Prompt: Getting a magical (or non-magical) pet

Chapter 16: Interlude

A brilliant green flame billowed out of the fireplace dramatically. Hermione stepped out carefully balancing a large box more than half her size. The contents shook violently, responding to the insult of being forced to travel in such an uncivilized manner. "Oh, hush," she whispered at the box. "It wasn't that bad."

As she pulled off her sapphire blue ICW robe, she looked around the small cottage. "Harry!" she called out. She knew she was later than she planned. Maybe he got tired of waiting and went out to have some drinks with Ron. Before she could take another step into their home an great explosion rang out from their back yard. She heard glasses clinking against each other in cupboards as the aftershock rolled through. Her eyes wide, she pulled out her wand, and ran to the back door. Looking out, she sought signs of trouble, needing to know if she was walking into an ambush. "For Merlin's sake," she grumbled after processing the sight.

Harry was picking himself up from the grass. His clothing singed. A training dummy was missing its top half as it continued to rock from the force of some spell. Hermione yanked open the door. "Harry Potter. Just because we're in the middle of nowhere, doesn't mean there might not be muggles hiking out this way!" She tried to sound stern, but nearly lost it when he turned to reveal both his eyebrows were burned away. "What on earth has gotten into you?"

"Oh! Hey," he said unbothered by the lecture. "I was just practicing."

"What were you practicing?"

He crossed the lawn and kissed her cheek. She felt the soot transfer from his face to hers. "My first lesson," he explained, and tried to wipe away the black smudges from his touch, only to find his coated hands were only making it worse. With a smile, he put his wand away and took her face in both his hands, leaving behind two perfect hand prints.

"You can't do that in your classroom," she laughed and pushed him away. "And you've lost your eyebrows. You might want to worry about that before you get on the Hogwarts Express."

He quickly felt his face and would have looked surprised if he could without them.

She rolled her eyes, and decided she didn't want him to meet his gift in such a state. With a wave of her wand he was cleaned up and every hair was in place. "Come inside. I got you a present for your first day of school."

He clicked his tongue. "I don't need any more parchment or quills. I'm not the one who's supposed to write the essays. I get to grade them now."

Hermione led him back to their cottage. She loved their place. It was nestled in a peaceful glen. A short walk to a small fishing village, otherwise isolated and quiet. Their floo was connected to the important hubs. They could go where they wanted or stay in for the night and not be bothered. She held the door open for him and grabbed a rag from the counter top to wipe away the last of the evidence of his backfired spell. He was already studying the box. Her stomach flipped. She hoped she hadn't read his signs wrong. Every time they visited Diagon Alley he lingered outside two shops. Quality Quidditch Supplies and Eeylops Owl Emporium.

"I can open it?" he asked, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.

Motioning toward it, she smiled. "Go on. It probably wants to be free. Be careful with it. Don't turn it over or anything." She let him find the best approach while she poured them both some wine. It felt like a dream living with Harry in their own home. It hadn't been more than two months, still she couldn't imagine her life any differently.

"Hermione," Harry said when he finally got a look at his gift.

She heard the emotion in his voice. It wasn't clear yet if it was a good emotion or a painful one. Stepping up to him, she put both glasses down so she could wrap her arms around him from his back. Her chin resting on his shoulder to get her own look. "I wasn't sure if it was too soon or not?"

He pulled the last bit of wrapping away to reveal a regal looking great horned owl in a gleaming silver cage. It hooted once as if to thank him for the fresh air. Digging in her pocket, Hermione produced a pouch of owl treats for him. Harry pulled one out and offered it to the owl through the bars. He stepped back and looked at her with misty eyes. "She's amazing."

Hermione let out a small breath in relief. Obviously he could buy his own owl and hadn't. "You sure it's not too soon?"

"I've wanted to get an owl for weeks. I kept telling myself I'd be at Hogwarts soon enough and would have access to a parliament of owls."

"Yeah, but they won't come visit you and keep you company," she told him, worried that he might get lonely staying at Hogwarts. They discussed his living arrangements and he wanted to stay in his assigned quarters in the castle for the first week or two to make sure he was available for the students. They agreed it would give her time to really focus on her work reviewing the prisoner depositions for the upcoming tribunal. Even though they both hated to think of being apart for the first time since Harry left the Dursleys right before his seventeenth birthday. Their new responsibilities were important. To both of them.

Harry opened the door of the cage to let the owl out. She jumped down, walked awkwardly across the table to peck at the pouch of treats. Harry smiled. "You like those?" he asked her and pulled out another. "Does she have a name?"

"No. Not yet."

"I always thought Ophelia would be a good name for an owl," he said absently as he stroked her head.

"That's a great name," Hermione agreed, sitting down at the table, content to watch the pair bond.

"Hedwig was my first friend," Harry started. "She was all I had for a month to remind me that it wasn't all a dream. That I hadn't hallucinated Hagrid or Diagon Alley."

"You had your books," Hermione teased him gently. She didn't want him to get too caught up and dwell on the night Hedwig died.

Harry sat next to her and draped an arm around her shoulders watching Ophelia snatch another treat. "I did. Lucky for me I was about to meet my best friend who already read them all." They sat in silence for a few seconds before he continued. "Thank you. I couldn't bring myself to buy a new owl. I didn't want it to be like she was replaceable. With just a few galleons I had a new owl. That didn't feel right."

"And this does?" she asked with a small worry.

"My best friend just got me an owl for my first day at Hogwarts. That feels exactly right."