#side quest

The Slytherins—or at least, the chaotic majority of them—were currently scattered across your dormitory waiting for you to return, when a sharp tapping echoed from the windowpane.

They all traded confused glances. Theodore, being the closest to the glass, pushed himself up from his seat to investigate. Perched on the stone sill outside was a magnificent owl, looking entirely unimpressed and carrying a letter.

"Oh! That must be Y/N's pet!" Pansy chirped excitedly, scrambling to her feet to take a look.

Theodore threw open the window, but rather than flying inside, the bird remained exactly where it was. It slowly tilted its head, scanning the occupants of the room one by one as if judging their very souls.

"Are you not Y/N's, then? Are you perhaps Pond's?" Theodore asked, extending a cautious hand to stroke the feathers on its head.

The owl let out a sharp, offended screech.

Before Theo could even pull his hand back, the owl launched itself forward, its wings beating furiously as it began to slap him square in the face.

"Blimey—get off! Ouch!" Theodore yelped, hurriedly raising his arms to shield his face. While the feathers didn't exactly hurt, the sheer velocity of the wing-buffeting was entirely overwhelming.

The rest of the room instantly erupted into roaring laughter. Lorenzo, having thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle, finally decided to play the savior. Still chuckling, he lunged forward to pull Theodore out of the fray, only for the bird to pivot mid-air and deliver a sharp, disciplinary peck right to Enzo’s knuckles.

"Ow! Bloody hell!" Lorenzo hissed, cradling his hand as the assault on Theo finally ceased.

With the owl satisfied of the damage, it turned its gaze toward the door. With a parting, majestic flourish—clipping Enzo right across the cheek with the tip of its wing like a bloke flicking his cape—the bird glided gracefully across the room and landed inside the empty brass cage.

Right at that moment, the dormitory door swung open. You walked in, flanked by Tom and Draco. Tom had a hand resting lightly around your waist, but the owl let out a distinct, melodious hoot, immediately drawing your attention away from the boys.

"Y/N, is that bloody bird yours?" Blaise asked from his armchair, looking highly amused.

"Oh, Merlin! (Owl Name)!" you cried, your eyes widening in pure delight as you rushed over to the cage. "What on earth are you doing here?! He belongs to my mum and dad, actually. They’ve had him ever since their wedding day."

As you gently took the parchment from the owl, the letter began to unfold itself in your hands. It didn't explode like a Howler; instead, it hovered slightly, it began to move as if talking while your mother’s voice echoed softly throughout the room.

"Y/N, my dear. Your father and I thought it was finally time to officially pass (Owl Name) on to you. He was always meant to be yours, you see. We fully intended to send him with you for your first year at Hogwarts, but there was a bit of trouble back then. I know how deeply fond you are of him, so we are entirely at peace knowing he’s in your care. Think of him as a little piece of home keeping you company on your journey."

The parchment folded itself back up and dropped gently onto your desk. You beamed, turning back to the room with an excited smile.

"Everyone, this is (Owl Name)! I do hope you all get along. He’s honestly the sweetest thing."

Right on cue, the owl narrowed its eyes, scanning the room with a look of pure, unadulterated judgment.

"That 'sweetest thing' just launched a full-scale assault on my face the moment I opened the window," Theodore grumbled, crossing his arms and frowning deeply.

(Owl Name) tilted his head to the side, blinking slowly as if feigning absolute innocence. You looked between the boys and your pet.

"Did you really?" you asked, letting out a soft giggle when the owl let out a gentle hoot and shook his head. "Oh, don't be daft, Theo. He probably just didn't recognize you all! Come here, let me properly introduce you so he knows you're friends."

You went around the room, introducing each of the Slytherins one by one while (Owl Name) stared them down. "There. I expect you all to be on your best behavior!" you smiled.

But as the Slytherins looked at the owl—and the owl looked back at them like a strictly protective guardian—they collectively realized that earning this bird's approval was going to be an absolute nightmare.

The first completely unwilling attempt at getting close to (Owl Name) was made by Draco and Blaise.

Your dormitory room was currently empty, save for the two boys who had slipped inside to wait for you.

"You could’ve just sent her a text to watch the practice match, you know," Blaise said, letting out a breath as he flopped lazily onto your bed.

"And risk having her cheer for the Hufflepuffs instead of us?" Draco snapped back, adjusting his collar in the mirror.

"She’d cheer for them either way, you daft git. It’s her house," Blaise pointed out, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever."

A tap against the glass made them both freeze. They turned their heads slowly toward the windowpane.

"Oh, brilliant. It’s that bloody bird," Blaise muttered, staring at the window with a look of pure dread.

"(Owl Name)?" Draco frowned, stepping closer. "Why on earth is he outside?"

"Don't open it," Blaise warned, narrowing his eyes at the silhouette beyond the glass. "It’ll murder you in your sleep, Malfoy. I'm telling you."

Draco rolled his eyes, attempting to summon his usual pureblood bravado, and strode over to the latch anyway. Throwing the window open, he quickly moved to the side to let the bird pass, but the owl remained firmly perched on the stone sill, unmoving.

"What’s that dangling from his feet?" Blaise asked, leaning forward slightly from the bed.

Draco took a closer look, and his aristocratic composure instantly shattered. He leaped backward, his face turning entirely pale. "Bloody hell! Is that a snake?!"

(Owl Name) fixed his large, unblinking eyes on both of them. A small, green snake squirmed helplessly beneath his sharp claws. As if deliberately making sure the two Slytherins were paying undivided attention, the owl slowly, picked up the snake with his beak and began to swallow it whole—all while staring the boys down. It was a blatant, chilling message to the house of the serpent.

The two boys huddled slightly closer together, utterly terrified by the sheer audacity of the bird.

Once he had finished his gruesome afternoon tea, (Owl Name) let out a small, satisfied hoot. He clicked his beak twice at them, flew gracefully across the room, and settled back into his brass cage, leaving Draco and Blaise completely scarred.

The message was well received by the Slytherins.

​The next attempt at making peace with (Owl Name) was a little more intentional. Mattheo, Lorenzo, and Pansy all marched into your dormitory room with a plan.

​"Oh, hello, (Owl Name)!" Pansy said with a bright, entirely forced smile, trying her absolute best to look welcoming.

​"We brought you a bit of a snack," Mattheo chimed in, a smirk playing on his lips as he held up a small, wire-caged rodent. "Take it as a peace offering and a welcome gift from the house. No hard feelings, yeah?"

​The owl merely fluffed his feathers in response, letting out a low, deeply unimpressed clicking sound as he repositioned himself on his perch for better comfort, entirely ignoring Mattheo’s offering.

​Right at that moment, the door swung open and you walked into the room. Lorenzo was at your side in a flash. Smiling smoothly, he slid a hand around your waist, guiding you gently toward your favorite armchair to sit down.

​(Owl Name) moved even faster.

​With a sudden, majestic sweep of his wings, the owl launched himself from his cage and landed perfectly on your shoulder. He immediately flared his wings out in a broad, defensive shield around your neck. The wide span of his feathers effectively blocked off the entire side of your chair—leaving Lorenzo standing there with absolutely no space to sit on the armrest beside you as he had intended.

Lorenzo froze, staring at the bird, quickly taking his hand away from your waist before the owl decided to take a bite of his fingers.

"Y/N, look! We brought a snack for (Owl Name)!" Pansy beamed, quickly snatching the caged rodent from Mattheo’s hand to present it to you. "We heard he fancied a snake for tea yesterday, so we were hoping he might prefer something a bit different today!"

"Aww, thank you, guys!" you said, genuinely touched. You looked up at the bird perched on your shoulder. "(Owl Name), can you go and say thank you to them?"

The owl merely glared at the trio, letting out a low, incredibly ungrateful hoot.

"Properly, boy," you chided softly with a giggle.

Taking your cue, the bird launched himself forward. But instead of a polite greeting, he landed squarely on Lorenzo’s shoulder. His sharp talons dug firmly into the fabric of Enzo's robes, and he began to flap his massive wings excitedly, hooting like a maniac as his feathers repeatedly slapped Lorenzo clean across the face.

"Blimey—get him off! Y/N, help!" Lorenzo muffled through a mouthful of feathers.

You burst out laughing, stepping in to gently coax the owl away and back into his cage. The moment he was free, Lorenzo frozen in place, wearing an expression of pure, terrified shock as he looked over at Pansy and Mattheo for sympathy.

"Would you lot like to try feeding him?" you asked, turning to smile warmly at the three of them.

Right on cue, (Owl Name) turned his head completely around, fixing them with a wide, unsettling stare that sent an immediate shiver straight down their spines. It was the bird-equivalent of a psychotic smirk.

Without a single second of hesitation, Pansy and Lorenzo snapped their arms out, pointing their index fingers directly at Mattheo.

You turned your gaze to Mattheo, looking up at him expectantly. "Would you like to do the honors, then?"

"Can you promise he won't bite my fingers off?" Mattheo muttered, eyeing the bird with deep suspicion.

"Oh, come off it. I thought you said you were going to prove your dominance to the bird," Pansy scoffed, crossing her arms and smirking from a safe distance.

"I have to agree with that but," Lorenzo chimed in, adjusting his ruffled collar. "That's not a bird. That's a bloody monster in a feathery trench coat. Mattheo is not proving anything."

"He’s perfectly safe, you lot! He wouldn't do a thing," you insisted, rolling your eyes. You grabbed Mattheo by the arm, gently pulling him closer to the cage, and placed the small rodent into his hand.

(Owl Name) actually rolled his eyes before leaning forward. To everyone's utter shock, the owl took the offering from Mattheo’s fingers entirely gently, swallowing it down without a single fuss.

You beamed, turning around to face Pansy and Lorenzo. "See? I told you he was—"

A sharp, sudden gasp cut you off.

The exact moment your back was turned to show the others how well it had gone, (Owl Name) lunged forward with lightning speed and delivered a swift, vicious nip straight to the meat of Mattheo’s thumb.

"Bloody hell!" Mattheo hissed, snapping his hand back and glaring death at the bird, who simply settled back onto his perch, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

"Right, that’s it. We’re bringing the big guy in tomorrow," Pansy declared, throwing her hands up in absolute surrender as she backed away from the cage. "I'm not risking my manicure for a bird."

As your dormitory room became crowded once again, (Owl Name) decided he had officially tolerated enough. He scrambled up to hide right against the crook of your neck, glaring down his beak at every single person in the room.

"Look, (Owl Name), it’s us! The friendly Slytherins who didn't petrify you!" Theodore chirped, waving his hands in a frantic peace offering. The owl merely let out a dismissive hoot, turning his head completely away as if Theo weren't even worth the bother.

The moment Mattheo stepped forward to approach you, the bird’s wings flared out instantly, his feathers fluffing up as he glared death at the boy.

"Calm down, will you? I was only grabbing something, damn!" Mattheo rolled his eyes, reaching past you to grab the phone resting on the nightstand next to you.

Before his fingers could even brush the screen, (Owl Name)’s wing snapped outward like a whip, slapping the phone clean out of Mattheo's hand. The device clattered onto the floor, and the owl let out a deeply smug, satisfied hoot.

"(Owl Name)! That is not nice," you scolded gently, looking over your shoulder at him.

"What isn't nice?" Tom’s deep, smooth voice echoed from the doorway.

The moment Tom stepped into the room, the entire circle of Slytherins smirked. (Owl Name)’s brave, terrifying facade instantly shattered; he let out a tiny, pathetic squeak and practically shrunk behind your back.

Tom strode over to where you were sitting. Without a word, he easily scooped you up, settling himself down in the chair and pulling you right onto his lap. (Owl Name), who had been thoroughly disrupted by the movement, fluttered back up onto your shoulder. Tom reached up, casually stroking the owl, without a single complaint.

"Tom, I swear I haven't gotten to hold Y/N in absolutely ages," Pansy whined from across the room, pouting dramatically. "Can you please keep that demonic bird from battering the rest of us?"

"(Owl Name), can you promise not to hurt them, please?" you asked, turning your head to pet his chest.

Tom smoothly took the owl off your shoulder, holding him securely so you could slide off his lap. You scrambled over to the bed where Pansy was currently lounging and flopped down beside her.

Pansy immediately turned her head toward the bird, childishly sticking her tongue out at the fiercely guarded bird, before wrapping her arms around you and cuddling you tightly.

Masterlist

This was super hard i had no idea how to write this honestly LMAO

this also felt super long so i have no idea if i did it right i tried my best im actually not super happy with the results but with my skills right now in terms of writing i think this was good

i didnt follow the previous format i had on writing where its each character because i feel like it'd be repeating with how the bird will hate on the guys and blah blah

i was gonna make it those things where the owl would pretend to get hurt by them but i dont think you'd fall for it

i also didnt make the owl fully accept them yet because one does not just change quick but at least he's not as bad anymore (i might add him in the actual story because of an idea i got so im glad)

i hope you enjoyed it and i LOVE LOVE LOVE getting requests please dont hesitate

i want to add a bit more side quests before i dive deeper on the main story too because the following chapters would be the story getting a bit more serious and i kinda want to develop and show a bit more of the relationships of the group

anyways i had fun i hope even if this was too long you did too ily all thanks for your supprt!!

-kookiedough

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