Owl Alone
October 3rd, 2025
Evening
The air was turning crisp and cool as Autumn approached, gently guiding the summer breezes and sunshine away for another year. The moon had yet to rise, yet even now, days before a full moon was bound to hang high in the sky, its lunar presence left Alix with a sinking feeling in the pit of her belly. She truly didn't know what she dreaded more: the pain as her bones and muscles stretched and changed shape during her transformation, the exhaustion that she would inevitably feel leading up to it, or the anxiety during this week as she wolfed down a goblet of disgusting aconite in the hospital wing day after day.
The taste was horrible, of course. No matter how many years Alix spent drinking the foul substance, she would never get used to the taste. Her mum had taken her to the physician during the summer, seeking muggle treatments. Naturally her status as a werewolf had to remain a secret, but an eleven-year-old girl with nausea? With growing pains? Those symptoms could be treated. Muggle medicine didn't inspire a lot in the way of hope, but Alix knew it was her mum trying her best to contribute to her daughter's wellbeing, so she took the anxiety medicine every night before bed like her mum insisted. She took the little white ovals that dissolved under her tongue after taking the aconite to soothe her sick belly. And then, hours before herding off to the Shrieking Shack, she took the medicine that mum said was 'for the hurt.' She had tried many different medicines for the hurt over the years since her bite, but transforming into a werewolf wasn't pleasant, and taking muggle medicine hours before it even happened did little to soothe it. But still, she took the thick white tablet, washing it down with pumpkin juice she'd brought up from the Great Hall.
As Alix stepped out of the hospital wing, students bustled about in the corridors, eager to get to their weekends since class was finally over for the week and supper was over for the night. Some spoke of Hallowe'en, of the treats they would enjoy. Others whinged and complained about homework assignments or unfair treatment from their professors. Alix kept her head down as she tried to avoid their attention entirely. She made for the owlery. It was a long shot, since it was a Friday evening, but she hoped that it would be empty enough that no one would bother her.
Alix wanted friends. She wanted them more than she had ever wanted anything. She had friends back when she was still in muggle school, before the bite. But now she was terrified of having them. What if she hurt them? What if they found out she was a werewolf and decided they didn't want her coming round any more? What if they tried to chase her out of Hogwarts?
She was being dramatic, yes, but she was only eleven. It could be forgiven, surely. Despite her wishes for friendship, she found herself slinking off alone into the owlery. She would spend the night as she always spent her nights leading up to a full moon. She would brood alone, probably cry, and wish on every star that occupied the same sky as that accursed moon that she could be someone else.
As the owls skirted about around her in the tower, Alix stared at the castle through one of the windows. It looked so warm and full of life. But Alix didn't belong there. She belonged here, in the cold owlery, surrounded by no one. Alix hadn't a clue that she wasn't as alone as she thought.
Reducio
@Valour Argentum
Owl Alone
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mentions| @Alix Fenwick
ooc notes| cuties become friends ! lyrics from it will come back by hozier #werewolfimagery
date| 03/10/25word count
val/regent |aliases
slytherin jumper, skirt, tights |outfit
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"Don't give it a hand, offer it a soul. / Honey, make this easy."
Valour had been watching the redhead for quite some time now.
Their initial run in on the Express had been uneventful, not amounting to much more than polite conversation. In very ‘Valour’ nature, they had ended up drifting off from the little crowd they had accumulated and wandered the carriages without being held back. It wasn’t long before Alice, or Alex - whatever their name was, had become a recurring character in their day-to-day life. Not in a particularly prominent way, no, the girl never made her presence known. She would skulk away from crowds, naturally finding her way into the shadows and outskirts. It was odd, and although it worked to deter the attention of others, it did all the more to grab Valour’s. What was her problem?
Noticing the girl became something of an unconscious pastime. Like birdwatching, Valour’s gaze landed on her as she nipped out of classrooms every now and again, as she disappeared towards the secluded corridors and abandoned bathrooms. Sometimes she’d return with puffy eyes and flushed cheeks, and others, she wouldn’t return at all. It also didn’t escape Val that their professors seemed to turn a blind eye to it all. Not out of callousness, but they seemed to politely avert their attention or offer whispers of assurance to the girl as she passed their desks on her way out. It certainly wasn’t favouritism. The girl was mundane enough; she didn’t contribute often in class, nor was she the raucous type that teachers usually had a soft spot for. Curiosity took to Valour’s brain like a vulture to roadkill.
One brisk October evening, the witch found herself heading towards the fourth-floor rehearsal room, violin case in hand. They had been working on a new piece, some brooding solo that didn’t seem to want to end. As they walked, they shuffled through their messy sheet music, humming over the melody and wondering how they could finish the damn thing. The corridors were busy and she was walking against the current. Most were heading back to their dorms on the ground floor, shouldering past one another as they kept in stride with their friends. Valour scowled as she caught an elbow, then another. They looked up from their papers to shoot daggers at whomever it was, only to find a head of bright red hair flashing past her, exiting the hospital wing and heading in the same direction. As per usual, the Hufflepuff had her head down, shrinking away from the gaze of other students. Valour decided they could take a detour.✦
The door of the owlery slammed open, sending the resting birds into a little flurry. The owlery was always terribly cold, given the high altitude and numerous open windows. Valour shuddered as a chill rolled up their spine. They muttered something about their robes being far too thin as they pulled their cloak tighter around them.
The witch strolled into the room in lazy strides, their head cocked to one side, mimicking the owls surrounding them. They drifted between hutches and perches, a faintly curious look in their pale eyes as they pursed their lips and scanned the first floor.
“I know you’re in here.”
Her choice of words could have been a little less ominous, but they didn’t seem to care very much about making good first (second) impressions. She perched against the large bird bath in the middle of the room, kicking her legs absentmindedly as a few owls tittered over and began examining her red-painted nails. Giving them an absentminded stroke, Val cleared her throat again and rolled her eyes softly. She was blissfully unaware of the irony of her words.
“I won’t bite.”
"Leave it to the land, this is what it knows. / Honey, that's how it sleeps."
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sta 5 | eva 8 | str 5 | wis 2 | arc 1 | acc 9
seer | intuition
sta 5 | eva 8 | str 5 | wis 2 | arc 1 | acc 9
seer | intuition