The small bell chimed as Sarah entered the pet shop, eyes wide and slightly overwhelmed. Her parents hadn’t allowed her to get a pet the previous year and had only agreed to it now to shut up her incessant pleading.

Despite the months of nagging her parents to allow her to get her own pet, she’d not really thought through what she actually wanted. Perhaps a toad? She thought, as she passed by a particularly pretty toad- if one can describe a toad as pretty- which matched the forest green of her Slytherin tie. She stepped slightly closer to the enclosure, her eyes peering curiously through the glass at the amphibian. A loud croak startled her, causing her to take a few steps backwards. She let out a soft chuckle, cheeks colouring slightly as she realised she’d just been scared by something that could fit in her palm. Perhaps not a toad.

She continued walking around the shop, the bright hues of the pygmy puffs catching her eye next. They were cute, no doubt about it, but the shades of fur almost offended the girl whose personal taste was more limited to black, white, and the many shades of grey in between. And green, of course. A loud scream drew her eyes to another girl, barely eight, who was browsing the pets with her mother when she clearly spotted the puffs. Sarah smiled politely at the mother before sending a wink to the young girl who had pulled her face away from where it was smushed against the glass enclosure long enough to catch her mother’s eyes to plead for one. ‘But mummy, they’re so cute,” Sarah heard as she continued around the store, knowing full-well that the adorable look on the girl’s face would get her anything she wanted.

Sarah held the unpopular opinion that rats were rather adorable little creatures. She browsed the cages as she passed by, noting a small brown rat which looked awfully like the one her cousin Francis owned. Of course, this only brought back the memory of her last encounter with Francis’ rat Miss Mouse (a name the young child had found hilarious when coming up with). When Sarah had last been in the rat’s presence, it had tried gnawing through her finger: something which had required seven stitches. Maybe it’s a no to the rats as well then. She decided, eyes catching on an especially magnificent looking Snowy Owl.

As Sarah approached, the bird seemed to fluff up its feathers, as if trying to prove that he was indeed a gorgeous owl. Now you’re just showing off. The bird had caught her eye, though there was something inside her telling her that this wasn’t to be her pet. Confused with the feeling in her gut, she went to take another step closer to the birdcage when a low purr and a flick of a soft tail at her ankles drew her attention to the floor.

Bright green eyes – ones that matched almost perfectly with her own – stared up at her as a head was rubbed against her shin. She was about to bend down to scratch the cats head when the scent of sugar cookies and a soft voice drew her attention to her right.

“Why you must be awfully special, love,” a small, white-haired woman said, welcoming smile planted firmly on her face. “This cat hasn’t taken a liking to anyone who’s been in and out of our shop for the last six months.”

Sarah couldn’t help but flush slightly, the tips of her ears tinting pink. She felt the cat nudge at the space between her ankles before circling her legs in a figure-of-eight. “She’s beautiful,” She said softly, eyes flicking down towards the feline, her gaze once again meeting eyes that reminded her of her own.

“That she is, my dear,” a second voice replied as an elderly man made his way towards them, looping his arm around the woman’s waist. “I’m sure my wife has already said that this is quite the rarity. Cats all love me, but this little rascal will barely let me touch her,” he said, smile bright though Sarah could see the mild offense he took to being snubbed by the pretty cat. She ignored it the first time but the second time the cat butted her ankle with its head, begging to be fussed, Sarah couldn’t refuse. She bent down slowly, her fingers finding a spot just behind the cat’s ears which resulted in a very satisfied sounding purr.

“I can get you some information about her if you’d like me to?” The kind woman asked, leaning slightly into her husband. “Or you can keep looking around if you’d rather?”

No. The word flashed through her mind the second she heard the question. No, she didn’t want to keep looking around. Sarah looked down at the cat once more, making her decision. Realistically, she knew that the decision had been made the second she’d laid eyes on the cat- her cat. “Where do I pay?”

***
Sarah left the store, a carrier in her right hand, and made her way to the ice cream parlour. She took a seat at one of the benches outside after purchasing a chocolate chip ice cream cone, and put the carrier on the table so she could look inside.

“What should we call you?” She asked, looking into the pretty green eyes behind the caged door. “How about Allie?” She asked, the cat letting out a displeased noise and moving her head in a way that resembled a human shaking theirs no. “Okay, so not Allie. What about Casey?” Before her cat even had time to react, Sarah knew that wasn’t right and bit her lip for a second trying to think. If only cats could talk. She thought, laughing softly to herself.

The cat let out another soft noise as if she was becoming impatient. “Alright, give me a second,” Sarah laughed. “How about…” she trailed off, looking down Diagon Alley as if inspiration might suddenly strike. She sat there for a while longer and finished her ice cream. She leant down against the table, so her eyes were level with the cage.

“Nova!” She suddenly shouted, drawing strange glances from a few passing-by shoppers. “How about Nova?” She asked, receiving a satisfied purr in response. She grinned, threading her fingers through the carrier’s cage door and scratching behind Nova’s ears. “You can be my supernova.”