Grey Meets Amber Pet

Finally - finally - after saving up money, Gavin had enough to buy a pet. Truly, a momentous occasion. Jangling his coin purse of pet money, the blonde-haired boy strolled into the Magical Menagerie, grey eyes sparkling with excitement as the sound of the gold coins was drowned out by the cacophinous noise of the animals within the store. He was mischievous in nature, but even his rambunctious actions were quelled in the presence of animals; really, he adored creatures. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was one of his favourite books ever just because it was about creatures.

As he wandered through the shop, he was immediately drawn to the owls. He couldn’t be blamed, could he? His last name basically meant falcon. Like, he wouldn’t be able to purchase one of those, but he was still partial to birds.

There were so many of them, so many different types too. And the colours. Whites, browns, blacks, chances are if it was a neutral colour, you would find it. There were reds and oranges as well. Gavin, however, had his interest captured by a skrunkly-looking one, with mainly black wings speckled with white, a pale tawny face, and wide yellow-orange eyes. Pretty large-looking too, at least compared to some of them.

As the first year leaned in a little closer, the owl he was looking at cocked it’s head to the side.

“Ahh, she’s a fun little one. Affectionate, too. You like owls, boy?” Startled, Gavin broke the stare off with the owl, searching for the source of the voice. The man standing there was a lot taller than him, that was for sure. At least a foot, he bet. Broad-shouldered, wearing wire-framed glasses and a brimmed hat. He probably would have been intimidating, but his expression was warm and trustworthy. Still, Gavin was a little thrown off.

“Er, yeah. I mean, I like birds in general, but owls are cool. I don’t see a lot of them; usually just hawks and falcons,” he responded, cutting himself off before he got rambly. He was here for a pet, not to start infodumping about the birds he and his mum saw whenever they went camping.

The man gave a rumbling laugh. “They can be pretty vicious in the wild, can’t they? They’re not predators for nothin’. The ones here are pretty tame, though. They’re still hunters at heart, of course, but they’re not going to harm anyone unless they’re provoked.” Gavin nodded along, eyes glimmering with even more excitement.

“Can I pet ‘er?” he questioned.

For a split second, the man hesitated, but quickly conceded. “Alright, just be gentle,” he said, moving forward to open up the cage the owl was in. After coaxing her onto his arm, he lowered the owl to a level that he could pat her head at.

With more care than he thought himself capable of, he slowly stroked the feathers. He must have done something right, because the owl made a pleased trilling sound.

Still stroking the owl, he looked up at the man. “Does she have a name?” he asked softly.

“We like to leave that up to the people who purchase them. What would you like to name her?” The man rebuked.

He hadn’t said that he would buy her. Still, anyone could look in his eyes and see that he was attached. “Uhm… what about…” He tried to think of something. “Hmmm…” He locked eyes with the owl again. “Amber.” The colour of her eyes were reminding him of Amber, so that would be her name.

The man smiled warmly. “Alright,” he said, “if you’ll go up to the counter, my wife will ring you up and I can get all of Amber’s stuff together. Sound good?”

Removing his hand, Gavin nodded eagerly before running up to the desk, money ready at hand. “Indian eagle owl, please,” he said. A little rude, but the woman behind the counter would let it slide. He seemed earnest, at least.

“Alright, darling. 15 Galleons, if you would.” When the blonde deposited the money in her waiting hand, she smiled. “Thank you for your purchase. Now, would you like a sugar cookie?” She offered, motioning to a plate near the register.

Well, that was an offer he couldn’t pass up. His dad could comment on his obvious sweet tooth all he wanted. “Yes please, if I could.”

By the end of the visit, Gavin was walking out of the pet store with his new owl in one hand and a sugar cookie in the other. If you asked him, it was a pretty successful trip.

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What animal do you wish to purchase? Indian Eagle Owl (15 Galleons)
What do you want to name it? Amber
Is this a boy or a girl? Girl
What is your pet's date of birth? 15 January 2015