Rat in a Barn Pet Solo

saskia, ciel [pronounced seel]
she/her/hers
solo

Ciel often forgot to do things. She had put off buying her school supplies until the last minute, only noticed that she had a lack of school clothes just a week before she was on the train, and even before Hogwarts, she procrastinated. Spending her time riding horses and playing with the new baby goats was much more important than "back-to-school" shopping.
Despite her misdemeanors, there was something she was incredibly excited about; buying a pet, of course! She had already read the list of pre-approved pets for Hogwarts. Unfortunately, none of her barn animals seemed to fit the bill. (Well, except the cats, but mama wouldn't let her take one.)
So, after doing a few extra chores and saving all the money she earned, she went looking for the Magical Menagerie. When she was doing her chores, a thought sprung in her mind. What kind of pet would Ciel even want?
Owls were a no-go, they seemed too much like chickens for her to be comfortable taking care of one. Pygmy puffs were cute and all, but she thought they were just a little too weird for her. Cats did seem like a good option, but she would have to bring it home and get it adjusted to the barn-cats that her family already had; it seemed like too much stress for her.
The one she definitely thought was cool was a spider! Oh man, just those little crawlies made Ciel so excited, she loved spiders! Unfortunately, her mother and Will shut down the idea immediately. How could Ciel want to bring home something so creepy?
As she pushed open the door to the shop and the smell of animals hit her like a truck. Living on a farm her whole life, she didn't mind it as much. She could definitely smell the toads, though. Very slimy.
"Oh, hello honey!"
Huh? Ciel looked through the giant shelves of animals to find an older woman standing at a counter. The woman was rather short, as Ciel stood an inch or so taller. She had an incredibly kind smile- it reminded Ciel of her mother, in a way.
"Hi, um, Miss," she took in a deep breath, but Ciel really had no clue what she was looking for. "I'm a student at-"
"Hogwarts? You must be looking for a friend to bring to school, then?"
Ciel nodded, feeling rather shy. At times like this, she never felt more estranged from the Wizarding world. When she was alone with her family, it felt like she was some super cool magical witch- but visiting Diagon Alley made her feel incredibly nervous and... lonely?
The woman offered a smile and turned from Ciel, calling to someone. "Hey Ernest? Why don't you come help this young lady?" While waiting for 'Ernest', the woman offered Ciel a cookie and told her to wait a moment- which she immediately accepted. Yum!
After a few minutes or so, a much taller man stepped from behind the cages and shelves. His face was rather untrimmed, similar to Ciel's father. If only looking from behind, Ciel could've easily mistaken Mr. Ernest for her father. The flannel shirt and blue jean combo really reminded her of him.
"So, what kind of pet are you looking for?" he asked, leading Ciel through the small shop.
"Honestly... I don't know..." she shrugged. "See, I don't want a cat, 'cause I live on a farm with cats already. Oh- and I can't really do owls either. So, I'm kind of at a lost. I see a lot of kids with owls and cats and toads, but I don't really know which animal I want..."
Mr. Ernest put a hand on his chin and seemed to be deep in thought. Ciel felt uneasy, was she too picky with her animal choices? She could've sworn that she saw more choices for pets on her school list, was she really mistaken? Man, she should've brought that thing with her-
"Have you ever thought about a rat, maybe? I know they're not the prettiest choice, but we've got a few here that'll do you quite well."
They stopped walking and Mr. Ernest gestured to a few cages standing in front of Ciel. Inside were some rats, all of various sizes. Though the cage was relatively at her own height, Ciel still kneeled down to get a good look inside of it.
Her eyes scanned the rats inside. They were actually kind of cute, with how small and wiggly they were. One of the rats seemed to want very good look at Ciel as well. Going right up to the bars of the cage and sniffing at her fingers.
Ciel was hesitant, that was for sure. Rats bit people, didn't they? But she didn't want to startle the little friend! She slowly moved her fingers away, but to her surprise, the rats nose followed. All the way until her hands moved back to her side. And yet, it kept staring up at her. Oh my gosh- when were rats so cute?! Suddenly, Ciel felt an overwhelming urge to-
"Mr. Ernest? Does this little guy have a name?" Was Ciel really getting attached to a rat? Yes. Mr. Ernest kneeled down to face the small rat as well, it didn't seem to have nearly as much interest in him as it did Ciel.
"Now that I think about it, I don't think so. I remember their names pretty well, but I just can't recall giving this one a name!" As he spoke, her hands returned back to the cage, and the rat began rubbing against her fingers again.
"I think I want him, and I think that I wanna call him Ginger Ale."
How was she gonna explain this one to her parents?

What animal do you wish to purchase? Gray rat
What do you want to name it? Ginger Ale
Is this a boy or a girl? Boy
What is your pet's date of birth? 05.31.22
WC: 964