WRITTEN FOR QLFC SEASON 9, ROUND 1

TEAM: Holyhead Harpies, Chaser 2

PROMPT: Your character is reunited with someone they haven't seen in a long time

4. (object) bird cage

9. (dialogue) "I'm sorry if I got your hopes up"

12. (emotion) nostalgic

WORD COUNT: 1026

Title source: Flares by The Script

Nostalgia (noun): a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations


The Fire's Out but Still It Burns


It had been so long since she'd felt his presence. His love, his affection, his care. The simple warmth and comfort that came from just being near him. She knew not how long she'd gone without, but after having spent so long with him, the loss was not something that she'd been prepared to deal with.

It was jarring to her, and she knew it had to have been for him as well; he always was a bit hopeless without her. On the flip side, she was nothing without him.

He'd always had a soft smile for her, one made no less genuine by the darkness that pervaded his life. He'd told her on many occasions that she was his only true friend, a phrase often repeated during times when it seemed that all others had abandoned him.

She was always happy to be there for him, no matter how much she hated the cage.

Even though the cage was where she could be closest to him, she despised the way that it chained her to the ground, the way that it shackled her freedom. But when she was in her cage, she could be with him in his cage, and that was all that mattered.

He never locked her cage, not once. Not when they were travelling and certainly not when he was locked in his own cage. Sometimes she stayed and sometimes she didn't; she often took to the skies to stretch her wings. Mostly it was to do tasks for him, but once in a while it was just for her own enjoyment. They both trusted that they would always find their ways back to each other.

A more selfish man might've locked her in with him. Another favorite saying of his: "Misery loves company." Although she didn't really have a firm grasp of his language, she understood the sentiment well enough. But never did he force her to be the company to his misery. He allowed her to be free because he wanted her to be happy. He just couldn't see how much she wanted him to be happy too.

He'd never understood that most of the time, she was happy to just be with him. He'd never thought himself deserving of that kind of love from anyone. That made her angry. But while she couldn't do anything to take vengeance on those who sought to hurt him, she could do her utmost to protect him.

And protect him she did. That night felt like so long ago now – the fear in the air, the bright, flashing lights, and the wind whistling in her ears as she soared through the skies beside him. The last thing she heard was his broken voice, shouting over the roar of the metal contraption he rode in.

As the green light washed over her, so much like his eyes, she felt herself slip peacefully into the Great Beyond, content with the knowledge that he was alive and safe. That her actions had given him another chance, and that when the time was right, he would find his way back to her, just like always.

Now, there was no cage. No chains to the ground and no shackles on her freedom. But he was not there either, and that was all that mattered. She was lost and confused, but most of all, she missed him. She missed his soft words and gentle caresses, his loving embraces and fierce protectiveness. And that was a whole other cage of its own, one she could not escape from.


Time was not a linear concept to her, yet it still felt like it was too soon for him to be arriving. The euphoria that she felt upon sensing his presence was quickly muted by the worry, for what must have gone wrong for him to be there with her?

He was talking to the Bearded One, she noticed, as she swooped around, high up above him. He watched the old man board the train with a bundle in his arms, standing still in silence for several beats.

With a sharp bark, she plunged down to meet him, her amber eyes meeting his surprised emerald ones. The shock quickly faded to recognition and joy, as the familiar smile graced his face.

"Hedwig!" he cried, as she landed, perching steadily on his shoulder. He broke out into a light chuckle. "It's been a while, hasn't it, girl?"

She hooted gently in response, cooing as she nuzzled his cheek with the top of her head.

"I missed you too," he said, using the back of his index finger to lightly stroke her head. "Merlin, I've missed you so much."

They stood in silence for a while, content to just bask in the familiar comfort that they both had only ever felt from each other, with nothing but the occasional hum or hoot disturbing the tranquility of the Beyond.

"I'm sorry, Hedwig," he eventually whispered, his voice full of regret.

She tilted her head questioningly, blinking at his pained, remorseful tone.

"I'm afraid that my time hasn't come quite yet," he confessed, breaking away from her gaze. "I have to go back. I've still got things that I need to do."

He looked back at her, his face earnest and his expression beseeching. "If things go right, then everything will all finally be over. And if things go wrong… Well, I reckon I'll be seeing you again soon enough."

She bobbed her head slowly, her eyes never leaving his.

"I'm sorry if I got your hopes up," he said, resting his forehead against hers and squeezing his eyes shut. "If I could stay with you, I would, but I can't not go back. You understand, right?"

She hooted quietly as she leaned forward against him, letting her eyes drift to a close for the first time since his arrival. She understood. Soon, all of his pain would be gone. All of the fear, the loss, the hatred. It would all be gone, one way or another.

Now, it was his chance to be free from his cage.


AN: It was tough writing from Hedwig's perspective. I tried to make her smart, but not too smart; complex thoughts and feelings but simple and repetitive thought processes. A few minor details are changed from canon, and I chose to use her movie death, since the way she died in her cage from a stray curse in the book was just wholly unbefitting. BTW, owls are bad pets IRL; don't try and pet one.