Vestiges of Normalcy

Chapter 2

As it had and always would, life carried on after the attack on the Quidditch World Cup. After an Auror found them in the woods, Harry and Viktor were escorted back to the campsite to their friends and teammates respectively. Before separating, both promised to write to one another and hopefully meet up again in future. Once Harry returned to the Weasley tent, he was dive-bombed by his friends. Hermione was especially worried over his disappearance during the attack, and it took multiple assurances from the Harry himself that he was able to keep himself safe until rescue came.

Though, admittedly, he kept silent about how he, in the chaos, wounded four Death Eaters; killed another five, and became friends with Viktor Krum himself. Harry certainly didn't think the time was right to spill such information.

Not wanting to spend another moment in the campsite, the Weasleys, Hermione, Harry and the Diggorys (who had come along for the match), sought out a private portkey which brought them back to the Burrow, where Molly was anxiously waiting for news of her family's safety after hearing about the attack on the wireless and seeing the hands on the clock for those who left for the match turn towards 'mortal peril'.

There Harry and Hermione stayed with their hosts until the first of September. And Viktor stayed true to his promise of exchanging letters almost immediately.

The morning after returning from the World Cup, Harry was woken to the sound of something tapping against the curtained window. Beside him, Ron was still fast asleep, snoring loudly. Harry grabbed his spectacles, tiptoed over to the window, drew the curtains apart, and saw what was making the tapping noise.

It was an eastern imperial eagle. Harry opened the window, admittedly marvelling at how majestic it was. The eagle stared back at him for a moment, appearing to scrutinize the human in front of it. Then, it stuck out a leg. Harry immediately noticed a letter tied around it.

"Is it from Viktor?" asked Harry.

The eagle appeared to nod. Harry immediately untied the letter from its leg.

"Wait here, you had a long journey."

The eagle made no inclination of movement, merely sitting on the windowsill in silence as Harry disappeared back into the room. He placed the letter on Ron's desk, and went through his trunk to look for mice he would feed Hedwig with. Said snowy owl was shaken from her slumber by the sound of her owner digging through his trunk. Blinking slowly, she turned towards the open window, and made eye-contact with the eagle.

For several moments, both birds of prey made no noise or movement, just staring at one another like a battle of who-blinks-first. Hedwig was the first to break the silence; a single, quiet hoot escaping her beak. The eagle responded with a slightly louder cry, but not loud enough to wake a still-snoring Ron.

Harry finally found the dead mice in a box under a stasis charm. Opening it, he turned towards the eagle, only to notice it staring at Hedwig, who was staring back at it as well.

"Sorry, Hedwig. Did I wake you?"

The snowy owl turned to her owner, and gave a nonchalant hoot.

"I hope you don't mind me giving the eagle here one of your mice. It had a long journey delivering me a letter."

Hedwig gave another nonchalant hoot, turning her gaze back at the eagle. Harry plucked a mouse from the box and went back to the windowsill.

"Here, this is what my owl, Hedwig's her name, usually eats after long journeys," said Harry, putting the mouse in front of the eagle, "I don't know much about eagles, but since you are a bird of prey, I assume that this is something you eat as well?"