Cold Snow, Warm Heart Pet

┏ Change, that was how Lyanna would summarize the last two weeks of the Christmas holidays. Not the good, surprising kind of change though, the confusing kind. The feeling you get when you don't know what to say after seeing your mother's face so pale she looked like a ghost, and blaming yourself for it, even though it's not your fault. But that's how life is, isn't it? Today she was walking with her father through the bustling street of Diagon Alley, the place to buy your school books, broomstick, prank items, wand, robes, withdrawing money out of Gringotts and so much more. The cold, winter weather made her cheeks redden and moments later it also started to snow, the wind blowing snowflakes onto her face and hair. It was admittedly beautiful though, and despite the chilly day Lyanna smiled. After a few minutes of walking they arrived at their destination, the Magical Menagerie, a little shop run by the kind Mr. and Mrs. Witticker. This was the place that every Hogwarts student bought their pet if they had one. After everything that had happened, Lyanna's father found it fitting to buy a pet for Lyanna to be her companion and give her someone to talk to. Someone who would always understand her. Lyanna herself couldn't wait to find a new little friend. She couldn't even guess how much fun she would have, going on adventures together! Her father wouldn't go inside with her as she chose her pet, as he would quickly go to a few other shops himself. And that was when he said; "I love you," and Lyanna said, "I love you too." Because what else could one say? After all, she did love him. It's just... he had changed since the Christmas events. Before the holidays, he had always let her be very independent, but now he was much more overprotective, which was very unusual, especially if you knew him well. After climbing a few steps, Lyanna opened the wooden door of the shop and went inside. The warm room was lively and filled with animals of all sorts! Looking around, she saw toads, cats, owls, lizards, ferrets and many more cuddly creatures waiting in their cages to be picked out by a witch or wizard and brought home. As she wasn't sure which pet she wanted to purchase, Lyanna started walking over to one of the cages as Mrs. Witticker walked into the room, holing a tray of freshly-baked cookies which she set on the counter. "Hello dear, are you looking for a new pet?" she said kindly. "Hello Mrs. Witticker, yes, I am!" Lyanna replied, smiling. "Lovely, I'm sure you'll find the perfect pet here. Do you already know what you are looking for dear?" "I'm not sure yet actually. There are so many choices, I really don't know where to start looking." "Well, we have owls, cats, toads, rats, pygmy puffs, lizards, spiders, bunnies, ferrets and fish," Mrs. Witticker said, counting them off on her fingers, "you're bound to find something that you like. Owls are good for delivering your post and fish must stay in water of course. Cats are usually thought to be great companions, but they all are, it just depends on the person." "That's good to know, thank you. I think I'll start by looking at the cats?" she replied, the second sentence quieter and more to herself than to the shopkeeper. Mrs. Witticker left the room for a moment, as Lyanna went over to look at the animals. The first one she saw was jet black. The tag on the cage read: -Bewitched Midnight Stalker, -girl. She was very pretty, her bright-yellow eyes were looking intently at Lyanna as her ears twitched slightly at every sound. "She's lovely," Lyanna whispered to herself, making a mental note to ask Mrs. Witticker more about this breed of cat when she came back into the room. "Hello miss! And what might your name be, if I may?" Came the voice of Mr. Witticker, who had just stepped into the room and was now standing behind the counter. "Hello, I'm Lyanna Oak, a student at Hogwarts. I came here to look for a pet, I spoke to your lovely wife before. Could you tell me about the Bewitched Midnight Stalker, please?" "Of course, it's nice to meet you miss Oak. Bewitched Midnight Stalkers are social and playful, always interested in what is happening around them and have the tendency to vocalize often and rather persistently. The are very intelligent creatures, are acrobatic and love to be with their owners. Despite the muggle tales, these cats do not bring bad luck. They are a lovely breed of cat." "Thank you, I will certainly take that option into consideration Mr. Witticker," she said interestedly, and looked at a few more cats. So far though, the Bewitched Midnight Stalker was her favorite. After having seen the cats, Lyanna thought of the nine other options the shop had to offer. She wasn't really a toad person, and she didn't really want a rat either. Pygmy Puffs...just didn't suit her; they were just so fluffy and small, they looked more like a furry tennis ball than a pet. Fish had to stay in water, and that would be no fun. But what then? Ferrets were an option, spiders were certainly not an option, lizards sounded cool and bunnies were really cuddly and cute... and still, there was something about those animals that didn't really appeal to Lyanna. If she was going to buy a pet, she wanted one that understood her. One that wasn't just there. And then she thought of the obvious: an owl! There were so many kinds. Indian Eagle Owls, Great Horned Owls, Snowy Owls, Tawny Owls, Arctic Owls, Barred Owls, Eastern Screech Owls, Great White Owls... so much to choose from, from so many different places in the world! Some were sleeping, as it was day, but one of them hooted just as she looked in that direction and immediately caught Lyanna's eye. -Morepork Owl, -boy, the tag read. The owl was different shades of brown, a little bit white and his eyes were yellow. Somehow, he looked curious, calm, excited and quick-thinking at the same time, Lyanna thought. She didn't know how, but she knew that he would understand her. After giving Mr. Witticker 17 galleons and thanking him, Mrs. Witticker also stepped back into the room and smiled warmly. "Have a cookie if you'd like dear, I hope you have many adventures with your new little friend." "Thank you so much Mrs. Witticker! I'm sure I will, I might come visit sometime," Lyanna said, reaching for a cookie and walking towards the door of the shop, owl cage in hand. After taking one last glance behind her, she stepped outside, the snowy and cold weather greeting her once again. Before walking towards her father, she opened the cage and let her new owl fly freely. He looked so happy in the snow, she laughed. Even after everything that had happened the past Christmas, she laughed. It was as if even though her fire seemed to be almost out, he was still a burning spark. And then she knew what she would name him. Ember ┛