Team: Chudley Cannons

Position: Chaser 1

Main Prompt: Vampire!AU

Optional Prompts: (1) word — unsettled, (2) emotion — afraid, (12) setting — the Owlery

TW: blood, death, gore, animal killing animal

WC: 935

Hedwig's Hunger

Perched atop her post in the Hogwarts Owlery, Hedwig stirred. Her stomach growled and her wings ruffled. She was unsettled, hungry, and desperate to eat. She knew that her hunger would go away only when she fed.

She could smell the blood, the pumping hearts of the other creatures around her. If it was possible for an owl, her mouth would be watering at the scent.

Her large, yellow eyes peered around the room, taking in the shadowy shapes of the other owls surrounding her. Some had their heads tucked under their fluffed wings, fast asleep. Others sat in complete silence, their eyes just as wide as her own, as if waiting to see what would happen next.

Each night, Hedwig picked off another owl, like plucking an unsuspecting mouse from a field of wildflowers. They were her friends, comrades — and yet she could not control herself when the hunger came.

And she was so very hungry right now.

She lifted her wings to re-position herself, and the other owls cowered around her. Some shrunk into the shadows, while others hooted in fear. But there was no need for that quite yet; Hedwig hadn't decided which one she'd take tonight.

She thought of the owls she had known in her time here. Five years as a Hogwarts owl meant both fleeting and long-term friendships. Some of them she hunted with, and yet others she consciously chose to perch as far away from as possible. There were other female owls, whom she tended to like, and then there were males, who sometimes desired to be her mate.

She did not wish to mate.

That's why they had become her first victims. Long gone, their bones were now piles on the ground. Most had been Hogwarts' owls, unmissed and unnoticed by any students or staff. Though, one poor child had screamed when he'd come up to post a letter and found all those bones scattered at the bottom of the Owlery. He had had trouble that early morning coaxing an owl down to accept his mail.

Now she watched, the bones still and gray in the glow of the early morning light. Her belly growled with her insatiable hunger, her eyes wide in contemplation. Her eyes flitted to the left. There was that small one right at the top, asleep and twitching, perhaps in fear. But would it fill her? She wasn't a monster; she only took what was necessary. The risk of taking a small creature would mean she might get hungry again, and soon.

Then her eyes spotted a brown barn owl directly opposite her. It was a large one, a male. Her stomach ached in anticipation. Thirst consumed her. For some reason, male blood tasted sweeter.

Yes, he would be the perfect meal. He would be filling, he would keep her happy for another day.

The owl noticed her watching him, and it hooted in fright, its wings flapping in warning to the others that Hedwig was once again on the hunt.

Soon, the Owlery was alive with squawks and hoots as owls — small, large, Hogwarts and pets alike — took flight. The noise would most likely travel to the castle, so Hedwig knew she needed to be quick before someone had the chance to come and investigate.

Spreading her wings, Hedwig soared across the Owlery, her eyes focused on the barn owl she had chosen. She bared her fangs, the only indication she wasn't like the rest of the owls in her brood, which caused the other owl to hoot again, its wings flapping vigorously as it tried to escape. But Hedwig was fast, and she caught the creature in her talons easily.

The other owls, too frightened to protest, cowered in the Owlery's dark corners as they watched, just thankful it wasn't them.

The barn owl fought against her, screeching in fear as Hedwig flapped her wings and brought him back to her perch. Her claws clamped around him, digging into meaty flesh. This was important; she needed to make him bleed first. She needed to savour the sweet, sweet smell of him bleeding to death.

No, no, no! he seemed to scream as she sunk nail into skin. She felt it pierce, and the blood began to flow, oozing onto his feathers.

The owl still fought for a while — they always did, thinking they could get away — but as the blood gushed forward, he weakened. Soon, he was too frail to fight back, and he just laid still in submission, begging to die.

Hedwig could smell the blood. She was so hungry.

With the Owlery shocked into silence once more, Hedwig dipped her head, fangs bared once again, and drank. She drank until she could take no more. Once her hunger was satiated, her beak dripping red, she stuck out a leg and kicked the dead owl to the ground. His body toppled, landing with a crunch amongst the other dried bones.

Silence still.

Hedwig shook her head, splattering blood on her perch. She hadn't wished for this life; and she was sure that the vampire who had attacked her in the Forbidden Forest that fateful night had intended to kill her rather than turn her. He had made a mistake, and she had suffered because of his error.

But that was in the past. Now, her belly full, Hedwig closed her eyes and tucked her head under her wing. She fell asleep quickly, unaware of every other owl in the Owlery unable to get another wink of sleep as the sun started to rise high in the sky.

I despise VampireAUs. I really, really hate them. So having to write this just about killed me. And I 100% failed to meet the minimum word count, but thank you to my captain, Autumn, for helping me get it from 600 words to 900 words lol.

This is the semi final, as my team made it! Wish us luck! And I hope to never have to write this again lol.