It was her aunt’s idea. Of course. Aunt Ava was the reason why Miren was walking towards this specific shop in Diagon Alley today. Usually, Miren didn’t like the plans born in her caretaker’s head. Most of them were just useless attempts to cheer the young Slytherin up, only this time… This time it was something the girl actually appreciated.
The barely noticeable weight of Jax, her new companion, on her shoulder was grounding. Even now, as she entered the Magical Menagerie, her mind was drawn back to the moment her life gained a bit more color for the first time after losing her mother. The memory of meeting the tiny owl was still fresh, barely a few hours old. They still had to get to know each other; however, Miren already felt a strong bond forming.
When Aunt Ava knocked on the door to her room earlier that day, the girl’s first assumption was clear: Great. Back into reality. Another annoying interruption of a peaceful solitude. She could’ve never guessed what would follow. The moment the door opened, she expected to see her auntie’s overly compassionate face, as always. Of course, because in the end, Miren was nothing more than a poor orphan in the older witch’s eyes, right? Someone worth pitying and someone whose loss apparently became the very core of their whole being.
But, as surprising as it was, this time her eyes fell not on a pitying expression but on a cage. And there, behind the thin bars of the small cylindrical construction, sat this tiny, feathered creature. That alone was enough to break the usual stoic mask of cold distance on Miren’s face. For the first time in a long time, an obvious mix of surprise and awe appeared in the girl’s eyes, giving them the spark she thought she’d lost.
“I thought you would appreciate a friend.” Not only did her Aunt’s words empower the whole experience, but the look on the older woman’s face finally didn’t scream pure pity. No, the witch wore a genuine smile instead, as she watched the girl slowly approach and close the distance between them.
Once Miren was close enough, she lifted her hand and opened the cage. And when the small creature flew out and made a few circles around the room before it sat on Miren’s shoulder, a real smile tugged at the corners of her own lips.
It seemed that this time, her Aunt finally found a way to really break the girl’s sour mood. At least for a while.
♣ wc: 425
