Good Enough | hp

42| A Stream of Doubts

Estella got up early the next day, wanting to beat the morning rush - which would have increased tenfold due to the prospect of the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match - to make her way to the Owlery.

She skipped down the steps. Yesterday's events were still in her head, but it was hard to focus on them when roaring wind wrapped around her in ribbons of consistent lenths.

She pushed open the door and made her way to a tawny owl off to the right, its white feather speckled with brown and white.

"Hey Alora." Estella greeted her owl, patting it softly.

Alora titled her feathery head, her dark brown eyes following her every move.

Estella frowned at the open space beyond the tower.

She had planned to send a letter to her parents today, figuring that the rain would have cleared up by now, but outside, a storm was howling.

This was no haven for an owl.

Tomorrow, she thought, I'll send it tomorrow.

She leant against the brick of the walls. The wind pushed droplets of water onto her face and robes and pushed back her hair, making it frizzier than usual, but it was a sort of relief to be here on her own.

From where she was, she thought she could just make out the branches of a beech tree through the gale. She smiled, knowing that her field of daisies was just beyond.

After several long moments of silence, Estella decided she ought to head back to the dorms. There was nothing else much to do here.

Giving Alora one more pat on the head and a round handful of owl treats she took from a small bag in the corner, she made her way back up to Gryffindor Tower, still clutching the unsent letter in her hands.

She had expected to sit in silence by the fireplace, perhaps bring down her guitar for a few unspoken hours of relaxing melodies. She would head down early to breakfast, beat the crowd and meet up with her friends when they came down.

What she hadn't expected was to see one, Harry James Potter, sitting in front of the fire.

He didn't seem to notice her. 

Estella glanced towards the window; maybe more time had passed than she thought, and more people would be streaming down in eager trepidation of the match.

No. The sky was as dark and stormy as ever. Dawn had not yet graced the grounds of Hogwarts with its presence.

Estella wondered if she should head up to her dorm, tiptoe past him before she was forced to acknowledge his presence.

Unfortunately(or maybe fortunately, given that there was a tiny part of her that wanted to sit there and talk to him), he spotted her as he got up to stop Crookshanks from sneaking up to the boys' dormitories.

"Stella?"

"Uh- hi."

"Hi." A smile fell on his lips. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I could ask the same of you," she replied, going around the couches scattered in the room to sit on the armchair next to his by the fireplace. "I was going to deliver a letter to my parents."

He looked questioningly towards the window as he circled back to sit down. "In this weather?"

"Of course not. I thought the storm would have cleared up by now but..." she held up the still-sealed ivory envelope in her hand. 

He gave a slight nod of comprehension. "Peeves woke me up," he said, in response to her previous question.

She gave an upside-down smile and said, bemused, "What was Peeves doing in your dormitory?"