Squeaking Balls of Fluff PET SOLO

Lucia Fox had always loved Christmas. Usually, the Fox family spent their holiday at home, unwrapping presents, eating too much gingerbread and having a fun time together - after all, there was no-where else to go.
So when, on Christmas day, Lucia didn't have a present from Ebony Fox to unwrap, she was a bit confused. Luckily, Ebony noticed her daughter's expression and gave her a sly smile. "We need to go out to get your present," she said. And she wouldn't let slip anything more until the day after Boxing Day, when Ebony decided there wouldn't be too many people in Diagon Alley.

She was wrong, of course - the streets were filled with witches and wizards, but Ebony still managed to steer the family towards the Magical Menagerie. This prompted another round of questions from all three Fox sisters.
"Ebony?" Lucia asked breathlessly. She was pretty sure of what her suprise present was going to be, but she tried not to get her hopes up.
"Oh yay!" Willow exclaimed, immediately running off to coo over the rats.
"Lucy, you think-" Briar began, before noticing Willow's disappearance and hurrying after her.
Ebony smiled at her daughter. "Merry Christmas."
Lucia gasped. "Really?" she asked with bated breath."You're giving me... a pet?" Ebony nodded, and Lucia gave her a hug. "Thank you! Thank you!" she squeaked, thankful that no-one was around to hear her except the two kindly-looking shopkeepers, one of which was patiently explaining the rats' lifestyle to a captivated Willow and intrigued Briar.

Choosing a pet, Lucia soon discovered, was hard. Ebony had opted to let her wander around by herself, and after ten minutes she still hadn't made a choice.
The owls were elegant and friendly, but the part-Veela shied away from their sharp talons, scared that they would scratch her.
The cats were fluffy and adorable, but Lucia soon discovered that they required quite a lot of care and maintenance - and plus, mightn't they bring rats in?
The toads were a no; Lucia had decided early on that she didn't want a reptile - especially not a slimy one.
Rats were out for obvious reasons (Lucia definitely didn't want a pet she was allergic to, even if it was just a mild allergy).
Lizards weren't an option for the same reason as frogs, and Lucia completely refused to go near the spiders.
Pygmy puffs, however, were an option. They were cute, small, furry, and didn't require a lot of maintenance or food as they could look after themselves. The only problem was-

"Twenty galleons?" Ebony asked, surprised. "Lucy, I'm really not sure-"
"If I may, Miss..." One of the shopkeepers interrupted. He held his hand out, and Ebony shook it warily. "They're not too bad. In fact, they're cheaper in the long term than most of our other animals here." He chuckled. "Don't have to get so much food and toys, you know? They're pretty self-reliant."
Lucia turned her gaze on her mother. Ebony was begining to weaken, the girl could see that. "Please, Ebony! I promise I'll look after her - I'll brush her and clip her nails and-"
Ebony raised her hands in defeat. "Alright, alright! Merry Christmas, Lucy."

"So you want a girl then?" the shopkeeper asked as the family stood in front of the cage where the pygmy puffs were kept. By this time, he had introduced himself as Ernest Witticker. Lucia's sisters had also caught up with the puff-hunters, and were playing with the pygmy puffs and occasionally making suggestions which the older sibling ignored.
"Yes," Lucia said firmly. "I wouldn't want it to feel out of place." Her whole family was female - apart from her grandparents, of course, though Ebony didn't talk about them much.
"Any colour preference?"
"Not really," Lucia decided, before breaking off in response to Briar.
"Hey Lucy, come and see this one," she whispered, and it was her tone that made Lucia do as her younger sister said.

It was a purple pygmy puff in a corner. She was by herself, and when Briar edged a hand towards her she scooted back. Lucia tried next, to the same result. "Hey there," she murmured. The pygmy puff rolled over, and Lucia's hand followed, at a distance. "You okay?" The puff stretched out her tongue and tapped Lucia's hand with it as if searching for something. The girl giggled, but the noise made the puff roll away again.
Ernest crouched down, seeing what the sisters were looking at. "This one's a little shy at first," he said quietly, and held out a hand towards the puff. After a few moments, the little ball of purple fur edged onto his hand and Ernest took her out. "But she's better once she gets to know you."
"It reminds me of River," Ebony said softly, and at the mention of the name all three of the younger Foxes froze. "She was like that, sometimes."
Lucia had already made her mind up. "That's what I'll call her then," she said. "River."

Word Count: 841
What animal do you wish to purchase? Purple Pygmy Puff
What do you want to name it? River
Is this a boy or a girl? Female
What is your pet's date of birth? 28^th November 2020