Title: Why Aren't We All Like That Wise Old Bird?
Team: Caerphilly Catapults
Position: Chaser 1
Round: QL Daily Prophet Steam, Sweat and Magic Competition
Prompt: Hedwig
Additional Prompts used: Occamy egg, Felix Felicis
Hogwarts Assignment: cartography task number 2
Prompt: write a fic set under the night sky
Murder Mystery: location number 5, carriage one (Gryffindor); murderer number 4, Neville Longbottom; weapon number 8, beaten with a broomstick
Prompt: [potions] Felix Felicis; [era] trio; [emotion] satisfaction
We're All tortured Poets Here: number 28
Prompt: [dialogue] "Forgive me, [Name]"
Who Wants to be a Millionaire: number 12
Prompt: water (bonus)
Writing club: quotations number 17; here for the year number 23; fight club number 15; nifty & swiftie number 5; room of requirement number 2
Prompt: "We've got a situation."; [potion] Felix Felicis; [dialogue] "There comes a time when the smartest thing to do is to give up."; [dialogue] "Tell me I've got it wrong somehow." Bonus prompt: brown/ browning/browned; [word] shadow
Gather Your Party: fighter number 15
Prompt: [animal] owl
Scamander's Case: Runespoor, male
Prompt: [word] soft
Word count: 1149
Betas: Rose
A/N Warnings: mentions of obsessive behaviour
Harry sat beside the lake in the grounds of Hogwarts staring out across the black surface. The sun had just set and the western sky was still tinted with various hues of pink and periwinkle blue. The edges of the clouds were tinted red and were almost purple looking in the fading light. The eastern sky was already black and a smattering of stars could be seen twinkling there. Harry sighed and drew his knees up to his chest, resting his arms on his knees and his chin on his arms. The remaining sliver of the waning moon peaked out from behind a cloud, casting so little light that the nearby stars were not obliterated from Harry's view. There wasn't even the slightest breath of wind in the air and the surface of the lake was so still and glassy that the rapidly changing night sky could be seen reflected there in the vast smooth surface.
In the distance, the Forbidden Forest loomed like a dark shadow, darker even than the surrounding night, seemingly eating any light from the moon, stars and few lights that were twinkling in the castle windows. The only sound that broke through the stillness of the night was the soft hooting of owls and the gentle rustling of their wings as, one by one, they awoke from their slumber in the owlery and took off into the night sky like shadows, to hunt for their next meal. A soft hoot nearby stirred Harry from his reverie and he looked up to see the ghostly form of Hedwig, soaring silently through the air towards him. She landed softly on the nearby rock and looked at him through her large amber eyes. When Harry made no acknowledgement of her presence, she hooted indignantly at him, but Harry still sat silently by the edge of the lake. Clicking her beak impatiently, she hopped forward and gave Harry's ear a painful, reproachful nip.
"Ouch!" he cried, turning to look at Hedwig who hooted reproachfully at him once more. "Forgive me, Hedwig. I'm just feeling conflicted tonight."
Hedwig hooted dolefully at him. Harry shifted his position and shuffled closer to the rock to stroke Hedwig. There was silence again, while Harry gently stroked Hedwig's sleek, soft feathers. Hedwig was watching Harry carefully while Harry gazed out over the water, once more lost in his own thoughts.
"We've got a situation," Harry burst out suddenly, startling Hedwig. She hooted angrily at Harry. "Forgive me, Hedwig, but I'm just so frustrated. I'm sure that Malfoy has become a Death Eater to replace his father but Ron and Hermione won't listen to reason. They pretend not to hear me when I bring it up now until I change the subject. I've tried to find out what he's up to but I've had no luck." Harry gave a hollow laugh, while Hedwig shifted closer to him, resting her head against his hand.
"No luck." Harry laughed again, reaching his other hand into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a small crystal vial. The liquid inside shimmered and glowed faintly gold, as though lit from within with its own light source. "Felix Felicis," Harry said, looking at Hedwig who tilted her head to one side eyeing the vial suspiciously. "Liquid luck, enough in here for twelve hours of luck. Well, maybe nine or ten hours now: I had to use some to persuade Slughorn. But still a decent amount. I want to use some of it to find out what Malfoy's up to in the Room of Requirement but Hermione thinks it's a waste. She thinks I'm obsessing over Malfoy! Can you believe it?"
Harry looked at Hedwig who was giving him a very Hermione-like look.
"Don't you start!" Harry exclaimed. "I'm not obsessing. I tell you Malfoy is a Death Eater!"
Hedwig gave a low, soft hoot that clearly indicated her scepticism of the situation.
"Tell me I've got it wrong somehow."
Hedwig hooted again.
"So, you agree with Ron and Hermione, do you? Well, you're as idiotic as they are then."
Hedwig ruffled her feathers, clearly offended.
"You wait. You'll see. I've been right all along and you'll all have to eat your words."
Hedwig glared reproachfully at Harry, while a brown owl swooped overhead.
"Hermione said that 'There comes a time when the smartest thing to do is to give up.' But I'm not sure I agree."
Hedwig gave another soft hoot.
"Well, you're no help at all if you're just going to agree with Hermione!" Harry snapped and Hedwig gave his hand a sharp nip in reproach.
"Ouch! Why can't you all just admit that I'm right? Why are you all so determined not to see the truth when it's staring you in the face?"
Hedwig gave another hoot.
"You don't know what you're talking about! I know I'm right."
Hedwig hooted again.
"Well, now you're just not making any sense at all! Ouch!" Harry exclaimed as he received another painful nip from Hedwig.
"So, you think I should just give up too?"
Hedwig tilted her head to the side looking intently at Harry.
"No, I didn't think so," Harry replied, looking smugly satisfied.
Harry resumed stroking Hedwig's head; her sleek white feathers looked slightly grey in the starlight and the brown speckles like little spots of shadows. Grey like the tinge to Malfoy's skin that came from too little sunlight and shadows like the bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep as he cloistered himself away in the Room of Requirement for hours and hours doing–
"I wish I knew what Malfoy was up to for Voldemort in the Room of Requirement!" Harry burst out, his satisfaction dissipating as quickly as it came and startling Hedwig once more. She hooted angrily at him and gave him another of her deeply reproachful looks. "I'm not obsessed, just concerned about what he's planning. After last year I would've thought everyone would take my concerns more seriously."
Hedwig glared at Harry and if Harry didn't know any better, he would have sworn that Hedwig just rolled her eyes at him.
"Did you roll your eyes at me?" Harry demanded while Hedwig continued to stare at him. "You did, didn't you? I have enough of that from Hermione! I don't need it from you too."
Harry received another sharp nip from Hedwig for his cheek.
"Go and hunt for some dinner if you're just going to tell me off and not offer any useful advice on how to get into the Room of Requirement."
Hedwig ruffled her feathers, clicked her beak at Harry and gave a loud indignant hoot as she took off into the night sky, cuffing him around the head with her wing as she went.
"Thanks for nothing!" Harry called sarcastically after the retreating shadow of Hedwig as she left him alone to obsess about Malfoy.