Pet Batman's Homecoming Solo Finished

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Interacting With: Valentina D'Spacito • Ernest Witticker • Batman
Mentioning: Ana Beckett • Lydia Cooper • Wren Caster • Willow Anderson
Hex Color: #800000

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Diagon Alley was quite the magnificent setting on the day of July 20th, the blue expanses void of clouds as the sun shone brightly in the summer sky, painting the wizarding shoppers in a warm sheen of gold – a slight breeze seemed to rustle about in the air, disturbing the hanging signs of the miscellaneous stores lining the shopping center and stirring the dust underneath the feet of the average onlooker, as well as giving the native birds a gale to rest their wings on as they drifted about in the summer sun, watching with solemn eyes the events going on underneath their wings, the world of man always restless, always everchanging. The weather gravitated towards 26 Celcius. Typically, to the wizarding child, there might have been something calming about the closed spaces, droning of men and women on their way to and fro, the discomfort of being under the sun for hours on end. But today, Rafael could do nothing to focus on these small details.

After all, he was a man on a mission.

A lot had happened during the beginning days of Rafael’s summer break – to put it simply, there was just no hiding facts from Miguel D’Spacito. After coming clean to his father mere days before, specifically regarding the godforsaken mystery going about the walls and corridors of Hogwarts, the man and his younger counterpart had come to the one-sided agreement that Rafael could only resume his studies at the wizarding school under the terms of continued communication between himself and his father. Which Rafael supposed was fine. After all, it was an opportunity for communication between him and the aloof man, an opportunity that had seldom been provided throughout the nearly-twelve-years of his life – even so, there was something unattached about the agreement, a way his father had spoken to him, that gave the boy the insinuation that his problems had little to do with himself, and everything to do with an elephant in the room that he surprisingly couldn’t see. Something that did little to help the child’s self esteem regarding those supposedly close to him. It was odd, how alone he felt sometimes, even within his own home, an alien in the midst of human beings he was supposed to be familiar with…

No, that didn’t matter.

Right – Rafael was here for a bird. Specifically, an owl responsible enough to relay messages between himself and his father over the boy’s second year at Hogwarts. Which, to some, may have been considered an easy job – however, no such duty could be seen in an ill light when wearing the spectacles that was the mindset of the Gryffindor Captain. He supposed he’d always had trouble making quality friends, either out of his own bravado and arrogance, or out of attraction to the wrong folk. It was surprising, how lucky he’d gotten at Hogwarts, what with partnerships with the lovely Anastasia, Lydia, Wren, even Willow, a girl of which he knew very little and yet thought very highly of. Lightning didn’t strike twice. It was difficult when it came to animal companions, as well, at least in the midst of his wild suppositions – who was to say that he would find an animal with a likeness to himself. Or one responsible and worthy enough to send an important letter to his father? Even if he could find a brave bird, choosing the wrong creature could prove catastrophic, as he would be stuck with such a bird for the rest of the school year. It was just a tough situation. Of course, another mindset… Rafa had a lot of those these days.

One would find the young Gryffindor pacing the expanses of Diagon Alley’s resident pet shop – the Magical menagerie – a furrowed brow and scrutinizing gaze upon his face as he smacked the individual bird cages. Owls, as it seemed, weren’t as fearless as the boy would have wished, the animals continuing to flap their wings at the first sign of confrontation and squawk for the help of the resident pet keeper, some old guy with white hair and a flannel shirt, a disapproving gaze upon his face. Unfortunate. But that wasn’t to say that there weren’t pretty birds – on the contrary, animals of every neutral color on the spectrum seemed to watch gracefully from their cages, be they barn owls, snowy owls, eagle owls…. owl names he couldn’t pronounce. Absolutely lovely creatures they were, great and small, all eager to get away from the merciless hand of the Captain as he assaulted their peace. “All pussies,” he growled, chin up. “All pathetic little – “

“Rafael!” his mother yelled from the store door. “Language!”

The boy would pay no mind, but the universe surely would. Fate, after all, was a fickle thing, intertwining the lives of two ordinary souls [both human and animal] with an invisible string, in this particular moment pulling the line taut by a swift act of karma. Or, more specifically, a swift bird bite to the finger. “OW!” The Captain yelped suddenly, pain exploding into his hand as red gushed down his index finger, falling gently onto his knuckles and pooling about his back hand. “MOTHERFUCKER!”

"Rafael, I swear to God I will walk you right out of this store – “

“Mama, wait,” the boy put his bloody finger up to further signify his words. His eyes, in that moment, would float towards the perpetrator – his eyes were yellow, antagonizingly so, his little chin bowed slightly in contempt as he glared at the young Captain, wings tucked near his face and guarded in defense against the Argentine. His feathers were brown, with specks of black and white. He was a small bird, a bit bigger than the boy’s hand, but a monster nonetheless, the tip his beak stained with the very blood now dried on the boy’s hand. A weapon. A warrior. A worthy candidate.

Without looking over at the store owner, the Captain jutted his chin towards the creature. “Tell me about him.”

The old man nodded, his disapproving look morphing into a feigned air of interest. “Ah,” the man smiled hurriedly, nodding and stepping forward. “This is one of our newest owls, Steve. An Eastern Screech Owl, about five weeks old. A baby. He was bred in captivity. An unruly fellow, likes to bite and make noise.” Then, brows furrowed in worry, There are plenty of young birds here, Steve might not be the best choice for a beginning pet owner. Might I interest you in a tamer owl?”

No thanks, Ebenezer, Rafael couldn’t help but think. After all, the boy had found his match. His challenge. This was no time to step back, not when perfection judgmentally gazed into his eyes only feet away. Deciding to ignore the man’s question, he turned towards the owl, crossing his arms and jutting his chin up. “You are no longer Steve,” Rafael addressed the animal with a curt clearing of the throat and an authorative voice.

“He only answers to Ste-“

“I don’t care.” Rafael shook his head, practically glaring at his new partner in crime. “From now on, you are Batman. Stealthy, and a creature of the night.” A gesture was offered for each word. “Do you understand me?”

The owl blinked back in contempt.

So they were understanding each other. A smile curled onto the Captain’s face, and he nodded, almost as if arrogantly expressing his triumph. “Okay, good.” Then, turning to the store owner, “How much is he?”

The man, none too pleased, nodded. “Fifteen galleons for this one.”

“Wh-“ What was this? Gucci? Rafael’s face seemed to morph from surprise, to disgust, to anger in one moment. Then, suddenly putting all those facial expressions in a blender, he shook his head, face red and eyes shut tightly, as if wondering ‘what the hell’. “Are you f-“ however, his mini-rant would be cut short by his mother’s gaze, her eyes wide and face the picture of Satan himself – she didn’t even have to speak for him to straighten up. God, fine. Fishing a few coins from his pocket, he rotated his neck, his eyes rolling in a sarcastic gesture as he tapped his foot. “There goes my broom fund. Highway robbery.” Dropping the coins in the man’s hand, the Gryffindor stepped back, wiping his hands on his shirt. Taking the corona off. “That’s cursed money right there. Now,” shrugging, as if the answer should be obvious, “where’s my bird?”

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A few minutes later, papers signed and formalities exchanged, Rafael was casually pushing through the crowds of Diagon Alley once more, dominant right hand clutching his new charge’s cage. “Batman,” he stated casually, much like Tony Stark talking to his robots. “You have to understand that where I’m sending you, is a dark, dangerous place. There is no room for error. I’m sure you’ve heard the horror stories about Hogwarts?” A small smile pulled up at his lips, an eyebrow raised in question.

The bird screeched, putting its talons upon the cage and flapping his wings, as if to signify attacking Rafael.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get your panties in a twist,” the boy continued, his smile never leaving as he shrugged his shoulders. “You’ll have me. Greg. Maybe Ana’s and Pierre’s cats. That should be enough, right?”

SQUAWK

“Jesus,” Rafael growled, rubbing his eyes. Had he picked a tough case? Perhaps. Was he going to give up? When hell froze over. Batman may not have known at that time, but Rafael sure as hell did – they were going to get along just fine. Set some stuff on fire. Piss a few people off. Solve a lot of problems. Help each other out. It was all part of the learning curve – if Rafael could be school-tamed, then why couldn’t Batman?

“Okay then.”

What animal do you wish to purchase? Eastern Screech Owl
What do you want to name it? Batman
Is this a boy or a girl? Boy
What is your pet's date of birth? May 13th, 2020
Words Count: 1644