The light jingle of bells tinkled into Avis' ears as she and Mam entered the pet store. A strong smell of animal hit her nostrils immediately and she scrunched her nose against the odor, but that didn't stop her excitement. Mam had given her the promise of a pet for Christmas and told her they'd go look for one as soon as they arrived in London to do some second term shopping. Diagon Alley was buzzing as school started back up again the next day but Avis had shoved her way through the crowds to reach Magical Menagerie in a timely manner. She couldn't wait to finally have a pet of her own after envying her older siblings' pets for so long.

She studied the interior of the store excitedly. All sorts of animals were barking, meowing, screeching and even hissing and the cacophony mixed with the low conversation of customers browsing pets and pet supplies alike. Avis already knew what she wanted, but as she reached the section for cats, she realized there were quite a few more types than she'd imagine.

"Mam!" she called, her attention on the animals in front of her. When her mam didn't answer immediately, she whirled around with scrunched eyebrows and groaned when she found Tabitha Greymond caught up in conversation with another witch. Avis marched over and grabbed her mother's hand. "C'mon, I need help. Let's go," she urged, tugging on her arm. Tabitha muttered a quick apology and offered a kind smile to her friend before following her daughter.

"Alright, alright Avis. Stop pulling," she chided, batting the girl's arm away. Avis stopped abruptly in front of the cat pen.

"There are too many types," she said, gesturing towards all the cats with her hand. Mam chuckled.

"Just pick the one who looks like a friend," she suggested and Avis rolled her eyes. Of course she would suggest some mushy crap like that. Still, Avis leaned over the side of pen and snapped her fingers, clicking her tongue at the multitude of cats.

To her disappointment, the ones that didn't immediately shy away watched her lazily from the comfort of their small cat beds, giving her looks of disdain. Avis sighed. What if none of them liked her? The girl was about to turn away to look at other options, when a warm, slightly wet nose rubbed up against her hand. She glanced down and smiled at the gray tabby, its coat adorned with characteristic black and gray swirls and stripes. She gasped.

"Mam," she whispered eagerly. She felt a pat on her shoulder.

"That's the one, I think," Mam said, warmth filling her voice. In reality, the woman was just eager to leave the stinky, loud shop behind, but she was happy her daughter had found a friend, especially after the news they'd received on Christmas Eve. Hopefully, this cat could provide a bit of distraction for the girl.

Avis continued to play a bit with the cat as her mother hashed out the details with the store owner. Handing over 10 galleons, Tabitha walked back over to her daughter with an armful of cat food, litter, a litter box and a traveling carrier, all stuffed into a very large paper bag.

"Reducio," she whispered, tapping the bag lightly with her wand. She sighed in relief as it shrunk into a more manageable size. Avis walked towards her, the gray cat snuggled into her arms.

"I think he likes me," Avis said happily, looking down at her new ward. Tabitha smiled and pulled a bit of parchment out of your coat.

"He'll only like you as much as you take care of him, young ma'am. Give him food and water. Don't over feed him. Mackerel Tabbies are sociable cats so make sure you spend some time with him- Avis are you listening?" Tabitha said, reading off the sheet. Avis nodded, still staring down at her cat. "Alright then, clean his litter box regularly, otherwise Maisie might not be too happy with your new pet," Tabitha instructed and tucked the parchment into her daughter's satchel. "There. I think we're all settled then. What do you think you'll name him," she said and Avis beamed.

"Quigley!" she said confidently, holding up her cat. He meowed in discomfort and she hastily tucked him back into her arms. Tabitha gave her a confused look.

"Quigley?" she asked. Avis nodded emphatically.

"Only after the Beater that broke Viktor Krum's nose in the '94 World Cup. Quigley's brilliant, Mam. One of the best our national team has ever had!" she gushed and Tabitha sighed, nodding.

"Right, right, I should've known. Alright, let's see if we can find your brother and sister, aye?"

After placing him gently into the traveling carrier, Avis waited as her mam said goodbye to her friend and the pair headed back out into the cold bustling streets of Diagon Alley, Avis practically skipping as she carried along a new friend.

WC: 829
What animal do you wish to purchase? Gray Mackerel Tabby
What do you want to name it? Quigley
Is this a boy or a girl? Boy
What is your pet's date of birth? 10 Dec. 2022

Pet Granted

Look after Quigley well.