15th July 2019

Her eyes lit up as she walked into the Magical Menagerie. It was almost like a belated birthday gift to herself. Somehow - she was not entirely sure how - she had managed to convince her parents into giving her money to buy a pet. Serena grinned as she glanced around, her eyes feasting on the huge variety of animals here. There were a few other children, with their parents too. She was a big girl though now, she didn't need her mother here. Well, she was thirteen and her mother did not want to come with her. Her exact words were 'oh just take this and go! Don't miss your train!'.

Serena was catching her train back to Hogwarts for Summer Camp in a couple of hours. But before she did, she was permitted to go to Diagon Alley to buy the "finest cat" that she told her mother she would get. In fact, she had written to her mother on her birthday, less than a month ago.

7th June 2019

Dear mother,

Did you know that the Avery family gave their son a beautiful owl? She's the largest owl I've ever seen. Apparently she's exotic too. And the Stavrou daughter has a cat that she bought for sixty galleons, I've heard! The Teague daughter apparently got three pets, even though she was only permitted to bring one to school.

They were talking about it in the hall yesterday, holding their pets on display. That was when I realised, it would just look bad if I did not bring one right?

So, I am writing to you today in the hope that you will give me some money to buy a pet for the coming years. I promise to look after him or her, keeping it out of your way. I will buy a cat or owl far nicer than any of them, of course.

Love always,

Serena J. Towers

Serena may have completely lied in her letter. The truth was, she had absolutely no idea what pets Phaedra, Max or Dymphna had. They were just the first three pureblood students she could think of that she knew her mother would recognise the names of. Her mother had, after all, met two of them on multiple occasions by now.

Her mother always harped on about reputation and image. It seemed ideal at the time - she really wanted a pet and after many years of asking for one, had always failed. Until now, that was. Her mother agreed to it almost instantly. It was genius! Complete and utter fabrication but genius, nonetheless.

Serena looked around the store, with the look of a child that had just seen santa claus or been given a huge cake. This was, officially, the best birthday present she could ever have - even though it was a month past her month. Walking around the store, she noticed all of the other children showing interest in the owls or cats. They were crowding around the animals, and she struggled to get past them to actually see them for herself.

In the far corner, she spotted some toads. "Woah," She whispered to herself as she rushed forward to see them. They hadn't gathered as much attention as the owls or cats, so Serena gave them some. She grinned as she watched them. There were at least three different types from what she could see, maybe more. It was kind of hard to tell some of them apart.

"AHHH GROSS! IT STOLE MY PIZZA!"

The noise of a screaming child made her jump. Her heart pounded quickly, turning around to look at the commotion. A boy was pointing towards a slice of pizza on the ground. He was holding a small pizza box in one hand, whilst pointing with the other. Following his finger, she looked down to see a little rat, tugging at the pizza. The boy continued to sequel, "DISGUSTING! HE'S SO GROSS! HE STOLE IT!!"

Serena watched the rat grab the pizza and drag the slice behind its smaller body. He started to eat the pizza slice, seemingly pleased with himself. She grinned, leaning closer to him. With one finger, she stroked his back, whispering, "Aren't you a little cutie, little pizza rat?" as she watched him happily nom on the edges of the pizza.

The shopkeeper hurried over, hearing all of the commotion. He shook his head, "I'm so sorry, of course. I'll uh buy you a new pizza, young sir, I apologise," The older man said hesitantly.

The child snarled some more, "That's NOT enough. He STOLE my pizza. And look at him! He's disgusting! I want him GONE!"

"Leave him alone!" Serena snarled suddenly, kind of irritated by this boy already. She furrowed her eyebrows, "Were you going to eat it off the floor?" She asked him rhetorically, irritated. The boy had obviously dropped the pizza and was now accusing the rat of 'stealing' it as though he was going to eat it anyway. She was so done with dumb little boys that thought it was okay to be mean to everyone and everything. The rat was adorable.

The Hufflepuff could only grin at the sight, "Mister..." She paused, realising she didn't know the shop keeper's name, "Hey uh mister, can I buy this rat?" She announced, deciding she wanted him. The shopkeeper looked baffled, blinking at her like she had done the most unexpected thing. Which, of course, was not true. This was the most normal thing to do in the situation. It was the best way to get a great pet, whilst also saving him from the other boy's cruelty. Despite his confused look, he agreed as it was  good way to solve the situation. Grabbing a little pet travel case, he scooped the rat up and placed him carefully into the case - alongside the pizza.

Serena grinned as he handed her the case, "Here you go! Keep the change, thanks!" She replied as she dropped enough money onto the counter for the rat and food, that she stuffed into her bag. She glanced over to the other boy, with a pleased with herself look on her lips, before looking back at the shopkeeper, "I think I'll call him Pizza Rat. It suits him, no?" With that, she quickly left with her new found friend before the boy could kick up another fuss or stop her.

She quickly made her way back to Kings Cross so she could catch the second train back to Hogwarts, for the Summer Camp.

What animal do you wish to purchase? Brown Rat
What do you want to name it? Pizza Rat
Is this a boy or a girl? Boy
What is your pet's date of birth? 30th March 2019

Congratulations Miss Towers! Be sure to take great care of your new furry friend!