gift owl

behind the story

What is the story behind Hedwig, Harry’s snowy owl

Hagrid turned slowly from Madam Malkins Robes for all Occasions and walked wobbly down the lane, back towards the Leaky Caldron. ‘Darn those carts,’ he said to himself. His stomach rolled again and one of his huge hands went to his mouth, as he thought about the trip down to the bowels of Gringott’s bank ‘and darn that goblin for going so fast.’

 

He had only been a few minutes in the Leaky Cauldron when he remembered he was supposed to be finding an owl for Harry’s birthday. He pulled out a coin purse and dropped a couple sickles on the bar. Putting the purse back into his coat he felt for the small bundle he had retrieved from vault 713 For Albus Dumbledore, head master of Hogwarts.

‘Thanks Tom,’ he said to the back of the bar man, who raised his hand without turning around and returned to filling drinks for a table of warlocks. Stepping out of the bar and towards Diagon Alley, Hagrid looked up and down the lane. With his legs under him again, Hagrid stepped towards Eeylops Owl Emporium.

The shopkeeper heard the bell above the door ring and came bounding out of the storage room. Seeing his friend, he stowed his wand in his sleeve. ‘Hagrid, so good of you to come see us this morning, not having trouble with the Hogwarts owls, are you?’ 

Hagrid looked around the shop for other customers or workers, but knew that the ‘us’ the store owner referred to was himself and his owls.

‘No, Dirk.’ Hagrid said, as he strolled along the aisles looking in the cages at the different owls. ‘I’ll be looking to buy an owl today.’

 

Dirk gave him a crooked look and said. ‘I’m not sure that old Boarhound will be good company for an owl, how about a cat or a toad?’ Dirk remembered selling the boarhound puppy to Hagrid years ago. He looked over to a side wall of the shop. From floor to ceiling there were pictures of people with their new pets. The picture of Hagrid sitting in the middle of a 16 huge black puppies was one of his and his customers favorites. 

Hagrid gave the shopkeeper a laugh and turned down another aisle. ‘No, he won’t be for me. I’d be getting an owl for Harry Potter. Did you hear he was starting school at the end of summer?’

He looked back towards Dirk and bumped his head on a large cage hanging from the ceiling. Inside was a large Eagle Owl. The bird gave a screech at nearly being knocked off his perch. On the outside of the cage a printed sign said Sold and hand written below was the name D. Malfoy.

Hagrid read the sign and pointed to the cage. ‘That be who’d I think it is.’

Dirk, waved his wand and stopped the cage with the Eagle owl in it from swinging. ‘Yes sirree, and the Missus paid a pretty penny for it too.’ 

They both gave a laugh and Hagrid stepped around another display of cages and cuddle bones. His eyes looking back through all the cages he had passed once already.

Dirk could see that he wasn’t thrilled with his selection of owl’s. ‘You know Hagrid, I don’t normally do this.’ The shopkeeper looked around to make sure there were no one else in the store. He waved for Hagrid to step closer. 

Hagrid walked up to the counter and looked down to the man.

‘But Edith down at the Managerie has a Snowy owl she just got in. I don’t even think she has found a cage for it yet.’ Dirk looked around the shop again, lowered his voice. ‘If I had known the Malfoy boy was going to take the Eagle, I would have tried to buy the Snowy right out from under her.’ Dirk gave a wicked little smile. ‘She’d be a beauty.’ 

Hagrid smiled at the man wondering if he meant the owl or the other shop owner, and said, ‘Dirk, you’re a real good friend, you are. Tell you what I’ll do. I’ll pick up the Snowy from Edith and bring Harry right back here for all the supplies. That way you don’t lose out on the whole deal.’

Dirk smiled and thanked Hagrid. He said, he would make sure he gave the boy a good deal also. Hogwarts is a big part of Eeylops business, so there is always room to share a sale, now and again with Edith at the Managerie. ‘Don’t tell her I sent you though. If she knows you come over special to get the Snowy, she’ll double the price.’ The shop owner looked around again. ‘She shouldn’t cost you any more than 2 galleon and 5 sickles.’ He gave another wicked smile to Hagrid’s shoulder.

Hagrid headed out of the store and pulled his pocket watch out to check the time. He was taking longer then he should. He stowed his watch and pulled tight his moleskin coat. He started jogging down the street, barking at the others shoppers to move out of the way. By the time he got to the Magical Managerie he was out of breath.

When he opened the door of the shop and stepped inside, he hardly noticed the aisles were not as clear and wide as the other shop. He noticed many families looking around. The shop sold more than just owls. They also had an assortment of cats, rats and toads. Hagrid loved animals and was hoping to help Professor Kettleburn again this year. Kettleburn taught Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts.

Hagrid was too large to walk through the shop smoothly. The shelves on both sides of him were disrupted as he walked towards the counter. Customers started scrambling from adjoining aisles to avoid being smacked by cages and supplies dropping from the shelves and ceiling.

A tall witch came around the counter and screamed at him. ‘Hagrid STOP’

He stopped and reached out both arms to steady the shelves around him. ‘Morning Edith.’

She smiled and waved her wand. Everything on the shelves that had been rocking in Hagrids wake, came to a stop. ‘what can I get for you today.’

Hagrid smiled, ‘I’d heard you have a ‘Snowy Owl. I was hoping to have a look.’

Normally the owner of the Magical Managerie would have told a customer to wait their turn and have a look around. But she spied two families heading for the door without buying anything. She turned and said to the families standing around the counter, ‘would you mind. Hogwarts business.’ The other customers laughed between themselves and nodded their heads.

Edith walked up to Hagrid and said, ‘who told you I had a Snowy for sale, I just got it in yesterday afternoon.’ 

Hagrid looked behind him down the road. He wasn’t supposed to say. 

‘I bet it was that scoundrel Dirk at Eeylops. You wait ‘til I get my hands on him.’ She said with a stern look on her face. But when she saw Hagrid’s sorry look, she snickered. ‘Its alright we be having dinner last night and I was telling him how crowded my place is. He’s probably having a good laugh.’

She looked back at her other customers and then back up to Hagrid, ‘ So what he’d tell you to pay for it.’

Hagrid bent down and spoke softly, ‘He said no more than 2 Galleon, 5 Sickles.’

Her mouth dropped open, ‘That ScallyWag.’ That be less then I paid for it and he’d knowed it.’ She spoke louder then she thought. Hagrid stepped back and her other customers looked towards her.

“I suppose you will be going back to get your supplies from him too.’ She had lowered her voice again so only Hagrid could hear her.

Hagrid nodded. Smiled to her because he thought she was agreeing to the deal.

‘Well you tell Mr. Eeylops that this is going to cost him more then ice cream at Florean’s. I am going to be expecting dinner.’ She turned to go get the Snowy saying over her shoulder, ‘and I don’t mean that Split Pea soup at the Leaky Cauldron either. Somewhere nice in London, you tell him.’ The last words were barely audible as she walked through the doors to the back of the shop.

Minutes later Hagrid had exited the Magical Managerie with the beautiful White Snowy owl, just over a year old. Looking around a little before he headed down the lane towards Madame Malkins Robe shop where he had dropped Harry off at, not even an hour ago.   

Author's Note

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