preferred an earlier intervention.

"That's enough! This is not your place anymore! I am expelling you from these sacred grounds!" the headmaster shouted, in front of the whole school now. He spared a sad look at Harry's body at the evil man's feet.

Voldemort smiled wickedly, turning to his companions. "Can you believe how senile he has become?!" Then flipped back to Dumbledore, raising his voice in a beat. "You can't expel me! I already finished school! Decades ago!"

"It was an expression."

"Very badly worded."

Dumbledore frowned. "The words were apt. You lost your right to step on these grounds the day you raised your wand against the innocent and unprotected."

Voldemort's expression showed a brief uncertainty, yet he soon recovered. "You can garnish and perfume your phrases all you want. Your senseless ideals won't reach me… Or any of the fine people I have brought here today," he said, gesturing to his supporters, who laughed and puffed their chests out.

"They could reach you, but you wouldn't be able to notice the perfume in such words," Albus Dumbledore said, before smiling as he patted his nose lightly.

Voldemort's smile dropped. Reactions came from both sides of the conflict.

Hedwig, who had been paying attention to every word since the two men started sparring, realised that she didn't have a clue what they were going on about. Were they going to fight or not?

"Silence!" shouted Voldemort, and the whole place shut up as if by magical means. "It's all over, old man! Your hero is dead. As dead as he can be. As dead as Neville Longbottom… The boy over there," Voldemort pointed at Neville's body with his long fingers, "And just so there's no doubt…"

Green light came out of the evil man's wand as he threw another spell at Harry's body. Then another. Then another light that made the boy's loose body jump and contort, then green light yet again. "He's dead." insisted Voldemort, just so that was clear.

Every time Harry's body was thrown a new curse, someone in the audience shouted or tried to step forward, yet the teachers kept them in check. Hedwig had to wince back a couple of times herself. How could he do that to her master?

"Enough!" thundered Dumbledore, his shining, long robes almost blinding in the sunlight. The old man's anger didn't let him show the three hundred years he surely had on him. "We're very pained to see you've pulled a foul action to get to Harry, but we will never surrender."

The vast number of people on their side of the conflict showed their willing support to Dumbledore, still, the attackers didn't seem to have lessened their own eagerness to attack.

"Albus, maybe we should prioritise the students' safety," Professor McGonagall suggested.

The other teacher, Snape, intervened. "Nonsense, Minerva. Let them fight."

Behind Hedwig, who was still perched on Ron's shoulder, a weird boy yelled in excitement "Oh man! IT. IS. ON!"

And fight they did. And it was completely bonkers. Dumbledore created a twelve feet giant out of the ground, while Voldemort tried to pull it down with a scorching fire whip. As they did so, they kept taunting one another with the most hurtful words they could muster. In Hedwig's opinion, Dumbledore's game could improve with some well-placed swearing, but everyone had their style.

Some students ran back to the castle at once, while others engaged with the attackers. The small teacher, the one with the glasses and the neat moustache turned an attacker into a giant ball that was soon kicked away by Hagrid. Then an attacker moved forward and threw a spell so intense that the teacher who was hit by it melted into a hot puddle of tar.

"Merlin! Someone just made a hot soup out of the Ancient Runes professor!"

Hedwig hadn't really paid attention to the woman before she was melted, so she couldn't remember how she looked, much less her name. Actually, Harry had never mentioned her.

It was pure, unrestricted mayhem. Wherever she flew, Hedwig had to dive and flap her wings to get away from a green beam, or a purple one, or some other ruddy colour of a spell. People were being killed left and right, sometimes unceremoniously, sometimes in overly gruesome ways. Dozens were on the floor with their eyes staring at nothing. On the far side of the grounds, Dumbledore was riding his giant, but now it had teeth made of the school gates and a bloody effing sword as well. Voldemort was riding a huge snake which was spitting acid.

However, it all soon came to an unexpected end. Once Dumbledore stepped on his impractically long robe and slipped, it was all over. The old wizard fell from the massive earth giant to his death. And Voldemort was quick to throw a green light at the old man's body once on the ground.

"THERE! I KILLED HIM! EVERYONE SAW THAT!" he shouted with manic eyes.

Hedwig didn't know what she was still doing there, she was no witch. However, the chaos made it impossible for her to think clearly, much less to get to a safe place. It was a miracle that she was still alive.

"That's Potter's owl! Get it!" a fat boy yelled, and Hedwig's eyes widened.

She dodged as the fat fingers made for her tail. That had been a close one. The fat boy was going to fire something at Hedwig, when luckily someone came to her rescue. A dark-skinned girl smashed the boy down, hitting him right on his puggy face with a big ruddy log.

"Shut up, Goyle!" she said.

Hedwig flew to the other side, dodging spells and glancing at the fallen bodies. Unfortunately, one of those rotten spells caught her right in the arse and made her feel as if electricity was jolting from her nether regions to the rest of her body. Just by sheer luck, she was able to fly away from her attacker, stumbling in pain and grunting.

She soon found Hermione bent over Ron's body, who was leaning against a large rock. At first, Hedwig thought they had finally decided to get on with the mating, though they were acting rather stupidly. This was hardly the time for mating, no matter how great were their urges. As Hedwig got closer though, she realised that Hermione was actually healing Ron's leg, which had an awful cut.

Hermione was entirely focused on her task until Ron said something and the girl turned to him wide-eyed. The next moment, Ron was kissing her, but it didn't last, since an attacker with long blond hair interrupted their heated mood.

"Malfoy!" Hermione shouted, her eyes red and puffy.

She was skilled, Hedwig had heard, but she was in no condition to win this fight. Not when she had her guard down and was shielding Ron.

One time, Harry had arrived at the table totally shirty after a fight with a Malfoy and had asked Hedwig as if an owl's beak could actually take someone's eye out. He hadn't been serious then, but Hedwig thought it was as good a time to test that theory as any. In a swift movement, Hedwig dived, beak at the front.

"Bloody fuck… His eye!" Ron muttered.

The eye did come out, bouncing to the grass. Guess that was a doubt Hedwig wouldn't be having anymore.

"You stupid bird!" the man boomed, extending his arm as he covered his bleeding eye socket with the other hand.

Unfortunately, this time Hedwig was unable to escape as the man did manage to grab her tail, which was quite sensitive after someone had almost hexed her shit out. Hermione tried to help, but she had left her wand next to Ron and by the time the girl could put it to use, Hedwig would be dead.

The snowy owl flapped her wings as wildly as she could, but the man didn't let go. She turned to him and saw a mad determination on his face, even with the face bleeding, maybe more so. Hedwig closed her eyes, waiting to be killed as well. Then, a quiet voice issued a curse and her attacker's head blew off in a mess of green goo and blood. The headless body fell to the floor with a thud and her mysterious saviour was revealed to be the greasy-haired teacher, Snape.

"You have lost your head for the last time, Lucius," Snape sneered.

"Professor—" Hermione started, now with her wand firmly gripped.

"Go! There's nothing else to do here. Take as many as you can," Snape told her.

Hedwig kept her distance, covered in the blood and goo of the late Lucius Malfoy.

Then, the evil voice returned, Voldemort was soon standing ten feet away from them. "You have used your wand against my men for the last time, Severus!" he boomed.

Hedwig saw a young boy at Voldemort's back, who took the evil wizard by surprise and hit him with a curse. Unfortunately, the only curse the kid seemed to know was the tickling charm, and, after laughing his shit out, the dark wizard turned and killed the boy.

The world would be a better place if they only taught kids about killing curses before tickling ones.

Snape tried to take advantage of the distraction, but a massive snake ambushed him and ate the professor in a single mouthful. The last Hedwig heard of him was his pleading cry as he turned to Hermione, "Fly, you fools!"

With tears in her eyes, Hermione raced back to Ron, and Hedwig lost sight of her in the crowd. The owl followed Snape's advice and made it to the air.

Hedwig would have loved to say that she had stayed and fought to her very last breath, but she was not a Gryffindor. Actually, she was just an owl. Besides, the battle was clearly over. There was nothing left to do there.

In the air and plenty of feet away from the castle, Hedwig could still hear the yells and the cries. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was in flames when moments earlier it had been perfectly okay, with bright owls flying on its Great Hall. Hedwig couldn't avoid but think that none of this would've happened if she hadn't delivered that bloody package.

Soon the whole of Britain was going to be Voldemort's, and the world would follow. Flying erratically away, covered in grief, blood, and some green goo as well, Hedwig wasn't sure of anything anymore. Her small heart ached and she didn't have a single clue of what she was going to do next.