Dianis gripped her bag of Sickles and Galleons harder, squinting her eyes against the piercing sun of noon. A tingle of longing of the cool breezes that blew through summer and early autumn in Moscow flickered through the girl's mind, and all of a sudden she wanted to go back home and attend the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry there. Her father and mother had returned to Russia, instructed by orders from the Russian ministry of magic, halfway across the world. Owls from them had been prohibited by the ministry, as her parents were working on some 'secret important work' (Dianis rolled her eyes at the time),  and apparently their daughter could be some undercover spy from evil organizations.
That didn't mean Dianis was alone--she still had her friends from all over the world, some of them attending schools like Hogwarts the same year as Dianis, but strangely, she was...lonely. None of the friends felt like the friends she'd seen at Hogwarts, and that made Dianis worry. There's always been a group of friends around me in the past, what would happen if I have no friends at Hogwarts？ A few seconds passed, and finally Dianis decided to forget about the problem for awhile and focus at the task at hand--to get an owl.

Taking a deep breath, Dianis stepped inside the menagerie. Act cool,she reminded herself, but even so, her heart pumped louder and louder. The animals, sensing her presence, gazed up from their tasks at 'hand'. The cashier, too, gazed up. The event was unusual. He peered at the young girl from behind his glasses and frowned, sniffling. "You don't smell different from anyone else, why are they...hey shouldn't you be in school?!"
Dianis shrugged. "I don't have class now, and it's none of your business. Do you want me to pay extra?"
"No, that will not be necessary." The cashier sighed. Children. "So what are you looking for?"
Dianis didn't reply. She scanned the rows of cages, containing different breeds of owls, with diverse sizes and colors.
And strength and speed.I can't find a weak owl. Dianis stepped closer, and one particular creature caught her eye. She was a snowy owl, yet separate from the others of her kind--the owl was completely white, pure feathers gleaming and dazzling in the sunlight.
"Like that one? She's far from cheap." The cashier chuckled, pushing his glasses.
"How many?"
"Six Galleons. She's a special one, got many wanting her. Orders from everywhere. I'm letting you have this price since you're a student."
Dianis reached for her bag, then hesitated. She only had seven Galleons and a few sickles in total. After a moment of thought, the girl made up her mind. She turned to walk away when her eyes met with the snowy owl's.
Deep, icy blue, stars shining from inside, layers and layers of cosmos, and...something else. A story. A past.
"You're special." Dianis whispered to the owl. "I don't know how and why...but you're special." The creature reminded her of home, of the endless snow in the mountains, of the freedom of the wide, blue sky, of the glistening, numerous stars she had seen in the wilderness, magical sparks against a dark, infinite canvas.
"Five Galleons." Dianis had followed her mother to buy the family owl before, and knew some tricks. "She's beautiful, but she's not that special. Pure white owls are bred all the time."
"Six. No changing. She's a miracle."
"Five.She's no miracle." Dianis stared into the cashier's eyes, which were much less fascinating then the owl's. Growing up, she had heard rumors about her being able to control those who stared into her eyes. How she wished it was more than just a rumor!
To Dianis' surprise, the cashier agreed. "Alright, five Galleons it is."
As Dianis handed over the coins and turned to get her new pet, still shocked, the snowy owl let out a 'hoo', the most wonderful sound Dianis had ever heard, unable to be described. She glanced over her shoulder at the cashier, afraid he'd change his mind, but the middle-aged man didn't seem to notice. In fact, he was dozing off!
Shaking her head and laughing silently, Dianis took the owl, and she stood perched on her shoulder. "You are a miracle, and more of a friend than any I had before, except one." Dianis whispered on the way out.