Natka entered the Owlery, her wand in one hand while her other fidgeted nervously with the lock hidden in the pocket of her robes. She hadn’t the slightest idea what she could practice the unlocking Charm on, and she had subconsciously come here.

Grinning to herself as a sudden idea struck her, Natka walked slowly along the aisles bordered with all kinds of owls, looking for a suitable place. Ah, this would do…

“Hey there, Tawny,” she crooned to her beady-eyed tawny owl which stared back at her unblinkingly. Stroking its feathers softly, she withdrew the lock. “No, I’m not here to send a letter, at least not at the moment. Don’t worry, I’m just doing my homework.”

The owl cocked its head at her, eyeing the lock in her hand curiously while Natka attached it around the bird’s perch, next to its scaly leg.

“If you could move over a bit…” she nudged the soft feathers lightly and the owl obediently scooted along slightly. When she was sure that the Charm would not touch the animal in any way, Natka took a step backwards and took out her wand.

“Alohomora!” she whispered, pointing her wand at the lock. She ignored the looks of curiosity she was now receiving from birds on neighboring perches, focusing all her attention on the Charm and on performing it correctly, hoping that it would work…

And it did! There it was, the lock, now hanging open from the perch.

“Brilliant,” Natka breathed to herself, pocketing the shining object once more. She took out some treats from her other pocket, offering them to her owl with a smile.

“There you go, thank you,” she smiled, stroking its feathers one more time before dancing happily out of the Owlery.