Seeking the Perfect Companion Pet

--Wed. July 7, 2021⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

She had finally gotten her father to give in. Gia Adelard was getting a pet.

As the three Adelards walked through Diagon Alley, all Gia could think about was what pet she would get. There were so many to choose from—owls, cats, pygmy puffs, and so much more! Ever since the magical world had opened up before her back in late August when she first came to Diagon Alley, Gia had been amazed at everything she saw. Really, what muggle-born child wouldn't be? There was just so much to learn, do, see, and explore. And the pets had caught her eye from the start.

It wasn't just that she, like every other child, had wanted a pet since, well, forever. No, not just that. There was also the fact that there were animals she had never even heard of here! Pygmy puffs, for one. Who knew those were a thing? Owls, too, although she had known that those were animals before coming to Hogwarts. It was just that no one in the muggle world had a pet owl that she knew of, and the fact that people in the wizarding world did, that was just so crazy—in a good way.

"Hey, G, you should get that." They had made it to the shop without Gia even realizing, and she looked up with a start. Vance was pointing at a huge brown spider that was crawling around in it's cage. Rolling her eyes, Gia shook her head, but a teasing grin was on her lips as she opened the door to the shop and stepped inside. Spiders were definitely not her thing, and Vance knew that.

"Ugh, no thank you," she replied, looking back over her shoulder at her brother and dad. Braxten had been watching them warily the whole walk there, but now his uncertain eyes moved towards the owls flying and spiders crawling around the room. Seeing the expression on his face, Gia sighed. "Dad, it's fine, they won't hurt you. Plenty of my friends at school have owls"—okay, this wasn't actually true, but still—"and there are owls in the Owlery that do nothing but deliver letters." Before her father could respond, a new, unfamiliar voice interrupted.

"The girl is right, you have nothing to worry about." A tall man came over, smiling kindly at all of them. He had white hair and looked quite friendly. Braxten raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Gia had found that this was the case in the majority of magic-related situations and conversations, so it wasn't too new to her. Instead of lingering in the slightly uncomfortable situation, the young girl walked forward towards the area with rats, which was the closest if you didn't count the owls that sometimes swooped over your head, which she wasn't. None of them looked that interesting though, and having friends with cats, Gia wasn't particularly eager to get one.

Speaking of cats... when she made it to the cat area, however, a little kitten caught her eye immediately. A fierce looking Bengal, the cat locked eyes with her and tilted it's head to one side, almost as if it was surveying her, examining her. The twelve year old stayed quite still. "She does this to every person who comes into the shop," one of the shop owners, presumably the man's wife, told Gia with a shrug. "I don't want to disencourage you, dear, but she isn't one to warm up to a person easily."

Challenge accepted.

Reaching out a gentle hand, Gia cautiously tried to stroke the cat on her head, ready for it to jerk away or growl. It was just as well that she did so, for after only a single second had passed, the little cat lurched backward with a hiss. "We have plenty of other pets, dear," said the woman kindly. "What about this cat? She's a calm one, and—" Before she could even finish, Gia interrupted.

"No, no, it's fine." While it may take a little bit of time, she was determined, like always. Extending her hand again, Gia pet the cat's back. This time, the cat didn't hiss when it pulled away—although yes, it did still pull back. Abandoning her current strategy, the brunette leaned down. "Hey there, little kitty," she said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

---

A little while later, Gia walked out with that same cat trailing along behind her. Both her father and Vance had been surprised at her pick of a pet, since cats were something that you could get easily in the muggle world, unlike pygmy puffs and owls, but she was quite content with her new pet. The kitten was still warming up to the rest of her family members, but it seemed to like her alright now, which was a relief—and quite the victory. She hadn't been exactly sure what she was going to name it when she'd first decided to buy it, but after a little while the name had come to her.

Aquilla.

What animal do you wish to purchase? Bengal
What do you want to name it? Aquilla (Quill for short)
Is this a boy or a girl? Girl
What is your pet's date of birth? September 19, 2020

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