Barnaby Lee x Reader - Year 6

Artemis

"So this is what the owlery looks like on the inside..." Lana mumbled to herself as she entered the tower. There were dozens of different owls roosting in the holes in the walls, and there were multiple white owls.

"Ugh, what is that smell?!" she exclaimed, holding her arm over her nose to try and block out the stench.

"Owl droppings and regurgitation, as well as wet straw." Talbott said from behind her, "You get used to it eventually."

"Talbott! I wondered if I'd run into you up here." Lana smiled, turning around to face him.

"You remembered that I spend a lot of time in the owlery to get away from people and stretch my wings." he chuckled.

"Of course I remembered, we're friends."

"You say that, but you probably think it's odd that I like to spend time up here." Talbott said.

"Not really, I can understand why you do." Lana smiled.

"Why are you here anyway?"

"I've come looking for a white owl."

"Suddenly become a bird watcher, Lana?"

"Not exactly." Lana said, letting out an airy chuckle, "I spotted Rakepick's niffler running with a white quill in his mouth. When I caught him, he was with my brother. We found out that the white quill was actually a hidden message..."

"A hidden message? What did it say?" Talbott asked her.

"It contained a threat to one of my friends' lives." she answered, "Jacob said the white quill came from a white owl, so here I am."

"Gee, Lana, this death threat is making me seriously reconsider our friendship." Talbott worried, half jokingly.

"Talbott, this is serious. Do you know if the school or any of the students have white owls?"

"Not that I can recall, but I'll help you search to make sure."

"You will?"

"I do like you and all, Lana, but I'd like to have the place to myself again, so can we get started?" the Ravenclaw asked sheepishly.

After searching high and low for any sign of a white owl, Lana and Talbott had no luck, so decided to call it a day.

"Well, the owl I'm looking for clearly isn't here..." the girl sighed.

"Wait, the Forbidden Forest! How could I have forgotten?" Talbott exclaimed suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I thought I'd seen a white owl before, but I couldn't quite place where until just now. Now I remember that it was flying over the Forest Grove a while back. It could be the white owl you're looking for."

"Really? And you're not just saying that so you can have this place to yourself again?"

"No, that's just a plus." Talbott chuckled.

"Then that's where I'll go next. Thank you, Talbott." Lana smiled.

As she made her way into the forest, Lana found Liz and Chiara...holding a white owl!

'Talbott was right, there's the owl!' she thought, but it flew away off of Liz's arm before she approached them.

"Lana?" Liz questioned.

"Aw, Lana, you scared away Artemis." Chiara added.

"You know that owl?"

"Me? No, Liz was introducing her to me and Borf." the silver haired girl responded, gesturing to her small wolf pup that rested at her feet.