Letters to home

Noah still wasn't used to being away from his family for long. At least he was finally able to see his big brothers more often. He used to be really close to his big sister, Cherry, but hasn't been able to talk to her much since he started at Beauxbatons. The second year wondered how his sister was doing, and if she was missing him like he was missing her. He honestly wondered if she thought about him at all now that she was moved out and married. Noah didn't want Cherry to forget about him completely, and wasn't going to let it happen. Back when he was still at home, Sawyer and Payton would send him letters using the owls at Beauxbatons. Noah always thought that it was the coolest way of sending mail and wondered why no one else did this. He had never sent anything home via owl, and decided to try it out by sending a letter to Cherry.

The boy walked in the owlery, letter in hand, and looked at all the different owls. There were so many of them. How would he know which one to use? Noah didn't want take another student's owl. He tried to remember what the owl looked like that his brothers used to send home letters. It was no use, a lot of the owls looked very similar to one another. Just then, he noticed another student was in the owlery with him. The other boy looked close to Noah's age, and seemed like he would be nice enough. "Um, Excuse me..." Noah really needed to work on his shyness. "Hi. I don't own an owl and don't want to use someone else's by mistake. Do you know which one I can use?"

Stark loved being at Beauxbatons and he had a few friends around so he couldn't really complain. However sometimes he really started missing his family, especially his little brother. Poor Ryan's summer always ended with him saying goodbye to Stark, at least every summer since first year and the boy seemed simply devastated. Stark always promised to write him as much as possible though, so that was what he did throughout the year. The strawberry blonde had written a letter a few days ago and was expecting a reply soon, Donnie had already returned but without a letter from Ryan. The boy decided to go visit his snowy white friend and maybe see if an owl came in for him.

When he finally reached the small tower on the grounds he easily found his snowy owl. Donnie was seat on a low perch and Stark went over to stroke her head. She looked up and hooted in greeting making the boy smile, he held out an owl treat for her and giggled when she quickly plucked it up. He turned away from his feathered friend when someone spoke to him from behind. He found the person was a boy who seemed about his age, maybe a bit younger, wanting to know which owls were available. "I'm sorry I don't know how to tell which ones are school owls. I've never needed to know, sorry. Bu if you'd like my owl, Donnie, isn't doing anything if you wanna send her out with a letter." He offered the boy with a smile.

Noah was hoping the other boy wouldn't laugh and make fun of him for not knowing much about the owls, and kind of dreading the response he might get in return for his silly question. The boy, however, was very kind. "Really!? You'll let me use your owl? Thank you so much!" The second year laughed a little. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't know these sorts of things. I was afraid you'd laugh at me for my lack of knowledge." He turned toward Donnie and pet her on the back of her head. "Hey there Donnie. Would you be so kind to help me send this letter please? It's to my sister and really important." Some would say it wasn't really important. Noah was, after all, just asking her how she was doing. It was important to him though. He turned his attention back to the other boy. "I'm sorry. I never caught your name. My name is Noah."

This wasn't the first time that Stark met a stranger in the owlery and they needed help finding a suitable owl to send out an important letter. Luckily for both strangers Donnie wasn't busy at the time that they needed an owl. Both of them seemed really surprised to hear that he offered up his beautiful baby, but just like before he smiled kindly at their surprise. "Donnie loves flying and delivering but I don't have letter for so I'm sue she would love to take your letter especially if its as important as you say." He tells the both with a smile.

He realized after the boy mentioned it how rude he had been no to introduce himself. "Oh I'm sorry my name is Stark, Stark Green and you've already met Donnie. And you are?" He asked cheerfully.

"Donnie seems like a great pet to have. She is really friendly." Noah scratched the pretty owl on the side of her neck, below her ear. "I have a grey kitty. His name is Alfie. He's really friendly too, although a little lazy." He liked that his cat was lazy, that meant he enjoyed just snuggling up next to the boy and being pet. Noah liked petting him. His fur was really soft. "I would offer him to help you if you ever needed it, but he doesn't really do much," he laughed.

"It's nice to meet you Stark Green. My last name is Johnson, Noah Johnson." Noah stuck his arm out to shake the other boy's hand. "Thank you once again for letting me use Donnie. I really appreciate it. This letter is very important to me."

Stark smiled happily at the boys compliment of his precious Donnie, he already knew that she was an amazing pet but it sure was nice to have someone else recognize that as well. He giggled at the boy's comment about his own pet, a little kitty named Alfie. The boy introduced himself as Noah Johnson and said he'd offer up his kitty to help if he could but it was lazy. "It's alright most kitties are lazy, but their cuteness makes up for that right?" He said with a giggle.

Something about the last name was sticking with Stark. "Do you have an older sibling?" The strawberry blonde asked curiously. "I don't actually know anyone named Johnson but it sounds very familiar, like I read it somewhere but I also feel like I've heard it announced somewhere." He said curiously, perhaps Noah had an older sibling that was very active in school activities.

Noah laughed. "Yeah, I guess most cats are lazy. Except for at night. Then all they seem to do is run back and forth trying to keep you awake." The young boy didn't like always being on a different schedule as his kitty, but there was nothing he could really do about it. He was getting used to all the noises Alfie makes in the middle of the night and can sleep through them pretty well now. "Usually by morning Alfie wears himself out and I wake up to him snuggled up under my arm." He smiled at the thought.

"I don't have an older sibling, I have many. I'm the youngest of nine." People always seemed to be surprised when Noah told them this little fact. Some more than others. The boy always enjoyed looking at people's faces when he noted this. Some reactions were better than others. He never understood what the big deal was. "I have two brothers that go to school here with me. You've probably read my brother Sawyer's name in the school newspaper. He's in the press club and has articles out sometimes. That or you read it on the Detention Hall Of Fame." Noah liked his joke. The school didn't have anything like that, but if they did his brother would certainly be on it. "As for the announcing part, that would probably be Payton. You've probably heard his name announced at the quidditch matches. He's the seeker for the Montagnard team. I think he's pretty good, but he has his off days."

Stark giggled hearing Noah's story about the kitten that runs around at night keeping everyone up, and gets tired just in time for it to be morning. "At least with Alfie you get to see him all the time, even if he does keep you up at night." He said to add a positive note, "I only see Donnie during mail times and if I ever want to walk out here to see her." The owl had gotten more attached to him than most owls seem to get with their people but he still didn't get to see her as much as if it had been a toad, or cat, or something like that.

"Nine? That sure is a big family, though I bet you never get lonely." Stark said a bit surprised at first but it didn't sound completely outlandish. He had heard of large families but nine siblings was still a lot. "I only have one little brother, I couldn't imagine having nine, and being the youngest of them all." He said trying to picture nine Ryans running around his house. "I've read a lot of Sawyer's stuff then, I love to read old SOP articles they are pretty cool. Detention Hall of Fame doesn't sound like a good hall to be in, I never would have guessed he'd be on that from his articles. And Payton is one I know as well, I love watching the matches I haven't missed one since coming to Beauxbatons." He said with a bright smile almost looking proud of himself for knowing his brothers.

"It must suck not getting to see Donnie whenever you want, and for her to not see you all the time. I can't imagine being separated from Alfie that often." Noah had only had Alfie for a little while, but still loved him like he had had him for years and years. "I guess I am lucky to have such a good pet, even if he is rather rowdy at night." Noah smiled at the thought of his sweet kitty.

"You would think. The problem is they are all much older than me. Most of them are twins too. They usually all just talk to each other. Being so much younger makes me hard to relate to I guess." The boy realized he was probably sounding depressing. He didn't really mind that they preferred talking to each other over him. He liked being alone sometimes. "It definitely never gets boring around our house though. There's always something different going on." It was nice that Stark had heard of his brothers. It gave them something else to talk about. "Yeah, Sawyer is getting pretty good at not getting caught for his shenanigans. As for Payton, I haven't missed a game either. I sometimes think my house gets mad at me because I always root for the other team. How could I not root for my brother though?"

Stark shrugged, "It's not that bad, I mean owls aren't exactly the kind of animal that wants to be with you all the time so if she was around more often she probably wouldn't be happy, and I want her to be happy." He answered assuring Noah that it wasn't something to upset about, his little interaction with his pet. "Owls aren't good pets for everyone, I'm sure some people just get along better with cats like you do." He said with a bright smile.

The teen wasn't sure exactly how he should react to the news about Noah's siblings not really talking with him so much because he was younger. He felt like he should say something comforting but the boy didn't exactly seem like he was upset just simply stating facts. "Summers can get really boring at my house sometimes but I bet yours is always hopping, always something to do or see with all those people around." He answered with a small smile. "Well its good to hear your brother is causing less trouble. And I totally understand rooting for your brother, I don't think everyone understands though. A lot of people around here get so stuck on their house pride they don't think about families so much." Stark said thinking about what he would do if Ryan ended up on the opposite side of something they were involved in.

Noah felt better knowing that owls didn't want constant attention like cats did. An owl wouldn't be a very good pet for him, even if they are useful. He enjoys cuddling with his grey ball of fluff too much. He also knew that not everyone enjoyed giving constant attention to their animals like he did. "Yeah, I don't think I would do well with an owl. It would probably get annoyed by me pretty quickly." The boy laughed, picturing an owl hiding in the corner of its cage, not wanting to be pet by him constantly.

"Summer is always a lot of fun. We're all together again as one big family. Don't get me wrong, I love it here. It's just nice to visit home and my siblings and dad over the summer." Noah wasn't used to being away from them for so long. "Now, I never said Sawyer was causing less trouble, he's just not getting caught for it. He's very sneaky. And I don't care if people in my house don't like me rooting for my brother. He's my brother. No matter what house I was put in, it's still my job to root him on and cheer for him."

Stark smiled at Noah when he admitted that he would probably drive an owl hate him if he had one. "At least you knew that when you went pet shopping. There's nothing worse than buying a pet and learning that you aren't compatible with it." He said thinking about what would have happened if he had gotten Donnie and they hadn't gotten along, he loved her and couldn't imagine not having her anymore. He knew when he went shopping though that he didn't need a bet to cuddle with him he was just fine with the amount of time he saw his owl.

The strawberry blonde listened to the boy talk about his family, it was obvious that he loved the all a lot even if he said they didn't talk all that much. Stark loved being a Beauxbatons but he too looked forward to going home and he didn't have nine people waiting there for him, so his happiness from summer breaks was probably nothing compared to Noah's. He giggled when the boy clarified that his brother wasn't getting into less trouble just getting caught less. "Well I guess its good you don't take after him. I think its a good thing to be committed to your family and rooting for them no matter what." He said with a soft smile.

"I didn't really choose Alfie. He sort of chose me. I just felt an instant connection to him the moment I saw him, and I think he felt instantly connected to me too. We just bonded immediately. I knew from the start we would be perfect for each other and we are." Noah smiled. "I can tell you and Donnie are a perfect match for each other too. Although you may not spend a ton of time together, you look like you both enjoy the time you spend together."

It was nice to see someone interested in his own family, but Noah realized that that's the only thing they were talking about. It was rude to just talk about himself the whole time. "I'm sorry. I just kept going on about my family. Why don't we talk about you for a bit? Where do you come from? What's your family like?" the boy asked sincerely.

The strawberry blonde smiled fondly at the boy's words. "I couldn't have said that better myself, animals are kind of like wands they choose you not the other way around. The only thing we get to do is decide if we want to buy the one that picked us out and then take care of it." Stark said happily, he loved nature and animals and thought it was so cool how they simply choose you and that was just the way it was.

"Oh don't worry I don't like talking much about me anyways." He said trying to reassure his new friend that he shouldn't feel bad for talking about his family, he had enough of it talk about for awhile. "Uhh, me? Well I live in Paris, not very interesting I know a lot of people live there. I have my little bother right Ryan who is about four years younger than me then my mom and my dad. Um we're purebloods, my grandparents thinks it makes us special but it doesn't. Uh that's all I can think of right now, anything in particular you wanted to know?" He rambled off some quick facts about himself to Noah.

"When I went shopping i looked in the cat pin and most of the kittens were running and playing with each other. All except for one small grey one sitting in the corner. He kind of reminded me of myself, being the baby of the litter, slightly separated from the others. I picked him up and he immediately started purring and rubbing his head against my chest. His fur was the softest thing I've ever felt. That's when I knew. " The boy liked reminiscing back to that first day of shopping and meeting Alfie for the first time. "How did you and Donnie meet?"

Noah had met some purebloods at Beauxbatons who were stuck up. They thought they were better than everyone else. He had always hated being around people like that. "I'm glad you don't see a difference. Some people think they should receive special treatment because they are purebloods when there's really no difference."

Stark listened to Noah's story about how he found his kitten in the pet store. He thought it was adorable the way the cat reminded him of himself being the youngest and in the corner by itself. It was kind of sad the way that something like that would remind him of himself but cute nonetheless. When the boy asked for his story he felt like he was about to disappoint the poor boy, his story was not nearly as interesting. "Well Donnie just sorta wouldn't leave me alone. I didn't think I wanted an owl at first because I wanted to look at all the animals but this snowy owl just kept yelling at me. I went when there wasn't many people so I kind of knew it was me she was yelling at and I picked her in the end." He said lamely knowing his story was not as good.

"The only difference is I basically just told you I come from a long line of stuck of wizards and witches. So if anyone is better its probably not me." He said with a giggle.

Noah liked Stark's pet shop story. Donnie really did pick him. He laughed. "I guess you really didn't have any choice on what pet to get. Donnie made sure you were walking out of that shop with her. She picked an excellent owner, might I say. You two get along great." It was truly amazing how well animals' instincts worked. "Animals can have amazing gifts, and are definitely some of the best and most loyal friends you can have. I probably sound really lame for that, but it's true. Once they decide to like you, they stick with you until the end. No matter what you do they will always love you unconditionally." The young boy realized he was probably starting to sound like a crazy old cat lady. "I don't plan to have a zillion animals when I grow up or anything, I just like and appreciate them. I'll probably have one to three animals when I grow up. How about you?"

The boy was horrible about blurting things out sometimes. He tried to watch what he said, but sometimes things just came out. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult your family or anything. It's just that I'm muggle born and I don't like when people think they can step all over me because of it."

Stark giggled at Noah's speech about animals, "Yeah Donnie was dead set on getting my attention until I bought her. She's probably the best owl at the school, no offense you guy." He said apologetically to all the owls around him. "I agree animals can't talk so people think less of them but they make up for the inability to talk by having more natural instincts, like being able to tell who is best for them and what not" He said with a smile. "I don't know I might have a zillion animals." He teased a bit, "But probably not."

Stark smiled softly at the boy. "Oh don't worry you weren't insulting my family the insulting was all done by mean. There are purebloods who aren't nice to anyone, but I've met people of any blood status that are that way so I don't think it really matter honestly." He said assuring Noah he wasn't at all offended.

Noah was glad that he had met Stark in the owlery. They seemed to have a lot in common, at least when it came to ideas on animals anyways. Plus the boy seemed really nice and friendly. Noah could see becoming good friends with him. He laughed at Stark's zillion animals joke. "Maybe you could open up a zoo. Then you could have all the animals you want and no one will judge you for it."

Noah glanced down at his hand and noticed the letter in it. He laughed loudly. "Would you look at this? The whole reason I came in here was to send out this letter to my sister and I haven't even done it yet." He handed the letter to Donnie and pet her neck with the back of his finger some more. "Here you go Donnie. Have a safe trip." The boy looked back up to his new friend. "And thank you to both of you. It was very kind of you help me get that letter to my sister." He smiled warmly at Stark then back at Donnie.