The boy rolled his eyes in amusement, "You don't like anyone " he corrected easily, as he read through them with a certain lack of interest. It was all basic information. Dress code, class overviews, necessary supplies, how to get to the train station, and other useless bits of information.
"I like you ."
The green-eyed boy looked up from the items into the amber eyes that stared back at him, before the girl looked away with a slight blush.
"I suppose so, what exactly is it that you disliked about my new friend. "
The emphasis wasn't lost, and Hedwig fought back against the anger forming in the pit of her stomach. "The way she was looking at you… like you were a meal to her… It is inappropriate for someone of her… position."
"I don't know, it didn't bother me much."
"You need someone closer to your own age, someone like m…" she snapped her jaw shut before anything else could be said, but it was already too late.
"Correct me if I am wrong, but you were the one who chose not to sleep in the bed anymore."
"I-it isn't appropriate anymore… You are starting to go through that phase ."
"I fail to see what the problem is."
His reply was met with a huff, "Of course you don't, you are a borderline teenage boy ."
"I also recall that you were the one who would snuggle into me at night" he teased.
The girl didn't quite have a comeback for that statement, and let the room fall into silence. "Are you going to attend?"
He quirked his head slightly to the side at her whispered question, "Of course, this is far too convenient not to. Besides think of all the things I will be able to learn."
"You don't need them… you are far greater than anyone at that school as you are now."
"Perhaps, but it would be a bit odd if I suddenly showed up at this 'Ministry' and declared that I was in charge."
Hedwig nodded, she knew this day would come eventually but she had always secretly hoped that he would turn them down. That it would remain 'them against the world' as it had been for the last decade. That he would simply be content with just her . There would be other girls at Hogwarts, girls that would sense his greatness and be drawn to him.
Why wouldn't they?
The bigger question was, would she interfere… or let nature run its course?
"You know that no matter what happens, no one will ever replace you ." Negative thoughts were swept from the pale girl's mind with a single statement, and she smiled warmly back at her boy . Yes, he might take pleasure in other girls, but she would always be his .
"I know."
"You will come with me, yes?"
"Of course, silly boy. You can't get rid of me that easily."
"You will need to stay in your owl form… if the others were to discover what you are…"
"What would you do? If they took me away?" she muttered, tears forming in her eyes at the thought of being separated from him as she had once before. Just as she had been the one constant good thing in his life, he had been the constant in hers.
"I would burn their nation to the ground until I found you."
A glance into his eyes revealed his complete seriousness in the statement, and her heart rate was sent spiraling out of control.
...
On September first a young boy clad in a black cloak entered platform Nine and Three-Quarters. As he strode towards the large steam train his presence began to garner attention.
"Who is that?"
"How should I know, looks small though, maybe a first year?"
"No way, no first year walks like that ."
"What's with his robes?"
"I've never seen clothing that dark before. It is like a new color."
"I wonder where he buys them from."
"Must be a Pureblood, only we can afford such high quality fabrics and shades."
"I wonder if he knows he can't have the owl on the train like that."
"Where are the rest of his things?"
"How should I know?"
"He has the most beautiful eyes…"
And so on until the boy finally reached the train itself, as he did so an older student called out to him. "Excuse me, you can't have your owl out like that."
Sure enough the snow-white owl was perched on the boy's shoulder, perfectly calm despite the other people and animals cluttering the platform.
"Hey, you there! Your owl has to be in a cage, it can't…"
The boy promptly ignored the older boy and stepped onto the train.