Hidden Wings - Part I

The end of fourth year

"I can't believe you saw Voldemort- face to face!"
Esma fluttered onto Mioha's shoulder, placing her small head onto the girl's cheek.
"I should have been there", the blackbird peeped sadly. "You seem to attract danger like a magnet, and where am I?"

"Don't feel guilty", Mioha tried to soothe her friend and softly petted her brown feathers.
"You are not my pet that has to follow me around constantly, Esma. You're my friend. So, you have the right to live your own life."

"I still feel the need to babysit you", Esma grumbled, ruffling her feathers.

"Once you have babies with Swift, I'll be the one doing the babysitting", Mioha giggled and poked her friend with her pinky.

"Don't you start!", Esma cheeped into her ear.
"Zuki and Hedwig have been bothering me all summer, asking me when I will have my own family. And Aries is the worst..."

"Aries?", Mioha asked as she looked into the direction of the rising sun. The view from the owlery was simply breathtaking. It never got boring to watch a sunset from up there.

"He's Draco's Short-Eared owl", Esma explained, gliding off Mioha's shoulder and landing on the metal railing.
"A familiar always resembles his owner. He's just as snobby as Draco."

Mioha's eyes traveled thoughtfully over the red sky.
"Are you my familiar, Esma?", she wondered quietly.

Esma fell silent, her black button eyes looking up at Mioha.
"I think so", the blackbird peeped slowly. "I know that staying away for so long was not a good idea-"

"Bet that had something to do with a cocktail of love hormones", Mioha teased her.

Esma shot her a look.
"Perhaps. But I promise you, Mioha, I don't want to stay away from you that long anymore. We're family."
After a pause she added unsurely: "Right?"

Mioha laid her hand onto the railing with her palm facing upward, letting Esma hop onto it. She brought her hand up to her shoulder so the blackbird could sit on it again.
"Of course", she said softly.
"I would never replace you. Never."

Aurors kept patrolling the grounds on Hogwarts, searching the Forbidden Forest and on occasion picking out students from the watching crowd to ask them questions. Professor Dumbledore kept the reporters away, just as he had promised, but he could do nothing about Cornelius Fudge's decision on having Aurors at Hogwarts to find the Silverwing.
The castle was the only clue they had, so they would search the grounds and and check under every rock.

Professor Dumbledore had told her everything about Barty Crouch Junior, how Voldemort had ordered him to replace Alastor Moody and guide Harry through the Tournament. While speaking, the old wizard had radiated such power and anger, Mioha could completely understand why people said he was the only wizard had ever Voldemort feared.
Bertha Jorkins had found out about Barty Crouch Junior, so Mr. Crouch had obliviated her. Yet Voldemort had found her and tortured her, until she told him about Barty Crouch Junior and the Triwizarding Tournament.