Phoenix Tears

Chapter 5: Hollowed earth

Author's note: 6-19-2021: First off: Happy Juneteenth. Finally, it is officially recognized. Yay! Secondly, I'm sorry it is taking me so long to post these days... it was a very intense school year. It was all good - just took a lot of my creative energy. I appreciate how understanding you all have been. Thank you!

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Harry shook out his staff while he asked it to direct him to Hedwig. He shoved the carrot in his pocket and hurried toward Hedwig's urgent hoots. He closed his eyes as he neared the entrance, the bright light making him wince. The distance seemed much shorter on the return trip.

"Hedwig!" he called, choking on the dust he stirred up in the corridor.

Her hoot in response was much calmer and his heart started to slow. She was alarmed because he had disappeared... there wasn't a threat.

His staff tinged against the bottom stair, and he climbed up into the warm, July air. Hedwig's wings cuffed him on the forehead as she dug her talons into his shoulder. Nio hissed in protest.

"Oi! I'm all right. We were just exploring. Oi! Lighten up!" Harry slipped a finger under the talon gripping his shoulder. "You're hurting me."

Hedwig cooed in apology, bobbing on his shoulder and shifting her weight while she lessened her grip and Harry ran his fingers through her downy belly feathers.

"You've got to check this out. It's brilliant!" he said, pivoting on the stair and finding the adjacent wall with his free hand. She started to lift off his shoulder, but then grumped acquiescence and settled back down, nipping at his ear. Nio tightened on his neck, shying away from Hedwig's talons.

Harry closed the stone opening at the bottom of the stairs. Hedwig hooted in alarm again, but he assured her that it was easy to open. She grumped and tightened her grip.

"The owl doesn't like being underground?" Nio asked with a feigned innocence.

"No, it's really not her thing," Harry said, wincing as her talons dug in.

Harry found his way to the spring more quickly this time... he heard it's quiet bubbling earlier now that he knew what to listen for.

Hedwig hopped down from his shoulder as he bent over to find the edge of the spring with his outstretched hand. Her talons scratched on the stone as she found a purchase. He rubbed the sore spots on his shoulder then felt along the stone wall until he found a place where he could sit next to her. She was moving back and forth on the ledge next to the water and he reached out to try to figure out what she was doing. Her feathers were wet.

"Are you bathing, then?" he asked with a laugh.

Hedwig growled in response and he took his hand away when she shook her head, sprinkling him with droplets of water. Harry took the carrot out of his pocket, dunked it in the pool to get the pocket lint off and crunched into it. It was so tasty that he even tried eating the leafy tops, but they were too bitter. He followed the edge of the pool to the alcove and pushed the carrot top into a corner the alcove floor and climbed up into it to grab another carrot, pulling out some wriggling worms for Nio at the same time.

He climbed down, shook the dirt from his hair, and found a comfy spot next to the spring, where he could lean against the cool wall and rest his arm on the low wall surrounding the spring. Nio slid down his arm to eat his meal on the wall. Harry ate the second carrot more slowly, savoring the crisp sweetness.

He yawned and stretched. He was nodding off, but the spring's constant spray of water kept waking him up so he decided to see if he could find a spot that was a little more dry. He stood up and shook out his staff and walked around the spring to check out the other alcove that Nio had described. It was also full of carrots hanging from the ceiling, as well as rounder vegetables that Harry guessed were turnips. He wrinkled his nose at the memory of Aunt Petunia's stewed turnips.