Owls are the greatest listeners... [open]

Melody hurried up the stairs to the Owlery, clutching a thick wad of letters. A quick look around told her that it was empty. She sought out her beautiful tawny owl Athéna among the rows of birds. "Bonjour, ma petite," she whispered. "J'ai un emploi pour toi - quelques lettres pour mes amies à Beauxbatons. Tu sais où d'aller." Melody found great comfort in talking to her owl. Not only was it a relief to be able to speak her native tongue, but those wise eyes seemed to look back at her with the sort of understanding that she never got from humans. She hated to admit it - it was a sensation she'd rarely felt in her life before, and thus rather unfamiliar to her - but she was lonely. And now it seemed that even her old friends from Beauxbatons had abandoned her. She'd tried to convince herself that maybe their replies had gotten lost in the crossing over the Channel, but deep down she knew that she was lying to herself. There was no harm in sending off another batch of letters though, just in case, right?