Merry Birthday Pet

December 24, 2021 | Outfit

Having a birthday right before Christmas was okay. Sure, the birthday excitement kinda got drowned out in all the Christmas hype, but it was alright. But the best part was something special. The "double gifts."

The tradition had started quite a while ago. In fact, it had practically been going on since she was born. Since birthdays and Christmas were both gift giving times, her family usually slacked off and got her presents split in the middle to count for both of the holidays. But to make up for it, they didn’t just get Val average presents. Not basic toys or clothing (with the exception of a the one year her grandma knitted her a nice Christmas sweater), but extravagant "double gifts." They usually got her the newest toys or tools, but this year, Val had her eye on something.

"Mummm!" She called to her mother as the family walked down Diagon Alley in search for Christmas gifts. Her mother merely nodded, indicating she noticed Val.

"So, it was my birthday a while ago, righttt?" She leaned against her mother. Another nod. "And Christmas is coming up to righttt?" Another nod. Val took a deep breath, standing in front of her mother and stopping her. "Can I get a pet?"

Seraphina Laurier paused, looking down at her daughter. “No,” her mother stated plainly. “WHAT? Mummmmm! Viv got an owl! And Toby has a rat!” She gestured to her two older twin siblings, both standing behind their mother.

“Val. You aren’t ready. Your siblings got their pets when they were much older.” Before her mother could keep walking Valerie quickly stopped her.

"Toby did! And well, he’s Toby but- Viv didn’t! She got Atlas when she started her first year Mum! Before she even got to Hogwarts mum!" Valerie complained. Nothing. Her mother seemed completely unfazed. "Look- Dad probably thinks I’m ready!" She pointed at her father, who was staring distantly with his hands in his pockets.

"What? Oh- er, pet?" She turned to Val, who eagerly nodded. The man walked up to his wife, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Seraphina- she’s ready. I know you don’t think so but she’s mature for her age. Plus, she doesn’t have anyone like how the twins had each other. She needs someone- or some pet, to help her through it."

Seraphina hesitated, a contemplative look on her face. Finally, she sighed, "Alright, fine. Let’s go." Valerie clapped eagerly. "Thank you Mum, thank you!" And with that the family made their way to Magical Menagerie.

When they entered the shop, Valerie was enchanted. Almost even more stunned than when she first entered Hogwarts. Valerie eagerly hurried away from her family, away to look at the pets before her mother could even stop her.

As Val skimmed through the choices, she realized choosing a pet might have been harder than it seemed. The store was filled with every animal she could ever dream of, lizards, spiders, owls, even pygmy puffs. But even with all the animals, none seemed to fit her.

Pygmy puffs? No, much too bright. Lizards? Cute, but to scaly. Plus Val was scared she'd step on it. Spiders? She wasn't one to be scared of bugs, but again, with her recklessness, she'd probably step on it. Perhaps something more common, an owl, perhaps? Nah. There were many at Hogwarts, plus she quite enjoyed stealing Vivian's owl Atlas. Then, she saw them.

They were lined up in cages against the wall, varying in size, color, and even how fluffy they were. Cats. They seemed like the perfect pets for Val, fluffy, friendly, and much less likely to be stepped on. She hurried over to the cages. They were all very, very cute, but again, Val just couldn't find one for her. They all seemed like very perfect pets, but she just couldn't imagine any as her pet.

She slowly peeled away from the cat's cages. Perhaps she was fine without a pet. Perhaps her mother was right, she just wasn't ready. But then, she saw him. She wasn't sure what made him stand out, perhaps it was everything. His flaming red pelt, his swirly pattern, and the fact that overall he seemed much, much younger than all the other cats. Val immediately hurried over.

"Hello there," she whispered, just enough so the cat could hear her. The cat whipped his head around, quickly rushing to the edge of his cage and jumping up at Val. She giggled. "Hello there, what's your name? Hey, why are you all alone?" She pondered, noticing the young cat's distance from all the other cats.

"He's quite energetic, isn't he?" A voice chuckled from behind her. Val turned, her eyes meeting an old woman with a soft smile. She had neat white hair that was tucked nicely behind her and was dressed in a floral dress that lit up the otherwise dull, earthy store. "Yeah, he is," Val smiled softly at the cat, who was still eagerly pawing at the cage bars. "He's pretty young, and he's quite the troublemaker. You know, we had to separate him from the other cats because he just wouldn't stop bothering them," she shook her head, kneeling down beside Valerie.

"Oh, is that so?" Val inquired as the old woman nodded. She met the cat's eyes, and for a second, not only did she feel bad for the poor thing, but she could quite closely relate to him. "Maybe... he's just a bit misunderstood." She turned to the old woman. "Uhm, how much is he?"

"A red classic tabby, so he's twelve galleons," the old woman noted. Val pursed her lip. Did she have a budget? Surely as long as it wasn't too expensive, and twelve galleons wasn't that bad.

"I'll take him." The old woman nodded, pulling out a key and opening the cage. "I'll be right with you," she smiled softly. Val nodded, standing up and watching as the shopkeeper worked to open the cage, her father approaching her.

"You decided on something kiddo?" Her father asked as her placed a hand on her shoulder. The old shopkeeper, finally opened the cage, picking up the small kitten and gently handing it over to Val. She smiled, stroking the kitten with her hand. "Yep. Oh Dad, he's twelve galleons, by the way," she turned to her father, smiling at her dad ruefully. Her father sighed, grinning. "It's alright," he said as he began to dig through his coat pockets for galleons. "I'm sure it'll be worth it. You decided on a name yet?"

Suddenly, her brother Tommy, closely followed by her mother, walked up to them. "Val. Val. Val. Is that your cat?" The boy asked as he licked a cone of chocolate ice-cream. Val nodded. She assumed her family went off to take care of other matters while she was deciding on her pet. "It's so zigzag-y," the six year old stated in wonder, leaning in to observe the playful cat.

Val grinned, an idea coming to her head. She turned to her father, who was giving the galleons to an old man at the counter. She assumed he was the second shopkeeper, the old woman's husband. "Ziggy," she looked down to face the cat, who seemed to mew in agreement. "I'm gonna name him Ziggy."

As they walked out of the shop, Val sighed deeply. She couldn't believe it. She had a pet. It was so exciting, she just couldn't wait to show all her friend back at school. Her father put an arm around her, looking down at her- and Ziggy. "Merry Birthday Val."

WC: 1268 Words

What animal do you wish to purchase? Red Classic Tabby
What do you want to name it? Ziggy
Is this a boy or a girl? Boy
What is your pet's date of birth? September 24, 2021