One World Too Many

Chapter 14: A Letter

Saturday. The day where everyone's troubles seem to disappear.

...Until they come back on Monday, that is.

Jason was the first of the demigods up that morning. Maybe it was the party the night before, or the butterbeer that he was told didn't have alcohol in it, but his head was pounding when he stood. He quickly and quietly got dressed and made his way into the common room.

As he silently closed the door behind him, he noticed a one 'boy who lived' sitting in a chair by the fireplace.

"Hey Harry!" Jason said, not loud enough to be shouting, but not quietly enough to be whispering.

Harry was standing and had his wand raised in front of him before Jason could even let out a laugh.

"Woah, dude!" He held up his hands in surrender. "It's just me!"

"Ah," Harry put down his wand. "Sorry, Jason."

"No problem, man." Jason flopped onto the couch next to Harry's chair. "Didn't think I'd scare ya so damn much."

Harry sighed and sat back down.

"Whatcha doing there anyway?" Jason looked over.

"Just... writing a letter." Harry checked the paper again and again before finally folding it up. He stood.

"Now what're you doing?" Jason asked.

"Going to the Owlery."

Jason jumped up excitedly. "Can I come?"

Harry looked down at his letter than back to Jason. "Yeah, I s'pose."

So Jason and Harry walked in silence outside to the Owlery, being saved on the way by Sir Nicholas who informed them of a little prank that Peeves had set up, so they took a detour.

"Wow!" Jason said as soon as they entered the stone tower. "This is pretty cool." He spun around to take in the entire room filled with owls.

"Yeah... I s'pose it is."

Jason watched as Harry called down a huge snowy owl that had been sitting near the top of the ceiling. The bird landed on the other boy's shoulder with ease.

"Is she yours?" Jason asked, stepping closer while being wary of the owl's beak and talons.

"Yeah. This is Hedwig. Been with me since first year."

"Bro, that's really cool!"

"Yeah." Harry stepped over to the window and gave Hedwig the letter which she clasped in her beak. Before he sent her off, he whispered something to the bird. Jason caught a few words that had been caught on the wind: snuffles, outside, and serious.

Harry stood at the window for a minute before Jason heard a gasp and scrambled over.

"What?"

"Do you see that?" He pointed to a flying horse. Jason recognized it as one that was pulling the carriages at the train station.

"Yeah."

Harry sighed. "Of course you-" his head shot up. "What did you say?"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Uh... I said, yeah I see the flying black horse. Isn't it one of those-"

Before he could finish, the door to the Owlery opened. The girl that Harry had been talking to the other day stepped in. Jason noticed Harry's cheeks get bright red.

"Hi!" Harry said automatically.

"Oh... hi Harry," she said, obviously out of breath. "I didn't think anyone would be up here this early... I only remembered five minutes ago that it's my mum's birthday." She sort of waved the package that she held in her hand.