Snowy owls hate the heat.
Owners of snowy owls can usually figure this out and refrain from sending their snowy owls into temperatures over sixty-five degrees. So why, wondered the beautiful snowy owl, was her owner sending her into ninety degree heat?
This owl’s name was Hedwig, and she was the owner of Harry Potter. Humans would say that Harry was the owner of Hedwig, but Hedwig felt differently. Hedwig controlled all means of communication Harry Potter had with the outside world. She had effectively trained the boy to feed her and give her owl treats all the time. Therefore Hedwig was actually the owner of Harry.
And how proud she was of it! Hedwig loved to boast about owning the Boy Who Lived. Even owls knew about his defeat of the Everlasting Mouse (the owl name for Lord Voldemort). It made Hedwig very popular on the mail circuit, especially when she would tell about all the things her human had done lately- just recently, she would hoot with pride, he had evaded a werewolf and helped a convict escape!
It was to this convict that Hedwig was headed now. She could not understand why Sirius Black, upon escaping from the Grey Hoods (owl for Dementors), felt the urge to go to Puerto Rico, of all places. Hedwig had never even heard of Puerto Rico. One thing was certain- there were no other owls there. She would have refused to go at all if it wasn’t for…him.
It took days at a time to fly to the strange place, sleeping on cruise ships and flying at night. Harry might have worried if he had known that Hedwig was flying over the Atlantic Ocean every time he wrote a letter to Sirius, but there was no need. Owls were smarter than they appeared and made up a schedule of boats passing through the area at all times. Hedwig never had a problem getting a place to sleep.
But once she crossed the ocean she was in a different world. Large, tropical birds held firm control over the mail system. They were large and obnoxious, and purposely detained the owl during the Customs process. It was only when Hedwig threatened to complain to the British Owl Embassy that they let her go, cawing under their breaths about affirmative action and how they would never make such a long trip with such dirty feathers. Hedwig was happy that he wasn’t like that.
It didn’t take her long to find Sirius. He stayed in a small cottage off of the beach, pale skin gaining some color after weeks in this tropical paradise. Hedwig loved Sirius. He always stroked her feathers and gave her large owl treats, praising her skill in carrying a letter all the way from England.
“You’re a good girl, Hedwig,” he said, as she perched on his shoulder and preened. “This isn’t your home, and few owls would come here. Do you know why I’m here?” She knew, of course. It was obvious to any owl with half a brain. But in Hedwig’s experience, half of an owl brain was worth two human brains, so she allowed Sirius to tell her. “It’s because of the Dementors. They can’t come here; the sunlight is too harsh.”
Hedwig couldn’t contain herself any longer. Even Sirius, who she adored, was a human, and therefore an idiot.
“Sirius,” she said, “you can’t run from them forever! Even this odd place gets cold, or a cloud comes up, and then the Grey Hoods will get you. Were you in Gryffindor House for nothing? Only a Slytherin would run away like this!” Hedwig disliked Slytherin House in general. An eagle owl named Attila, the owner of Draco Malfoy, was particularly rude and left his dropping all over the Owlery. It was Hedwig’s personal opinion that owls like that should have their feathers pulled out and made to live as a pigeon.
Unfortunately, Sirius did not speak owl, so it came out, “Hoot!” But she bit his fingers while she was hooting, so her point got across fairly well. He gave her a Look, muttering under his breath as he untied the letter from her leg. Too offended by his extreme idiocy to pay him the slightest bit of attention, Hedwig flew out the window as soon as the letter was untied. She wouldn’t be needed for a few minutes yet- Sirius always took hours to write to Harry, and she had…Business to attend to. It was time to see…Him.
A hammock sat outside the cottage, with a twisty pathway from the cottage down to the beach. The hammock was swinging slightly in the breeze, a scene so clichéd that Hedwig clicked her beak. Some scenes shouldn’t be allowed to happen. They weren’t real enough.
The hammock was ties between two trees, and in one of these trees was a brightly colored bird with a beak the size of Hedwig’s cage. He turned his beak towards Hedwig as she flew up to him, fluffing up her feathers.
“Hello there, Seńorita,” the bird said in a thick Spanish accent, moving over to make room for the owl. Hedwig’s white feathers were quite a contrast to his, which were like a rainbow.
“Ricardo,” Hedwig answered, secretly thrilled.
“Why were you away so long, Seńorita? My heart ached for you.” Ricardo’s caws were full of sadness and longing for Hedwig, and she couldn’t help but glancing down to the beach. A group of female seagulls were staring at her in obvious envy.
“Shoo, you lot,” she hooted at them before turning back to Ricardo. “My human is inconsistent, Ricardo. But I should ask the same. Why have you not been to see me?”
“Ay, my love,” he said, hanging his beak in despair, “I fear we were not meant to be. Sirius has decided to use my sister, Julia Santeria Debora the third, to send his letters. I have been let go.” Hedwig’s heart fell. Ricardo, after all, was the only reason she put up with the heat. Many times the pair had shared a coconut as they watched the sunset while Sirius worked on a particularly long letter. What pleasure would she get out of the transatlantic trip without him waiting for her? (The thought of the pleasure in Harry’s face never crossed her mind.) Another wizard would be using him to send letters, and they would never see each other again!
“Why must it be this way?” Hedwig cried, hooting mournfully. “You are a wonderful carrier!” Her indignation with Sirius was strong in her heart, and she debated poking his eye out with her beak.
“My dear, I...” something pained Ricardo, Hedwig could tell. He had turned his head so that she could not see his eyes. “I lost a letter.” Hedwig gasped, and Ricardo looked ashamed. “Hedwig, my beauty, I am sorry! I did not mean to! I-”
“Ricardo,” Hedwig interrupted dramatically, “I cannot be with someone who does such horrible things.” Hedwig had never lost a letter in her life. Only amateur owls, like that Pig that owned Ron Weasley, lost letters. A full grown bird like Ricardo…It was a disgrace. “Go find yourself a seagull to comfort you!” she screeched before flying away back through the open window, leaving Ricardo to despair.
Sirius looked disturbed as she came back.
“Ah, Hedwig, it’s about time,” he snapped, walking briskly up to her with a letter. “This is a very important letter. It cannot be intercepted, and you must not lose it. Understand?”
Hedwig hooted a yes as she flew out the window again on her way back to England. Sirius needn’t have worried.
Hedwig never lost a letter.