───────[font=Copperplate Gothic Light]Rory Mirador[/font]───────

Earl’s mother loved pets. Her husband had a huge black cat which would remind one of a panther, if they were to wake up with it on their bed in the dead of night, looking at you with green eyes the size of tiny teacups. Her son had a raven which was perched on his shoulder everywhere he went, giving a dismissive caw after every sardonic thing Drae uttered. Draven and his Raven, that’s what they were called. The dynamic duo, never seen apart.

Earl was the only boy in her family without a pet, and it was about time she changed that. The tiny child’s father wanted him to get something manly. Poor Mr. Gray had always been a rather conservative guy, demanding tradition have a place in every decision made. Earl had other ideas. He’d pulled her inside the store with a cheeky grin, tiny fingers holding onto her thumb. As usual, his pink hair was curling up in all directions, untamable no matter what he did with it. Rory suspected he liked it that way. He was, after all, capable of looking however he pleased.

She’d come to the school, finding him all ready to go, hopping on the balls of his feet as a brilliant smile spread over his face. Her baby boy was so happy all the time; as soon as his eyes settled on her he’d thrown his arms around her squealing, eyes lighting up and making the world suddenly seem a warmer, kinder place. His joy was practically tangible, tiny hands gripping at the material of her coat, grinning as he buried his face in her chest. “You came!” he laughed pulling back. The surprise in his voice was somewhat of a slap to Rory’s face. “That’s right,” she said, smile faltering as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the school.

Thestrals were watching them just from behind the trees in the Forbidden Forests, sending a shiver down her spine. She’d never liked the creatures. Skin pulled too tight over their limbs, dead eyes following her wherever she went. They were reminder of something she’d spent one too many galleons on a bottle of firewhiskey to forget.

As soon as they were off the grounds, Rory turned towards Earl with a smile and pulled him closer. Her tiny strawberry boy cuddled up to her, setting his head against her and smiling with pure childish innocence. His fingers were so small they got lost within her hands. Holding him tight against her, Rory closed her eyes. Three. Two. One.

The chatter of wizards filled the air around them. The smell of winter and pines was no longer surrounding them. Instead, warm stew and hot chocolate, butterbeer and a very sharp biting odor coming from…a potion seller’s stand. The owner in question was handing out vials of ‘love potions’, a murky brown liquid swirling inside the tiny bottles. “Young lady! Do you need help wooing a certain gentleman?” he called out, shoving a vial in her face invitingly. A shiver of revulsion passed over her as she ducked, pulling Earl to the side.

“She already has two!” Earl called out behind them with a tiny laugh. A look passed over the man’s face. The look everyone got when they found out. “Earl, sweetie,” Rory sighed as she dragged him along the street. He didn’t understand. Wouldn’t understand. Wasn’t old enough to resent her the way Draven did.

Finally, they reached the pet shop.

───────[font=Copperplate Gothic Light]Earl Gray[/font]───────

Earl walked in, heart beating wildly in his chest. His father had a grumpy old owl named Atticus. It was the only creature Mr. Gray had shown any shred of affection towards. Both of them got anxiety when they were too far apart from each other, which was the reason Atticus no longer delivered letters. He simply sat on Mr. Gray’s shoulder all day, every day.

His mother had simply shown up and announced she was pulling him out of class, without as much as a ‘Hello, good morning, your hair looks nice.’ She hadn’t given a reason for her impromptu mother-son bonding time. Our young boy was scared she would disappear if he said anything, and hadn’t asked.

It was only when she pulled him into the Magical Menagerie that Earl finally understood. A squeal left from between his parted lips. She didn’t have enough time to protest because the next second he was hugging her tight, blubbering happily about how wonderful she was and how much he loved her.
“Alright then. Pick something that will piss off Dockson, will ya?” Rory muttered, leaning against the door of the store and nodding towards the keeper. By the time she’d finished her sentence, Earl was nowhere near her. He’d disappeared behind a crate full of cats, and was currently kneeling down in front of a bowl of giant spiders. An enormous white one was crawling on his arm, finally settling on his shirt. He seemed like an honest to god fella, politely having waved its foot at him before continuing his journey in his hair. “How about this?” he called out across the store.

His mother took one look at the spider and let out a shriek, flinching backwards and nearly falling outside of the store. That would have been a spectacle, her expensive clothes getting covered in slush and mud. “NO, EARL!” A pout and whine later, the spider was set back inside the bowl.

Thirty seconds later, he had a giant snake wrapping around his body, emerald tongue kissing his cheek. “Hiii” he squealed, petting the snake. It pushed his little black and red head underneath his porcelain fingers, hissing with a reptilian smile. “Oh my gosh, he likes me!!” The storekeeper watched the exchanged with the widest grin anyone ever did see.

Imagine the scene, if you will. A tiny boy who looks fragile enough to fall apart if you breathe on him. Pale and thin, lighter than a feather. Now imagine the ginormous snake wrapped around his middle, resting on his throat, huge green eyes staring the boy down. The boy who was giggling and hugging it.
“Earl, NO.”

Earl looked at the snake. The snake looked at Earl. Both had identical expressions of sadness and disappointment on their faces. ‘She’s the boss’ the snake seemed to say before giving him a tight squeeze goodbye and sliding off.

Which was how he’d ended up wandering towards the pygmy puffs. They were familiar, having infested the Hufflepuff dorms and made his bed into their own special nest. At any given moment, under his covers were at least half a dozen of the fuzzy creatures, cuddling up against him while he slept and greeting him with chirps and squeals whenever he came into the dorm.

There was only one left, looking sad and lonely as it sat on the satin pillow they had all been on in the morning. All its friends had found a family. And it was still there, squeaking sadly. When Earl approached, it looked up hopefully. “Hiiii” Earl smiled, extending his hand out. A moment passed in which the pygmy puff looked at him suspiciously, sniffing his hand. And then it was crawling up onto his arm, settling comfortably in his hair.

They both looked towards Rory. The shopkeeper looked a bit disappointed.
“Yes! Okay that’s a safe one! Which won’t kill you! Good boy!”

Earl smiled. The pygmy puff squeaked. Money exchanged hands.

“Your father is going to be so mad,” Rory giggled as they walked outside of the store. Closing his eyes, Earl stopped in the middle of the road, the person behind him nearly walking into him. A few seconds passed where nothing happened. Then, his form seemed to blur over, seeming as if he was a badly pixelated image from a Tumblr post. His hair had become the exact same shade of pink as that of the pygmy puff. It was now completely hidden within his curls, only faint squeaking letting him know it was still there.

“He’ll never know,” Earl grinned.
“What are you gonna name it?”
“It’s a her.”
“What?”
“It’s a her. It told me.”
“What are you gonna name her?”
“She says her name is Mocha.”
“She said that?”
“Yea.”

Wordcount: 1300

What animal do you wish to purchase? ~ Pink Pygmy Puff
What do you want to name it? ~ Mocha
Is this a boy or a girl? ~ Girl
What is your pet's date of birth?~ 2021 - 01 - 11