22 July, 2020

As a sort of reward for completing her first year at Hogwarts, Aunt Angharad had gifted Ivy with a small bag of Galleons and whisked her away to Diagon Alley. Ivy thought it was a little odd to be celebrating something so simple such as completing a school year, but Angharad Graham always looked for a reason in every situation to celebrate for. "What would you like to get?" her aunt asked, walking through the street with her hand in Ivy's. "A broomstick? A dress? A toad? You can get anything - just not a Pygmy Puff, dear, I can't stand them." Angharad stopped to look in a window. "What about a new set of Gobstones? They come in gold..."

Ivy shook her head and continued walking. "No thank you, Aunt Angharad. My old ones suit me fine. Can we..." she paused. What did she want? A broomstick would make sense, as she was on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, but judging by the amount of Galleons her aunt had given her, she wouldn't be able to get a decent one. Perhaps - oh! I know! Ivy's eyes brightened as a thought occurred to her. "Can we go to the Menagerie? I want to get a cat."

Angharad clapped her hands together with delight. "What a wonderful idea! Now, I have to go and sort out some business in Gringotts - why don't you go and get your cat and we can meet up at Florean's later? Does that sound good?" Ivy nodded mutely and opened her mouth to say something, but she was already halfway down the street. The Gryffindor sighed to herself. Sometimes her aunt's energy could be a little overwhelming.

As soon as she walked into the Menagerie, a white-haired man rushed to greet her, smiling kindly at her. "Good morning! I'm Mr Witticker - it's nice to see you in our little shop on such a fine day." He offered a hand for her to shake. "Are you here to buy one of our animals?"

Ivy gave his hand a limp shake and smiled back at him. "Ivy Bellamy, pleasure to meet you. I'm here to buy a cat."

"A cat! Lovely animals, they are," Mr Witticker said approvingly. "We offer a wide range of breeds here. Would you like to take a look?"

The Gryffindor followed him around the shop, looking over each cat carefully. They were all rather beautiful, but none of them felt like they were meant to be hers. The feeling that she was wasting Mr Witticker's time crept in, and she sent an apologetic smile his way. "Don't you worry," the old man reassured her, as if he had read her mind. "Pets are important. You have to pick the right one - it's like what dear old Ollivander says. The wand chooses the wizard, but this time it's a pet instead of a wand, hm? You'll know when you've found the right one." Ivy laughed, although it was a little on the nervous side. How exactly did you just... know?

That was when she noticed a small cat - or was it a kitten? - in the corner. It appeared to be... watching her. Ivy moved forwards and crouched down to stroke it - it had the most beautiful grey-blue fur and amber eyes with flecks of gold and brown. "What breed of cat is this?"

"She's a Chartreux," Mr Witticker responded. "She's three months old as of tomorrow - just about old enough to be sold. I think she likes you," he added as the kitten nuzzled her hand.

Ivy smiled. "She's the one. How much is she?"

Five minutes later, she walked out of the Menagerie with her cat on her shoulder. Her money bag felt considerably lighter, but it was worth it. Ivy took a seat at the Ice Cream Parlour to wait for her aunt and wondered what to call her. Names were important, after all - she wanted to give her kitten a well thought out, meaningful name. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke. "Your name is Adelaide." Adelaide meant "noble", and it just seemed to fit. Although, she had to admit, it was rather long for such a small kitten... "Addie for short."

WC: 691

What animal do you wish to purchase? A Chartreux.
What do you want to name it? Adelaide
Is this a boy or a girl? girl
What is your pet's date of birth? 23 April, 2020

Congratulations on your new cat Adelaide!