Two
A quiet pecking noise woke Niamh slowly from her sleep. She groaned as her eyes blinked, adjusting to the harsh morning light in her room. The pecking noise increased and Niamh looked around the room in confusion.
"What in the.." Niamh muttered, throwing the bedcovers off her body and standing up. She swayed slightly on her feet as the blood rushed from her head. Her eyes focused again and she made her way to pull back the curtains.
She jumped slightly as she found the culprit of the pecking. There on the other side of the window pane Niamh found the family barn owl, Flame. Niamh had named her when she was a child, her feathers had always shone brightly in sunlight as the bird would fly through the sky with post.
Niamh opened the window with a smile and in hopped Flame with a hoot.
"Good morning to you too" Niamh chuckled, stroking the bird's wings and giving her a quick scratch on her head. Flame pecked at Niamh's fingers making her laugh.
"Come on then" Niamh said bending down, patting her shoulder to let the owl perch. The bird scooted off the window sill and gently landed on her shoulder. Flame nuzzled her head against Niamh's and playfully nipped and pulled at her hair.
"Okay, okay" Niamh laughed, grabbing a tin from her desk that was stuffed with owl treats. She pulled out two and placed them in the palm of her hand for Flame to nibble on as the two walked down the stairs for breakfast.
"No wonder you're her favourite" Anne noted, rolling her eyes at her daughter as Niamh continued to feed the owl on her shoulder.
"Bribery always works best I've found" Niamh laughed, as Flame flew to her perch in the kitchen.
Niamh pointed her wand at the steel kettle on the stove and heated the water within to make tea.
When the kettle shrill whistle broke the silence of the room, Niamh snapped out of the trance she hadn't realised she was under. Thankfully she had managed to butter toast without being aware she had done so.
"What's the plan for today?" Niamh asked, with a full mouth.
"We've to take two owls back to Eeylops, and then the day is our own" Anne smiled, "I'd best get those cages for the owls"
Niamh watched her mother scurry to get the cages for the journey to Diagon Alley. Eeylops Owl Emporium in the past few months had provided them with great business. If any owlets were born on the Smith residents, the Emporium always had first refusal on them. Niamh hated to see the babies go, especially if they needed extra attention, but she knew they couldn't keep them all.
Anne returned with the cages and set them down with a clang on the table. She was deep in thought and failed to notice when Niamh left the room to change for the day.
Now facing her wardrobe, Niamh stood pondering over what to wear. The cloudy sky out her window left her with no idea of what to put on. But knowing London at the start of July, it was bound to rain at some point, and was unusually cold for the time of year.
She grabbed a pair of loose, straight legged jeans with rips over and just above the knees along with a tshirt. This to Niamh were her fancy work clothes, none were totally destroyed by the owls claws and her skin couldn't be seen through them. She pulled on a navy hoodie before exiting her room, stuffing her wand in her pocket as she did.
On returning to the kitchen, Anne had one owl in its cage much to it's disgust as the bird flapped it's wings in temper. Niamh ignored the bird and made her way to the shed where the owls were kept.
Before she even opened the door she could hear the commotion inside. She gently crept inside as about 20 owls hooted and screeched at the two witches standing in the room.
"What happened in here?" Niamh yelled over all the noise.
"I went to get that bloody snowy boy up there and he decided he'd rather cause a riot" Anne explained loudly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Right" Niamh muttered. She brought her two pinky fingers to her mouth and gave a sharp whistle causing a hush to fall over the birds.
"Thank you" Niamh spoke directly to the owls, before turning and looking straight at the snowy owl causing all the problems, "Now Trouble, if you would please just fly down here"
She held out her arm while the bird tilted its head to the side, looking her up and down. Niamh herself looked the bird up and down and waited.
The two stared each other down for a solid two minutes before the snowy owl bowed its head and flew to gracefully land on Niamh's extended arm.
"Thank Merlin" Anne muttered as Niamh smiled at the bird, "I'll get his cage"
"Now Trouble, you're going to behave yourself now aren't you?" Niamh questioned softly, stroking the bird's face with her finger, "You just wanted to cause a little riot to leave a lasting impression"
The owl cooed softly in response as Anne opened the shed door again with the cage. Niamh gave the bird one last pet before placing him in the bottom of the steel cage and locking the door. Niamh then took the cage from her mother and followed her back inside the house to make the trip to London.
Anne pulled her traveling cloak over her shoulders and fastened the button. Anne, unlike her daughter preferred the traditional wizarding clothing, but still had a wardrobe of muggle clothing when it was needed.
"Ready?" Anne asked, picking up the second owl as Niamh nodded.
The pair made their way to the fireplace and both grabbed a handful of floo powder before clearly stating "Diagon Alley" as their destination.
The pair spun through green flames, watching as other fire places zoom past and soon found themselves bustling amongst the shoppers of Diagon Alley.
The Alley was busy and it made Niamh smile. She always loved the Alley, although a trip usually meant getting school supplies and returning to her studies, she didn't care.
Niamh followed her mother through the crowd, catching glimpses of conversations as they passed by.
"Yes, they're reopening next month..."
"Just in time for school"
Niamh accidentally walked into her mother, who had stopped outside Eeylops Owl Emporium, both the birds they carried screeching loudly.
"Sorry mum" Niamh said quickly, looking at her feet as her mother rolled her eyes.
The pair stepped inside the small, dark shop and made their way to the counter. Niamh placed her cage on the counter top and took a quick look around the shop, an eagle owl watching her closely from under it's wing. The windows at the front highlighted just how dark it was inside.
Niamh watched people passing by the window and could have sworn she saw a flash of red hair in the crowd.
The logical side of her brain told her to calm down, there was more than one person, more than one family in the entire wizarding world with red hair.
"Sweetheart, why don't you go on and have a wander, and I'll sort this?" Anne suggested.
"Are you sure?" Niamh asked, already slowly backing out of the shop.
Anne nodded with a smile and a wave and Niamh made her way into the midmorning sunlight with a wide grin on her face.
Her stomach grumbled and immediately headed to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. This was always her favourite stop on a shopping trip and she was so glad they had reopened after the war.
Having finally decided on a flavour of cookie dough, Niamh left the sweet smelling parlour and made her way back out onto the busy street, avoiding crashing into several people who bustled by her.
As she looked down to lick the dribbling ice cream from the cone, she was hit with a brick wall like force that knocked her clean off her feet.
"Ow" she mumbled, lying flat on her back on the cobbled street. Her ice cream smashed into the ground. Her eyes stayed closed as her head pounded in her skull.
"Oh Merlin! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you...I-I wasn't watching and...and Niamh?" A voice said from above her.
It was oddly familiar, yet her sore head couldn't place it. She propped herself up on her elbows, slowly opened her eyes, rubbing at the already large bump forming at the back of her head.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Standing over her, blocking the sun, the reason she had been knocked over. The reason why her brain felt bruised and was still bouncing about in her skull.
It was him.
It was George Weasley.
"What in the.." Niamh muttered, throwing the bedcovers off her body and standing up. She swayed slightly on her feet as the blood rushed from her head. Her eyes focused again and she made her way to pull back the curtains.
She jumped slightly as she found the culprit of the pecking. There on the other side of the window pane Niamh found the family barn owl, Flame. Niamh had named her when she was a child, her feathers had always shone brightly in sunlight as the bird would fly through the sky with post.
Niamh opened the window with a smile and in hopped Flame with a hoot.
"Good morning to you too" Niamh chuckled, stroking the bird's wings and giving her a quick scratch on her head. Flame pecked at Niamh's fingers making her laugh.
"Come on then" Niamh said bending down, patting her shoulder to let the owl perch. The bird scooted off the window sill and gently landed on her shoulder. Flame nuzzled her head against Niamh's and playfully nipped and pulled at her hair.
"Okay, okay" Niamh laughed, grabbing a tin from her desk that was stuffed with owl treats. She pulled out two and placed them in the palm of her hand for Flame to nibble on as the two walked down the stairs for breakfast.
"No wonder you're her favourite" Anne noted, rolling her eyes at her daughter as Niamh continued to feed the owl on her shoulder.
"Bribery always works best I've found" Niamh laughed, as Flame flew to her perch in the kitchen.
Niamh pointed her wand at the steel kettle on the stove and heated the water within to make tea.
When the kettle shrill whistle broke the silence of the room, Niamh snapped out of the trance she hadn't realised she was under. Thankfully she had managed to butter toast without being aware she had done so.
"What's the plan for today?" Niamh asked, with a full mouth.
"We've to take two owls back to Eeylops, and then the day is our own" Anne smiled, "I'd best get those cages for the owls"
Niamh watched her mother scurry to get the cages for the journey to Diagon Alley. Eeylops Owl Emporium in the past few months had provided them with great business. If any owlets were born on the Smith residents, the Emporium always had first refusal on them. Niamh hated to see the babies go, especially if they needed extra attention, but she knew they couldn't keep them all.
Anne returned with the cages and set them down with a clang on the table. She was deep in thought and failed to notice when Niamh left the room to change for the day.
Now facing her wardrobe, Niamh stood pondering over what to wear. The cloudy sky out her window left her with no idea of what to put on. But knowing London at the start of July, it was bound to rain at some point, and was unusually cold for the time of year.
She grabbed a pair of loose, straight legged jeans with rips over and just above the knees along with a tshirt. This to Niamh were her fancy work clothes, none were totally destroyed by the owls claws and her skin couldn't be seen through them. She pulled on a navy hoodie before exiting her room, stuffing her wand in her pocket as she did.
On returning to the kitchen, Anne had one owl in its cage much to it's disgust as the bird flapped it's wings in temper. Niamh ignored the bird and made her way to the shed where the owls were kept.
Before she even opened the door she could hear the commotion inside. She gently crept inside as about 20 owls hooted and screeched at the two witches standing in the room.
"What happened in here?" Niamh yelled over all the noise.
"I went to get that bloody snowy boy up there and he decided he'd rather cause a riot" Anne explained loudly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Right" Niamh muttered. She brought her two pinky fingers to her mouth and gave a sharp whistle causing a hush to fall over the birds.
"Thank you" Niamh spoke directly to the owls, before turning and looking straight at the snowy owl causing all the problems, "Now Trouble, if you would please just fly down here"
She held out her arm while the bird tilted its head to the side, looking her up and down. Niamh herself looked the bird up and down and waited.
The two stared each other down for a solid two minutes before the snowy owl bowed its head and flew to gracefully land on Niamh's extended arm.
"Thank Merlin" Anne muttered as Niamh smiled at the bird, "I'll get his cage"
"Now Trouble, you're going to behave yourself now aren't you?" Niamh questioned softly, stroking the bird's face with her finger, "You just wanted to cause a little riot to leave a lasting impression"
The owl cooed softly in response as Anne opened the shed door again with the cage. Niamh gave the bird one last pet before placing him in the bottom of the steel cage and locking the door. Niamh then took the cage from her mother and followed her back inside the house to make the trip to London.
Anne pulled her traveling cloak over her shoulders and fastened the button. Anne, unlike her daughter preferred the traditional wizarding clothing, but still had a wardrobe of muggle clothing when it was needed.
"Ready?" Anne asked, picking up the second owl as Niamh nodded.
The pair made their way to the fireplace and both grabbed a handful of floo powder before clearly stating "Diagon Alley" as their destination.
The pair spun through green flames, watching as other fire places zoom past and soon found themselves bustling amongst the shoppers of Diagon Alley.
The Alley was busy and it made Niamh smile. She always loved the Alley, although a trip usually meant getting school supplies and returning to her studies, she didn't care.
Niamh followed her mother through the crowd, catching glimpses of conversations as they passed by.
"Yes, they're reopening next month..."
"Just in time for school"
Niamh accidentally walked into her mother, who had stopped outside Eeylops Owl Emporium, both the birds they carried screeching loudly.
"Sorry mum" Niamh said quickly, looking at her feet as her mother rolled her eyes.
The pair stepped inside the small, dark shop and made their way to the counter. Niamh placed her cage on the counter top and took a quick look around the shop, an eagle owl watching her closely from under it's wing. The windows at the front highlighted just how dark it was inside.
Niamh watched people passing by the window and could have sworn she saw a flash of red hair in the crowd.
The logical side of her brain told her to calm down, there was more than one person, more than one family in the entire wizarding world with red hair.
"Sweetheart, why don't you go on and have a wander, and I'll sort this?" Anne suggested.
"Are you sure?" Niamh asked, already slowly backing out of the shop.
Anne nodded with a smile and a wave and Niamh made her way into the midmorning sunlight with a wide grin on her face.
Her stomach grumbled and immediately headed to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. This was always her favourite stop on a shopping trip and she was so glad they had reopened after the war.
Having finally decided on a flavour of cookie dough, Niamh left the sweet smelling parlour and made her way back out onto the busy street, avoiding crashing into several people who bustled by her.
As she looked down to lick the dribbling ice cream from the cone, she was hit with a brick wall like force that knocked her clean off her feet.
"Ow" she mumbled, lying flat on her back on the cobbled street. Her ice cream smashed into the ground. Her eyes stayed closed as her head pounded in her skull.
"Oh Merlin! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you...I-I wasn't watching and...and Niamh?" A voice said from above her.
It was oddly familiar, yet her sore head couldn't place it. She propped herself up on her elbows, slowly opened her eyes, rubbing at the already large bump forming at the back of her head.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Standing over her, blocking the sun, the reason she had been knocked over. The reason why her brain felt bruised and was still bouncing about in her skull.
It was him.
It was George Weasley.
