There was nothing Wren Hawthorne wanted more than a quiet final year at Hogwarts. That wasn't to say she wanted things to be boring, but if she could find a happy medium anywhere between boredom and mortal peril she'd be happy. Her fifth year had been nothing short of chaos, and she had almost been killed several times. Sixth year had gone smoother, but it certainly wasn't what anyone would consider relaxed. This year was her chance to have a nice, normal experience...or as normal as one could get at a school that taught magic.
Her gaze was drawn out the window of the carriage towards the scenery and she felt her heart swell with fondness at the familiar sight. The castle loomed high above, backlit by a bright, nearly-full moon. Warm yellow light twinkled from the windows that spiraled up each of the towers and danced in mirrored ripples on the lake below. A few owls still peppered the sky, streaking off in the direction of the Owlery.
A sudden stab of sadness lanced through her heart. Her first time ever seeing Hogwarts like this was with Professor Fig, and he had died at the end of her fifth year. She still missed him, and was always surprised at the sharpness of that grief. They said that grief eased over time, but it hadn't eased yet. Not for her. She had now been without her mentor longer than she had ever had him in her life and that thought made her ache. It wasn't supposed to be this way, but her whole life had been a series of things that weren't supposed to be this way. Certainly her parents shouldn't have died young leaving her to be raised by her grandfather, and he should have lived past her fifteenth birthday, surely. Then again, if things had transpired the way they should have, she would never have known that she was a witch.
The carriage bumped along towards the castle, pulled by Thestrals, though most students wouldn't be able to see them. Wren could see them, but her companion couldn't. Not for the same reason that others couldn't see them, but because he was blind. She pulled her gaze from the window to look at him and couldn't help but smile. He was deep in thought, his brows drawn together slightly as he picked at the hem of his sleeve, an unconscious habit he had developed when something was troubling him. Wren didn't need to ask him to know what it was. They had been discussing Sebastian again and he was mulling over what had been said. As if sensing her eyes on him he turned his head up towards her and sighed.
"I'm sorry Wren, but I'm not ready," Ominis admitted and her heart sank.
"You don't have to apologize. I understand," she replied, her voice as quiet as his had been. Wren couldn't push him on this, as much as she wanted to. She couldn't do that to him. He had every right to feel the way he did about Sebastian.
"I can't forgive him. Not for what he did to Solomon. Not for what he put Anne through. Not for what he put you through," he continued and his expression hardened a little. Wren reached out and put her hand on his knee, and his expression softened slightly at the contact. She noticed Ominis didn't include what Sebastian had done to him in his laundry list of things he couldn't forgive. That made her heart ache all the harder.
"I know it's difficult. He was your friend much longer than he was mine."
"He was, but you're also more forgiving than I am," he reminded her.
"I can't help it. He was just so..." she trailed off. There were a hundred words she could have ended that sentence with and none of them seemed to be the right one. Sad? Lost? Lonely? None of them really seemed big enough for the change that had come over Sebastian since fifth year ended.
"I know. I wish I could let it go, I really do. It's just...a lot," Ominis replied, his voice tight and unhappy.
Everything Wren and Ominis had known had changed when Sebastian had killed his uncle Solomon. The boy they all thought they knew had become a stranger. Anne and Solomon had taken away any chance Sebastian had to continue down the same path. Solomon had destroyed the relic (and sealed his own fate by doing so), and Anne had incinerated Slytherin's book in her rage and grief. Anne had then vanished, Sebastian had fallen apart, and Ominis and Wren were left with their mutual shock and grief, both wondering what they could have done to have kept this from happening.
The hardest part was deciding on what to do after the fact. Sebastian had pleaded with her to not turn him in, because of how much Anne would need him now more than ever. Anne had been torn, half of her wanting Sebastian to face the consequences of his actions, and the other part unable to bear the thought of her twin being turned in. Ominis hadn't wanted to turn him in either, but didn't think they had a choice in the matter. What he had done had been unforgivable.
For Wren's part, she needed to understand what those consequences would be first, and when she finally found out the fate that would await Sebastian, being locked inside Azkaban, she had made her choice. She was the only one of them that had ever been to Azkaban, and the only one to feel the effects of the Dementors. No one deserved to be put in that place. Not for any reason. Not for any crime. When she had finished explaining exactly what Azkaban was like, Ominis, pale and dismayed, agreed with her and they had kept their silence.
So Sebastian had gone free, and they would forever have to keep that dark secret between the four of them. It was a price Wren was willing to pay to keep him out of the Dementor's clutches, but it was heavy and it weighed on her. It weighed on them all.
Although they had not turned him in, that didn't mean that he didn't suffer the consequences. Anne had left Feldcroft after burying Solomon, and had abandoned Sebastian, leaving a short note behind telling him that she was leaving and she didn't want to see him again. The price for her silence about his crime was her total silence. She refused to see him, to speak with him, to have anything to do with him. Following Anne's lead, Ominis had cut him off at the end of fifth year. Sebastian had betrayed him too many times for their relationship to continue the way it had once been. Wren had tried to do the same, encouraged by the other two. It was easier said than done. There was a hurt in her heart that threatened to suffocate her every time she looked at him, and the part of her that was purely Hufflepuff wanted nothing more than to try and make amends. Still, she couldn't just forget all he had done either.
It was difficult to come to terms with the way that Sebastian had used and manipulated them all. He had done it with charm, charisma, and a disarming smile that even the professors weren't fully immune to. Sebastian Sallow had a way of getting what he wanted, either by using his quick wit, silver tongue, or brute force. He had always reminded her of fire, giving off a radiant glow and a comforting heat, but only if you stood the correct distance away. Too close, and his blaze would turn you to ash. And oh, how she had burned.
The silent treatment was an effective one, as much as she hated it. Sebastian had been like a ghost in sixth year. He was quieter, sadder, and less prone to participate in classes. He kept his head down, and his mouth shut. His grades suffered, but he didn't complain about it. He lost weight, and the mischievous spark in his eyes had been replaced with a blank-eyed stare. The boy from fifth year was all but gone, and Wren suspected that it had less to do with remorse for his own actions, and more to do with being ostracized.
Wren had made it through half of sixth year before she couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't in her to watch someone suffering and to do nothing, to ignore it. Maybe it was his weight loss, or the unkempt appearance. Perhaps it was how he didn't engage with other students, as if the loss of his core group had shattered any desire to try to make an effort with anyone else. It could have been the way his grades had started slipping, or how he had dropped out of Crossed Wands. Or maybe it was just how alone he looked. Eating alone. Studying alone. Suffering alone.
She had finally reached out to him in the library, seeing that he was tucked in a corner by himself, dark circles under his eyes and a scowl that caused deep furrows between his eyebrows as he read a book. He looked almost spooked when she sat down next to him, as if wondering if she had made a mistake.
"You look terrible," she had said.
"I feel terrible," he replied.
"Probably not as terrible as Amit. Garreth convinced him to try his newest potion and his ears grew three sizes larger than normal and he had to go to the hospital wing. Claimed he could hear colors," she remarked and that had gotten a surprised laugh out of him that was too loud and got them both in trouble with the librarian. It was worth it. Sebastian seemed to come back to himself, piece by piece after that. Every day was a little easier. Conversation started to flow smoother and he seemed to be slowly crawling out of the hole of despair he had sunk into. The year ended too fast for them to make too much progress, but she promised to visit over the summer. Wren was as good as her word. She had spent a good part of the summer living in Falkirk and as many weekends as she could spare visiting Sebastian in Feldcroft.
Falkirk, where she had grown up with her grandfather, was a Muggle village. The cottage she lived in was modest, but it served well enough for her needs. After fifth year, Anne, Ominis, and herself had all been in a bit of trouble. Anne had left Feldcroft, had no caretaker, and was still quite ill from her curse, Ominis was miserably considering the summer with his abusive family, and Wren was terrified of being alone now that her grandfather had passed away. The solution seemed simple. Ominis and Anne could come stay with her, that way Ominis was among friends, they could both help take care of Anne, and Wren wouldn't be alone. It was a perfect solution, but it left Sebastian out of the loop.
Sebastian still lived in Feldcroft in the same house that he used to share with his small family. His only company these days was Wren. She would have had him over to visit, but neither Anne nor Ominis wanted him there. Neither were ready to forgive him, so it was up to Wren to do the traveling. The house felt strangely haunted in the absence of Anne and Solomon. Wren didn't enjoy spending time in the house if she could help it. She had a feeling that Sebastian spent a good deal of his time wallowing on his own, so she had taken it upon herself to get him outside. She had convinced him to start teaching her how to play Quidditch. It worked. He started putting weight on again, and although he still looked as if he wasn't getting enough sleep, he no longer had that haggard, distant look.
The last time she had visited him before the term started he had begged her to try and convince Anne and Ominis to speak to him again. He made a very solid argument, and she agreed to try, but at the end of the day it wasn't her job to convince them, it was his. She had been trying to convince them for weeks, and neither of them was budging on the matter. It was a monumental effort. They were both stubborn Slytherins, and in this, they were in lock step. Wren hoped that now they were back at Hogwarts she might be able to get Ominis to change his mind without Anne influencing him...or at least without the fear of her wrath. Anne had been absolutely furious with Wren when she had broken first and Wren had been forced to avoid her for a full week for fear of getting hexed.
The carriage drew up to the castle gates and stopped. Wren got out first, opening the door and then having to jump down from the last step, her legs being just a bit too short to simply step down. Ominis had no problem with the step as he'd had a growth spurt over the summer and his long legs carried him easily out of the carriage. Both of them turned towards the retreating mass of students filtering into the castle. Ominis breathed deeply and squared his shoulders, as if preparing for battle. She knew it was hard for him to ignore his former best friend.
Sixth year had been hard for him. Sebastian and Ominis shared the same room, most of the same classes, and the same favorite locations around the school. Ominis had turned avoiding Sebastian into an art form, and as well as he had done with it, it had taken its toll. He had been withdrawn and moody, more prone to snapping at other students and his sarcasm and scorn had ticked up to an almost unbearable level. He was nearly as exhausted as Sebastian was, and his grades had suffered for it as well. Wren had done her best to step into Sebastian's shoes and help Ominis with the classes that Sebastian usually assisted him with, but she was a poor substitute. If they had been in the same house it might have been easier, but they weren't so they just did the best they could.
Wren enjoyed spending time with Ominis, despite what they had all been through. He was always gentle with her, his kindness a balm to her frayed mental state after fifth year. She had opened up and told him about nearly everything she had been through. He had helped her through some of the worst of it. The nightmares. The strange bouts of panic that came on with no warning. The grief over Professor Fig. The guilt that she hadn't done enough, that it was never, ever enough. Either with a word, or a touch, or a potion, he always had a way of bringing her back to center where she could get a grip on herself. She had never been so grateful to have him as a friend.
If Anne hadn't been so obviously smitten with him, Wren might have considered being more than friends. The thought had crossed her mind more than once, but she pushed it away. It was wistful thinking anyway. She had asked him about his thoughts on love and he had sighed so sadly that her heart had broken for him. He told her about his family and how an arranged marriage to a pureblood witch was the only thing his future held for him in that department. He didn't seem to want to talk about it any more than that, so she let the subject drop. She ached for Ominis and his situation, as she ached for Anne and knowing that her interest in Ominis wouldn't be reciprocated.
"Come on, we don't want to be late for our last Sorting Ceremony," she urged, a little sad at the thought that they'd never get to do this again.
"Oh, no, we don't want to be late," Ominis didn't even pretend to hide the sarcasm in his tone.
"Just because you're bored to death doesn't mean everyone is. Don't you remember how exciting your own sorting was?" she asked.
"Everyone is excited about their own sorting, and everyone else's sorting is tedious and drawn out," Ominis replied.
"I still think it's fun. Isn't it odd how the hat seems to evenly distribute students among the four houses every year? Why aren't some houses skewed one way or another?"
"I'm fairly certain the whole thing is a farce. Everyone has the potential to fit into any house, and the hat just finds the ones who have strong affinities easier to place. Once it gets towards the end, I'm sure it just puts students wherever there are gaps to fill," he guessed.
"Good thing we're near the front of the alphabet then," Wren replied and Ominis closed his eyes and sighed. She frowned at him and then realized her mistake with a small laugh, "...right...I guess it didn't matter what my last name was, my late arrival meant I was going last regardless."
"To be fair, your sorting certainly was the most interesting one. Nearly a hat stall on top of being attacked by a dragon," he reminded her.
"I'd much rather watch everyone else get sorted then have to sit through that again. Felt like I was never going to get off of that stool. You never told me about your sorting. Was it quick, or did the hat take a long time?" she inquired.
"It was quick. I knew I needed to be in Slytherin, and there was no room for argument," he replied and fussed with the hem of his robe sleeve again. She saw the way his face tightened and knew he did it to keep the peace with his family. They already saw him as a lesser member of their family for both his blindness and his empathy...they didn't need him to be sorted outside the traditional family house on top of it.
"Well, I think it's a good fit regardless. I don't think yellow would be a good fit for your complexion," she teased.
"I'll take your word for it," he replied, and she heard the smile in his voice, though only the edges of his lips twitched.
The large doors to the Great Hall were propped open and the tables were bursting with students. Every year it seemed more and more students were attending Hogwarts. She had never been here as a first year, and they seemed impossibly young and small. Wren wondered what life would have been like if she had started at Hogwarts on time with the rest of her classmates. Would she have ended up with the same friends? Would she have been better at some classes than others? Certainly she would have been less stressed out, and would have actually had free time once in a while.
Glancing over at Ominis she saw his brow furrowed slightly. His wand was in his hand and the tip was pulsing red. She knew he disliked crowds, and thankfully only the first feast, Halloween, and the last feast were packed this tightly with students.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Fine," he replied, not sounding fine at all.
"I probably won't see you again until breakfast. Need to get unpacked after the feast. Let's meet up for breakfast tomorrow, okay?" she suggested.
"Alright, but only if you bring those honey and oat muffins from your common room. I don't know why the house elves only make them for you lot," Ominis sounded wistful.
"It's because we're nice to them and they appreciate it. Also we're closest to the kitchens," she reminded him and then gave his arm a little squeeze before they parted ways to their own house tables.
She found the rest of the Hufflepuff seventh years in their usual places. Charlotte Morrison and Erin Abbott on one side of the table, and Poppy Sweeting on the other with an open seat next to her for Wren. Poppy flung her arms around Wren as she saw her and Wren hugged her back with equal enthusiasm. She hadn't been able to visit Poppy this summer, as Poppy had spent the holiday in Greece with her grandmother. Wren had missed her greatly, and was pleased to be back together again.
"Almost thought you were going to be late again this year!" Charlotte mused after giving her an awkward hug over the table. Erin didn't bother getting up, but just gave a wave. The red-head wasn't fond of physical contact.
"Well this was my last chance to be on time. I figured I shouldn't mess it up for a third straight year," she shrugged.
They started sharing how their summers had been before being interrupted by Headmaster Black. The hall eventually quieted as he announced the start of the sorting, and all the tiny first years gathered up front before the dreaded stool. Professor Weasley held the Sorting Hat and stood off to one side as Professor Black gave a convoluted speech that hardly anyone paid attention to.
Wren glanced across the room, searching through the sea of green and silver. Ominis was easy enough to spot. He was almost a head taller than most at his table. He was sitting with Imelda. They were talking in whispers, Imelda's lips close to Ominis' ear as he tilted his head slightly to better listen. Ominis wore an exasperated look, and Imelda was talking rapidly. Wren would have bet ten Galleons that she was talking about Quidditch.
She cast her gaze down the table and saw Sebastian sitting with his other two roommates, Cassius Nott and Dean Snyde. Sebastian and Cassius were chatting in hushed voices as well, and looked invested in the conversation. She couldn't help but smile a little, seeing him actually interacting with them. It was better than him being alone, though she had no idea what to think of this, since he hardly ever talked about his other roommates. Cassius and Dean were as close as Sebastian and Ominis used to be. They got along well enough, but Sebastian hadn't ever considered them to be friends.
Sebastian glanced up, as if feeling her eyes on him. When his dark eyes met her pale green ones, her stomach exploded into a weird, fluttering sensation. The feeling only intensified as he winked at her and she was forced to look away lest she be accused of staring. That fluttering feeling had first started in fifth year and she could pinpoint the exact moment she first felt it. It was in the library after he had gotten caught sneaking into the Restricted Section and had covered for her.
The exact moment the fluttering had stopped was just as easy to pinpoint. The sensation had morphed into coils of dread the moment she had realized that Sebastian was only using her as a means to an end to save his sister. He only had space in his life for finding a cure for Anne, and everyone else was disposable unless they could help him meet that goal. She hadn't thought she'd ever recover from that blow, but she had. With time. Always with time.
She had been startled when the fluttering feeling had started up again over the summer. Slow at first, just a fleeting sensation. Then it grew stronger and lasted longer. Now she could hardly look at him without that feeling. It was honestly quite annoying.
"Wren, are Sebastian and Ominis talking to each other yet?" Poppy asked in a low whisper as she followed Wren's gaze over to the Slytherin table.
"Not yet," Wren sighed.
"Oh. I wish they would. It's awfully depressing watching them try to avoid each other," Poppy lamented. She had always been on good terms with Sebastian and had noticed the changes in him last year. Her concern hadn't been missed.
"What are they fighting about anyway?" Charlotte asked, perking up and leaning in to hear. She was always up for gossip.
"Probably some dark magic, or pure-blood Slytherin nonsense," Erin grumbled under her breath. She'd had a nasty run in with Imelda in their Quidditch match in fourth year and had decided that all Slytherins were worthy of her disdain.
"It wasn't, and frankly it's none of your business," Wren snapped as she cast a warning glare at Erin who rolled her eyes.
"No need to be so protective. I have little interest in the squabbles of Slytherins," Erin waved her off, clearly not wanting to be a part of this conversation.
"I still want to know!" Charlotte protested and Erin looked like she wanted to be anywhere else at the moment.
"Sorry to leave you wanting Charlotte, but you're just going to have to speculate!" Wren shrugged, but wasn't sorry at all.
"I bet the truth is much more boring than anything Charlotte is going to think up," Poppy added.
"You're right. I'm quite imaginative!" Charlotte agreed with a grin.
Usually Charlotte would be right, but not this time. If her roommates only knew the secret that had torn apart her little group. Erin was closer to the mark than Wren would ever admit. It had been dark magic, after all. Wren shuddered a little at the memory. They would never know what would have happened if Sebastian had completed the ritual, but Wren had a feeling that they would have witnessed a level of dark magic that none of them could have anticipated. The cost, she was certain, was too steep for any of them to fully comprehend.
The first new student was called to the podium and the ceremony finally started. It seemed to go faster than last year. She had clapped for each new student sorted, and cheered and whistled when a student was sorted into Hufflepuff. When it was over, the feast appeared with a wave of delicious smells and an overabundance of food. It still took her by surprise to see so much food in one place. She had grown up with her grandfather as a Muggle, and they hadn't been well off. Food had always been hard to come by, and she often went to bed hungry. To have the sheer quantity and variety now? Well, it made her head spin and her mouth water. She helped herself to a little of everything, and an extra helping of dessert.
"Wren, are you finally going to try out for Quidditch this year?" Erin asked at length, breaking Wren's concentration on her meal and keeping her from stuffing herself to the point of being ill.
"I was thinking about it," Wren replied after a moment and Erin's attention sharpened. A delighted smile appeared on her face, which wasn't something that happened often.
"Please, please come to tryouts. Everyone knows you're incredible on a broom. Hufflepuff might stand a chance this year if you join the team."
"I don't know. It's a lot of extra time..." Wren trailed off. Poppy made a scoffing noise.
"Oh stop. You made it through your fifth year with all that extra work the teachers gave you to get caught up on and you managed seven OWLs! You can manage a few measly Quidditch practices and matches," Poppy waved her hand as if Quidditch was as easy as taking an extra helping of dessert.
"It's a lot more work than that, Poppy! There's tactics, and strategy, and-" Erin bristled.
"Yes, yes, we know. You don't let us forget it," Poppy reminded her, cutting her off before she really got started.
"I'll give it a go Erin, but I have no idea what position I'll be cut out for. I've been practicing all of them over the summer, but it's hard when you don't have a real court to use or a real team to play with or against. I promise I'll try out. Not sure I'll make the cut. I'm sure everyone else trying out has loads more experience," Wren sighed. She wasn't even going to begin to let onto the fact that Sebastian had helped teach her.
"Doesn't matter! We'll find the right fit with the rest of the students trying out and see what works best. Just don't be late okay? Tryouts for us are scheduled tomorrow night at six," Erin told her and then looked between Poppy and Charlotte, "I don't suppose either of you will try out this year?"
"Ugh no thanks, but I might come to watch, especially if Wren is trying out!" Poppy brightened at the idea. Wren shrank down a little in her seat. She didn't want an audience, it was going to be hard enough trying out to begin with. Most of the others would have been flying for years longer than she had been, and although Imelda assured her that she was fantastic on a broom, she still doubted her abilities. She also hadn't ever played the sport with a team before, and had no idea what the dynamics would be like. Wren didn't want to let anyone down. Not Sebastian who had warmed to the subject of teaching her the sport. Not Imelda who was dying to have her as competition. Not even Erin, who desperately wanted to win the Quidditch House Cup in her last and only year as Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain.
"Yeah, sorry Erin, you know I'm rubbish on a broom," Charlotte shrugged and Erin sighed.
"Fine. I had to try. Maybe we'll have some promising underclassmen at tryouts," she picked at her food and sulked. Poppy and Charlotte exchanged a glance and Wren hid a smile behind her napkin. It was good to be back.
The feast concluded and each house was ushered towards their common rooms. The prefects led the way, guiding the first years. Wren and Poppy hung back a little as they spotted Natty. Natty gave an enthusiastic hug to both of them, looking utterly delighted. Wren couldn't help but smile back, Natty's good nature had always been infectious.
A shiny badge on Natty's chest caught Wren's eye and she couldn't help but let out a small shriek of delight as she spotted it.
"Head Girl Natty! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" Wren exclaimed as she gave a little jump of excitement. Poppy gasped as she noticed and then she too was offering congratulations.
"You are? Honestly, I feared you might be offended that you were not offered the role instead," Natty admitted, looking a bit abashed.
"Are you kidding? There's nothing I want less. It's the same reason I'm glad I was never made a Prefect. I've had enough time in the spotlight. Plus, you're a much better choice. Your record is a lot cleaner, and I know that you're going to be the best Head Girl Hogwarts has had in a long time," Wren assured her.
"I can't really see Wren as Head Girl, she's always got too much going on. She's going to try out for Quidditch this year though, do you want to join me to watch her tryouts?" Poppy asked and Natty gaped for a moment before nodding enthusiastically.
"I would love to!" Natty exclaimed and then looked over her shoulder, "Ah, I am sorry to cut this short but I have duties to attend to. I will catch up with you tomorrow and we will talk more!" she assured them and then trotted off with a quick wave.
"Good for her, she really earned that," Poppy exclaimed as they turned back towards their common room.
"It suits her. I couldn't think of anyone better," Wren agreed.
"You don't think she got it just because her mother is a professor do you?" Erin asked, ever looking for the worst angle something could be seen from. Wren really had no idea how she had ended up in Hufflepuff sometimes.
"No," Wren and Poppy said at the same time and Erin sighed and pulled Charlotte into a conversation about classes instead.
Wren fell back into the familiar rhythm of life at Hogwarts. She unpacked, changed into something more comfortable and chatted with the other Hufflepuff students in the common room. She helped a few first years find their way to a secret room behind one of the bookcases that was full of snacks when she overheard them talking about how they had been too nervous to eat at the feast.
Soon after she was settled, she slipped out of the common room and made her way up to the Room of Requirement. Deek was waiting for her, and she laughed when she saw him. She had grown awfully fond of the house elf, and always missed him over the summer. He told her all about the creatures he had helped care for over the summer in her absence. She was devastated to learn that she had missed the birth of the unicorn foal, but he happily took her to see the tiny golden thing. It had only been a week ago, and he was surprisingly steady on his spindly legs.
"Deek didn't feel it was proper to witness the birth and give the baby a name as well," he admitted.
"You'll let me name him?" Wren asked, shocked and Deek nodded happily.
She pondered on the matter for a good ten minutes before settling on Adonis. It seemed a good, strong name for such a small thing, but she knew he'd grow into it. She'd always been a fan of Greek mythology, and it seemed appropriate. Adonis had been the god of beauty, and she had never seen such a handsome foal.
Wren set about feeding and brushing the remaining creatures. There weren't many left these days. The unicorns would stay only a short while longer, once Adonis was a little stronger. Maybe a month more. Dale the Niffler was a permanent resident. She had tried to release him several times but he had a way of sticking around. There was Hestia, a blue Jobberknoll that was healing from a broken wing, Eurydice the Phoenix, and Calligo the black Hippogriff who preferred living in the vivarium as opposed to the Forbidden Forest. The rest had long since been returned to their natural habitats.
It made her sad to see her little menagerie shrink, but it also made her happy to know that they could be returned to the wild without the threat of poachers. They had been fully cleared out last year, the last of them realizing that the area was no longer a safe or lucrative place to conduct business. Wren and Poppy had headed up that effort to great success. It was a job well done, but she did miss the wide array of creatures she got to handle and help on a day to day basis. She'd have to just settle for Care of Magical Creatures class.
Once she had concluded her business with Deek and had satisfied herself with caring for her beasts, she decided it was time to go and get some sleep. She kept to the side passages and secret hallways to get back to her common room. When she had first come to Hogwarts she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to find her way around. Now, she felt like she knew most of the secrets around Hogwarts. Not all of them, she doubted anyone here knew every single one, but she knew enough to get around undetected if she wanted to.
Wren slipped back into her dorm and collapsed into her bed. The other three were already asleep, and didn't stir when she came in. They were used to her coming in late or leaving early. As she crawled into bed and looked up at the ceiling, she wondered if Ominis and Sebastian had talked at all tonight, or if Ominis was still giving him the cold shoulder. She really hoped that Ominis would come around. Last year had been so uncomfortable, and she knew that another year like that was going to take its toll. Something had to give, she just wasn't sure what that something was.