Birds of a Feather

"So? Are we heading to the Common Room or...?"

Rowan's words barely reached Anon in time to stop his head from slumping over onto the Library desk.

"I appreciate you burning the midnight oil with me, but I don't think you've heard a single thing I've said the past half hour."

"Nn.. that's not true. I've got everything right up here." Anon moved his arm away from supporting his head in an attempt to gesture to his brain pointedly. However, the shift in weight caused him to slip and bang his head against the desk with a resonating thud.

"SHHHH! One more outburst like that and I'll have you banned from the Library!" A hushed yell came from the only other occupant of the Library, hidden at her desk somewhere behind the numerous of shelves.

"Yeah... I think we're calling it a night. Though, I'm not sure how I'll be able to sleep if I'm looking forward to studying more tomorrow." The bookish Slytherin rubbed his chin in thought and anticipation.

The collision with the desk returned some of Anon's lost senses to him, despite the slight throbbing pain. "Yeah, real, real exciting stuff we've got here..."

"I'll let that slide on account of your exhaustion. But these are our O.W.L.s we're talking about here. This is going to determine our futures in Hogwarts, and more importantly, our potential careers. This IS exciting!"

But Anon's mind was elsewhere already. Something Rowan had said jogged his foggy late-night memory, and he struggled to pinpoint what it was.

"Let's get packed up and out of here before you do something else that risks us getting banned, alright?" Rowan began shuffling papers and books around and into his bag, with Anon sluggishly following suit.

A few short moments later, as the pair neared the exit to the halls, Rowan looked over at his closest friend, "I don't know if you're even going to make it to the Dungeons at this rate. You don't look like you're all there right now."

"OWLS!" An unexpected exclamation escaped from Anon's lips as the life seemed to return to his face, nearly dropping his belongings in the process.

"Wh- the hell? Be quiet or..."

"THAT'S IT! If you're not out of here by the time I round the shelves, I'll personally be dragging you to Filch's office!" The librarian's voice was filled with genuine wrath, and the clacking of heels on stone began to sound in the distance.

"Run!" Rowan tried to grab his companion's robe by the shoulders to usher him along faster, but the revitalized Anon had already come to the same conclusion. The library doors slammed behind them, but they continued running until they were out of sight, just for safety.

"What was all that about? You nearly got me - us  - banned from the most important place on school grounds!" Rowan's breathlessness did not stop him from berating the boy next to him.

"Owls. Owls. You mentioned owls." Between inhalations, Anon managed one or two words at a time, but was very clearly awake now.

"Yeah, brilliant. O.W.L.s. What's that got to do with you yelling out like some madman?"

"No, I mean owls. You know the things that bring us our mail?"

Rowan pursed his lips and furrowed his brows in frustration. "That's not what I meant. And I know what owls are. Don't you go lecturing me. What's that-"

"I was meaning to send a letter back to my mum. She gets... bothersome ... if I don't get them to her on time." Discomfort spread across his face.

"And you held off on that until now?"

"Well I forgot."

"About your parents? Really?"

"I've had other things on my mind, you know. I don't exactly have a lot of free time lately, if you didn't notice." Anon tilted his head to gesture towards the numerous books and scrolls in their possession.

"Not my fault. Studying for this is a serious task, so don't you go pointing fingers. And it's not like you don't have other opportunities to get it done."

"Oh yeah, between this, classes, detention, and reading up on magical bloody portraits, I've got loads of time on my hands."

"Other students manage. Well, besides the last two parts, and-"

"Don't go telling me that I earned those last two." Anon's eyes closed halfway, as he spoke in an accusing tone.

"And - if you'll let me finish - I suppose I can see where you're coming from. You took on that detention to keep everyone else safe, and the portraits..." Rowan reached out for Anon's shoulder once more, though in a comforting manner this time, "We're in that together. For Penny and her sister."

"Right. Sorry mate, shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Especially with you."

"Don't worry, I get it. So... that letter? What are you going to do about it?"

"I've got to get up to the Owlery, and quick." He looked in the direction of the Grand Staircase and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "There's no way I'm getting up there with all this luggage."

"Let me take your stuff down to the dorms, and you run on up to the Owlery."

"I appreciate the offer, but this is a ton of books. I don't think-"

"Please," Rowan rolled his eyes, "I've dealt with much more than this before all on my own. Not to mention the chores they had me do on the farm. I've got this."

Anon looked into his friend's eyes and saw the earnest attempt at helping, and finally agreed. He handed over his book-stuffed bag to the small-framed Slytherin, and watched him off to the stairs. However, the sudden realization of the number of stairs ahead of his own journey brought him pause. Even with the second wind he received from his escape from the library, he would surely collapse on the way to the Owlery. Stopping himself from calling after Rowan, Anon's addled mind delivered another reminder - this time, of his own abilities.

Skulking in the shadows of the halls, with special care taken around the library's doors, Anon made his way to the courtyard around the Herbology classrooms. With a quick search to ensure the lack of any spectators, he began to focus on and feel the second heartbeat within his own chest.

And he took flight.


Though the conditions around Hogwarts were fairly calm, Anon soon came to the realization that his Animagus form was not simply a way around his own exhaustion. The cool night air was just brisk enough to keep him conscious and aware, but the physical strain of his ascension to the Owlery mounted and made it increasingly difficult to stay aloft. When he finally reached the peak of his flight and made for the openings at the West Tower's summit, his unsteady wings caused him to careen about hazardously. On his final approach, his wings gave way near the windows, and he skidded along the cold stone floor in a feathery heap. The dull ache throughout his body and the ragged breathing kept him awake, but his failing strength made it difficult to right himself. As he considered returning to his normal physical form, he heard a voice.

"OI! I don't know what kind of easy pickings you're hoping for, but you're not touching a feather on any of these owls!"

A familiar voice, in a familiar threatening tone.

He struggled to lift his head and keep his eyes open, and when he finally managed, he saw the familiar form of Merula Snyde. Everything about the scenario was familiar, right down to her duelist's stance and the wand trained on his beak. He sighed in defeat, realizing there was no way out of the situation safely, but all that escaped his mouth was a weak, broken screech.

The witch's stance wavered slightly in response, though her wand remained drawn. Tilting her head in intrigue, she cautiously approached the clearly weakened hawk. "Try anything and I blast you out the window." Aside from its unsteady breathing, the creature showed no signs of movement, though she swore she could see it wince as she closed the distance. "Doesn't look like your wings will do much for you anyways."

Anon had already conceded defeat. In his tired head, he thought through various means of escape or turning the situation around. However, he knew he lacked the strength to fight back or fly, and desperately did not want to reveal his secret to his rival, especially in such a weakened condition. His only thoughts were to remain as nonthreatening and amiable as he possibly could in this form, and wait until the girl left him alone.

Wand still in hand, Merula carefully inspected the unmoving beast, using the tip to examine its wings. While it shuddered at the touch, it did not cry out. "So you're not wounded? Not here to grab a meal either, I suspect. Not in your condition at least. So why here? Why not rest out in the Forest with the rest of your kind?" As she came to realize she was in no danger, her tone became more jocular. "You know it's an Owlery, right? Not a... Hawkery...

Oof. Bad." She shook her head with a pained expression. "I don't know, but I'd say you just look worn out." She lowered her wand and stroked her chin in thought. "Let's make a deal: I set you up in one of these spare nests, so you can rest up, and you don't peck at me, claw me, or try to eat any of these owls when you're all better."

Anon let out another sigh, this one of relief. And though it still came out in a weakened screech, the girl somehow seemed to be on the same page.

"I'll take that as your yes. Otherwise, the window's right there." She gestured out towards the opening which the hawk had crashed through mere moments ago. "Alright, now..." she holstered her wand and made an awkward attempt to grab the bird by its body, "I'm not sure what I'm doing, so just work with me."

The dull ache throughout Anon's small body returned as Merula struggled to get a grip around him, until finally she lifted him off of the floor. The feeling of weightlessness that he sometimes felt while flying also returned, and he settled into the comfortable grasp as he was carried across the room. With the slow, careful strides of his handler, Anon enjoyed the brief moment of respite before he was slowly lowered into a nest across the room.

"There. Now just... do whatever it is that you need, I guess. I'll be over here writing, but if you so much as make a move against one of these guys," She pointed around the tower's interior to the countless owls nesting for the night, "I'll make you regret it."

Anon couldn't help but wonder what she was writing, and to whom, but the unexpected comfort of the nest made it easy to slowly drift off into sleep. The last thing he saw before dozing off was that young Slytherin witch, hard at work penning a letter at a desk only a few feet away.

When he woke, it was to a sight he had been unfamiliar with in the Slytherin dorms - sunlight streaming through the windows. For a moment, he felt like he was back home, but his brain slowly caught up and reminded him that he was still in school. His lagging memory ran through the events of the last night, though it was thoroughly immersed in fog. He remembered the brisk night air, a sudden impact, the feel of gentle hands holding him aloft, and the most comfortable bed he'd slept in for ages.

He soon realized he was still in that comfortable bed, and that the gentle hands that held him were sprawled on a desk in front of him. The form of a young witch was seated at a desk nearby, her head and hands resting on its surface, alongside a quill, envelope, and piece of paper. Anon rose to his feet, recalling they were claws after a moment. He briefly considered returning to his normal form and leaving, before curiosity struck. Who was Merula writing a letter to? What was it about?

This curiosity gave him fuel to gently float over to the table and glance at what had been written. The sudden sound of his claws striking the table caused the sleeping girl to stir, but she remained asleep. However, Anon discovered that Merula's head obscured the entirety of the letter, except for a few words or individual letters near the margins. He was unable to discern any particular message, but he was struck with a peculiarity. While it was clearly written by Merula's hand, it seemed as if she had made painstaking efforts to write in a different style than he had seen from any of their shared classes. As he attempted to find a better angle at which to view the letter, his wing brushed against something, and the witch rose with a start.

Merula jumped from the desk in a daze, after feeling something brush against her arm. Through the sun's rays, she could make out the form of a hawk in front of her, and instinctively drew her wand. "FLIPEN-" But she stopped herself. Her recollections of the previous night came back quickly, as she recognized her surroundings, the letter on the desk, and the bird in front of her.

She slowly lowered her wand, while taking an account of her surroundings once more. When she finally returned her gaze to the hawk, it was remaining stock still, with its eyes staring into her own. "You woke me up? Looks like you're doing better at least, but-" Another look around the room soothed her worries, "I guess I was wrong about you coming in for some kind of banquet. Good." She let out an extended yawn, along with a prideful smile. "Good."

She slowly returned to the desk, still wary of the bird of prey near her belongings. She reviewed the letter to ensure it was finished properly, occasionally glancing up at the oddly-curious bird, and then began to carefully fold it to fit the envelope nearby. She took another moment to seal the envelope, letter inside, and admired her handiwork. With her work done, she rose from the desk and made her way to one of the owls resting in its nest. Its attention turned to her as she approached, and it lifted a leg for Merula to attach the envelope.

"You know the deal, same as always. Make sure it gets to the right place, and I'll bring you a bunch of treats next time." The owl cooed in response and took off through the window.

Merula turned back to the desk to gather up her remaining things, noticing she had held the hawk's attention since she first rose. "Expecting a treat? Afraid I'm out big guy, but I'll tell you what; you catch me next time I'm here and I'll drop off a few just for you. As thanks for waking me up." She reached out apprehensively, and carefully pat the hawk's head. "Now I've got a busy day ahead of me, so I can't keep you company. But be careful, don't have a repeat of last night. There won't always be nice witches like me around to help out." She walked off towards the staircase down the tower, and waved at the bird, before rolling her eyes at herself. "I don't get you, and I'm sure you don't get me, but... you're a good bird."

With that, the Slytherin witch disappeared down the stairs.

After a few contemplative moments, Anon returned to his senses and remembered that he had a letter of his own to send. Ensuring the coast was clear, he left his hawk form, made his way to his own owl. He was sure that he'd still get berated for not sending the letter in time, but his mind was stuck on other matters.

==
In the Great Hall, Rowan greeted Anon, who had mysteriously disappeared during the night. Rowan expressed his worries, but Anon simply explained that he got all the rest he needed, and even managed to get his letter sent. During their conversation, the windows of the Great Hall gave way to a flock of various owls, each with their parcels, letters, and gifts.

Across the table from Anon and Rowan sat Barnaby Lee, who looked up expectantly to the flock. As more and more owls flew by, Barnaby's grin began to fade. But just as he had nearly given up, an envelope dropped onto his lap. His grin grew once more, even wider, as he exclaimed, "They finally got back to me! My parents finally responded! I'll bet they loved all the news I had."

Despite the pangs in his heart, Anon smiled, enjoying his dear friend's naive elation. He glanced over to the spot Merula always occupied in the mornings and caught her eagerly looking for Barnaby's reaction. Anon recognized the mix of happiness and pain in her smile, as she gazed at Barnaby and then towards the owls. As the last of the owls disappeared, her smile faded, and she returned to lazily paw at her breakfast.