Old School Week A letter to my parents

[Saira Lykims]

Saira called for Henry as she entered the owlery. An owl came swooping down on her arm, flapping it's wings wildly. "Hello to you too, Henry." She gave him a mouse treat that she had bought a while ago and watched as he devoured the treat.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy had written a long letter to her dad, detailing everything she had learned in the first week back of the semester. She missed him, but was also glad to be back to learning a lot. She headed up the owlery, only to see one of her classmates there. It was a Slytherin girl she hadn't really spoken to before, but Ivy was eager to make a new friend. "Is that your owl?"

 

[Saira Lykims]

Saira turned around to the sound of a girl’s voice. “Yes. His name is Henry.” Upon hearing his name, Henry flapped his wings and gave a small cry. “Do you want to pet him?” She held her arm out, and gestured Henry to move farther out, and closer to her to hand.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy watched the owl with interest. "Why did you name him Henry?" She asked as she approached. She didn't have a pet herself, but had always wanted one. She had often thought about what she would name a pet. "Sure..." She said, somewhat cautiously reaching over to pet his feathers. "I didn't know owls liked being pet." She commented.

 

[Saira Lykims]

“I’m not sure. I gave him a bunch of other names, but he would shriek at them.” She said, remembering her experience at the menagerie when she adopted Henry. “He didn’t shriek at ‘Henry’, so it just stuck.” Saira tried to keep her arm steady as the girl reached out her hand. “I hear most of them aren’t too friendly. But Henry’s pretty much a dog when it comes to pets.” Back when he lived with her at the dorms, he was usually friendly with the other girls. “Be careful near his tail feathers though. He might try to scratch you.”

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy laughed softly. "So... he kind of picked his own name?" She asked, amused. "That's kind of funny." Ivy gently pet the owl, making sure to be careful. "He seems sweet." She said softly. "I wish I had a pet." She added with a small sigh. She nodded at the girl's warning, careful to stay away from the tail.

 

[Saira Lykims]

She chuckled “Yeah, pretty much.” Saira said looking at the bird fondly. “He’s the sweetest owl I know.” The owl tilted his neck towards the girl’s hand as she petted him.”Why not get one? I got Henry in the Menagerie before school started.”

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy felt jealous as she noticed how happy the girl seemed with her owl. For the first time, she resented her dad a bit for not letting her have one. She remembered that her mother hadn't seemed so opposed. She sighed at the girl's question. "My parents... they say I can't have one until I'm older and I've proven that I get good grades." She said hesitantly. "They said it would be a distraction."

 

[Saira Lykims]

Henry, ready to deliver her letter hopped back onto her upper arm. “I don’t think having a pet would be a distraction to any one.” Henry was definitely not one to her. “They just give you more motivation to study.” It was true, even when her pup was still with her, Saira managed to get close to perfect. She took out the letter from her pocket and held it for Henry to take.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy shrugged at the girl's words. "My father thinks so." She said hesitantly. "But I think I can convince him, as long as I get good grades all year." She said with a small smile. "I've written him to tell him of everything I've learned this semester already." She added, holding up the letter.

 

[Saira Lykims]

”Well, good luck. I guess...“ Saira said, giving her an encouraging smile. She watched as Henry took the letter and fluttered his feathers. “Now remember Henry, just leave it at their door and come back.“ She whispered at the owl. The owl cooed at her and took off. Saira waved goodbye at the owl as he disappeared off into the distance. “You probably need an owl for that, right?” She whistled at one of the owls that she fed when Henry had extra food. The owl came fluttering down.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

It wasn't often that her father's decisions were questioned right in front of Ivy, and she struggled with the impulse to defend him, even if she actually did want a pet pretty badly. She decided to let it go, watching the girl's owl as it took off. She nodded as the girl called an owl for her, impressed she managed it with whistling. "Thanks." She said, moving over to attach her letter to the owl's leg. "You seem pretty good with animals. Or at least with owls." Ivy commented.

 

[Saira Lykims]

“Yeah, the owls here kind of like me because i feed them treats and stuff. Sometimes I teach them tricks.” Saira said. In her mind she had named the owl in front of her “Dani”, not that she knew if the owl was a male or female. She watched as the owl flew away with the girl’s letter. “I’m Saira, by the ways.”

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy nodded in understanding as the girl explained why the owls liked her. It made it seem a bit less impressive, as she figured she could make the owls like her too if she gave them food. But still, it wasn't like she had time to do stuff like that, nor would she ever think of it. There were better uses of her time, in her opinion. She wasn't going to say that, though. She knew the girl wouldn't appreciate it. "I see, that's pretty cool. I'm Ivy." She said with a smile. "Thanks for helping me out."