Eye of the Storm Pet Finished

4:30 PM
Diagon Alley, London

Half-past four' o'clock in the afternoon, Diagon Alley. Two, impeccably dressed figures wove through the crowds, half an inch of space between their path and the surrounding throng of people. If you didn't know better, you would have said it seemed slightly intimidating. If you did, you would have said there was some chill in the air surrounding them. Or maybe that was the winter air?

Regardless, the pair were a peculiar sort, dark capes fluttering behind them in synchrony. If you weren't paying much attention to the taller- esteemed Lord Neptune, a dapper hat shading dark eyes from view and a silver-capped dress cane in one leather-clad hand-, perhaps you would have taken the time to notice his young heir walking half-a-step-behind, her fair appearance stony with a seriousness that far surpassed her age. They stopped in front of the customer-less shop, the cramped-looking building never truly deserted as various animals fought with each other through cages behind glass walls for visibility.

"I will be waiting at the apothecary. Ten minutes, do not linger." A sophisticated voice, dark with firm confidence and commanding ease.

"Yes, sir. I will be quick, sir." Crisp words from a lifetime of aristocracy, pitched sweet with youth.

"Go on, Astrea." Dismissive. Flat with expectancy, flat with disinterest.

And with a curt nod, Lord Neptune turned away and walked off into the crowd, people parting the way subtly as he strolled past, his cane clicking away upon the cobblestone before the sound quickly became drowned out by the crowd. Astrea's father was an intimidating type. It didn't matter if she was under his protection. Intimidating. But at least it wasn't her mother who was bringing her along- not like her mother would, to a place like Diagon Alley-, for her mother would fuss and primp, stringing along stares like ants to honey. Ah well. Releasing a deep breath she didn't realise she had been holding in, Astrea turned away from where her father had disappeared into the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea and pushed open the door to the shop. A ding of a bell, a clamour of noise.

The Slytherin noticed three things from the moment she walked in. First: The shop was a little wild house of activity, full of wire cages, animal enrichment, and glass terrariums stacked like bricks absolutely everywhere. The second thing she noticed was the kindly looking couple who were at the counter- the male tall, broad and vaguely rural-esque leaning against the counter alongside his much shorter wife, her short whitened hair curled smartly in elegant swoops. The two looked somewhat out of place-with the broad-brimmed hat and wire-framed glasses, put up next to a sensible floral dress and a nicely-done up hairdo, she wouldn't have been surprised if she had seen the couple painted upon a canvas, backdropped in lush greenery and docile cattle instead- but the way that the woman handled the owl perched above them looked professional. They knew what they were doing, and if their expressions told anything, they certainly enjoyed it too. And the very last thing she realised was that after taking only a handful of steps into the shop, everything had gone quiet.

All of the animals, so vibrant and full of life, suddenly still. The feeling of dozens of eyes upon her, of every shape and size and colour, tracking her as she walked right up to the counter. The owners seemed surprised at the turn of events- Ernest and Anita Witticker, their nametags read-, as if this was a feat in it of itself to quiet the entire shop within seconds. Her presence. That's what it was. There was no other reason. As much as she knew something was going to happen beforehand, it still didn't make Astrea feel any better about it. Sometimes she wondered what would have happened if she hadn't been cursed with such an aura, such a bubble of dread that had passed down from her father.

"Good afternoon." She greeted the wary pair with all the false confidence of a young soldier going out to war, expression kept carefully blank. "I am looking to buy a cat, please." Her words seemed to snap the two out of their guarded looks and she received a warm smile from both. "Of course! We offer a wide variety of different breeds here, would you like to take a look?" Astrea nodded hesitantly, enough for Mr Witticker to step out from behind the counter and begin walking towards the cat enclosure.

Following the tall man deeper into the shop, Astrea had a distinct idea that perhaps she shouldn't have come. Maybe that was why her father didn't want to join her, the combination of their presences would have made everything so much worse if this happened every time. She fished out her pocket watch from under her cloak, checking the time- has it only been three minutes?- as the unnerving feeling of constant supervision prickled at her back. All the animals, safe in their cages, looked spooked as they huddled far away from the front. She felt spooked, but most of all she felt bad for everyone there.

The more animals they walked by, the worse Astrea felt. The cat enclosure was no different. Muffled hissing, scratching at the floors of their areas, slicked up fur. So many, so many who clearly didn't take too kindly to her. Scanning up and down, it seemed that all of the cats seemed that way- except for one.

Mr Witticker looked intrigued and somewhat confused as she reached out a hand for the fearless cat to sniff. "This is AH, an Egyptian Mau that we've received from a shelter when he was young. He's barely nine months now, and quite usually very jumpy and standoffish compared to the rest of the cats. Poor thing's a loner, though I don't exactly know why he isn't reacting like the rest of them-" It was true. While all the other cats around it stared at her with wide eyes as if she had just manhandled them into a cliff drop, AH had no trouble pressing itself up to the wires of his cage in an attempt to glean some sort of attention from Astrea's willing hand. A hum of contemplation left the owner as he turned to Astrea. "I think he likes you. Would you like to hold him?" A slight smile graced Astrea at Mr. Witticker's words. Unlocking the cage, AH was deposited into the young heir's arms with great care, where it curled up contentedly, paws soft against her arms and purring like nobody's business.

"How much?"

A few minutes later saw Astrea walk out of the strangely still store with a lighter coin purse, a blinking cat in arm and two minutes to spare. The moment she had left, the doorbell chiming happily and Mrs Witticker wishing her a "Have a wonderful day, dear!", the entire store reverted back to its previous state of controlled chaos, muffled by the closing door. Her visit was only the eye to the storm, it seemed. The road outside was packed full of people still. Ah, she needed a name for her new companion.

Orpheus. A tragic hero of musical disposition and yet want for love. When Astrea was younger, she had once wondered what would have happened if Orpheus hadn't given in and looked backwards. Bound even in death to song. "Orpheus. I hope you are ready. You've got a lot ahead of you."

And with that she was off, heading off towards the apothecary with Orpheus tucked warmly within her cloak, with a lot ahead of her indeed.

Word Count: 1461

What animal do you wish to purchase?
Egyptian Mau
What do you want to name it?
Orpheus
Is this a boy or a girl?
Boy
What is your pet's date of birth?
April 20th, 2019.