"It's ok," she said, doing her best to put on her brave face. He was right, there was nothing she could do as to how she was being attacked.

"It was Thursday night," she said. Maybe this would help. Maybe they could figure it out. "I came back from the dining hall at seven thirty, I didn't stop at my room, just went straight up to the owlery to give Milo a treat. That's when I found him. He was all alone, all the other owls had flown off."