Greetings from the God of Trickery pet

IC Date: August 28, 2023
Astra speaking: #136323
The twins speaking: #43aed1[/color
Raymond speaking: #0b4000
Thoughts: Italics
WC: 640

"And here we are!" Uncle Raymond said, ushering his young and only niece into the Magical Menagerie. Her eyes filled with wonder, as any eleven year old's would, at the sight of all the animals. There were owls- "Look, this one is like Novem!" and toads- "That looks like the one Rod caught last night." and lizards (Astra was speechless at these, as she could only think of their bigger cousins, dragons) and many more.

Elliot knelt down beside his baby cousin, sweeping his arm in an all encompassing gesture. "You can have anything," he said, causing her blue eyes to grow impossibly wider. "Any pet you want." She was now taller than him and looked down with wondering eyes, just like at the wand shop the day earlier.

The Lerians (Uncle Ray, Aunt Aces, Elliot, Jesse, and Maria) were there to see Roderick and Astra off to Hogwarts. Aunt Seren, Uncle Don, and Cedric had sent their congratulations and well-wishes in a howler as well as a moving picture that featured the newest hatchlings playing in their artificial nest. So now Astra got to go on a fun little diversion with the male Lerians while Roderick had to suffer through clothes shopping with Morella, Aces, and Maria. Not that Aces was particularly helpful in that department, but still.

Jesse pointed to the section with all the cats. There was a gray one kind of looking at them with a... side eye?"Let's go look at the cats, Asa," he said. He and Elliot were identical, but Elliot wore his hair longer and Jesse had a slightly deeper voice. Also growing up around them made it easy to tell the two apart.

Astra, still rather starstruck by the sheer amount of animals present, followed Jesse with quick steps, her short legs unable to match his 6 ft stride. Her gaze was fixed on the gray cat who seemed to be giving her the side eye. It was gray and soft looking, sitting beside one that looked just like it. It's pal was snoozing, and adorable little purr acting almost as a snore. But the car in question's tail twitched and it watched the four humans approach it.

Astra hesitantly out her hand out for the cat to sniff. It put it's paw on her hand and batted at it. Astra looked up at Uncle Ray, confused. The man shrugged. He had never had a pet at Hogwarts besides an owl. Elliot and Jesse weren't much help either.

Astra stuck out a finger and the cat placed it's pawpad on her fingertip. "Does this mean he likes me?" she whispered. Once again, the men were no help.

The car meowed loudly before rubbing its head against Astra's hand. Her mouth fell open in joyous surprise. "I guess he does," Uncle Ray chuckled. Elliot waved to the shopkeepers as Astra began petting the cat, who looked very smug indeed and had a mischievous look in his amber eyes as he pushed his soft ears into Astra's palm.

And so the girl and her uncle and cousins left the store with a crate and 14 galleons poorer than they were before, but it was worth it to get Hermes, the Egyptian Mau now riding in his crate and looking at all the passing buildings. To play it off so Roderick wouldn't get jealous, Elliot and Jesse assured him that the cat was for themselves. As a result, the young witch was unable to take her new friend to Hogwarts with her. Imagine her surprise when a group of owls flew in carrying a crate with none other than Hermes in it right into the Great Hall, with a note saying "Sorry for the delay, we almost forgot he was yours" in Jesse's neat cursive and Elliot's signature scrawled at the bottom alongside his brother's.

What animal do you wish to purchase? Egyptian Mau
What do you want to name it? Hermes
Is this a boy or a girl? Boy
What is your pet's date of birth? January 27th, 2023