A Friend for the Terrible Pet Finished

The dark-haired boy walked to the Magical Menagerie to buy himself a pet. Well, obviously. He already had an animal in mind, but he did not want to be all loosey-goosey about it and bought a random animal. So, he would have to browse the store first to find the right companion. Hopefully, he did not make too much trouble for the kind shopkeepers this time.

"Excuse me," said Arc as he opened the door to the menagerie with his father right behind him.

He was immediately greeted by a smiling old lady with white hair. She was a tad bit shorter than the boy, around five feet tall, as Arc had grown a bit during his year in Hogwarts. She was wearing her usual floral dress. And she smelled like freshly baked cookies.

"Good morning, young man. Oh, I still remember you." Mrs. Witticker said with a beaming smile. "Are you going to take another try?"

"Yes, ma'am. I-If it's not too much trouble for you."

"Ah. Pish-posh, dear. You are no trouble at all. There is a companion for everyone. Just you see."

The lady's kindness only made the kid felt even guiltier as he knew the commotion that would ensue. And she knew first hand too. She had seen what had happened when Arc stepped in a room full of animals. He certainly hoped that it would not be a repeat of last time.

But deep down inside he knew it was only a pipe dream. With only one step in, the owl started hooting nonstop. Some of the less brave owl trembled in fear and tried to make their body as small as possible. The toads were croaking. The rats scurried around trying to escape. And the pigmy puffs hid under their own fluffy fur. It was chaotic. Arc wanted to make small talks and asked where Mr. Witticker was but the background noise made it hard to do.

With each step, all the animals were getting crazier and crazier. Only one type of animal was seemingly unaffected. The cats. It was just like business as usual for them. And it was for this very reason Arc had intended to buy one of the cats. He walked closer and scrutinized each and every one of them. Picking a pet was not an easy business. The animal would be his partner, his companion through thick and thin, his new family. The Ravenclaw boy could not just pick a random cat because they were not afraid. He needed to pick one that truly was interested of him. Alas, just like the last time, none of the cat seemed interested. Sigh.

Arc took a deep breath as the room got louder and louder. He did not understand their language. But it was clear he was not welcome here. The young Prefect was ready to give up when he saw a peculiar sight. A lone gray rat was intently looking at him. He took a step towards it and the small rat trembled a little. But it didn't go anywhere. It was not scurrying around like others of its kind.

"Hey, little fella, are you not afraid of me?" Arc tried.

The rat answered with what could only be interpreted as a curious squeak. After a while, it even stopped trembling and moved a bit closer with its cute pink feet. It squeaked another time. And at that moment, Arc knew, he just knew, that he had found what he was searching for.

"May I...take a closer look of this gray rat, please?"

"Certainly, my dear." With an even larger smile, the old lady opened the cage of the strange gray rat. She picked the rat up and gave it to Arc's open palm. The rat was so small, Arc could even hid it if he closed his hand. "She does seem to like you, young man."

"She?"

"Yes, she is a girl."

"I see." Arc said as he looked closer to the Gray Rat. Her incisors only had a pale shade of yellow. She must have been a very young rat. "How old is she?"

"She is almost a month old, dear."

Arc knew that rats did not have a very long life. Most gray rats only lived for three to four years. Even the oldest of them only lived for seven years. Fortis, yes, he had already named her in his mind, might not be able to accompany him until he was a full-grown wizard. But he knew? The boy had heard a rumor about a magical rat who could live for more than twelve years. Arc took a few more seconds to look at the rat's beady eyes before he finally spoke, "I'll take her."

Word Count: 787 words

What animal do you wish to purchase? Gray Rat
What do you want to name it? Fortis
Is this a boy or a girl? Girl
What is your pet's date of birth? 17th of June, 2019