Hedwig soared across the country, flying with all the speed she could muster. Her first stop was a quaint house in Crawley where she tapped upon an upper-story window. A groggy girl with bleary eyes stared through at Hedwig for a few seconds before a muffled exclamation of, 'Hedwig?' seeped through.
The owl bobbed her head and the girl opened the window, letting in her midnight guest.
'What are you doing here Hedwig? Harry's not supposed to write to us – is everything okay?' she asked with noticeably growing concern.
Hedwig offered her leg, which brought Hermione to untying her own letter and showing surprise at the quantity of deliveries Hedwig still had to make. 'To Hermione, open at 7am,' read the front of her letter.
Frowning, she muttered, 'He must know I won't be able to sleep while I haven't opened it, the prat,' with the smile on her lips betraying the affection behind the hollow insult.
In defence of her master, Hedwig offered a short, sharp bark.
'Sorry girl,' Hermione said instinctively before adding, 'He's going to have you worn out delivering all these letters, isn't he? I wonder what he's up to…'
The owl in question could spare no longer, so with a few beats of her wings she escaped back into the night, sounding a melancholy bark that chilled Hermione to the bone as she closed her window.
Longer this time, nearing half an hour rather than the previous five or so minutes, was her journey before she settled on a windowsill and pecked at the glass. It was a tall house, unnaturally structured. Hedwig was patient in her waiting, as it was nearly three minutes before the snoring ceased and the scowling boy shoved open the window, nearly knocking Hedwig off in the process.
'What's that git doing sending me a letter now?' he grumbled, practically yanking her leg off in the process of retrieving said letter, with a similar time-based opening message, not that Ron bothered to read it as he tossed it on his bedside table and let out the first snore before hitting his pillow.
Hedwig barked outrageously before accepting that it was at least delivered and moved onto her next recipient who was luckily very nearby. It was half a minute later that she landed in the garden beside a building that greatly resembled the tower of a castle and, more specifically, she landed upon the bench beside a teary-eyed girl.
'Good night Hedwig,' she sombrely said, scratching the owl affectionately. 'It's so sad, isn't it?' she added as her eyes glazed when her fingertips came in contact with the letter. 'I should wake up daddy, he will want to print as soon as possible, people will want to know, they'll want to celebrate.'
Nuzzling lightly against Luna's leg, Hedwig barked a harsh, broken bark.
A tear ran down her cheek as she replied, 'Yes, Hedwig, I'll be fine.'
With a final nip on Luna's finger, Hedwig departed once more, aiming North with a touch of West as she flew faster than she ought to be able to. Just shy of an hour later, her wings slowed outside a decrepit house that looked as though it could use a good soaking in soapy water. Her beak scratched and tapped at the window as she held her position as best she could with no perch.
Luckily it was not long before the window opened, revealing a thoroughly ragged man who looked as though he had gone a few rounds with both a bear and beer as he stumbled lightly while trying to focus on the owl.
'H-Hedwig?' he asked, moving back as Hedwig entered. She settled on the bed and offered her post. It took him a couple of attempts, but Remus managed to retrieve his mail and frown as he read the opening time.
Once he placed it down, apparently forgetting about her as he collapsed back onto the bed, she darted out the window and flew further North with a bit more West. An hour later, she settled on the balcony of a rather large and elegant manor.
A tap-tapping sound drew the boy beyond the glass from his slumber and he clumsily fumbled the handle until the door glided open. 'Hedwig?' he half-asked half-stated as he looked upon the snowy white owl in front of him.
Hedwig gave a concise bark in reply.
'Erm, did you want some water, or something to eat?' he asked, unnerved by the large, amber eyes, but Hedwig simply offered her leg. 'Oh, Harry sent me a letter? Bit strange to deliver it now; guess he didn't know how far away I was,' he mumbled, delicate in his unravelling of the string to claim his message.
Like Hermione's, it read, 'To Neville, open at 7am,' on its front and, with a shrug, he placed it down.
'Odd, maybe it's just not important but he could only send it now?' Neville mused as Hedwig made her escape.
She had three more deliveries to make, though already knew she only had two as with the third she would be unable to succeed. Near due North she flew, riding high in the cool dark sky with the wind aiding her flight.
A bit over four hours later, she dropped down upon the top step and pecked at the wooden door. It was quieter than she would have liked, but stirring beyond kept her going until it creaked open to reveal a large man and cowering dog.
''Edwig? What yer doin' 'ere?' he asked, so Hedwig offered her leg and from it he took his letter while muttering, 'Strange, wha's 'Arry writin' to me for? 'e's not in any trouble, is he?'
'To Hagrid, open at 7am,' was printed upon the front.
'Guess I'll find out a bi' later, ta 'Edwig,' Hagrid said, ending with a yawn.
The final leg of her journey was short, simply up from the Grounds-keeper's hut to an office in a tower. She glided in through the opening meant for her and she landed on the central desk.
Behind the desk, the elderly man glared. 'I told Harry he wasn't to use his owl otherwise he risks leading the enemy straight to his front-door.'
Hedwig gave an indignant bark before shallowly offering her leg.
'"To Dumbledore, open at seven am," how interesting,' Dumbledore read aloud. 'I wonder what he could possibly produce that is time sensitive… No, there is naught but information here which he wishes to control.'
His fingers slipped to letter opener, but as he went to begin Hedwig barked again, louder and more irate. A moment to glower at the owl and he returned to what he was doing, leaving Hedwig to continue her angry barking while leaving.
She wasn't sure what was happening as she tried to the deliver the last letter, because her magic wasn't granting her enough intelligence to realise that she was becoming smarter to decide what to do with it.
'To Sirius,' the address read, but she knew that the intended Sirius no longer existed, that he was dead, because her master had certainly shed enough tears in her presence to prove that fact.
So, she had to try and find someone who would fill the role of Sirius, either through their relation to Harry or their relation to Sirius. She knew that there was only one who her master could view like he did his Godfather, but Remus was currently in no state to accept that responsibility, something she instinctively knew without reasoning it.
Her magic attempted to find blood-matches to Sirius who she personally knew and, through luck, one matched and the magical signature she followed was nearby in the town of Hogsmeade.
She adjusted her course to the town, having already overshot it. Settling down on a windowsill, she tapped the glass. A small crash of a body falling out of bed sounded moments later before the window carefully opened.
'Wotcher owl, who's been writing to little old me?' the girl cheerily asked, though it didn't extend to her eyes, her bubble-gum pink hair in a bizarre style reminiscent of a Christmas cracker with two spikey pigtails either side of her head.
Hedwig barked short and quietly, hoping to communicate her tale, but Nymphadora looked back blankly.
'I'm afraid I don't speak owl,' she cheekily said, niggling the letter free. 'Er, you sure you came to the right person?' she asked, her voice cracking slightly as she read the address.
Leaning forwards, Hedwig nuzzled Nymphadora's arm, offering a supportive bark.
'W-well, if you're sure,' Nymphadora muttered, very slowly peeling open the envelope.