[font=Lucida Console]Diagon Alley
Saturday, 22nd of June, 2019[/font]

It was the Saturday a week before the school ended and Zahid had chosen that day for this errand for that very reason. Well, it could not really be called an errand, after all he wasn't here for any work-related reason or any other duty, no, he had come to the Alleys because he wanted to acquire a cat.

Coming here this weekend ensured that he could avoid having to deal with the crowds when the students and their families flocked to Diagon – in his experience places like this were always busier during (summer) holidays. No, he had no intention to subject himself to that hustle and bustle.

He had been at Hogwarts for a little while now, not long but long enough to begin settling in and since he was settled down for the first time in years he had decided that his would be the correct time to get a pet. There had been little question what kind of pet he would go for, he had always liked cats, felt comfortable and safe around them – it was not without reason that his Patronus was a Lioness.

While his aunt had not actually owned a cat, there had been a few strays in the area when he was a child that he had played with – much to her chagrin. He had wished for a cat of his own before but it had never worked out. Cats hadn’t been allowed where he had lived while he lectured at the university. Needless to say, he was looking forward to today’s excursion.

Zahid had spent the early morning correcting homework – he wanted it out of the way so that he would not have to worry about it later. It was almost eleven in the morning by the time he put his quill away, stacked the finished homework to the side and emptied his tea. He got up and after checking his pockets to make sure he carried enough galleons for the endeavour, grabbed his cloak and exited his office.

He made his way from his office through the entrance hall and out in the grounds towards Hogsmeade. Once past the edge of the wards he apparated to Diagon Alley. He had been to the Alleys a couple of times before, the first time back in 2013. Making his way down Diagon toward the Magical Menagerie, he once again noticed how different and yet similar magical shopping districts tended to be. The wealth of magic visible in these places was stunning, no matter how often he had now been to such places.

Stopping in front of the Menagerie, he could not help but feel nervous. There was no real reason to be nervous, or was there? After all, a pet was a companion one had for a number of years… Shaking of his brief hesitation he entered the shop. There was a small family (parents and a child of six, maybe seven years) talking to the one of the shop’s owners [Mrs Witticker] while the other was busy selling tinctures to a man in Auror robes.

Taking a look around Zahid catalogued all the different animals one could buy. While he was already set on getting a cat, it could not hurt to see what the options were. Obviously there was an abundance of owls but since he had access to the  school’s owlery and the school owls he saw no need in getting his own owl. A raven, while rarer than an owl, fell under the same category and he had never really understood the fascination with toads, personally. A streeler or a fire crab were far too dangerous to keep in a school (and from what he’d heard, the school had enough problems with fire already) and neither a niffler nor a rat or puffs sparked his interest as a pet. No, a cat it would be, a kneazle possibly, but some kind of cat.

He took a couple of steps closer to one of the cats sitting near the window to get a closer look but somehow the cat didn’t feel right. Definitely cute, but not the one he was looking for. Looking over the available cats he froze as he spotted one that reminded him of a stray he’d known in Benghazi.

Gurzil as the locals (him included) had called him, had been a fighter that jealously guarded what he considered his territory but once he got used to you, you were included in what he considered his, especially if you provided him with food as Zahid had done on occasion. For a moment Zahid wondered how Gurzil fared and what happened to him in the time since Zahid had left Benghazi. Back when he still taught at Garyounis he had crossed through Gurzil’s territory every day. It had been the closest he’d ever come to owning a cat.

The kitten lounging in the corner reminded him of Gurzil. Not just because they were both brown tabby cats but mainly because the kitten had a similar strength in his eyes. Yes, that was definitely the cat he would be taking home with him today. Carefully, he approached the kitten and extended his hand to let her sniff him.

The kit seemed quite unimpressed at first but Zahid could wait. After all, he had made sure to be done with his chores for the day (if one could call grading a chore). After a few minutes, the kit deigned to sniff at his hand and it took another minute or two until the kitten nudged his hand and he got to scratch its ears. Zahid couldn’t help but smile. Yes, the kitten was strong willed. It had spirit.

Zahid crouched down and just petted it for a bit before slowly luring it to climb on his hand. It was a bit wobbly but the kitten finally climbed his arm and settled on his shoulder. Very carefully, Zahid stood up making sure not to jostle the kitten, and trudged to the counter to make the transaction. “Greetings. I would like to purchase my friend here and whatever else I might need for his or her care.”

“Why, hello” The shop keeper reached out and plucked the kitten from his shoulder. “Quite the stubborn thing you have chosen. This little one is quite head strong but I think you have already noticed that. You were making friends with him after all.” he said warmly while carefully checking the kitten over.

Once he was satisfied he handed the kitten back to Zahid and also handed him a bag of necessities in exchange for the galleons Zahid had prepared. Stowing the bag away, Zahid carefully held the kitten in his arms and bid the man farewell.

As he did not want to subject his new friend to the joys of apparating, he made his way to the Leaky Cauldron from where he would floo to the three Broomsticks and then walk back to Hogwarts so that he could show his new friend some of his new stomping grounds. (To be perfectly honest, he was not sure if flooing was so much better of a thing than apparating to subject the little one to.)

On his way to the Leaky he addressed the kitten. “I think I will call you Herodotus if that is alright with you, and ‘Dot’ for short.” looking down at the little one, he took answering meow as an agreement. “Dot it is.”

Word Count: 1251

What animal do you wish to purchase?A Brown Classic Tabby
What do you want to name it? Herodotus
Is this a boy or a girl? boy
What is your pet's date of birth?16.3.2019