Boy Meets Owl PET Finished

Colin had been saving up for a long while and today was the day! His seanmamó, or great-great-great-great (Colin really wasn't certain exactly how many greats she was!) grandmother, collected him and took him into London for the day. Although she'd taken him to a couple of places in muggle London where she met with some interesting folks, Colin was very happy to get back through the doors of the Leaky Cauldron.

Muggledom both fascinated and terrified Colin, and muggle London was so large and crowded and noisy and smelly that the balance was tipped more towards terror than fascination, especially when seanmamó told him to climb into that thing she called a zipcar, and then she got in and began to make it move! He thought for sure he was going to die!

"Colin, laddie, the time's coming when young wizards such as yourself must learn not to fear muggledom."

"Aye! A'm no afeart!" Colin cried out, both hands grasping the handle thing by the door. His knuckles were as white as bone.

"And ye've got yer heart set on a braw houlie, or so says our Ciarán!" she said as she managed the tiller with her wand.

"Aye! A great houlie!" Colin almost shouted as visions of huge red monsters full of trapped people came barreling towards them, klaxons hooting and motors roaring! "Yeep!" he squeaked.

"Tsk! Thoo'll pish yer kilts lad, if ye keep that ruckus up! Ah, here we are!" Finally the zipcar of death came to a stop and Colin's seanmamó got out, telling him to stay a while. Colin had no intention of going anywhere and he stared at the huge orange letters above the stark glass and brick facade his great-great grandmother disappeared into. Sainsbury's. He wondered what that meant. Soon enough, she came back out with a brown paper bag all neatly tied up. "Take that to yer freends, lad; and there's a wee bit in there for yer chridhe. That young lady yer always gabbin on aboot?"

"Aye! Mo chridhe? Jarael!" he cried out.

His seanmamó chuckled. "Poor lad. Too much muggledom for one day, I think!" And with that, she drove all the way back to the street where they could access magical London. It took her a moment to pry his fingers from the handle above the door, but she did at last and got him into Leaky Cauldron once more, where Colin sank into the comfortably ordinary chair in safe, ordinary magical London.

"So laddie, ye know all aboot houlies, then? How to take care of them? What to feed them? I know up at Hogwarts, yer houlie can hunt, but he'll need regular snacks from you, right?" she asked, wanting to make certain he'd be able to care for the creature.

"Oh, aye, 'mamó! He'll have a snug place up in the Owlery --- I go up there a lot, you know, and my houlie'll have freends there and all. There's some braw school owls that I like there. And," he paused, looking around to make sure no one heard. "I can hunt up some mice or a hare for a treat!" he whispered with a wink. She smiled, well knowing what her young hunter meant.

After they'd eaten, they headed for the back door of the place and the wee brick courtyard where they'd enter magical London proper. She let Colin open the portal, and he smiled, getting out his wand and tapping on the bricks.

Usually, a trip to this part of the City would have fascinated Colin, but his mind was really focused on how he'd actually get his owl, and of course on introducing him to his friends back at school! At last, his seanmamó came to a shop and sat down on a neat wooden bench out front. She took the paper package from him and said: "Well, in wi ye, laddie! Yer houlie'll no come flyin oot to thee!" Colin looked up and saw that he was in fact standing outside of the Magical Menagerie! He'd heard about this place from Sophia and Quinn and other kids who had crossed this very threshold.

He nodded and pushed the doors open.

What met his eyes when he got inside were numerous cages and cubbies and nooks and crannies each one occupied by some animal or other! His eyes & mouth opened wide in wonder as he wandered about the shop. After some time, an elderly chap came around and asked if he could help Colin. "Welcome to the Menagerie, young sir! Might I be of assistance helping you find a companion here?"

For a moment, Colin could only nod his head. At last he found his voice: "Aye, sir! This place is brilliant! My friends told me all about you, and this place!" Suddenly Colin remembered his manners, and he bowed to the shopkeeper. "Oh! Sorry sir! My name's Colin McCoire, sir! I'm hoping to find an owl, sir!"

"McCoire, you say? I know that name, and I believe we have an owl that would be suitable for you! Tell me: how will you choose your owl?"

"Oh. Well, sir, I rather thought I'd ask the owls to choose me!"

The shopkeeper nodded. "That's fair! Come with me, then." He led Colin up a winding stair to the shop's owlery, a high gallery with perches full of owls. "Some of these are for sale, others to let. In you go, young man! We'll see if any of these birds chooses you!"

Colin went in and stood in the middle of the high place. He looked up into the wooden beams and rafters of the shop's uppermost garret and waited. It seemed to Colin that the owls looked down upon him as if judges on the high bench considering his doom and fate. He said quietly: "Hullo hoolies! Would one of you come to Hogwarts with me?"

His question was met with stern owlish glares and stares but no answer came. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a treat that an owl might like. He placed it on top of his head and waited. At last, something spoke from the highest reaches of the owlery. A throaty, deep call. "UHUUU!" A bird glode down and landed upon his shoulder. For all its great size, it was very light and warm. Its talons pressed into his flesh, but Colin dared not wince! And it deftly snapped up the treat he had placed upon its head!

Colin craned his neck and looked up at the owl. It was huge!! He turned and was met at the doorway by the smiling shopkeeper. "I'd say you've been chosen, young Mr McCoire! Do you know what kind of owl that is?" he asked.

"He's huge, sir! I think he must be an eagle owl, sir!" Colin replied, following the man back down into the shop. He saw that a couple other customers had entered and were being entertained by a silver haired lady. He thought she must be the shopkeeper's wife.

"You are correct. He's a fine looking Indian Eagle Owl. He's about three or fourth months old now, and he should make a fine companion for you for many many years to come!" He led Colin over towards the counter where he'd fill out a paper and pay his money. Colin fished his money pouch from his pocket and tipped it out on the counter. "I can see you've been saving for a while Mr McCoire!"

"Indeed I have sir! My friends helped me save up some extra and all! I'm sure they'll be excited to meet this kingly bird!" Most of his money was in knuts and sickles, but there were a few galleon coins as well! He counted out several stacks of 29 knuts each and quite a few of 17 sickles each. "That's ten galleons, and here are five galleon coins too! Fifteen altogether, sir!"

The shopkeeper ran his practiced eyes over the stacks of coins, and with a merry twinkle sent them all up into the air to dance into the ancient wooden till on the counter, while Colin watched with delight before tipping his remaining money back into his pouch.

With another bow to the shopkeeper and with his owl safely in a transport cage, Colin went back outside to show his seanmamó his new owl! He could hardly wait to get back to school and give him some proper treats and take him out hunting!

Reducio

A'm no afeart! --- I'm not scared!
a braw houlie --- a lovely owl
Thoo'll pish yer kilts lad, if ye keep that ruckus up! --- You'll pee your kilt, kiddo, if you carry on like that!
Take that to yer freends, lad; and there's a wee bit in there for yer chridhe. That young lady yer always gabbin on aboot? --- Give this to your friends, lad; and there's a little something for your sweetheart. That young lady you're always talking about?
Aye! Mo chridhe? Jarael! --- Yes! My sweetheart? Jarael!
So laddie, ye know all aboot houlies, then? --- So, lad, you know all about owls, then?
Well, in wi ye, laddie! Yer houlie'll no come flyin oot to thee! --- Well, go on in son! Your owl won't come flying out to you!

1460 Words

What animal do you wish to purchase? an Indian Eagle Owl
What do you want to name him? Uhuu
Is this a boy or a girl? He is a boy
What is your pet's date of birth? 3 March 2022