I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

Extended Family

Chapter 161 – Hedwig Edit: Oul Praefectus

Takes place during seventh year.

Hedwig peeked into the bedroom and sighed a little, watching Harry sleep. "You've been working too hard lately," she sighed. She tugged on the covers a little, drawing them up around him more. "Too many responsibilities. Say, that's an idea."

She left the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her, and landed on the low table in front of the couch. "Let's see here, ah here it is." She kicked a few pieces of parchment out of the way and picked up the Head Boy badge. "You're Head Boy, you're my chick, therefore, I have your abilities and authority. Hmm, a bit heavy and I don't want to carry it with my talons or beak. Ah, this should work!"

She took the silver chain on her roost and threaded it through the badge clip. Then she ducked her head through the chain's loop and admired herself in the mirror in the living room. "Regal, authoritative, beautiful, thy name be Hedwig. I'll help patrol and take care of pesky students, Chick will get more rest, and I'll get more cuddles and adoration. Everyone wins!"

With a powerful jump, she launched herself into the air and flew towards the portrait door. It opened before her and she flew through it, waving a wing at the lioness on the portrait front. "Now then, let's instill some order in the stone nest," Hedwig said as she flew down the hall.

-0-

"Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry was patting his pockets and looking about. "I can't find my badge."

"Which one?"

He snorted. "I just realized that I have more than one technically to look for which is kinda silly but my Head Boy badge specifically."

"Harry!" Hermione said with immense disapproval. "How did you lose your Head Boy badge?"

"I don't know! I put it down on my nightstand like I do with my other things and it's gone." He and Hermione looked around their common room and his room. "See? It somehow disappeared."

"It does seem that way." She sighed. "I suppose we will have to go tell Professor McGonagall."

"That'll have to wait," Harry sighed looking at his watch. "We gotta get to class." He scratched his head. "I have no idea how it went missing. I just hope no one took it."

Hermione snorted. "I doubt it. I can't think of any of our friends that would dare take it, much less any other student."

-0-

"Hey look what I got!"

"No way!"

The two fourth year Ravenclaw students were huddled in an alcove. One looked quite smug and the other looked quite impressed. "Where did you get it?" the latter asked.

"My brother sent it! Snuck it in through owl post." He gleefully waved the bottle of firewhiskey.

"Your brother is so cool!"

"Right?! Now we can drink this and…" He looked over the shoulder of his friend, voice coming to a halt.

"What's wrong?" The second boy turned and gasped at the gigantic amber eyes that glared from him from within the helmet of the armor that stood in the alcove.

"Hey! Drop it! Right now!"

A harsh scratching noise spilled from the armor, something clawing violently against the metal. The eyes emerged, framed by snow white feathers. The snowy owl slid out of the open visor of the helmet, her wings opened in a threatening display. Her eyes radiated disapproval and for some reason, the boys felt a flash of shame.

"Go away!" the first boy said.

Hedwig screeched loudly, making them flinch. "I know you two fledglings aren't supposed to have that! Now drop it! Bad fledglings!"

"I-I-I'm not afraid of you!" the first boy said unconvincingly. He raised his wand with a shaky hand and he dropped it with a yelp when Hedwig pecked his hand severely.

"You better be afraid of me soon," she hissed. "Point your wand at me again and I'll put it somewhere else!"

"Oh no," the second boy moaned. He pointed at the thing that hung from a silver chain around Hedwig's neck.

"Oh shit! He's the Head Boy?!"

"Don't be daft! I've seen the owl before, she belongs to the Head Boy!"

"Do you think she's patrolling for him?" The first boy sounded incredulous.

Hedwig screeched again, beating the air with her wings and the boys cowered. "By the powers vested in me, by me, I have Chick's authority! I'm Head Owl! So you better run back before I chase you back!"

"Let's get out of here!" the second boy said. They began to move off but Hedwig flew around them, cuffing them in the head with her heavy wings. The first boy left the bottle of alcohol and he joined his friend in fleeing.

Hedwig chased them down the hall before landing. She sniffed, kicking her leg at them before flying back to the bottle and lifted it easily in her talons, flapping off slowly. "This stuff is bad for you. I better put it somewhere safe for Chick to get later."

-0-

The door to the classroom opened, showing a very sheepish and scratched looking third year standing in the entryway.

"Good of you to join us," Flitwick said. "You're late. And…a bit worse for wear," he observed.

"I was uh, napping outdoors," the student confessed with a bright red face.

"Hmmm. And what prompted you to come to class?"

"I was set upon by…an owl." The others laughed at his discomfiture.

Flitwick hid a smile. "Ah. Were you harassing said owl?"

"No! I was napping and suddenly I had a face full of talons and feathers and the bloody thing chased me around the courtyard before it chased me indoors and to the classroom."

"Indeed? And where is this owl so I may thank it?" Flitwick said while the others roared with laughter.

"It waited for me to open the door before flying off."

"I didn't know there were attendance owls," a student remarked.

Flitwick snorted. "Technically there aren't any but something for me to bring up in the next staff meeting. Do you know who the owl belongs to?"

"I've seen it before and it was wearing a badge. It was white and really aggressive."

Flitwick smiled from ear to ear. "Ah, say no more. Well, I would take points away but I see by the scratches and your brow-beaten appearance you've been punished enough. I trust you won't let this happen again?"

"And risk being attacked again?! No thanks!"

-0-

Elizabeth was walking swiftly down the hall before she started running down it. She had been told by a first year that she saw someone being bullied by older years, and was walking to investigate. However, she started hearing screaming so she ran towards the commotion, wand at the ready.

She rounded the corner and skidded to a stop, eyes wide. She pressed against the wall to avoid being run over by two larger sixth years who were the source of the screaming. The two boys ran on, hands over their heads in a feeble attempt to protect themselves.

Hedwig was chasing them, chiding and chastising them loudly. She barked and screeched at them, beating them about the head with her heavy wings and scratching at them with talons, pecking and nipping with her beak.

"You want to bully the little one?! Try me on for size you two fat twits! Come on then! I'm smaller than the little one. Why don't you bully me? What are you waiting for?! BULLY ME! What's the matter?! DO IT!"

Elizabeth watched with shock and admiration as Hedwig chased the two around the corner, screeching shrilly. "That's awesome," she gasped.

"They were being really mean and then she was suddenly there!" the second year said excitedly. "She just dove in and started chasing them off. She's so cool!"

"Yeah she is," Elizabeth said admiringly. "'Course, she's the Head Boy's owl so it makes sense that she's cool too. He doesn't condone bullying so she hates it too. That's actually really smart of him, delegating authority and duty like that. I should get an owl."

-0-

"You cannot be serious Argus."

Argus Filch, caretaker of Hogwarts, was livid. "I am serious Deputy Headmistress! I was assaulted!"

McGonagall rubbed her eyes. "By who? Who would dare?"

"I don't know but I will have my revenge! I was pushed into the broom closet and the door was locked behind me!"

"What were you doing before that?" she asked.

"I was yelling at a couple of first years. They were tracking in dirt from outdoors and I was telling them off!"

McGonagall sighed. "Mister Filch, we discussed this. They probably came in from Herbology and did not know any better."

"It's blatant disrespect!"

She sighed again and walked to the broom closet in question, followed by the irate man. She inspected the area around the cupboard carefully. "It does not look like any magic was used."

"Then it must have been one of their grubby friends! They must have shoved me in there while my back was turned." He turned around, stomping the ground.

One of McGonagall's eyebrows rose. She deftly plucked something off the back of his coat and slipped it into her sleeve. "There there Mister Filch. I will investigate for you and will get to the bottom of this. Do not worry." She looked at him placidly until he left, grumbling.

She looked at the dappled white feather she pulled off him. "Surely not," she mused to herself.

-0-

At lunchtime, a new rumor was making its way around the school. More than one person had been attacked or harassed by a new figure. Some claimed it was a vengeful new ghost, others thought it was some kind of magical creature made of wings and claws and attitude. The ones that had been attacked directly said it was an owl, but it was the smartest, angriest, most persistent owl they had ever seen. They all agreed it wore a badge, or something brilliantly bright and metallic on its chest.

McGonagall listened to the rumors and her lips were especially compressed. Most thought it was because she was very disbelieving of the rumors. In actuality, she was doing her best to not burst into wild laughter. Flitwick and Sprout had no reservations, giggling and laughing surreptitiously. Snape shook his head, deeply amused.

Mirabelle listened to an older year student complain about being scratched severely for what they claimed was 'innocent teasing' an underclassman. Her eyes grew round as the student described his assailant.

"Do you think that's Hedwig?" she whispered to Lyla.

"You think? Hedwig is such a cuddlebug though," Lyla whispered back.

"I mean sure, to us. But it sounds a lot like Hedwig to me," Mirabelle said.

"You're not wrong, that does sound like Hedwig," Ginny said.

"Bloody bird's a menace," Ron whispered very softly, eyes looking up at the ceiling. "Wouldn't surprise me at all."

Harry and Hermione were having lunch in their shared dorm, still searching for his badge while eating and missed the rumors entirely.

-0-

Pomfrey looked at two students who walked into the Infirmary. "Let me guess," she said knowingly, "scratches and bruises?"

They nodded without saying anything.

"Were you doing something that one might surmise to be bending or breaking the rules?"

They nodded again without saying anything.

She handed them a bottle of cream. "Well you aren't the first and I doubt you'll be the last. A smear on your wounds and off you go. I hope you learned your lesson." She snorted as they hastily applied the cream and left as soon as they could. She walked to the fireplace and tossed a pinch of Floo powder into it. "Potion's Office," she called.

"Yes?" Snape answered the call.

"I'll be needing more cream with dittany and tincture," she said. "Running a bit low."

"I am making it now," he replied. "I guessed as much when I had to use a fair amount on the students that showed up to class were…ruffled."

She smirked. "Should we say something?"

"And risk her tender attention? You may do so if you wish, I have no desire to be on the receiving end," Snape said seriously.

She snorted. "Not me. Besides, she's not doing any permanent harm and I don't remember the last time I was this amused."

"Neither do I. It is rather pleasant."

-0-

Hedwig shook her head as she deposited the latest confiscated contraband onto an oddly alarming sized pile. "What is wrong with fledglings these days?! Alcohol, cigarettes, magazines they shouldn't have, more weird things, more alcohol. What are they getting up to?! I'm glad Chick never did anything like that."

She walked out of the small closet she commandeered and kicked it closed before launching herself into the air once more.

"Whew, no wonder Chick is tired. This is a lot of work. It is necessary though."

-0-

"I beg your pardon?!" Hermione looked gobsmacked. She had gone to the Prefects offices to do some work and be available for help. She had only just heard the rumors from some of the other prefects.

"It's true!" Elizabeth was all smiles. "I even saw her! She was chasing these two sixth years that were bothering a second year. They ran screaming! Cutest thing ever."

"And she was wearing a badge?! Whose badge?!"

"It looked like the Head Boy's," Elizabeth said. "That's why I didn't do anything, I assumed she had his permission."

"She never asks for permission," Hermione said peevishly. "I should have known."

-0-

"Aww, someone made her a little badge," Tracy gushed.

She was sitting at dinner with Daphne and Luna. Hedwig had fluttered into the great hall, causing more than a few students to flinch and cower at the sight of her. Not finding her usual person, she had flown to the small group of friends, landing neatly in front of Luna and cheeping at them. "Hello ladies."

"I wonder who." Daphne's eyes narrowed. "Wait a moment. That's…no it cannot be."

Luna giggled. "It is."

"HEDWIG JANE POTTER!"

Hermione stomped into the great hall. She looked around for a few moments before catching sight of her quarry and made a beeline for her. Hedwig looked unconcerned, turning her head away from the girl with casual disdain. She started to preen her wings, utterly uninterested.

"Hedwig's full name is Hedwig Jane Potter?" Tracy asked.

"Well, I assumed her last name would be Harry's and her middle name a reflection of his." Hermione flushed before shaking her head. She pointed a finger at the owl. "You are in big trouble!"

Hedwig yawned. "No I'm not."

"You can't go stealing his badge and then flying around the school acting with his authority!"

Hedwig barked. "What's Chick's is mine and I act with my authority and his authority."

"No! It doesn't work that way. It doesn't matter that you're his owl nor should you be taking his badge!"

Hedwig barked louder, flapping her wings. "It does work that way! He doesn't care that I have the shiny badge!"

"The ends do not justify the means!"

"Are you actually arguing with her?" Tracy asked incredulously.

"Of course she is," Luna said. "Hermione started the argument, what would you expect Hedwig to do?"

The snowy owl nuzzled Luna's cheek, making her laugh with delight. Tracy and Daphne laughed at Hermione's look of exasperation.

"I'm taking this back before you can continue to abuse the position," Hermione said, reaching out for the badge.

Hedwig snapped her beak at Hermione's fingers. "I took this fair and square! Mine!"

"Oh don't you start this, you're already in so much trouble!" Hermione said, snatching her hand back.

Hedwig mooned Hermione, shaking her tail feathers condescendingly.

"Five Galleons on Hedwig," Daphne said confidently.

"That's a sucker's bet!" Tracy said. "No one's going to bet against Hedwig."

"I'll bet on Harry resolving things," Luna said.

"That's also a sucker's bet," Tracy laughed. "He's the only one that can normalize weird things."

Luna gently gathered Hedwig in her arms. "Let's go upstairs. Harry will need to mediate before things become more violent. And we can have Harry made dinner."

-0-

"Really? Hedwig Jane Potter?" Harry asked, his lips curved in a big smile.

"That's what you're focusing on?" Hermione asked, annoyed.

Hedwig hooted smugly. "Chick knows what's important."

Harry plucked the badge off her chain, braving Hedwig's irritated pecking at his hands. "Hedwig, while what you did today was good, I think, you really shouldn't do that. You're technically not allowed to."

Hedwig hissed at him, beating her wings. "I looked at the rule book. There wasn't anything saying I couldn't! With my help, you'll have time to do more important things."

"I write plenty of letters! You fly to France every two to three weeks and you go to England every other day!"

Hedwig glared at him, stomping a leg. "What's the harm?! All punishments I doled out were within the limits of the rule book! It's not like I have anything better to do!"

"Being bored is not an excuse! And doing my job doesn't mean I'll have more time to write more letters!"

"Now he's arguing with her?" Tracy asked. "I mean, I shouldn't be surprised yet I somehow am."

"Hedwig is an excellent debater," Luna said, slurping up a strand of spaghetti.

It took some negotiation, but they finally reached an agreement of sorts. Hedwig "promised" to not "borrow" the badge in the future. Hermione promised to give Hedwig more bacon, she was unsure how that happened to be honest, and Harry would write more letters for Hedwig to deliver.

-0-

"I can't find my badge!" Hermione looked around her room for a few minutes. "I swear it was just…Hedwig!" She ran into the common room and Hedwig stared dispassionately at Hermione. "Did you take my badge?" Hermione asked.

Hedwig mooned her irritably. "I didn't touch your not-as-shiny badge," she said peevishly.

"No she's been here the whole time," Harry said. "Did you check your hamper?"

"I thought I did…"

The pair searched the common room with Hedwig watching. The owl was clearly amused, making noises that sounded like snickering. "I'd help you find it, but I'm not allowed to touch it apparently." The portrait lioness announced they had a visitor and after identifying it was Daphne, the door opened to let her in.

"Oh, Hedwig is here," Daphne said with surprise. "There's a report of another 'mysterious enforcer' running about. For a moment I thought it was Hedwig but the new rumors have the new phantom to be close to the ground."

"And maybe orange?" Harry asked with a smile.

"CROOKSHANKS!" Hermione screeched.

"Crookshanks Gene Granger!" Harry exclaimed.

"You're not funny!" Hermione shouted.

"I thought that was funny," Daphne protested laughing.

"Chick is very funny!" Hedwig hooted with laughter.

-0-

McGonagall looked at her Head Boy and Head Girl. The smile that threatened to split her face was hovering just behind her severely compressed lips, adding to the façade of disapproval. Harry and Hermione squirmed a little and Hedwig and Crookshanks looked utterly unbothered.

"Seeing how you two are not deliberately causing the recent events, you two I mean," she gestured at the human students, "I am not going to punish you both directly. That being said, as the owners of those directly causing the recent events, it is imperative that you keep them under control. Luckily all the injuries they have caused has been light, the physical ones anyways, and there is a very tenuous…reasoning for them causing them so it will not go to the board. That being said, I do not think I need to say anything more about the subject, do you?"

"No Ma'am," Harry and Hermione said together. Harry looked at the ceiling as if looking for divine aid while Hermione glared at the cat and the owl. The cat made a very human shrug while the owl glared back.

"You don't intimidate me! Glare at me all you like," she hissed.

"Then let us speak no more of it. Off you two go. I will have one more word with your pets. Go on then." She watched as Harry and Hermione left, waiting for the door to close and for their footsteps to fade into the distance. She snickered, hiding her mouth behind her hand and the owl and the cat shared her merriment.

She gave them treats and looked at them fondly. "Now do not get into trouble you two. Any more trouble rather."

Crookshanks shrugged again and leapt off the desk, his tail swinging smugly back and forth as he wandered into the hall. Hedwig shook her tail feathers in the same manner before launching herself into the air.

"This is what I get for helping!" she complained as she flew. "Chick appreciates me at least."

McGonagall made sure her door was closed and a silencing charm up before she broke into unrestrained laughter.

-0-0-0-

odonnellzoo99 - I like how much she's changed from the beginning and seeing the stark contrasts from her life growing up to how it is now. I'm sure she get's extra rewards from Harry at the least.

poka - Alicia strikes me as someone with a very specific morning routine. I really like exploring her mindset and seeing how much she's changed from the beginning to how she is now. It's really heartwarming.

DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Glad you continue to enjoy.

alix33 - GranCasty is a great nickname in my opinion.

TheSphynx - Right? You don''t cross Alicia when she's being Mistress Wood.

Ghostwriter - Thank you.

Waiting Companion - No.

WhatHaveIDiscovered - Glad you caught up and enjoyed them.