The summer before Hogwarts felt quieter than Elara had expected. After the excitement of receiving her letter had settled down, life slowly returned to its usual pace. She helped her mother around the house, read whatever book happened to be within reach, or spent time outside when the weather was pleasant.

One afternoon, while carrying a small watering can to the garden, she noticed a kitten sitting near the stone wall at the edge of the property. It was small enough that she almost missed it at first. Its silver fur blended into the light grey stones behind it, and only when it turned its head did she realise it had been watching her. Neither of them moved for a few seconds. Eventually, the kitten wandered off without making a sound. Elara did not think much of it after that.

The next afternoon, she saw the kitten again. This time it was sitting under the old tree near the fence. It watched birds hopping through the grass. When Elara stepped a little closer, the kitten stood up, stretched, and disappeared into a patch of bushes. "The kitten came back," she mentioned during dinner that evening. Her mother smiled. "Maybe it just likes our garden," her mother said. Her father looked up from his plate and said, "Or maybe someone nearby has a cat that enjoys wandering."

Over the next week, the kitten became a familiar sight. Some days it appeared early in the morning. Other days, it only showed up just before sunset. It never stayed for very long, but it always seemed comfortable sitting somewhere nearby. After asking her parents, Elara left a bowl of fresh water outside. Nothing happened that day. The following morning, however, she found the bowl empty. She never actually saw the kitten drink from it, but she had a feeling she knew who had.

A few days later, her father brought home a small packet of cat food. "If it really doesn't belong to anyone," he said, placing it on the kitchen counter, "there's no harm in feeding it a little." The kitten still kept its distance at first. It would wait until Elara had stepped back before walking over to the bowl. She never tried to pick it up or call it over. The kitten seemed more comfortable approching on its own.

Little by little, that distance disappeared. One evening, Elara was sitting on the garden steps with a book resting on her lap when she felt something brush lightly against her ankle. She looked down and realised the kitten had walked over without her noticing. The kitten circled her feet once before sitting beside her. She reached out carefully, and the kitten leaned into her hand for a brief moment before looking around the garden again. Her father happened to see the whole thing from the doorway. "I think you've been chosen," he said with a small laugh. Elara smiled, though she wasn't completely sure that was how it worked.

Over the following days, her father asked a few neighbours if anyone was missing a kitten. No one recognised it. They waited a little longer just to be certain, but nobody came looking for it. One evening, while the kitten was asleep on the back step, her father looked over at Elara. "Looks like she's staying," her father said. Elara nodded almost immediately "I'll take care of her," she said. "I know you will," her father said. Not long they bought a carrier, food bowls, and a few things the kitten would need. The kitten settled into the carrier more easily than anyone expected, curling up on the blanket after only a few minutes.

Elara had been watching the kitten nap in a patch of sunlight when the word simply came to mind. "Lumi," she said it once, just to see how it sounded. The kitten opened one eye, gave a quiet little meow, then tucked its head back down and went back to sleep. "I guess you like it," Elara murmured with a small smile.