From Pest to Pets Pet

Thursday: December 20, 2018
11:00 am

Before the start of his first year at Hogwarts, Andrew’s parents had promised him that they might consider getting a pet for him when he returned home for Christmas break, if everything went well for him at school. And indeed, it had gone well. Andrew had settled into the Castle and his new student routine just fine. His marks were on par, and his parents had no reason to complain about either his welfare or his academic performance. Andrew had passed the three-month trial phase in testing out his new school, and he was eager to claim his reward in the form of an animal companion to take back with him to Hogwarts, at the end of his two-week winter holiday.

Accompanied by his parents and two siblings, Andrew and his family made their way into the bustling streets of Diagon Alley. As they drew nearer to the Magical Menagerie, Andrew’s eyes glued to the cages of owls hanging outside the store, and to the large windows, where various creatures – some more exotic than others – were displayed for sale. Andrew had had the past three months to fantasize about which type of pet he would get. His family owned three goldfish and two cats, which were the only pets he had experience with taking care of, at home. As much as Andrew would have loved to bring one of his family’s cats with him to Hogwarts, that idea was rejected by his parents. Naturally, a cat was his primary choice, since he already knew how to manage them. Nevertheless, he would keep his options open, and was flexible about getting whichever animal “spoke” to him the most.

Entering the pet shop, the Vances began to have their look around at the critters inside. Immediately, Andrew dashed over to the cats’ section. After inquiring the two shopkeepers – Mr. and Mrs. Witticker – about several potential felines he might choose from, Andrew mulled over his options while browsing through the other sections of the store, sweeping his gaze over pink and purple Pygmy Puffs… Green and brown toads… Contemplating all the possibilities of which pet he might select. He then meandered his way over to the area where rats in cages were being held, observing them closely. . .

For rats, these ones didn’t look at all like the disease-ridden, plague-swarming sewer rats that were of infamous reputation. On the contrary, these rats looked…rather cute. Their pelts were glossy and clean, with bright and lively eyes. No different than a well-groomed, fuzzy bunny or hamster. Andrew found himself staring at them with amusement. It never occurred to him that a rat might be kept as a pet, but the idea was slowly starting to grow on him…

“Shame most people don’t really care for rats,” Mrs. Witticker commented in Andrew’s direction, her voice laced with sympathy. “Owls and cats are the popular ones. Rats are sort of forgotten. You know, rats aren’t as terrible and frightening as everyone makes them out to be. . . Would you like to hold one?”

“Sure,” Andrew accepted. He had never held a rat before, but based on the domesticated appearance of these Magical Menagerie rats, he wasn’t concerned about getting close to one.

Mrs. Witticker reached into a cage and withdrew one of the rats – an adult one with silvery-gray fur, pale pink skin, and beady black eyes – and passed it along to Andrew, who held the rat in his scooped hands, only for a brief second as the rat then scurried its way up, climbing along the length of his arm and nestling on his shoulder. Andrew giggled as he felt the rat nuzzle his neck with its nose, tickling him with its whiskers. He plucked the rat off his shoulder, holding it in the pad of his hands, and the cycle repeated.


“Cuddly, isn’t she?” Mrs. Witticker’s eyes gleamed at the boy-and-rat interaction. “Intelligent too. You’d be surprised, rats can be quite like puppy dogs. Most of them love to snuggle, and can be trained to do tricks as well.” She pointed out to the rat that Andrew was currently playing with, “This one is a female. She’ll be three years old in February. A bit older for a rat, but as you can see, she hasn’t lost any of her energy yet. She’ll give you a few more good years, if you take care of her well. She was born on Leap Year Day, fun fact if you’re interested.”

Andrew felt sorry for the rat he was holding, who had lived most of her life in a pet shop, waiting for someone to bring her home. If not for him, she’d probably spend the rest of her days in the confines of the store. It was a heartbreaking thought. And the longer Andrew fixed his attention on her, the stronger the seed of attachment grew… He wanted to give this rat a good life, no matter how short her days on Earth were. Not to mention she was just too stinking adorable for him to resist voicing out about wanting to buy her.

“Can I have her?” Andrew pleaded with his parents. “Besides, she won’t take up much room. She’s not as big as a cat or owl. I can take her to school easily. I can even stuff her in my bag,” he remarked.

At first, his parents were skeptical towards the rat (they questioned whether the tiny creature was sanitary, and if it was a wise investment), but in the end, they resigned themselves to whichever choice of pet that Andrew fancied. So long as their son promised to look after it, which his parents were confident they could entrust him with the responsibility. A pet rat seemed like a reasonably tame and manageable option compared to what could have been a large owl or that fire crab in the corner… And undeniably, the rat’s plushy charm seemed to have grown fondly on Andrew’s parents and siblings as well.

After purchasing the animal and gathering some basic necessities for his new pet, Andrew and his family exited the shop and merged onto the Alley streets. Andrew held a rat-sized pet carrier in his hands, careful not to jostle his fragile package as he wove his way through the tightly knit crowds. The Alley was even more jam-packed with holiday shoppers, now that Christmas was fast approaching. The Vances would bring home a new addition to their family, who would be joining them around the Christmas tree this year. Although, whether or not the affection was mutual towards this “replacement” newcomer had yet to be decided by the household cats. . .

What animal do you wish to purchase? Gray Rat
What do you want to name it? Penelope
Is this a boy or a girl? Girl (female)
What is your pet’s date of birth? February 29, 2016
WORD COUNT: 1103