(Owlery) Ruining Birthdays

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

The fresh bird-smelling air of the Owlery was pleasing to Aidan but Derryl was allergic to owls so his nose was running and he was breaking out in a rash. He never understood why he went with Aidan to post this, he was sure that he could do it by himself but still Derryl went with every time. And regretted it ever time.

Aidan sat on the wide window sill and read their letter to their sister for her birthday. This is what he read:

Dear Laura

We are so happy to send you these galleons for your birthday. We hope you have a marvellous day and that Russell remembers to get you something. We saw him around Hogsmeade a few times but always with a different girl. We're sure he hasn't forgotten you.

All our love,
Aid & Derrie

Derryl nodded and laughed, 'I still can't remember why she calls me that.'

Aidan nodded and gave the envelope to an owl. Derryl petted it's beautiful feathers and gave it an owl treat and the two watched it fly away. Aidan wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders and said, 'well I think it was a lovely letter, she should worry nicely about poor Russie-Rus!' As he said the name he pouted and battered his eyelids. The two laughed heartily.

[poppyseed]

Poppy bounced up the stairs to the owlery, a large pack of parchment in her hands. She was very proud of the letter she had written her Grandfather. She had written three whole pages, and hadn't misspelled a single word. She had bought pink ink that smelled like strawberries just for his special letter. You see, it was Poppy's grandfather's birthday! He was turn 73, no 74. Poppy wasn't exactly sure. Her grandfather changed his age every time Poppy asked him as a joke. Poppy laughed every time.

Bounding up the stair, the little girl, her hair in braids, wearing a plaid pink jumper, hummed a song. She was so happy to send of her Grandfather's birthday letter. When she got up to the top of the tower she noticed two boys. Twins. Poppy laughed. Twins always made her giggle. I don't know why.

She skipped past the two boys who were stringing on their own letter to a very pretty bird. Poppy looked around for the special owl she had picked out for her Grandfather. She found it in the corner. It was a giant jet black owl with bright yellow eyes. It was actually a very scary bird, very menacing, but Poppy thought he was elegant. She petted his beak and the owl, by the name of Nox, nibbled her finger. Poppy giggled and tied on the large letter.

"Ok now Nox." Poppy said petting the bird, "Bring this to Grandpa right away! It's his birthday! Don't get lost!" She said, pretending to scold the bird, which just nuzzled her finger. "You're a big softy." She said to the bird as it flew up and out of the high tower. Poppy looked after it and sighed. She wished the owl was bringing her to her Grandfather on his birthday. Poppy missed him so. The second year sighed and turned to leave.

The twins were still there. Poppy looked at both of them and decided to make new friends. She skipped over to them from the far side of the tower and stopped to introduce herself. "HI!" She said excitedly, like she always did when she introduced herself. "I'm Poppy!"

She smiled wide and looked at one twin, then the other, and lost her smile. One of the twins was sniffing and Poppy could see a rash crawling up his neck. "EW!" Poppy said pointing at the rash. "That's gross!"

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

Aidan was staring out the window watching their owl get smaller and smaller in the distance. Derryl, however, was watching a Gryffindor girl. She was interesting to watch. When she turned to leave, Ry turned quickly and pretended he had been watching the owl the whole time.

Suddenly she said hi. Aidan jumped and quickly spun around while Derryl slowly turned. 'What you mean "HI!"?' Aidan spat.

'Derryl,' Derryl said, 'good to meet you Poppy.' Then she noticed Derryl's rash and he flushed bring red. 'I'm allergic to owls,' he explained. Derryl just ignored the glare he was getting from his brother and just smiled at the Gryffindor.

[poppyseed]

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'?" Poppy retorted to one of the twins. 'Hi' was a basic greeting in common English conversation. He was such a boy. Poppy knew she should have just walked away and gone down stair and found someone to play hide and seek with her.

However, the other twin, the obviously nicer twin greeted her. Poppy laughed. "Then why are you hanging out around in the Owlery?" she said with a laugh. It seemed silly. Poppy noticed the glare one twin was getting from the other. "Is there a problem Derryl's twin brother?" she asked the mean twin putting her hands on her hips.

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

Aidan was about to spit another retort at the Gryffindor but Derryl, having spotted the look in his brother's eye, stood on his toes with his heal so Aidan couldn't say anything mean again.

'Don't mind him,' Derryl said, jabbing a thumb at his brother, 'he's always cranky around Gryffindors.' It seemed to make sense that Aidan was but Derryl always liked exceeding expectations and being nice to people regardless of their house. So he smiled at the girl. But his face fell when she asked why he was still there. Scratching absently at his neck, Derryl looked up and stared, trying to figure out why he was still there. Finding no logical reason he looked back at Poppy and shrugged.

Poppy turned to Aidan and he stuck out a lip and pouted, crossing his arms. He didn't approve of conversing with lowly filthy Gryffindors but Ry didn't seem to mind. For him, Aidan said, with control, 'my name is Aidan.' And with a look from Derryl, he added, 'and there isn't anything wrong.'

Derryl nodded and smiled at Aidan and said, 'quite right.' Turning back to Poppy, Derryl asked, 'so who did you send that big owl to?'

[poppyseed]

"Oh, really." Poppy said, realizing that they must in fact be Slytherins. Poppy would never go so low as to hate a person or be mean to a person because of the silly colored borders around their uniform hems, Poppy's being scarlet of course. She pretended to smooth out her jumper as she said. "I'm sorry you're cranky around Gryffindor's but I always get sarcastic around blond twins." She said with a smirk.

Poppy's family was spread out amongst the houses. Being a rare pureblood herself, and being related to probably every pureblood in the school somehow, she had family in all the houses. Her mother had been a rather sharp Ravenclaw, her father a graceful Slytherin. Her grandmother had been rightfully placed in Hufflepuff, caring for all, being nice to others. Poppy was ever proud to share the same house as her Grandfather. She loved him the best and the most after all.

"Well, you're silly making yourself sick like that." Poppy said and crossed her arms, looking back and forth and back and forth between the boys. Her gaze rested on the second 'mean' twin. She just starred at him, seeing if she could get him mad. However, all he did was conquer his demons and introduce himself. "Nice to meet you Aidan!" Poppy said with a smile, feeling happy that she had gotten him to talk to her civilly. But then pouted at his remark. Poppy just sighed and shook her head and graciously answer Darryl's question.

Poppy's smiled returned as she remembered what she was doing up there. "Oh!" she said with a giggle. "It's my grandfathers birthday! I wrote him the most glorious letter." Poppy said with a smile, swinging back and forth like a little girl again. "And that owl is the best owl up here." She said with a nod, her smile still beaming brightly. "And why are you torturing yourself my snake-y friend?"

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

Derryl laughed and nudged his brother. 'You've got to give it to her,' he said smiling at her, 'she's funny.' Aidan mock-laughed, more contorted his face as thought someone had stabbed him in the gut. He glared at the girl for a moment and looked away.

Derryl smiled and said, scratching an itchy spot on his neck, 'we were just posting a birthday letter to our sister. She's ten today and our brother, Russell, hasn't gotten her anything. We had to tell Laura.' Derryl began to laugh. Aidan, though he found it just as funny as his brother, didn't laugh.

Aidan glared at the floor for a moment, thinking of how their sister would take the news. Then he looked up at the girl and realised she was still there. He nudged Derryl and he stopped laughing slowly.

'You and you're Grandfather get along well?' asked Derryl, burying his hands in his pockets.

[poppyseed]

"Oh, thats sad!" Poppy said, "I wouldn't like to find out on my birthday my brother hadn't gotten me anything." Poppy said. She would be devastated. Of course Poppy didn't have a brother, but she was sure that if she had a brother, she would cry all night long. "Did he forget or something?" Poppy asked, nudging her way into their business.

Poppy ignore Aidan. He obviously didn't like her, even though it was only because she was in Gryffindor, but Poppy didn't like him because he didn't like her, a much better reason.

"My grandfather is my best friend!" Poppy said with a large smile. "We do everything together, and my Nana says we act alike!" Poppy said, ever so proud. "Do you have anyone like that in your family. Well, besides you testy twin over there?"

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

Derryl looked sideways at his brother. He was clearly trying very hard not to say anything at all. Most of the time, Aidan was the first to shoot an insult at a Gryffindor, the first to jinx them, and the first to claim the prank as his own, even if it was Derryl's plan. But he was not saying anything, not looking at his brother or the Gryffindor. Derryl thought this was very strange behaviour for his brother.

When Poppy said she would be sad if it happened to her Derryl grinned broadly. 'A-ho!' he said, 'that's the whole point. She'll never forgive Russell for forgetting. Brilliant if I do say so myself.' Derryl buffed up his chest and smiled at his grumpy brother. This particular one had been his idea and Derryl was almost angry at him for not enjoying the fruits of his plan.

Derryl shook his head. 'None but Mr Grumpy Pants here,' Derryl said and grabbed his brother around the neck, rubbing the top of his head with his knuckles. Aidan, amused by the affection his brother was showing him, laughed and pushed his brother off. 'Oy!' Aidan said and smiled at Ry and the Gryffindor.

[poppyseed]

"Oh dear!" Poppy said, sounding horrified. "That's just plain mean!" She said. She folded her arms, looking sternly at the boys. "How would you like it if you thought someone that cared for you and loved you forgot your birthday?" She didn't give them time to answer, because she doubted they would agree with her. "I'll tell you how you'd feel! You'd feel sad and hurt. You would probably cry in your bedroom, alone, on your birthday!" Poppy said. "The poor little girl."

What was she to expect from the Slytherin jokesters? Poppy was now in a bad mood, and it was all the boys fault. She felt like crying for no reason.

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

'Ah!' said Derryl, lifting his index finger and pointing it up to show he had an objection to make, 'but you're forgetting we're never alone. We're always together, Aid and me.' Derryl smiled at her and dropped his hand to his side.

Aidan nodded, smirking at the sensitive little girl. 'Besides,' Aidan said, crossing his arms, 'if someone forgot our birthday we'd never let them forget they did. We'd remind them every time we saw them and threaten to forget theirs but then not because we're better then that.'

This girl, in Aidan's opinion, couldn't take a joke. He knew, as well as Derryl did, that their sister would ignore them and that if they waited any longer Russell would find them talking to a Gryffindor. It would be funny to see his face when he saw them but he didn't much like having the label of Gryffindor-friend when he and his brother had worked so hard to avoid such a label. 'Well,' he said, grabbing Derryl's arm, 'we must be going.'

Derryl pulled his arm out of his brother's grip and frowned angrily at him. 'No we don't,' he said, 'we haven't got anywhere to be.'

'Yes, Derryl, we do!' Aidan insisted but Derryl wouldn't move. Derryl in stead turned to Poppy again. 'It's just a joke, you see,' he said, trying to comfort the girl, 'just a bit of harmless fun. Laura won't take us seriously, never has and never will, and neither should you.'

[poppyseed]

Poppy's lower lip stuck out in distaste. She would remember never to cross the twins path in the wrong direction. They would obviously never let her forget it. Despite her sadness for there sister, she laughed. A little girl's mood swings, or perhaps she is bi-polar.

"But, don't leave." Poppy said. "I.." But she didn't know why she didn't want to boys to leave. Not now before she had a chance to prove herself more than just some sniveling third year. She was a big girl now, and big girls don't cry.

Poppy smiled as Derryl resisted his brothers insistence. Poppy giggled as Aidan lost. "Why don't you want to stay?" Poppy said, petting a small white owl that had just landed next to her. "I won't bite." she said with a smile.

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

Aidan sneered at the silly Gryffindor as she asked a silly question. But Derryl, smirking at her, rounded on his brother with crossed arms and said teasingly, 'yes, Aidan, why do you want to leave?'

Aidan rolled his eyes and they landed on his brother. 'Don't be a nit wit, ya nit wit!' He didn't like being ganged up against and would violently fight back if he had too.

Derryl put on a mock expression of fake surprise. 'Ya hear that?' he asked Poppy, 'he thinks I the ninth witless wonder of the world. Tell me, Aid,' he looked back to his brother, 'what exactly is a Red Cap?' It was terrible to put Aidan through such growling torture as to ask him to think but he deserved it for being so bitter.

Aidan crossed his arms and hunched his back, pouting. 'I don't know,' he said slowly, 'a bright red thing you put on your head?' Derryl laughed and that was the last straw for Aidan. 'Fine,' he said, 'that's just fine. You stay here with your girlfriend, I'll leave!' And with that, Aidan spun around and walked speedily for the door. Derryl wanted to stop him but thought it best to let him cool off. As Aidan disappeared through the Owlry door, Derryl sighed and gave a helpless smile to Poppy. 'Brothers!' he sighed with a light chuckle.

[poppyseed]

Poppy laughed slightly. It as silly to see the two close brothers fight like they were. she hadn't really meant to cause a big fight, she didn't think it was such a big idea. However, to Aidan, it was apparently a big deal. Poppy thought that they were all grown up enough to put aside the silly house name game. Apparently one of the twins was very immature.

Poppy laughed out loud at the brothers fight. It was getting comical. But her laugh seemed to tick Aidan off more. Getting all fumed he left the room. Poppy's cheeks went red. She hadn't meant to get anyone mad, but he cheeks were violently red because of the girlfriend comment.

Poppy wasn't sure she liked boys yet. She was thirteen, and she probably should, but she was slightly young for her age. Even if a boy liked her, she wouldn't be able to tell, she was a serious greenhorn. Poppy shifted her weight to her left foot and looked apologetically at Derryl. "Sorry." She said, softer, still thinking about how she couldn't tell if he liked her of Aidan was just being a loser.

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

Derryl smiled widely at Poppy and locked his fingers together behind his back. He shook some his fringe out of his face and gazed out the window towards the castle. 'Don't worry about it,' he said absently, 'Aid has his moments that not even I understand 'im.' Derryl let out a slow breath before looking back at Poppy.

'Don't take his grumpiness personally,' he said, 'Aid's never liked Gryffindors purely because they're in Gryffindor.' Aid was probably stomping around the grounds, huffing and puffing to himself, Derryl though with much amusement. As Derryl knew him, Aidan never liked to be told off and was a sore loser about it soo so handled this sort of thing badly. Derryl had learnt to deal with it in his quite way because he knew that when Aidan was ready, he would confront him.

Derryl laughed suddenly and grinned at Poppy. 'But now the sore loser has gone, we've nothing to talk about,' he said through a laugh. He had never been very good at small talk and girls and at this time he had to deal with both. He was surprised by himself that he had not run after Aidan when he had stormed off.