Open Feeding School Owls

[Mazikeen Roe]

Mazikeen was settling in well to her final year of school, but primarily she found herself really missing her work. She was half tempted to go to Professor Summers to be able to get special permission to be able to go back to the shop on weekends to be able to look after the pets, but she could figure she’d be laughed out of the professor’s office, so instead of that she’d decided to come to the owlery, she knew these owls were handled well by their owners, but she had treats for the school owls and was interested in just making sure they were all okay. She would be careful to avoid the birds that were clearly owned by people and not by the school. She headed into the owlery and straight to where she knew they were kept, she offered up a few treats and then smiled as one seemed to jump on to her arm, she lightly stroked the feathers of the bird and smiled at it. It was perfect. ​

 

[Tilly Drage]

After a month at the school, Tilly still hadn’t visited the owlery. She had promised her little sister Sefina (and by extension, her parents) that she would write regularly. Now, a month had already whizzed by and she still hadn’t made good on her commitments. Tilly remembered over breakfast and nearly kicked herself. She hastily wrote up a note, rolled up the parchment, and set off on her long journey to the towers.

Tilly gulped for air as she reached the top of the staircase. Then as the mixture of owl pellets, feces, feathers, and urine suddenly assaulted her, she wished she didn’t need to take such deep breaths. However, she got over it quickly. Creatures stank as a general rule, but she still loved them. She was fairly salty that her dad hadn’t let her bring any sort of animal to school for her first year.

Tilly searched the rafters for a reliable and sturdy-looking school owl, when she noticed the much older Gryffindor girl. She was petting one of the feathered residents. Then Tilly noticed something. “Uhm, excuse me,” she said, blushing a little, “there’s an owl pellet on your shoulder.”

@Mazikeen Roe
OOC: If you are not OK with the little godmod, I am happy to edit my post.

 

[Mazikeen Roe]

Maze was always most at ease around animals, even though they were extremely messy, she knew that it wasn’t what people liked, and generally Mazikeen knew that most didn’t think she did either. Not with the red lipstick she knew she was somewhat notorious for wearing. She glanced around when a young voice drew her attention. She looked at her shoulder and laughed lightly, ”Oh dear,” she brushed it off with a smile, she’d definitely have to make sure that her hands were clean after all this. She would’ve needed to anyway but now she’d just have to be double sure her hands were clean, ”Thanks for that, these owls can be messy alright,” she said. She turned her attention back to the one she had been petting, ”Do you have an owl, or am I also in your way?” mazikeen had a light and friendly tone as she spoke to the younger student. ​

 

[Tilly Drage]

Tilly was impressed with the older student’s calm. She seemed perfectly at peace with the owls. “Aren’t those pellets made out of their undigested food, like, mice bones and hair and stuff?” Tilly made a face. It was gross, but fascinating at the same time.

The Hufflepuff girl shook her head and gripped the piece of parchment in her hand. “I need to use one of the school owls. I wish I had one of my own, though.” There was no way one of these owls could fly all the way to Samoa, but they could carry her letter to the appropriate mail stop. She envied the students who had a claim to one of these beautiful winged creatures.

 

[Mazikeen Roe]

Mazikeen nodded, ”Yeah, Owls don’t digest things in the same way humans do. It can be really interesting so long as it doesn’t gross you out,” she thought it could be pretty interesting to look at but she could also understand why the girl might be grossed out by it. While she liked the weird things that creatures did and had long since stopped being grossed out by them. She knew that others were less keen on things like that. She gave a sympathetic smile, ”Yeah, the school owls are good but it’s not like having your own owl,” Mazikeen’s parents had an owl but she didn’t have one herself, ”When I graduate I’m gonna get an owl, I use the family one to reply to my parents,” she lowered the owl that she’d been holding, ”I’ve just given this guy a treat so he should be good to deliver a letter for you,” She offered the owl to younger girl. ​

 

[Tilly Drage]

Tilly grinned. “I mean, it is gross,” she said, “but I think it’s really cool!” The Hufflepuff sidestepped a dark, brown, pudding-like glob that smelled like death. A gray and white feather floated down from the rafters and landed on the top of her lip. Tilly did her best to puff air at the feather with her lips, but it barely budged. She certainly looked like a dimwit. With a sigh, she wiped it away. If she stayed in the owlery long enough, she would collect enough feathers (and other foul substances) to be classified as a bird.

“Thank you!” Tilly said with a little more enthusiasm than she probably should have. But after all, she was a first year. She approached the owl, holding the sealed roll of parchment. “Uhm, this letter needs to go to my parents in Samoa. Any chance you can send it on its way for me? Please?”

Tilly was delighted when the owl held out a leg and opened its talons. Snaring the parchment, the owl let out a soft hoot. Tilly reached for the owl’s head and stroked its neck, admiring its plumage.

She looked up at the older girl. “You’re lucky, you get to take Care of Magical Creatures, if you want.” Tilly was so disappointed that she had to wait until third year. That was basically a lifetime!

 

[Mazikeen Roe]

Mazikeen grinned lightly as the girl agreed it was weird but that wasn’t a bad thing in her eyes. Maze knew it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea and while it wasn’t the nicest thing in the world, it wasn’t that bad, and she was sure that anyone could appreciate it if given the chance to. She held the owl out to the girl as she attached the parchment and lightly stroked its neck. Mazikeen knew once the owl had had its fill of extra strokes, it would be off to deliver the letter, but it was clearly enjoying the attention. Owls were very smart creatures. ”I do take it, it’s my favourite class,” the conversation reminded her of when she’d first joined the school and had also been frustrated over the lack of care of magical creatures that she could do. The teen smiled, ”Its my favourite class, when I graduate I want to work at the zoo, with all of the magical creatures,” she said with a warm tone. ”Plus the professors are really cool,” she added. ”I’m Mazikeen, but my friends call me Maze,” She introduced herself to the young girl, holding out her hand to her. ​

 

[Tilly Drage]

“I can’t wait!” Tilly said in a huff. She was jealous. Envious, really, but she wasn’t the type of student to know the difference between the two terms.

“Do you know if they let first and second years near the creatures?” Even if she wasn’t taking the class, it would be wild (literally) to interact with more non-humans.

Satisfied, the owl ruffled her feathers and stretched her wings. She hopped over to the window and leaped, sailing away on the air. Tilly rushed to the ledge and watched the creature until she was barely visible.

Turning around, she held out a hand, “Hi, I’m Tilly. It’s very nice to meet you, Maze.” She was starting to admire the Gryffindor girl. Many of the older students wouldn’t give a first-year the time of day. Tilly had noticed that much.

 

[Mazikeen Roe]

Mazikeen smiled at her, ”It is really worth the wait, though I made friends with a girl in the year above me, who took it and I got her to tell me about it each year, so I was pretty impatient,” Maze was making fun of her self, because she could’ve just waited as she was now saying, but she had not been particularly patient about it. ”I’ve never asked, but the professors are all really nice so they might offer it, and you know, if you needed supervision, just say I’ll do it,” She didn’t have all that much time, but she knew it would be good for her moving into a career if she also was doing something like that. Maze watched as the creature flew off, heading towards where it needed to be flying to. The young girl introduced herself and Mazikeen took her hand, ”It’s very nice to meet you too Tilly,” she said in response. ”Do you want to look at some of these school owls?”​

 

[Tilly Drage]

Tilly’s eyes widened at the thought of being able to visit and learn about magical creatures close-up. Best not to get too excited in case the professors said no, but she couldn’t help it. “Really? You would do that for me?” she almost squeaked. Tilly was beginning to like Maze more and more. She wasn’t even in TIlly’s house. She was beginning to change her mind about older students.

Tilly nodded. Lowering her voice, she asked, “Do you have any favorites?” She whispered because she didn’t want to make any of the school owls jealous. They were all lovely beings in their own way.

 

[Mazikeen Roe]

Mazikeen nodded at the younger girl, ”Course,” she told her, though it wasn’t what most might do, Maze knew that if she could say in future job interviews that she had also helped a younger student look after creatures with permissions from a teacher that would be even better. So while she would do it to just help the younger girl, she also hoped that it would benefit her in the long run if it did happen. Mazikeen just knew that if she’d been that curious in first year and such an opportunity had presented itself she would’ve wanted to take it up too. Mazikeen laughed lightly as the girl quietly asked if she had any favourites. ”I don’t think I do,” She said, she didn’t particularly have a favourite creature, not like she’d known others to have. She did however, look between the owls and then went to one of the school owls, ”This little cutie has been the go to owl I use since I got to Hogwarts, when I can't use my parents one,” she brought the owl back to Tilly, ”He’s very very reliable, but he is getting a little old. He’s very gentle, so long as there are no sudden movements,” She had him perched on her hand as she held him out to Tilly to greet.​

 

[Tilly Drage]

Heeding Maze’s instruction, Tilly held out her hand slowly to the aging owl. Her first impulse was to ask what his name was. However, she stopped herself, thinking it might be silly for school owls to have names. He could have hundreds of different names for all she knew.

Tilly admired his heart-shaped face. “He’s a- barn owl?” She stroked the end of his forehead softly. Tilly thought she could spend hours up in the owlery, getting to know all of its inhabitants. She was glad she had struck up a conversation with the seventh year Gryffindor. Despite the age gap, she thought she even could have made a new friend.

 

[Mazikeen Roe]

Mazikeen watched the girl, she knew that Tily was probably going to be careful with the owl, but she was paying close attention to be sure that she wouldn’t get injured, the owl was tame, but it wasn’t immune the occasional bite if startled, which Maze knew it could be a little easy to be caught off guard. But it seemed that TIlly was a careful person when it came to animals, and she followed what she said. Mazikeen nodded, ”He is indeed,” she agreed, ”You know your owls don’t you?” It was quite impressive, but it just seemed like she knew them because she was very interested in animals. ”If you come up here, and just feed some of the school owls they’ll always be nicer to you,” She knew the owls were well looked after, that they ate for themselves, but treats should be for all owls, and since she was graduating someone else would be able to do it. Maze was sure that someone would do it but maybe she would ensure this girl would do it. ”I’ll leave him in your capable hands then,” she had finished what she had come there to do and then with a warm last smile to the young girl headed out of the owlery, ”See you later Tilly,”​