Getting A New Pet

“Eva, come on, what is this all about?” Jim asked as Evaine as she led him through Diagon Alley. The place wasn’t as busy as it was before the school term started, but there were still enough people to make Jim’s hand tighten around Evaine’s a bit.

“I told you, it’s a surprise,” she replied, flashing him a smile.

Jim couldn’t help but smile back. Evaine had been saying that all morning, that she had a surprise for him in Diagon Alley. Jim couldn’t imagine what it might be, but he was excited all the same. Evaine pulled him towards a shop and Jim craned his neck up to see that it was the Magical Menagerie. Jim’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t been inside this store before. And as Evaine led him inside, he soon found out why.

The sounds of parrots cawing, cats meowing, dogs barking, and rats squeaking filled Jim’s ears. Parakeets flapped their wings inside their cages, rabbits sniffed at the glass containers that held them. A ferret nearby played with a big, pink rubber ball. Jim looked at Evaine, who had a big smile on her face.

“A pet shop?” Jim asked, raising an eyebrow. “What are we here for?”

Evaine laughed. “This is the surprise, silly!” She pulled Jim towards the kitten part of the store. “I’m getting you a pet, a kitten to be exact. And you get to pick which one.”

“What?” Jim looked at Evaine like she was nuts. “Eva, are you kidding me? Do I really look like the type of person who would be good with pets?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” Evaine assured him, smiling at him. “And I’m sure Emily will too. She loves cats.”

“Eva…” Jim sighed, then lowered his voice. “I’m not sure how well a kitten would react to my…well, werewolf problem. Animals can sense things like that, you know? Plus, don’t dogs and cats naturally not get along anyway?”

Evaine turned away from a black kitten she was looking at and back towards Jim. “Jim, I did my research,” she explained. “Werewolves attack humans, not animals. They gravitate towards werewolves since they’re more animal than regular humans. And besides, it might be good for you. I read that a werewolf and an animal can spend time together during a full moon in peace.”

Jim raised an eyebrow. “Really? You’re not making this up?”

Evaine shook her head. “Nope. I read about this guy who was a werewolf, and his wife was an animagus. Every full moon, when he would turn into a wolf, she would turn into her animagus form, a mountain lion, and she would be able to keep him company throughout the full moon.”

“Are you suggesting I do that with a kitten?” Jim asked. The idea of his wolf form being around a tiny animal gave him the willies. He had the feeling that he could probably obliterate it in seconds, given his bloodthirsty nature.

“No, no, I’m just saying that, well, you’re not as dangerous as you think you are,” Evaine said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Jim sighed. He still wasn’t sure about all this. But his thoughts were interrupted when the shop keeper, who looked like a typical old geezer, entered from the back of the shop.

“Oh, hello there,” he said cheerfully. “Are you looking for something in particular?”

Evaine nodded. “Mm-hmm. We’re looking for a kitten for him.” She pointed at Jim.

“I think I have just the thing for you, young man,” the shopkeeper said. He flicked out his wand and one of the crates opened, which set the kittens inside to mewling and crawling all over each other. Evaine gasped with delight at seeing so many cute animals in one place. Jim still seemed unsure about it all.

“These kittens are the rambunctious kind, love to run around,” he said. “Should be good for a teenager like yourself.”

“They do seem to have a lot of energy,” Jim commented as he bent down beside the crate. He felt Evaine put her hand on his shoulder and he turned to see her smiling at him. That seemed to give hi the final nudge he needed and he stuck his hand inside. All the kittens went for it, rubbing against his fingers or batting at his wrist with their paws. Jim actually laughed. They were kinda cute, now that he had been around them for more than five seconds. All of them seemed excited to see him, but there was one that caught his attention. It was an orange kitten, a bit smaller than the others. They often shoved him aside so they could get more of Jim, but he always came right back, was never down for long. It almost reminded Jim of himself.

“How much for the orange one?” he asked, pointing.

“Nine galleons,” the shopkeeper replied.

“Sold,” Evaine said, reaching into her pocket for her money.

“Eva, hold on, it’s my cat. I’ll help pay for him too,” Jim argued, putting his hand on her wrist.

“Jim, I told you, I was paying for the cat,” Evaine said sternly. “How about, I pay for the cat, and you can chip in for a litter box, food, and toys?”

Jim nodded. It looked like that as far as he was going to get with Evaine. She could be pretty stubborn that way. Soon enough, the two exited the shop, with the little kitten in a carrier and everything they needed to take care of him.

“So, what are you going to name him?” Evaine asked.

Jim pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. The orange kitten looked up at him and meowed, almost like it was smiling.

“How about…Piper?”

Evaine smiled. “I like it.” The kitten, now named Piper, meowed as if in agreement. Jim and Evaine laughed as they made their way back to the train.



((Yeah, this is my entry for the pet contest thing. XD))

Omg *gasp* it's soo cute <33