Pet Pre-Start of the Journey : A New 'Friend'

Sere is walking side by side with her parents, for the first time in two years. It is still a miracle even for her to face the fact that Ashton and Hana Nade allowing their child to start new journey, attending a new school, Hogwarts. Today, Sere has to come along when her parents take her for a walk in Diagon Alley, said that they want to give her something.

"Where are we going? What are we going to buy?" Sere asked her mother.

Her mother only shows a smile, while her father says that they will give Sere her first 'friend'. Sere Nade started to understand what her father meant when the three of them arrived in front of a shop with a sign 'Magical Menagerie'. Ashton opened the door and allowed his wife and daughter to enter first.

Sere looks around the shop, there are various kinds of animals in there ranging from friendly looking animals such as goldfish, cats, rabbits, and pygmy puffs; flying animals such as owls; to some that look intriguing like frogs, rats, snakes, lizards, and spiders. Sere turned to the left when she saw an old white-haired man with a friendly smiling face right on her left side. The man introducing himself as Ernest Witticker, the owner of Magical Menagerie, while adjusting the flannel checkered shirt he was wearing.

"I haven't decided to buy anything yet, but let's see." Sere walks and take a look inside the shop which is quite quiet at this time. She heard her parents advise from a far not to choose animals that looked 'dangerous'.

While observing the spiders, someone startled Sere. An old lady in a floral dress that matched her short-curly-white hair that styled neatly. Anna Witticker is the name of the friendly old lady who's about the same height as Sere. This woman's scent is very sweet. Sugar cookies, maybe?

Anna asked if Sere needed help finding a suitable animal for her, but Sere just shook her head. Anna shrug her shoulders then walked away. Sere could still see the woman from the corner of her eye, Anna is bending over while doing something in the rabbit section. Sere is just about to change her focus to the snakes when Anna Witticker exclaimed that a rabbit jumped out of the cage.

Sere quickly turned her head, her eyes widened when the rabbit jump fast towards her. She's immediately picked up and hugged the rabbit which is in quite small size, so that it wouldn't run away. The black eyes of the gray rabbit stared at Sere, then seemed to curl up in her arms. Sere showed a little smile, cute.

Anna Witticker -don't know for how long- is already stand in front of Sere and explained that the rabbit is called mist hopper, the most small and agile one among all the rabbits. Sere looked at Anna, listening to the explanation about the uniqueness of mist hoppers that really loves rain, while still patting the rabbit that looks so comfortable in its position with her thumb. Anna said that mist hoppers can rest comfortably in the hands of the right owner because they feel protected.

Sere looked at the rabbit in her arms once again, and again with its round black-sparklinh eyes the tiny rabbit looked back at her. Protecting a life? A... New Friend? Sere felt a sense of responsibility that makes her heart flutter once again.

“I'll take this one."

Anna smiles widely ear-to-ear. She informed Sere that the grey one that's curling on Sere's arm is a boy, sixth month old, and ask if Sere already thought any names that suits her new friend.

“Buddy.”

Word count : 614/400