"We have a budget," Flitwick said soothingly. "All clubs can apply for one and I took the liberty. So we can purchase things comfortably. Now if there is anything specific or special, we will have to discuss it and see what we can do." He bid them farewell and Inky waved as she popped away.
"I need to go see Padma for something before curfew," Parvati said. "I'm going to wave these muffins in her face."
"I can give you more to give to her," Harry laughed.
"I took an extra one to give to her. I just want to lord them over her for a bit before I do."
"Shouldn't you rub it in her face?" Lavender smiled.
"Ew no. I wouldn't want to eat it then if I did that," Parvati laughed. "See you two later."
Harry waited for her to disappear around the corner before he shyly held out his second handkerchief to Lavender. "Here. I made this one to give to you."
"Awww really?!" Lavender took it gleefully.
"Since you gave me those wonderful little bags last time, I wanted to make one for you. It's not as good as yours though."
"I love it. Thank you, Harry! You're so sweet." She beamed happily at him.
He blushed. "Well, I'm happy to give it to you," he said awkwardly. "I'll see you in a bit in the common room."
"Oh you have to go somewhere?"
"I wanted to visit Hedwig before curfew and give her a muffin."
"Are owls allowed to have muffins?" Lavender asked.
"I honestly have no idea. I hope so. I fed her all sorts of things the last few days before school started, things I cooked and she ate them all. She looks healthy. I better go ask Hagrid sometime."
"Can I visit Hedwig with you sometime?"
"Sure! I'll introduce you two at breakfast and as long as she likes you, I'm sure you can visit other times too."
"Does she not like other people?"
"Well she's only met my relations other than me and she wasn't too nice to them but to be fair, they weren't nice to her either. But you're way nicer than them so I'm sure she'll like you," he said earnestly.
She blinked a bit before nodding. "Well I'll be on my best behavior at breakfast then to make a good impression. See you in a bit!"
Harry descended the steps, humming softly to himself. Visiting with Hedwig was one of his favorite things to do. The owl was incredibly affectionate and he liked to chat with her and pet her. She had voraciously devoured the muffin he gave her and had scattered crumbs all over his head playfully, hooting with laughter at his expression. She then preened his hair some, yanking on it playfully and lovingly. They then made a game of him tossing bits of muffin into the air for her to nab in mid flight.
They sat together for a while but when night had fallen and the air on the roof became chilly, she nipped at him to go indoors where it was warm. After a hug and another nip, he wandered down the steps and started making his way back to Gryffindor tower.
As he stepped down the hallway though, something made him pause. He heard a sound that slowly grew in volume and intensity. After a moment he swallowed, recognizing the sound. It was a deeply painful sound, a deeply private one.
One he knew from lots of experience.
His first thought was to leave, to let the sound be. After a few steps though, he turned and walked towards the source of the sound. He licked his lips nervously and as he approached the source, he spoke softly. "H-hello? Are you okay?"