backdated to summer before 3rd year

HEX: #3a5948

[font=times new roman]Wyatt didn’t expect to find a pet he liked in the shop, but he’d noticed a lot of his peers get familiars over the past couple years so he decided to take a look. He didn’t expect to find a pet he liked, so he didn’t make a checklist of qualities he’d like from a pet, simply walking into Magical Menagerie after a slight hesitation.

The small shop was full of animals and children alike. Meows, ribbits, and caws filled the store, mixing with giggles and pleads from children trying to convince their parents to buy them their furry soulmates. The shop was homey and comfortable, but it was also quite cramped and Wyatt began to feel uncomfortable. He spun and was just about to leg it when he heard someone speak with a tone that sounded like… hissing.

Curious, Wyatt turned back around in the direction of whatever was calling to him. He was in a pet store, but he hadn’t seen a snake yet, so either it was behind the crowd, or he wasn’t the only parselmouth in the shop. Either way, Wyatt deduced, he would have to walk further into the crowd, mostly made up of incoming first-years.

As he did so, he heard more hissing. He could make out some words in parseltongue. They were quite basic. Most of what they were saying was “hello,” “me,” and “here.” Their vocabulary was pretty limited, so it was either a very young parselmouth or a very young snake. That eased some of Wyatt’s fear. At least it wasn’t going to be some creepy old parselmouth and/or their creepy old snake.

Finally, he got to a glass case containing a young-looking snake. The parselmouth stood dead in his tracks. He almost forgot snakes were options for pets, and seeing one reminded him.

Wyatt and the snake stared at each other for a while in silence. Wyatt turned, and it seemed no one was looking at him, the two shopkeepers busy helping other students and everyone else looking at the pets they set their hearts on. Suddenly, there was a bump sound, like a fist banging on a thick glass window, but just once. Turning, Wyatt noticed the snake now put its face on the glass and was staring intensely at Wyatt.

In parseltongue, Wyatt said simply, “Hi?”

And the snake erupted in a series of hisses in reply. Again, it was just a bunch of hellos, mes, yous, and lets gos. Wyatt took a deep breath. He couldn’t say no, could he? Though it would be suspicious to have a pet snake, Wyatt didn’t mind… It would just stay in his room, right?

“Shhh,” Wyatt said, trying to avoid a scene, and went to find the shopkeepers.
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What animal do you wish to purchase?: Emerald Gazer
What do you want to name it?: Siobhan
Is this a boy or a girl?: Girl
What is your pet's date of birth?: January 22nd, 2021
Word count: 458 words