Hedwig in Memoriam
When Hagrid first bought Hedwig, we were as quick to fall in love with her as Harry. After all, who wouldn’t love such a beautiful snowy owl? Sadly, she never had the chance to live out her full lifespan, but was killed by Death Eaters. Up until that point, I didn’t think I could hate them any more than I already did. But regardless of her tragic fate, Hedwig was the best owl who ever lived.
Of course, she did have quite a name to live up to. The name Hedwig comes from two German words, one meaning battle and the other, war. So it’s quite appropriate that she died in battle. However, her name also reflects the love and friendship she gave Harry. Saint Hedwig was the Duchess of Silesia and known for her generosity and kindness toward the poor, which would have included orphans like Harry. While Harry may have picked the name randomly out of his History of Magic book, it was still a good and fitting choice.
And despite her death, Hedwig’s spirit lives on. We hold her in our memories and memorialize her on T-shirts and through stuffed animals. That brave beautiful owl is just waiting for her master on the other side, and when the day comes, Harry is sure to see his oldest friend again.
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