Owl dung. [Marian]

[aiwendil]

Today Valko was sporting an odd assortment of woolly accessories. His neck was being strangled by an ugly red scarf trimmed with plushy black baubles on the ends, a pair of blue ear muffs were placed clumsily on his head so that the tip of one ear was still showing, pink with chill, and lastly, a large pair of fair isle mittens were on his slightly sweating hands. Valko was an excellent indicator of the weather. It was bitterly chilly and the castle was extra drafty. If the torches and candles in the corridors weren't bewitched their flames probably would have blown out by the gusts of air that found its way into the castle walls.

And, it didn't matter that warm air rises because the higher Valko climbed the owlery stairs the colder he got. He imagined that the tower was so tall that it was completely lost in the clouds and covered in snow like the peaks of mountains. By the time he could hear the soft hooting of the owls his legs were quaking from both cold and effort.

Valko didn't have an owl of his own, only his mangy cat Yana, and he hadn't seen her in a week. The owls regarded him quietly as he tried to decide which on to banish into the unusual arctic temperatures of November. After being nipped on the finger by a horned owl who obviously didn't want to be sent out into the cold Valko selected a baleful barn owl for the job. After a few minutes clumsy work trying to tie the letter onto the owl's leg without removing his mittens Valko carried the owl to an open window. The owl gave him one doleful look before flying out the window. Its wings caught an upsurge of wind and it glided around the outside wall of the tower and Valko watched it out of sight.Valko didn't feel too bad for the owl. He was sure his mother would treat it to a few luxurious days indoor before sending it back to Hogwarts with a reply for him.

Instead Valko felt sorry for himself. He had to walk down the tower stairs on numb and unsteady legs. He let out a long sigh, watched his breath fog up the air before him and stepped onto the first step. For one brief moment he realized he had stepped on a steaming pile of fresh owl shit, but the realization didn't come soon enough. He slipped on the puddle of poo and he was falling down the spiral stairs. He tried grabbing at the stairs but his mittened hands couldn't get a firm hold of anything and his limbs were too numb with cold to react quickly enough. So he allowed himself to fall and eventually he stopped on flat floor.

He stayed where he landed, sprawled on his stomach with his face on the cold stone floor, too tired to get up.

[marianmorgan]

Thank you for the dress. I am going to kill you.

Really, the first three paragraphs of Marian's letter to her stepbrother became irrelevant when you knew the gist of them. She was still perfectly justified, however, in stretching them out; especially after finding herself stuck in a broom cupboard in said dress with Cassian Zabini, which Jonathan would never be forgiven for. Anyway, she suspected he saw this coming. He could not possibly have picked out something so hideously girlish without expecting consequences.

Comfortable in slim trousers, a warm jumper and a colourful assortment of socks, scarf and plaid hat with earmuffs, she bounded up the stairs to the Owlery, humming an old Beatles song Jonathan had introduced her to. She enjoyed the thrill she felt before sending him a letter. It was refreshing to think that she had someone besides her father to write to, someone younger who could offer her a different perspective. A muggle perspective, even.

"Hagrid's pants!"

She must have jumped back about three feet (perhaps two, but three was more likely). She stood still for a moment, forcing the air back into her lungs. Then, wand in hand, she knelt beside the boy and shook his shoulder. "Hey. You all right?"

[aiwendil]

Most of his toes were sufficiently stubbed and he thought he might have broken a leg or maybe an arm as well. He most certainly was not alright.

Valk's response came muffled from behind the scarf that had slipped to cover almost his entire face. "Mff arft kfugh." He stayed still for a moment longer wondering who had found him in this ghastly fall and whether it was a someone or some somebodies. He thought maybe he would just stay there until they left him alone so that he could hobble his way back to Ravenclaw tower without anyone knowing who it was that fell the full flight of the Owlery stairs.

Valko thought better of it and instead rolled himself onto his back with some effort. In the process he gained that neither his leg or arm were broken, just very bruised.

Through the one eye that was not covered with his scarf he could see a girl kneeling over him. "'M juff a luttle dishy," his voice was still muffled through the scarf.