Set during the
Easter Holidays, 2019

Overjoyed.

No, Scott was much more than that. But he didn't care at all to find a better word for it now, because at this moment he was... well, overjoyed. So much so that he was almost skipping his way forwards across the warm and cobbled streets, and to keep up with this there slalomed between the high ends of his grey trousers, a creature of an even darker grey. She stroked against his legs, kept up with his pace perfectly, and each time he had to stop in his track so not to knock into a shopping witch or wizard, she'd stop too, with a quick and yellow look up at him. It was as if she was as infatuated with him as he was with her.

"It's a hot day. It's a perfect day." Scott said with a sigh. He wasn't heading anywhere in particular, as he couldn't be precisely sure where his mother or brother was. "Chances are," He said to Lady Madeleine- and her head turned as if listening. "They're in Quality Quidditch Supplies. My mother promised Ben a broom, you see, so that he wouldn't get jealous when I got you. But I don't want to go there. In fact, I'm not sure I'm allowed in there, with you."

So instead he took a turn to the right, quick to apologise for bumping into a stroller.

Before him now were hundreds of colours. The windows were filled with flying, spinning toys and prank items; books that turned leaf for the passersby to read, and dresses that swirled elegantly to show off each of their neat flounces and seams. But what caught the boy's attention the best, was the small, white parasol placed neatly outside a half-timbered boutique. On it, and above the green door, it said:


"Do we want ice cream? Well, I want ice cream. You can't have any, can you? Not good for you, it is. Oh, I feel bad." But despite that, he stepped inside to the ring of the small and silver bell, ordered something from the blackboard menu that appeared to have raspberry squiggled fancily somewhere in the name- and took to sit under the parasol outside, which was currently not bringing any shade to the little table with two chairs.

Lady Madeleine kept circling his feet, and now also the four legs of the seat.

"I'm really sorry," Scott said, and licked something pink up that was already beginning to melt down his cone. "You can't have any."

With a soft smile Alan was wandering through the endless and colorful Diagon Alley, a proud smile was gracing his lips while a small bundle of fur was sleeping within the pocket of his hoodie. His arms were full of books about cat as well as a few squeaky toys and a mouse that had a ringing bell inside. So with every step he took the mouse made of fabric and a filling of cotton would make a small sound.

Through the windows of an Ice Cream shop he had been at a couple of times, he could see a familiar face and what a surprise, Alan could detect a cat along his side. Now he would just have to go inside and greet his friend, so he pushed open the door and dropped his belongings onto the table with a dampened sound. ”Hey Scott, just walked by, say you and that you have a cat! That's so cool!”, he said with a broad grin that made his eyes seem as if they would sparkle in a soft emerald glimmer. The specks of brown nearly not visible with how the light was hitting his eyes.

”You didn't tell me you would get yourself one, this is awesome!”, he said, his excitement obvious in the way he was talking enthusiastically. Well how could he not, this was such a surprise that apparently the both of them got a cat around the same time.

"Alan? Yes, Alan! You're here too! And you're absolutely right, I didn't tell you, because I wasn't actually sure if I could get one until very recently... had to convince my parents and all-" Lady Madeleine made a sudden jump up from under the table to sit on his lap, so to be able and study this new boy more efficiently. Or so to get closer to the ice cream cone. Not on Scott's watch."Hey, what have you got there?" He said, pointing conveniently with his dripping hand away from the sniffing animal, and to the many articles that had just left his friend's grasp. Except for a significant number of books which didn't interest him too much, Alan had apparently been to buy many different toys... They were colourful and made different noises as they rolled over the boards of the table. Scott motioned for him to sit down."You should sit here, with me, I haven't met anyone from school all holiday... And order an ice cream! They're amazing. I got the raspberry soft ice cream one...

Something else caught Scott's eye, as well. Something moving. The thing was lurking inside his friend's pocket, and Scott's narrowed his eyes to see.

"Don't tell me you have one, too! Or, do tell me that because that would be amazing! Did you get it now? What is it? A cat, rat or toad? Because I can't imagine you're hiding an owl in there... oh, I hope it's not a rat. I don't know if Lady Madeleine eats those yet... Do you, girl? Do you eat rats? I don't know."

Alan grinned lightly at the other boy, who seemed to be happy to see him. Alan was also happy to meet his friend here of all places, but to be honest it should not surprise him. Scott liked sweets, so seeing him at the Ice Cream Parlor was more the only place he expected to meet the other boy by coincidence. ”That is so cool, Scott. Cats are cool, I bet your cat is cool, mine is-” Alan would begin to ramble, with a happy smile.

”Oh you got the raspberry one? I had that once, it is really delicious and well I got some toys for-”, he was not really able to answer, because in just that moment the other Gryffindor seemed to notice some movement from his pocket, making Alan smile slightly. ”Don't worry it is a cat too, a uhm... Bengal one like those tigers are called and that is why he is called Tiger, you know!”, he explained and carefully took out the cat from his pocket. The cat would make some displeased noises, apparently he just woke up as Alan placed him on the table.

”Do me a favor and watch him, while I go order some ice cream for myself... he is still so very small”, he explained, before skipping to the counter and waiting in line. With a glance back to the table Alan could see how Tiger would also try to get some of the sweet dessert, that had dripped onto the table from Scott's hand. Alan was about to space out, when his attention was directed towards the lady at the counter, who stood there with her hand against her hip while her other hand pointed the ice cream scooper at him. Alan nervously shrunk, wishing for a hole to open in the ground and swallow him so he did not have to face this awkward situation.

“What can I get for you, young man?” She asked him, her tone surprisingly kind, making Alan smile nervously at her. ”Uhm... I think I will go with the praline flavored one and would it be a problem to ask for a scoop of frozen yoghurt for the cats?” Alan would ask her, nervously stumbling over his words. She shook her head and even told him this was a rather common request. With a last nervous smile Alan paid and then went back to Scott with the ice cream and the frozen yoghurt, not after thanking the lady.

”I'm back, I hope Tiger behaved-”, he muttered before sitting down, having a taste of his ice cream before placing the cup with the tasteless frozen yoghurt on the table. ”They can share if they please”

Throwing his arm back, so to to keep the ice cream out of the now two cats' reach, Scott almost dropped the entire scoop into the turban of an older lady at the table next to theirs. This new little fellow was energetic, to say the least.

Tiger was a fitting name.

Alan's cat was yellow-ish, with black or brown stripes and spots- though he was much smaller than Lady Madeleine. Younger, Scott assumed, or it was because he was a different breed... He appreciated him, in any case, and stroked his back as it pressed its two front paws against the boy's chest, trying to get himself a taste. Lady Madeleine had already given up in that respect, and was instead carefully studying Alan as he returned, and what he was carrying.

"They can share if they please."

"Can they really? I know nothing about cats... I was afraid she'd explode or something. Or that her tummy would ache... She seems keen on it, though, doesn't she?" Scott bobbed his knees up and down, seeing how Lady Madeleine's yellow eyes followed the little cup intensely as Alan put it down on the table. She was a good cat, he could see, as she only sniffed about it curiously before Scott patted her head as a way of saying it was all-right. And as she started to lick it, Scott turned to Alan again.

"Don't worry, he behaved. I like him. And Tiger is a good name! Madeleine was just the first French-sounding thing I came up with... Don't know why it was in the back of my head though, feel like I know someone with that name. Well, I certainly do now! I bet they'll get along. After all, they're gonna share a dorm!"

Alan shrugged slightly, he did not really know what cats could and could not eat either. ”This one is sugar free, it is basically joghurt but in frozen”, he muttered. As soon as he placed the cup with frozen yoghurt onto the table and sat down himself, Tiger let go of Scott and rushed towards the cup. He was being far less graceful than Lady Madeleine by pushing his snout into the ice and shaking his head in confusion about the coldness beefore giving the treat a unsure lick.

Alan started to let the cats be cats and turned to Scott. ”How far are you with the easter break homework? Do you also have to write this huge essay for potions?”, he asked curiously as he gave his praline flavored ice cream a lick, making the scoop of ice brush against his nose. He was none to care for now, as he did not notice it yet, so he just continued eating his ice cream as he waited for Scott to answer.

Meanwhile Tiger was being a gentlecat. He was trying to clean his snout while Lady Madeleine was enjoying the treat Alan got the two of them, making Alan smile as he cast a glance at the two felines.

"Hm? The Sleeping Draughts? Don't remind me! I haven't started with it yet... It'll be fine, though, I think dad will help me if I ask. I haven't got it with me anyway, it's at home. Only came here to do some shopping with Mother and Ben..."

He licked his ice cream again, or rather, the base of his wrist as there seemed to be where it was all going.

"They're nowhere to be found, though." He said, satisfied. "What about you?"

Patting Lady Madeleine's head once again, the cat seemed to immediately get bored with the frozen yoghurt that Alan had bought for her. She turned her back on it and jumped down the table again, this time settling underneath the boy's seat instead of in his lap. She was watching Tiger now, intensely. She'd probably seen him many times before, but the little thing moved in speeds and ways that seemed to keep her on guard.

"I'll pay you back half of that." Scott assured his friend, and pointed to the little cup between them. "Until then, you've got some of your own on your nose... No, below that... Do I?"

Scott scrunched his nose and looked down as if trying to see for himself. Then he laughed and licked the cone again.

”Yeah, that one... It is awful and a lot of research... Can't we just call hot chocolate a life elixir and be done with it?”, he asked getting frustrated just thinking about it. ”Maybe I could ask my cousins for help, at least one of them must know the answers I am looking for, you know since my dad and mom are in America at the moment-”, his voice got a bit quieter. He was pretty sure he had told Scott before about his father being sick and in a special hospital.

”I am here to do some shopping as well, new books and such. I found an awesome Comic about dragons! But I will stay a couple of days at the Leaky Cauldron, because my aunt is working during the first week of the easter break and can't watch out for me”, he explained, with a nonchalant shoulder shrug, taking a careless bite out of his ice, before scrunching up his face for a moment. Brainfreeze, the worst!

Alan rubbed over his nose with the back of his hand and just gave up, he was not finished with his ice anyway so it was useless to clean it off now, if he was to smudge even more. ”It's fine, you don't need to pay it back”

“Oh! I’ve never stayed at the Leaky Caukdron, myself... Always come here just for a day’s shopping, and then we leave. It’s a shame, I never really stay at hotels.”

Scott hummed, not realising that the Leaky Cauldron was hardly a hotel, and stroked Lady Madeleine’s side with the bridge of his foot as she’d settled to lay down underneath him. Was she already tired? She hadn’t exactly been climbing the furniture when he first saw her some hour ago... maybe she was just always this calm. It pleases him, he could be curious enough for the both of them.

“So you’re staying alone?” Asked Scott, with an impressed voice. “Mother would never let me. Dad, maybe, but she’d go insane with worry. Honestly, I don’t know if I’d want me to, either... I get l8nely quite fast. Good thing we met here, for example! But on the other hand, no one could stop me from ordering four chocolate drinks in a row if she wasn’t around...”

Scott looked away in a not-that-parodic pondering, but he returned to his friend with a smile, and continued to chip in and ask questions the way he always did.

“I’ve never been to America, either! But we’re talking about letting me go this summer with Ami... once again, Mother’s not that exstatic. She says it’s dangerous. Have you ever been?”

”Ohhhh... I am not alone! My cousins drop by during evening, but they are not licensed to apparate side by side with me and we have not gotten the portkey permission either... So t+they are working at day and make sure I am okay- That means at daytime it is kind of boring!”, he explained with a sigh. H was happy that his cousins went through the trouble of staying with him so that Alan would not have to be alone at night at a place he was not used to.

”Ami? You mentioned her before I think, a friend of yours, right?”, Alan nodded slightly, he was pretty sure that he had seen her in the Common Rooms before, but he could not completely remember what she looked like. He continued to eat his ice cream for a while, watching the two cats absentmindedly. He was so happy that he found Tiger, he was really awesome and Alan always wanted a pet. Now he had one and Scott had a cat as well and they would probably be best friends! Or so he hoped.

”But America sounds cool, I really hope for you it works out and did you know they call Muggles No-Majs there?”, he asked the taller Gryffindor.