At her giggle, he stuck his tongue out. It hadn't been his fault that he'd been so worried about her response. She'd left a painful silence before speaking that'd nearly killed him inside. He kissed her cheek when she went red and nodded. "I am. I think it's very fitting." Especially since she'd put so much time into making him perfect.

"Grandpa is going to be honored when I write and tell him." She could imagine him turning red as he read her letter. This would give her an excuse to let Soren stretch his wings. Maybe it would help grandpa get better faster too. "So...what plans shall we make for our Hogwartian Christmas?"

"I hoped he would be." Ed smiled at Nell fondly, knowing he'd done the right thing now. It seemed she was extremely pleased he'd chosen to call him Henry. Oooh, Christmas? "I think... just have the best Christmas EVER." He shrugged, not really knowing how it worked here. "Spend it together, hopefully." He'd love to spend Christmas with her.

Smiling she snuggled more deeply into him. The air was getting cooler not to mention that she just loved cuddling with him. "Best Christmas ever. That sounds awesome." Just getting to spend time with him would make her Christmas.

"Ugh. I don't even want to think about next year." She groaned.

"Are you cold?" He asked softly, looking down at her as she snuggled even closer. He loved the feeling, but also had to make sure she was warm around. "I know, I'm definitely going to enjoy Christmas this year." Ed smiled, his arms tightening around her ever so slightly. "Why not?" Did she meant next year year or next school year?

Cora skipped happily to her destination. Eliza had told her to meet her here, but for what Cora didn't know. She wasn't alone in here, as she briefly noticed a couple on the other side.

Cora absentmindedly watched the owls, trying to kill time before Eliza found her.

Eliza hurried into the owlery where she had asked Cora to meet her. She didn't mean to keep her waiting long, so she hoped she hadn't done so.

"Hey Cora!" she said breathlessly as she crossed the threshold. She had worn her scarf and gloves for her brisk walk over, because even though it was Spring now, Eliza was usually a bit chilly in the damp weather. "Thanks for meeting me here. I was wondering if you'd like to meet my owl, Luna?" She also wanted to know if Cora felt any better since Charms class, where she had sat rather glumly for most of the lesson, but she wouldn't press that at the moment.

Cora spun around as she heard her name. Eliza! Cora beamed. "Hi Eliza! Such a hurry!" Cora laughed a bit as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm not going anywhere." She smiled. Eliza seemed a bit concerned to have kept Cora waiting. But she didn't realize Cora was probably the most patient person ever.

"Oh! I would love to meet Luna!" Cora said excitedly. She remembered Eliza mentioning her, and of course Cora loved animals. A lot. It brought on a flashback to what happened in the barn, but Cora quickly put that thought aside. She had not actually seen what happened. Turning her attention back to Eliza, she added, "Lead the way." She was glad she saw Eliza so often.

Eliza laughed at herself for a moment too when she saw she had rushed needlessly. "Oh, good!" She closed the door to the owlery behind her and turned her eyes upward, searching for her owl.

"Great! I hope we can find her!" She tilted her head upwards and checked each perch and cubby, trying to catch a glimpse of her cream colored owl. "She likes to play games sometimes," she explained as she began to climb the spiral steps. "Maybe she's a little higher up. She thinks it's funny to hide from me." She turned her head over her should to look back down at Cora and smile while shaking her head about her owl. "The shop keeper said she was young, so she's still a bit silly." She continued up the steps and called back down to Cora when she spotted her.
"Here she is!" The pale owl was perched near a narrow opening in the wall, soaking up the sun that was peeking through the clouds. Her feathers were accented with dark shiny plumes, a little longer than the rest, sticking out here and there. It gave her an almost striped effect in some areas, while others looked like little black speckles. Eliza thought she was the cutest owl ever. "Luuu-naa!" she called in a sing-song voice. "Luuuna, get dooown here!" She bird hooted and turned her head and flapped a wing at Eliza. "Pleeease?" Luna turned her violet eyes to her owner and peeped as she flew to her shoulder.

Cora went to follow Eliza. She giggled at the idea of an owl hiding from Eliza. Why would anyone hide from her? It was funny.

And then Cora saw her. Cora's eyes opened as wide as humanly possible. In an almost whispered voice, she finally said, "Oh Eliza! She's BEAUTIFUL." Cora marveled at her black speckles on her back. She was perfect. This got Cora thinking about how incredible it would be to have her own owl. "Would Luna mind terribly if I touched her feathers? Carefully, of course?" It was all Cora could do to not reach out automatically.

"What would my mom say if she knew I was with an owl right now?" Cora said, mostly to herself. "She would probably nearly have a heart attack." Good thing Cora wouldn't tell her. Her mom's fear of owls meant no owls as pets, but there was nothing that said Cora couldn't hang out in the owlery. Cora smiled.

Eliza beamed when Cora said that her owl was beautiful. "Yes, she is isn't she?" She scratched the owl under then chin and smoothed some of her feathers. Eliza knew that Luna was very outgoing, so she wouldn't mind Cora petting her at all. "Oh not at all! She would love it, wouldn't you Luna?" She held her arm out for her to walk down and perch on her hand, an easier place to Cora to pet her at. Luna cooed and flicked her ears playfully at Cora. "It looks like she likes you already!"

Eliza laughed. "Oh I'm sure your mom would boil over!" She winked at Cora and whispered, "But I'll never tell." Luna seemed to be in on the joke too, because she turned her head sideways and clicked her beak rapidly. "Told you she was silly."

Aurora wanted to know if her brother had written back yet... and she was quite aware that Sage would go to the owlery before delivering her letters - because he was a cheeky little thing... and he preferred to rest and eat before giving her stuff. So she walked up to the owlery and scanned the perches.

Sure enough, as soon as she walked in Sage flew down and rested on a perch just in front of her with his leg stuck out. Aurora tossed him an owl treat and stroked his head a little before she undid the tie and read the letter.



Why did he ALWAYS have a problem with the guys she dated? That just wasn't FAIR..! It wasn't as if it was any of his business anyway... and Aurora read the rest of the letter with a scowl on her face... until she came to the last bit.

Austria.

She'd wanted to go so badly... but she didn't anymore. Not yet anyway... she didn't want to leave Hogwarts. She was finally happy here and... and now they wanted her to go to the other end of Europe? Would she be allowed to wait until she'd graduated here? She didn't WANT to go next year... especially... because of Rich... Merlin...

Okay, time to write back... she had brought her quill and some parchment with her so she scribbled it out quickly and tied it to Sage's leg.



"You don't mind going back right away, do you?" she asked, stroking his head again. "I just want this to get to Krys soon as possible okay?" She gave him another owl treat and let him hop on her shoulder as she walked towards the window. [b]"Make him write back straight away, won't you?" she said, leaning down a little so that the eagle owl could take flight. She watched him fly off, disappearing into a tiny dot, before she left the owlery again, chewing her lip nervously... She was NOT going to Austria.

At Eliza's words, Cora stuck a hand out towards Luna, offering it slowly before petting her soft feathers. It felt wonderful. "Hello Luna," Cora said. "It's nice to meet you."

Cora giggled at Eliza's comment about her mom, and then again at Luna acting silly. "Well I like her a lot so I'm glad the feeling's mutual. Do you send out a lot of letters with Luna?" Cora was curious as to how that worked. She vaguely remembered Eliza mentioning the muggle form of communication, which Cora had remembered seeming nearly ridiculous. Later on she had looked further into the things called "telephones" but she would still need to see one in action eventually. Mostly Cora was interested because she was still nervous about what would happen if her mom ever decided Hogwarts was too dangerous again.

She was proud of her owl for being such a nice meet and greeter. She hoped she wasn't so friendly that she'd just hop off with anyone that came to see her at the owlery. Somehow, she knew that Luna wouldn't leave her though. She thought about the letters she had sent, when Cora asked. There had been a few to her parents, but mostly Luna had been here as a comfort rather than a helper. "She's taken some letters to my parents for me, but I haven't written much." Maybe I should be writing home more... Oh but, she does bring me lots of notes from them though, which are nice to read when we have breakfast." She realized she may have just said something to make Cora feel sad, but she wasn't sure. Does her mom have a way of talking to her while she's at school? she wondered. She'd inadvertently brought it up, so she thought she might as well ask.

"Do you get to talk to your mom much while you're here?" She petted Luna while she thought about her next question: Why were you so sad in Charms? She held her tongue a bit longer though, to give her a chance to talk about her mom first if she wanted. She must be a little homesick if she hasn't heard from her...

Isaac was concerned, he'd heard about something attacking creatures and animals around the grounds and his fear was the owls up in the owlery. What if this thing went after the owls! He'd nabbed Ed when he'd finally found him and told him about what he thought might possibly happen next. And in next to no time, the two of them had charged up the stairs all the way to the owlery. Taking out his wand, Isaac was going to sit there and wait. Making sure they were all safe.

"Do ye see anything?" he whispered.

Cautious as ever, but thrilled by the possibility of danger, Ed was grinning like an idiot. His wand was already out and his eyes scanned the room. He wanted to definitely make sure Soren was safe, Nell would be devastated if he ended up a victim of this plant. "Nope, you?" He replied confidently, figuring the best way to make the plant make itself known if it was there was by announcing their arrival.

Looking over at him he saw his friend was grinning, and nearly snorted. Shaking his head amused that he was happy about the thought of taking on this evil plant. "Nothin'" he replied sticking his head out the window looking around before his eyes looked up at the owls perched around them. "I'm afraid this might be the next place the plant's going te go. If it needs nourishment, it's already been in the creatures barn and if rumors are true, now Mille's gone te." That wombat had been adorable! And he was going to get this thing!

It seemed the place was safe for now. Ed narrowed his eyes as he looked around a little more carefully, but blinked over at Isaac. "Mille?" Had it eaten a person?! If so, aaawesome. But he believed Isaac was right to immediately think about the owls, the poor things may only be small, but there were loads of them. Enough to sustain a plant with a serious hunger.

"Yes the groundskeepers wombat." he said nodding a sad look on his face. Wombats were like the most awesome creatures EVER! That sweet little thing...eaten!!! Watching as an owl swooped lower in the owlery gazing down at him reproachfully "HEY, I'm jus' here fer yer protection." he said shrugging holding out his arms. Yeah grateful little buggers weren't they?

"Oh." That was sad and extraordinarily unawesome. Ed looked up as an owl came to investigate and share its disapproval. "Leave it, they don't care, all they know is we're standing on their toilet." He nodded towards the floor of the owlery, but turned a little to eye the owls and see if he could see Soren. When he flew down to him, Ed grinned. "Hey, mate." He stroked him gently as he perched on his lap. "This is Soren, Nell's owl." He introduced him to Isaac with a smile.

"Ew, very true." Yep glancing at the floor me made a face. "Well if they don' get eaten they will be thankful I'm sure." Pfft, likely not will probably blame them for letting the plant get to them! Tilting his head he nodded "A pleasure Soren." he said smiling at the owl. He hadn't seen his own owl in a few weeks since he'd sent him to Australia with a package. Hmm, hopefully he'd return soon.

It was funny that people didn't think about these things in a certain way until someone pointed it out. Ed snorted at Isaac's positivity. "Of course, it's not like they disapprove of us being in their house without a job for them or treats." He had a couple in his pocket though, and it seemed Soren knew since he was nipping at his pocket. Ed pulled out a treat and fed it to him happily. "So, do you think this plant will turn up anytime soon?"

Smirking at Ed's snort "Well if they don't want our protection I think 'tis their loss. Future aurors I think should be able te protect some owls, righ'?" Chewing on his lip he looked around them "I don' know, I hope it goes away te be honest and doesn' come up here." Yep he'd rather not have it appear at all. But just in case he couldn't leave the helpless owls to die like the other animals had been doing!

"I don't think we're giving them a choice, really." He shrugged, a small smile playing over his lips at the mention of them being future aurors. "I know we can, doesn't mean they'll approve though." He nodded at Isaac's hopeful tone. "You never know." He petted Soren as he thought about what he'd do if the plant did come up here.

Cora smiled as Eliza talked about Luna and her parents. Obviously she wished her family was like that, but Cora was over it. She was used to the way things were, and to be honest, she did love her mom.

"Oh, my mom NEVER sends mail through owl post. SO I don't talk to her very often. Which is fine, since I still see her on breaks and things." Cora didn't add that she was always a bit concerned that her mom would change her mind while Cora was at home. Which reminded her of last time. "My mom does find ways to contact me. Last time when I had to leave Hogwarts she talked to me through the fire. THE FIRE." Cora's raised voice was not because of the idea of fire talking, which seemed actually commonplace to Cora despite the fact that it probably didn't happen TOO often. Her raised voice was in her shock that her mom had actually done that.

"Usually she'll just send a patronus or something." Cora shrugged. Suddenly, Cora got the impression that Eliza wanted to ask her something. What could it be? Cora furrowed her brows slightly. Whatever it was Eliza could say it. Cora wouldn't get too uncomfortable. Well, that depended. But still. Cora debated asking what was wrong, and paused for a bit, before asking expectantly, "What?" Cora still had a slight smile, after all she was in a good mood.