Breaking the shadows

Owl cubs

1998

Friday October 30th 

Ginny have been talking a lot with Fred since he came back to Hogwarts as a ghost, and she is slowly finding herself again. I feel a bit lonely without her, because Hermione is studying all the time, and Luna is hanging out with Neville, and with Ginny being with Fred I just feel alone. Of course I have Astra, but she is just taking care of her cubs, as all her five eggs hatched in last month, they are all so cute and fluffy. Of the six eggs Astra laid, five owl cubs were females and one single male. The male cub looks identical to Orion and all the females look almost identical to Astra, but two of them has some of Orions features like the more black spots than Astra. 

Hermione and I figured that the cubs will be leaving the nest around the seventeenth next month, so we need to find homes for them before then. But Hermione had the brilliant idea, to go down to Diagon Alley just before we go home for break tomorrow. 

--

Hermione and I are all set for tomorrow, as we are going home to the Weasleys after the Halloween feast tomorrow. Right now Hermione and I are just studying for the N.E.W.T.s as they are at the end of this school year. While we are studying Ginny walks in looking a bit starteled. She hugs me from behind as she says: "He's back."

"Who's back?" I ask confused, as he could be anyone.

Ginny: "Ashton."

Hermione: "Are you sure, Ginny?"

Ginny: "I saw Orion on my walk, and I saw Ashton, just outside the school."

Hermione: "Then we have to get Neville and Luna, and prepare for whatever he has for us this time."

Ginny nods and I run with her outside Neville's room she says: "I'm going to find Luna, you find Neville. I nod just as I open the door to Neville's room. Inside Neville is alone, with Luna, both laying on Neville's bed, as I see Luna I yell after Ginny: "She's in here, just come back."

As Ginny runs back to me, I knock on the door again, Neville and Luna sit up, and Luna fixes her hair desperately. 

"Neville, Luna, come on, Ashtons back."

Luna: "We're coming."

I close the door again, and then we just wait for Neville and Luna.

Hermione joins us just a minute later, and so does Luna and Neville.

"Whats the plan?" Neville asks.

"We go to him, and let him speak first, just prepare for anything."

"And have your wands ready." Hermione says firmly.

--

We go to the courtyard where Draco joins us, Ashton enters the school grounds dramatically with his owl Orion on his shoulder and at least twenty ravens behind him following him as an army.

I step forward and Ashton giggles: "We meet again."

"Indeed we do."

Draco: "What do you want Ashton?"

Ashton: "What do you think?"

"Revenge?"

Ashton: "Someone's bright, huh mini Granger, but not as bright as your sister are we?"

Hermione: "Don't talk to her like that."

Ashton: "I say what I want to, thank you very much. Now revenge time." He stands there for a second then says: "You have two choices, one; you give me the owl and her eggs, or two, you all die and I take them myself."

"Why do you want my owl?"

Ashton: "She's not just any owl you see, she's special, you do know the black feather she has on her right wing."

"Never noticed it." 

Ashton: "Well, then you are blind, but that feather makes her special, and I need her and her eggs."

"Never."

Ashton: "Fine then you all die."

"Fine." I shrug

The other give me weird looks, but they trust me. Becuase what they don't know is that I have told Professor McGonagall all of it. 

I look up at McGonagall's office, and just then a blue light shoots from the window of her office. And it disarms Ashton, and knock him out, just as with his owl. I walk over to him, and pull my wand out, point at him and say calmly: "Obliviate" and then turn to the others, when Ashton wakes up he won't even remember his name. Draco and Neville, take Ashton and transport him to the dark forest. For now, he will not bother us anymore. Astra and her cubs are safe.

Hermione, Ginny, and I go up to our room to find Astra, with her six cubs nesteled up in their nest on the top shelf.

One of the owl cubs fly to my shoulder, I've named her Lynx, as it means brightness, and she has the lightest feathes of her brother and sisters, I've named them Pandora, Indi, Celestia, Faye, and Donati. All have a celestial meaning, just as Lynx which means 'brighness', Pandora means 'all gifts', Indi means 'independent', Celestia means 'heavenly', Faye means 'loyalty', and Donati means 'given by god'.

Tomorrow Hermione and I will go down to Eeylops Owl Emporium where Hedwig was bought, and ask if we could seel Astra's cubs there. But only three of them as Hermione told me she had become close with Indi, which suprises me, because Indi is the most shy of them all, but if Hermione has created a bond with her then I won't split them up, and I'm not selling Celestia either, as she will be a gift for Harry, as she looks somehow as Hedwig, and I know how much he misses Hedwig. And I'm not selling Pandora, as she is going to be a gift to Luna, as Pandora is named after Luna's deceased mother Pandora Lovegood.

So Hermione and I will go down to Eeylops Owl Emporium tomorrow and sell Lynx, Faye, and Donati. 

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Puplished: 12-07-23