A Lion's Heart

The last day of July opened rather hot and sticky. A midsummer sunrise was just beginning, but the air was heavy and still. It promised to be a spectacularly hot end to the month.

Sitting on the white porch swing and lost in her thoughts, Hermione Potter already clutched an ice-laden glass of iced tea, though she had not even sipped it yet. The glass sweated profusely, leaving wet spots on her light summer robes. She was far too distracted to take notice, however. For it was Harry's birthday.

Hermione jumped when a small bird landed on the porch rail and chirped at her. She turned quickly towards the door, as if expecting Harry to come bursting out of it to join her. His tall form didn't appear on the other side of the screen; the door remained closed.

Finally discovering the puddle on her front, Hermione disgustedly set the iced tea onto a nearby table and pulled her legs up onto the swing so she was sitting more comfortably. Fully prepared to zone out again, she was surprised to see an owl flying towards the house. Owls rarely delivered to the Potters. Besides an occasional chatty letter from Ron, a rare note from Sirius, or infrequent messages from her parents, owls never had reason to stop. Hermione even chose to bring the Daily Prophet home with her from work rather than have it delivered.

For a moment she wondered if she wasn't mistaken. There were no other wizard families in the immediate area, but surely someone lived near enough for their post owl to fly over their country house. It soon became clear to Hermione that whatever message the owl carried was intended for them; the owl was descending as it grew nearer.

Landing at last with a heavy thud on the white washed railing, the owl stumbled, nearly toppling onto her legs. At the last possible moment, it regained its balance but dropped the letter, which floated down beneath the swing. Hermione watched the owl take several deep breaths and attempt to ruffle its wilted brown feathers. It was obviously worse for the wear after a flight in the thick morning air.

Feeling pity as the owl appeared to be preparing to take off, Hermione found herself standing and saying, "Let me get you a drink," as if speaking to a dinner guest.

Looking to be more than a little relieved, the owl gave a soft hoot. Hermione whisked into the house, procuring a large shallow dish. She filled it with water from the tap and returned outside, carefully setting it on the shadiest part of the porch. Finding her wand in an interior pocket of her robes, she pulled it out, aimed it at the dish and murmured "frigidus." After another look at the wearied bird, she whispered another charm, causing owl-sized fountains of icy water to leap out of the dish.

Hermione returned to her swing and watched the owl play in the water for several minutes, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Thoroughly wet and looking quite rejuvenated, the bird fluttered back to the swing hooting excitedly as it retrieved its dropped mail. Placing it in the witch's lap, it gave her a look that clearly said "thank you," shook its feathers one more time, and flew off in the direction it had come.

Still grinning amusedly, Hermione turned the letter over in her hands. Immediately her smile collapsed. She stared blankly at the writing on the envelope for what felt like an eternity, all thoughts fleeing her mind. Finally, her trembling hand thrust the letter into the pocket with her wand. Taking several deep breaths in succession, she leaned back, shutting her eyes to the world and trying to shut her mind as well.

Unbidden - and in fact against her deepest wishes - memories raced to the front of her mind. She heard hundreds of voices, whispering and laughing, meshing into a huge, vibrant drone and a lonely sobbing echoing through a quiet room. She felt suddenly warm and cold, delighted and miserable, excited... and absolutely terrified.

She shuddered at this realization and opened her eyes, willing the once unwelcome heat of the morning to touch her again. Before she had lost her deep, cold feeling however, Hermione realized she was being watched from behind the screen door.