Carrier Pigeons for the Muggle-Borns Finished

Dean quietly observed the scene from the shadowed corner of the Owlery, his presence almost merging with the ancient stones that bore witness to countless silent confessions and unspoken yearnings. The air was thick with the musky scent of the owls, a potent reminder of the untamed magic that resided within these walls. Shafts of light, struggling through the old, narrow windows, played across a young girl's face, illuminating her in an ethereal glow that contrasted sharply with the frustration etched in her delicate features. He'd come to deliver a letter to his family and, with a little luck, had stumbled upon a young girl, in the midst of doing what he was set to.

He watched as she carefully selected a modest owl, one that seemed as unassuming as a common pigeon, yet held the promise of bridging the gap between her new life and her family. Her attempt at connection, however, was met with a swift and surprising rebuke, the small creature nipping at her finger, a tiny yet poignant symbol of the challenges she faced in this new, magical realm. As the owl retreated, its mocking hoots fading into the chorus of its peers, the girl's resolve seemed to falter.

Dean felt a pang of empathy for her. He too had grappled with the enormity of the magical world, its wonders as daunting as they were enchanting. In her, he saw a reflection of his own struggles, the shared experience of stepping into a universe where the rules were as mysterious as they were mesmerizing. He took a step forward, intending to offer some words of comfort, to share a piece of his own journey in this bewildering yet wondrous world. But he paused, respecting the silent boundary she had drawn around herself in that moment.

Quietly, Dean lingered in the background, ready to offer support when the time was right, his fingers tight on his sealed envelope. As he thought she'd figured it out, he heard the familiar sound of the owl he most frequently used, the one he'd become familiar with, as she descended towards him. Landing on his shoulder, he couldn't hold back a smile, his heart full. His cover now blown, he let his gaze fall onto the stranger standing right in front of him. "They're really nice once you gain their trust, I swear," he said, his tone light and playful. He dug into his robe, fishing for a little pouch. "They also like treats. Here, try it out," he continued, handing the young girl a small bag of nuts and dried fruits. "Just hold it up and see whoever comes! Don't be too scared, they won't nip you again. Hopefully."

Siobhan looked up from her seat on the stoop of the Owlery. A dark skinned, Hufflepuff boy was saying something and she rubbed the stray tear or two that had fallen down her face. She was not going to be seen as a crybaby muggle-born. She was better than that. The boy shook the bag in her direction and she took it from him apprehensively.

"They're really nice once you gain their trust, I swear,-" she doubted it, "They also like treats. Here try it out."

Siobhan looked inside the leather pouch and saw a variety bundle of cranberries, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, as well as some oats and another unidentifiable substance that she assumed must be magical owl treats. All varieties of snacks that her brother's wild geese ate at home so she knew that the birds would likely come over to her.

As if he could sense her hesitation, and how wouldn't he her face must have full of it, the boy continued his encouragement.

"Just hold it up and see whoever comes. Don't be too scared, they won't nip you again." He said with a bright smile before tacking on a "hopefully" at the end which didn't ease any of Siobhan's worries.

Siobhan walked back into the Owlery towards the smaller owls that seemed to still be making fun of her in their own owlish way, by mocking her with their hoots and staring at her with their wide unblinking eyes. Why wasn't there a magical post system like the muggle world? Things would be so much simpler and involved much less owl shedding.

The small owl that had nipped her finger was staring at the bag of treats as though Siobhan was handing it a gold medal for its recent actions against her. She looked over at the boy nervously until she felt a gentle tugging at the end of the bag's opening and saw the small owl sticking its head face first into the enjoyment of treats. Siobhan smiled as it did so as it did look pretty cute... Maybe they weren't so bad after all. She looked over at the boy who was still with his own owl who bore majestically colored feathers and a noble attitude.

"Thank you... for the treats for the owls. I wouldn't have known to bring anything since I've never used owl post before." Siobhan explained somewhat apologetically. The owl was still rooting around in the bag for something as she said this, only popping up when Siobhan lightly grazed its feathers with her finger.

Dean watched with a growing sense of satisfaction as the young girl's initial apprehension gave way to a cautious curiosity. The small owl, now eagerly delving into the bag of treats, seemed to have forgiven her earlier misstep, its demeanor changing from standoffish to surprisingly sociable.

"No problem at all," Dean replied, his voice warm and encouraging. "I was just as clueless on my first day here. It's all a bit overwhelming, isn't it?" He chuckled softly, his eyes twinkling with a blend of empathy and amusement.

The owl on his shoulder, a regal bird with feathers that shimmered in a spectrum of colors, walked itself to his arm, seemingly aware of its own majestic appearance. Dean gently stroked its feathers, his movements practiced and gentle. "This is Apollo," he introduced, his hand guiding the owl forward slightly. "I met him on my first day. My mom asked me to send her something as soon as I was settled in and when I came here with the bag of treats, he kind of jumped on me, really excitedly. He's real nice if you want to pet him! He's not mine, I don't think so, but I like him a lot."

He turned his attention back to her and the small owl, which was now contentedly munching on the treats. "They're pretty smart, you know. They can sense when you're nervous, but they also know when you're trying to be friendly. Just takes a bit of patience and a few treats," he said with a grin."Before you know it, you'll be an expert in owl post."

He paused for a moment, then added, "If you ever need help or have questions about anything, not just owls, feel free to ask. Hogwarts can be a lot to take in, especially when you're new to all of this." Dean's tone was genuine. Despite having grown in a magical environment, he'd felt overwhelmed on his first few days, so many things happening all at once. He couldn't help but wonder just how hard it could be for someone who seemingly had very little experience. "It's not easy, I get it. I'm not that smart but I can even help for classes if you want?"

As the small owl finally seemed to warm up to the young Gryffindor, Dean smiled, happy to have played a part in bridging the gap between her and the magical world of Hogwarts.

Siobhan hung on to nearly every word that this student was telling her about befriending the owls. She loved all animals and the thought of being on the bad side of the only form of communication with her and her parents frightened her. But this boy seemed to know his way around the owls and their coop pretty well.

"I don't mean to pry but when you say 'feel free to ask' does that mean you're not a muggle-born?" Siobhan asked feeling even more inadequate. She surprisingly had yet to meet a solid full muggle-blood student here at Hogwarts despite her first instance with a professor explaining she wouldn't be the only student from a non-magical family... It was daunting.

The owl that had been stuffing it's face with all of the Hufflepuffs treats finally looked up from the, now considerably much lighter bag with a goofy food-coma like face on its... face. It hooted happily at Siobhan as though it hadn't tried to bite her finger off moments ago. As though it was saying "I was just hangry!" Siobhan hesitantly reached out once again to try and pet the gentle thing and surprisingly it allowed her to do so. It was soft, different from the feathers she usually felt when interacting with the birds.

She watched as the boy introduced the owl that was perched on his shoulder as Apollo. Like the Greek god whom her mother was very much in love with for his musical and medicinal talents. His job was to bring the sun up and across the sky, mirroring the actions of his sister Artemis. The big owl on the shoulder of her newfound companion ruffled its feathers in a hoity-toity way. As though it was looking down on the piggy in front of her who had just scarfed down the contents of a bag. And it wasn't even hers to begin with! She just let this owl eat all the treats without asking if it was ok.

Well- Actually she had no idea how she was supposed to communicate with these things. Were magical owls different from regular owls?

"I think it ate all of your treats. I can replace them I promise!" Siobhan apologized as she gently tapped the nearly-asleep owl that was teetering on the verge of falling off the table. Siobhan quickly scooped the little thing up and cradled it in her arms, not unlike a baby kitten.

"So for owl post... How does it work? How is it that they just know where to go? Do they like deliver everything by magic? Or is it more like teleporting? Do they... Siobhan began her quick fire comments and questions to the boy as she thought about the dynamics of how the owl post worked. And he did say to ask her anything if she was confused.

Come to think of it, she didn't even know his name.. Maybe she should have led off with that first.

Dean couldn't help but smile at the young girl's barrage of questions, her curiosity echoing his own when he first arrived at Hogwarts. Despite having grown up with magic, he'd still been able to learn a great deal more through his time here. The little owl, now contentedly snuggled in her arms, seemed to have completely transformed from the feisty creature it had been moments ago.

"No worries about the treats," Dean reassured her, his tone light and friendly. "Apollo here gets plenty, don't you, mate?" He gave Apollo an affectionate scratch behind the ears, the owl closing its eyes in contentment.

To her question about his heritage, Dean nodded slightly. "Yeah, I'm not a Muggle-born. My dad's a wizard, and my mum's a Muggle. So, I guess you could say I've got a bit of both worlds in me." He understood the sense of being caught between two worlds, something he had felt often growing up.

Her questions about the owls and the owl post system brought back memories of his own wonder and confusion. "Well, it's not exactly like teleporting," Dean began, trying to gather his thoughts. "The owls are trained, sort of. They have this... magical sense of direction, I guess. They can find anyone, anywhere, as long as you've got the right address or the person's name. It's one of those magical things that's hard to explain, but it just works." He said, a chuckle escaping him. Dean shrugged, leaning against a nearby table.

He watched as the Gryffindor cradled the owl, her movements gentle and caring. "They're pretty smart, and they seem to know where they're going. It's not like Muggle mail with postcodes and all that. It's more... magical, I suppose."

Dean paused, realizing he hadn't introduced himself yet. "Oh, by the way, I'm Dean. Dean Saunders," he added with a friendly grin. "And don't worry about having lots of questions. Hogwarts can be a bit overwhelming at first, but you'll get the hang of it. And hey, if I don't know the answer, we can find out together. That's part of the fun, right?"

The sun was beginning to set outside the Owlery, casting a warm glow that filtered through the windows and bathed the room in a soft, golden light. Dean felt a sense of camaraderie with this newfound friend, united by their shared experience of navigating this new, magical world. Hogwarts was full of mysteries and wonders, and Dean was glad to have someone to explore them with. It'd been overwhelming all on his own here and he was kind of glad to see he wasn't the only one struggling. His thoughts raced and he shot her a smile. "I was so scared when I first came here because there's just so much going on and people just always seem to have it all sorted, you know? But like...they don't, I guess. So don't stress out too much."

Siobhan smiled shyly as the boy deduced that she was more overwhelmed than she let on. It was stressful and she was embarrassed to let her peers know that she didn't understand the nuances of the magical world. It would be great to have a friend to help her out with homework or even with differentiating the magical world from the non-magical world. Twice now she'd been corrected in class for how she held her wand and it made her cringe every time that a professor would comment on her difficulty with producing spells. But she was unnaturally gifted with the plants in the greenhouse. She'd managed to make her last couple of assignments flourish. She was quite proud of that.

"It's nice to meet you, Dean. My name is Siobhan. I guess I'm just lonely... None of my siblings or my parents are magic. I'm the only one of a family of 8. I wish I could share this world with my siblings." She introduced herself in response to his more than informative introduction. She was happy that so many of the first years she had met were taking the time to explain things to her, and not treat her as though she was dumb for not knowing things.

The owl in her hands was cooing happily and seemed to have awoken from his treat-induced haze. Siobhan giggled as it hopped up her arm and towards her face where it nuzzled her neck as a thank you for the treats.

"Well they're his treats. You need to thank him." Siobhan explained with a giggle as the owl hooted and chirped. She looked over to Dean with a smile as the owl hopped around towards him, following her instructions with a happy disposition. Much different from when she had originally met the owl. She had no idea if this owl had a name, or even what kind of owl it was.

"Do all the owls have names? Or do they all belong to students? I would hate to accidentally use someone else's owl but I don't have my own." The air had begun to chill and the sun was beginning to set. She hoped the little owl wouldn't be too cold as it looked as though it didn't have enough feathers to keep it warm. Siobhan didn't want to make the poor thing travel to Killarney from the Highlands of Scotland. It was at least a 12-hour trip for humans, it was probably close to a full-day trip for an Owl.

Dean's expression softened as Siobhan shared a bit about herself, her shyness giving way to a touch of vulnerability. He understood the feeling of being overwhelmed and out of place, and he admired her honesty. "It's really nice to meet you, Siobhan. And hey, it's totally okay to feel lonely," Dean reassured her, his tone gentle. "This place is massive, and being the only one in your family to come here must be tough. But you've got friends here, and I'm definitely up for helping out whenever you need it."

He watched, amused, as the owl nuzzled Siobhan's neck, cooing contentedly. The transformation from its earlier grumpiness to this affectionate display was both amusing and heartwarming. He'd been gifted with the same behavior from Apollo when first meeting him. "Looks like you've made a new friend there," Dean chuckled, observing the owl's antics.

At her question about the owls, Dean nodded thoughtfully. "Most of the owls here are school owls, available for anyone to use. Some students do bring their own owls," he gestured to a few pretty owls, a little further down the Owlery, "but you don't need to worry about accidentally using someone's personal owl. The school ones are used to flying all sorts of places for students. Plus, I don't think they'd let you have them fly a something somewhere if they were someone's." He chuckled, shrugging. He spoke from experience and it showed in his face- his eyes darted to a specific owl on top of them, her eyes dark as she stared in his direction.

He noticed Siobhan's concern for the owl's warmth and added, "And don't worry about the cold. These owls are pretty tough, and they're used to long flights. They're magical, after all, so they're a bit different from regular owls. But I get your concern. It's really considerate of you. You can always try to knit little hoodies for them? I think it'd be cute and maybe they'd like them honestly."

He eyed the cute owl looking at him and smiled. The chill in the air was noticeable, but it brought with it the crispness of the approaching evening, a reminder of the daily rhythms of the magical world.

"If you ever want to learn more about the plants in the greenhouse or anything else, just give me a shout. I'm still learning too, but it's always more fun to figure things out together, right?" Dean offered with a smile. He was genuinely happy to have met Siobhan, another first-year navigating the Hogwarts life. He'd made friends, sure, but he loved meeting new people and expanding his circle. And he also loved being able to help. He took a few steps towards Siobhan, his hand reaching to gently pet the owl in her arms. "You managed to send anything yet?"

Reducio

Irish Translations:
Beadaí: Sweet-toothed

Siobhan shook her head to Dean's question about her success with the Owl Post. This was the first time she had been attempting to send anything because at first she wasn't sure that her messages would get through. Then she had accidentally written everything in English and when she tried to translate it to Irish, she found that she couldn't find the right words for certain things like "potions" and "quidditch." Which frustrated her to no end and prevented her from sending anything. She had finally buckled down and explained to her parents within the letter that she didn't know the right words and that she'd have to write them in English.

Not that her parents would care, they wanted her to learn everything that she could and it had just been common practice within their family to speak both languages. She knew deep down that whatever language that she used, her family would eat every word that she wrote about her adventures so far with a ferocious hunger.

"I don't know if I would knit anything. I'm not very crafty, but I am good at growing plants so I'd love to join you in the greenhouse." Siobhan exclaimed happy to have found someone who was as interested in plants as her. Plants were some of her closest friends and strangely, she felt the most powerful when she was surrounded by them. She wondered why that was. Did all witches and wizards have something like that that accentuated their magic?

"But I'm excited to learn everything I can. I want to be a good witch even for a muggle-born." Siobhan said with determination as she looked at the owl in her hands. Dean had moved over to pet it and she figured at this point if it didn't have a name it was time for one.

"I think I'm going to call him Beadaí. Because he's very hungry for treats apparently. It means sweet-toothed." Siobhan explained as she pulled her letter out again and whispered her address to the little bird who happily chirped and hopped off to the window sill with her letter. It looked at her with whimsy before jumping to flight and flying off into the sunset with her letter containing all of her wondrous discoveries.

"I'm happy you came to help me Dean. I don't think I would have figured it out without some help." Siobhan said with a smile as she tucked her robes around her a little closer. It was quite chilly in the Owlery and she did not have feathers to protect herself.

Under the ancient rafters of the Owlery, where the air was tinged with the musky scent of feathers and parchment, Siobhan's words floated gently, mingling with the soft cooing of the resident owls. Dean listened intently, his gaze shifting between Siobhan and the small owl now christened Beadaí. The setting sun cast a warm, amber glow through the windows, bathing the room in a serene light that seemed to blur the lines between the magical and the mundane.

Siobhan's struggles with the Owl Post, her efforts to bridge the gap between her two worlds – the magical and the muggle – resonated with Dean. He watched as she tenderly held the letter, her fingers brushing against the parchment with a mix of hesitation and resolve. It was a small act, yet it spoke volumes about her journey so far, about the determination and strength that lay beneath her unassuming demeanor.

The mention of her affinity for plants brought a smile to Dean's face. "The greenhouse is amazing," he said, his voice carrying a hint of excitement. "And you know, there's nothing that says that muggle-borns are less powerful than others. I mean, look at the most powerful muggle-born we know of, Mrs Granger. She's really badass!" He grinned, turning to Apollo. "You're already on your way to being a fantastic witch, Siobhan. Where you come from doesn't change how good of a witch you'll be." His words were genuine, an affirmation of the inclusive spirit that Hogwarts nurtured.

He watched with a sense of wonder as Siobhan named the owl Beadaí, a fitting name for the treat-loving bird. The little owl seemed to understand its new name, chirping happily as it took off from the windowsill, its wings silhouetted against the fading light of the sunset. It was a magical moment, watching the bird disappear into the vast sky, carrying Siobhan's words to her family.

Dean felt a slight chill in the air too, noticing how Siobhan wrapped her robes tighter around herself. The Owlery, for all its charm, did little to keep out the evening chill. "I'm glad I could help," he said, his voice warm. "It's always good to have someone to figure things out with, especially here at Hogwarts. And hey, if you ever need a warmer cloak or anything, just let me know."

Dean's eyes picked up on the fading light cast long shadows across the stone floor, a reminder of the day's end. he felt a sense of camaraderie with Siobhan. "It's getting cold, right? Do you wanna go back down, to the hall? We could get something to eat together if you want? Or we could try to meet up tomorrow, to see if we have any classes in common!"