Extended Family

Chapter 77: Speaking With Words

Takes place all over the timeline, but the first instance starts in Harry's second year, chapter 47 of Family

Hedwig was already quite irritated.

She never liked travelling in her cage despite it being a nice cage as far as cages went.  She knew the necessity of riding in one.  However, she knew what it meant.  It meant the next few months she would be kept in it more often than not and her poor boy would not be that happy either.  The last summer had been terrible for the both of them and she already dreamed of clawing the Dursleys with her talons.  She had schemed and thought about ways to make the coming months better for them but she was still unhappy about the entire situation.

She turned her head when she felt her cage being moved down.  She looked at Angelina, eyes narrowing at the girl.  A quick look around the compartment showed that Harry was still out and Hedwig did not know what Angelina wanted.

"Here," Angelina said and pushed a slip of parchment into the cage.  "This has our addresses on it."

Hedwig looked at it carefully.

"If Harry needs us, you come to one of us.  Doesn't matter who but us girls first.  Even if he can't write us a note, you come find one of us."

Hedwig bobbed her head.

"Do you think she understands?" Angelina asked Katie.

"I beg your pardon," Hedwig hissed angrily.  "I'm not an idiot, I know what an address is!"

"I think so.  Clapper seems to understand us easily enough," Katie said.  "Besides, Harry says Hedwig is really smart."  No one understood Hedwig's words, something the owl was used to.  Something all owls were used to.

"This is really important," Angelina said to Hedwig.  "We're not going to let what happened last summer happen again."

"I didn't like it either!"

"I don't like the way she's looking at me," Angelina said warily.

"You are being mean to her," Hermione sniffed.

"I'm just making sure she understands me," Angelina said defensively, turning to glare at Hermione.  She shrieked when Hedwig yanked one of her braids into the cage and started to chew on it.  "Ow!  Hey!  Let go!"

"Do you understand this?!" Hedwig hooted angrily, her sounds muffled by her pulling and gnawing.  "I'll teach you to try to teach me how to be a post owl!  I'm the best post owl for my boy!"

"You ruddy feather duster!" Angelina shouted, pulling on her hair.  The others in the compartment were laughing at the sight while Katie and Hermione tried to get Hedwig to let go.  After some gentle tugging and Hermione petting Hedwig through the cage, Hedwig finally let go of the braid.

"My hair!" Angelina growled at Hedwig who growled audibly back.  "Look what she did!"

"I'll do it again!" Hedwig screeched indignantly.

"Okay, let's all calm down," Katie said, fighting down a smile.

Angelina looked up when the door to the compartment slid open.  Alicia walked in first, gnawing on an almost indecently large bar of chocolate.  Harry followed behind carrying a bag of candy and gave pieces to everyone in the compartment including a large package for Katie.