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Mentions: Reducio @Rain Lucien

Quote: Reducio Curiosity always leads somewhere.

Notes: Reducio

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The familiar bell above the door chimed softly as Diana stepped into Magical Menagerie, immediately greeted by the comforting chorus of hoots, chirps, meows, ribbits, barks, and rustling feathers that filled the shop. A year ago, she was in here looking for a pet. Today, she was here to buy things for her snowy owl, Khione.

With only a few weeks remaining until she'd be back at Hogwarts for her second year, Khione deserved a few new things before the school year began. Her snowy owl had faithfully carried letters between Hogwarts and home throughout Diana's first year, never seeming to tire of the journeys. The least Diana could do was reward her with a few treats—and perhaps a new toy to keep her entertained during quieter days. Diana had been mainly owling her parents and grandmother about anything that happened at Hogwarts. She mainly owled her grandmother about any moments she had where her intuition (thanks to her being a seer) helped her or didn't help her in a situation.

A small wicker basket rested comfortably over her arm as she made her way toward the owl supplies. She selected a bag of premium owl treats before pausing to compare several feather-care kits, carefully reading each label to decide which would be best for maintaining Khione's snowy white plumage. Diana simply wanted the best for her snowy companion.

Nearby, an enchanted puzzle toy caught her attention. According to the label, it rewarded clever owls with tiny enchanted feathers whenever they solved it. A quiet smile spread across Diana's face. This was a perfect toy for Khione. She was a very smart owl, smarter than the other owls at Hogwarts. "I think you'd like this," she murmured to herself before placing it carefully into her basket.

After gathering a few more supplies, Diana wandered toward a display of travel accessories, her eyes lingering over a collection of leather perch covers embroidered with stars, moons, and woodland patterns. The covers were perfect for Khione. As she considered which one Khione might like best, the bell above the entrance rang once more.

Glancing up, Diana noticed someone who looked to be about her age, or perhaps a little younger, hesitating just inside the doorway. Diana didn't want to assume, but since she'd never seen this person at Hogwarts before, or at least she didn't recognize them, she thought they were a first year. Perhaps they were here to buy a pet, or perhaps they were here to buy supplies, like she was. Whatever they were here for, Diana would leave them alone unless they chose to approach her. She was more of a watch-people-first-than-approach-them type of person.

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Rain was feeling a bit uneasy. The family’s Kneazles had run out of their favorite treats and his parents figured they could make a trip out of it to Diagon. Get the treats and maybe some more toys.

Moments Before

The issue was that his sister, Storme, had seen some toys she wanted in the window at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes and started a tantrum that wouldn’t stop until she got her way. Rain was used to her tantrums as she was much more outgoing than he ever was. It didn’t help that Storme’s tantrum woke their little brother up from his nap early and then he was upset. This would take his parents full attention to fix and now they were considering just going home because the tantrum shouldn’t be rewarded and the small boy was upset.

It was moments like this that Rain wished he felt less responsible for his siblings and with helping around the manor.

Alas. “Mama, Pa. I can take care of getting the treats. We’re not far and the store owners have always been nice to me when we’ve been. I’ll be in and out”, he told them. He stopped before saying anything about the fact that he had never really paid attention to where in the store the treats were. All the different animals had always been so distracting and he preferred to see what creatures were in the shop compared to what was there last time they came. He was sure he could figure it out.

Rain’s mother turned to him and asked, “Are you sure? You know you don’t like to be around many people. We can always come back another day.”

“I’m sure Mama. Tell her Pa! I’ve got to start being more independent now.”

Rain turned to his father and gave him his best puppy dog eyes without quite making eye contact. Seeing that his father cracked a small smile.

“He is getting older, Belle. He’ll be going to Hogwarts soon. We’ve gotta let him grow sometime. Plus, we’ve come all this way. We might as well get what we came for”. Rain’s father laid a hand on his wife’s elbow in comfort. Rain’s mother knew her husband was right and gave the go ahead for Rain to get the treats.

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This is where Rain’s uneasiness began. He wasn’t used to going to the stores alone and one or both of his parents always helped him talk to the shopkeepers. His shyness was exacerbated by the crowd in the store and that’s when he realized he was in over his head. He needed help but he told his parents he would be able handle it. He couldn’t go back now.

With this he started looking around the store for someone who could help. Most were adults and as such much too intimidating for him to talk to and he couldn’t spot the shopkeepers just yet. That’s when he noticed another child that must’ve been around his age if not a little older. It seemed they had seen him too. Maybe they could help him. Surely another kid couldn’t be too hard to talk to.

Resolve set Rain took a deep breath and made his way to the other child. Once he reached them he stuck his hand out.

“Hello. My name’s Rain. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble would you be able to help me find the Kneazle treats? It would seem I’m a bit in over my head”. Rain’s voice came out much quieter than he wanted it to and he was unable to make eye contact with the other child but he got his message across and he was at least proud of that. Hopefully the other child shook his hand, other wise he would be quite embarrassed, at least more than he already was.

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Mentions: Reducio @Rain Lucien

Quote: Reducio Curiosity always leads somewhere.

Notes: Reducio

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Diana blinked in mild surprise as the boy approached her. She hadn't expected anyone to come over, let alone introduce themselves first. For a brief moment, she simply looked at the hand he'd offered before a warm, polite smile spread across her face. "It's nice to meet you, Rain." She gently shook his hand before letting her own fall back to the handle of her basket. She though his name was very unique. "I'm Diana."

As Rain explained why he'd come over, Diana couldn't help noticing how quietly he spoke and how he avoided meeting her eyes. There was something familiar about it. She often found herself doing much the same whenever she spoke to someone she didn't know very well.

"Of course," she replied without hesitation. "I'd be happy to help." Except for that there was one small problem, she wasn't all too familiar with the shop. She glanced around the shop for a moment, thinking back to the many shelves she'd wandered past since arriving. "I don't think I've seen the Kneazle treats yet," she admitted. "But we can look together." It was much safer than telling him she didn't know where everything is in the shop. "Do you have a Kneazle at home?" Her voice remained soft, never hurried, as though there was no reason for either of them to feel rushed.

Diana found herself looking curiously at the assortment of magical pets and supplies lining the shelves as they began walking through nearby aisles. A tiny Puffskein bounced happily inside its enclosure while a pair of curious Crups watched customers pass with wagging tails. Diana always found Crups interesting because they look like muggle dogs but are magical.

"I have a snowy owl," she added, lifting her basket slightly with a small smile. "Her name's Khione. I'm just picking up a few things before I go back to Hogwarts for my second year."

Her eyes wandered over a shelf of cat supplies before stopping on a neatly stacked display of treats decorated with little paw prints. "Oh." She stepped a little closer to inspect the labels. "I think these might be for Kneazles." Looking back toward Rain, she smiled again. "Would you like to see if these are the ones you're looking for?" For all she knew, Rain might be looking for a different type of treats for his Kneazle. As she waited for a response, Diana looked around to see if there are any other Kneazle treats, just in case if the one's she'd just found aren't the one's he's looking for.

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Success!!

The girl, Diana, accepted his handshake and wanted to help. And seemed interested in him as well. “My family has two Kneazles. My parents are Magizoologists and were rescuing a whole family of them. Two of the kittens were too small to survive on their own and needed a sanctuary to go to. They brought me with them and I got to bond with them so my parents didn’t want to separate us and decided that they could take care of them at our home”.

It was a fond memory for Rain of that summer trip. He wondered if Diana had such fond memories of getting her own pet, Khione.

Diana pointed to some Kneazle treats when Rain started to respond. “Khione? That must have a special meaning. It’s a beautiful name. And you get to bring her to Hogwarts too? I’m starting this year and won’t be able to bring my Kneazles. My mama says they won’t be used to so many people and they won’t be too safe because they’re from the wild. They get to be pretty free roaming at home”. Just the thought makes Rain uncomfortable and he begins to fiddle with his glasses. He continues, “it must be great to be able to have Khione with you. I don’t know what I’ll do on my own at school”.

The treats Diana showed him aren’t the ones his parents normally get but they must be close by on the shelf. “These aren’t quite right. The ones my parents get are in a green bag. I don’t see them off top but maybe they’re farther down”.

As they continue on Rain quietly speaks again, “do you do well at Hogwarts? Are the other students nice? I’ve never been to a school with other kids. My parents have me tutored at the manor. I’m not sure if I’ll do well with the other kids, I’m much too quiet, I think”.

It’s as he says this that he spots the right treats. He waits for Diana’s response as he reaches for the treats he came looking for.

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Mentions: Reducio @Rain Lucien

Quote: Reducio Curiosity always leads somewhere.

Notes: Reducio

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As Rain spoke about his family's Kneazles Diana listened with quiet interest. A small smile lingered on her face as she imagined two tiny rescued kittens growing up together in a safe home. The story was so sweet and touching. "That sounds wonderful," she said softly. "I'm glad your parents were able to keep them with your family. They must trust you a lot if you've been with them since they were so little."

When Rain commented on Khione's name, Diana glanced toward the owl supplies nearby before looking back at him. "Thank you," she replied. "Khione is named after the Greek goddess of snow. She's a snowy owl, so it seemed to fit." Diana also has a liking for Greek mythology, so naming Khione after a Greek goddess was a brilliant idea to the young seer.

At the mention of leaving his Kneazles behind, Diana noticed him beginning to fiddle with his glasses. She remembered feeling nervous before her own first journey to Hogwarts, wondering what it would be like to spend so much time away from home. Of course, she was able to bring Khione with her, so she wasn't always alone. "It is nice having Khione there," she admitted. "Sometimes just seeing her in the Owlery makes Hogwarts feel a little more familiar." Diana remembered cleaning the owlery with the rest of the Hogwarts Volunteer club and she had cleaned a spot of the owlery directly underneath Khione, so she was able to talk to her owl.

She paused for a moment before offering him a reassuring smile. "But I think you'll be alright." Her voice remained gentle, without sounding overly certain. "I was nervous before my first year too. Hogwarts is very big, and there are so many new people that it can feel overwhelming at first." She looked briefly toward the shelves before returning her attention to Rain. "You don't have to be loud to make friends. Some of the nicest conversations I've had started just by talking to one person." Diana was more than happy to give advice to Rain, especially because he seemed to be a shy person just like herself.

As Rain found the correct green bag of treats, Diana's smile brightened. "I'm glad you found them." Before answering his earlier question she shifted her basket onto her other arm. "I think I've done fairly well." A hint of quiet pride slipped into her voice. "The classes can be challenging, but they're interesting too. And most of the students I've met have been kind." She laughed softly. "Everyone's usually too busy trying to remember passwords, find the right classroom, or avoid the moving staircases to worry about judging someone else." Tilting her head slightly, she asked, "Have you thought about which House you might be sorted into?"

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