Penny snuggled up happily to Harry's side as they ate breakfast. "Ready for the game today?" she asked curiously.

"I'm...pretty nervous," Harry admitted awkwardly. "It's going to be in front of the entire school, and Oliver Wood's been pretty intense about how important this is..."

"Don't be so worried!" Penny reassured him as she rubbed the top of her head against his cheek. "You love flying, don't you?"

Harry managed a smile. "Yeah...I do..."

"I could tell!" Penny offered with a giggle. "Haven't had someone able to keep up with me in the air since Mom."

"Still don't know how you convinced Oliver to let us fly together," Harry allowed with a wider smile. "He's been pretty strict about not letting anyone see me practice."

"Oh, I didn't," Penny countered with a smile. "Hedwig did."

"That bird of yours is terrifying when she wants to be," Oliver muttered from further up the table, glancing back and forth nervously as though expecting the owl to appear out of nowhere.

"...how, exactly, did Hedwig convince you?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"She delivered Penny's letter asking me to okay you two flying together," Oliver explained, tugging at the collar of his robes. "...have you ever noticed how sharp an owl's talons are? And their beak? I did not know they could cut through stone until I commented about keeping your abilities under wraps till the first game-"

"Hoo."

Oliver let out a startled yelp before dashing out of the Great Hall. Hedwig fluttered her wings and clicked her beak a few times from where she was perched on the Hufflepuff table before helping herself to some bacon and fluttering over to groom Harry's hair. The Hufflepuff students carefully checked where she hadn't been perched until she hooted for claw gouges, just in case.

"Is...is that normal behavior for magical owls?" Hermione asked uncertainly as Penny reached up to stroke Hedwig's crown. The bird happily leaned into it before grooming her hair as well.

"Not usually," Neville pointed out as he looked at Hedwig curiously. "But she is Harry's familiar. If the magical bond is strong enough, a familiar will shift its behavior to fill an emotional hole in the witch or wizard's life so as to help them be more whole."

"So what?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food. "Hedwig thinks she's his mum, and threatened Oliver cause he was getting between Harry and his needed hugs?"

"Hoo!" Hedwig declared with a nod.

"...I'm beginning to be afraid to ask questions..." Hermione murmured uncertainly, her eyes wide. "I don't know what to do with the answers..."

"Are you sure you've eaten enough?" Penny asked Harry as he put the food down. "You don't want hunger and nerves to make you faint during the game, right?"

"At this point I'm more worried about nerves making me throw up than faint," Harry admitted awkwardly. "Especially if it's on someone else in the game."

"If that happens, aim for the Slytherins!" Fred offered with a smirk.

"There's no rule in the game against it!" George added with a laugh.

"...are they serious?" Harry asked Hermione uncertainly.

Hermione sighed ruefully. "There are 700 possible ways to commit a foul in a game of Quidditch...but vomiting on the opposing team is not currently one of them, unless you used magic to trigger it. And technically, that foul reads as using magic to assault the opposing team with bodily expulsions." She turned a little green. "And I really wish we weren't having this discussion at breakfast..."

"Why?" Ron asked in confusion as he continued to stuff his face, only to get more confused as everyone turned to stare at him. "What?"

Penny shuffled nervously in the stands as she watched Harry up on his broom. The game had started, and he seemed to be doing okay...but a new concern had hit her as she watched him go so high up in searching for the Snitch. Part of why she was so comfortable on a broom was because she knew how to fall, and due to her squirrel nature she had zero fear of landing as a slight Shift meant she could land from any height without injury or even being dazed. But while Harry was a natural on his broom, he didn't know how to fall properly.

"Are you alright, Penny?" Hermione asked worriedly. "You look like you're about to leap out of the stands to climb the brooms to Harry or something."

"I'd need to wait until that Bludger came around for the first jump," Penny replied absently, indicating the iron ball she meant. "I'd need it to springboard to the first broom, can't quite leap that far from a standing start."

"I dunno whether to be impressed or concerned you've already figured that out," Ron murmured thoughtfully.

"Well it's either that or ask Hagrid to throw me-"

"Not allowed ta do that 'less it's an emergency," Hagrid replied from where he was sitting behind the group. "Even if ya ask. Got in trouble, last game 'o tyke toss."

Four heads turned to stare at Hagrid in disbelief.

"Dun' look at me like that!" he argued defensively. "They literally asked me to, and it was inta the lake! S'not my fault one o' them beaned the squid!"

"...are all wizards crazy?" Hermione asked Neville worriedly.

"Headmaster Dumbledore is the most respected wizard of the modern age," Neville replied evasively.

"...right..."

"Spider!" Ron suddenly yelped out, leaping from his seat to cling to Hagrid's shoulder as an exceptionally large spider - at least four feet across - suddenly raced through the teacher's stand, seeming to deliberately draw attention before racing off towards the Forbidden Forest just as Harry went into a dive.

"What in the-?" Hagrid demanded angrily. "Though ah told Aragog ta keep his kids outta sight...what the heck got inta that'n?"

Harry suddenly pulled out of the dive, holding a glittering golden sphere in his hand to the cheers of the crowd once everyone noticed.

Hedwig glanced at the note clutched in her claws. It was addressed to the squirrel who was good for her boy, but she wasn't sure if them receiving the note would be good for them. Even if it was rather cryptic, there were some things she was certain they weren't ready for...and this was a clue. She knew the brainy one would try to pursue such a clue.

In the name of the Dragon we serve

We watch the Chosen of the Dragon

When the serpent does not look, we guard

Aragog

Rolling her eyes, Hedwig shredded the note. Really, the deciding factor was calling her boy the 'Chosen'. They were just friends, after all, and weren't old enough to think about being anything else...and if they did start thinking beyond that, she wouldn't be allowed to cuddle with him at night anymore. She'd let the school get used to that for a year or two before she delivered any clue to them along those lines.