"𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙮"
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IN WHICH ~ Jupiter Cassiopeia Lestrange thought she could escape her family's dark legacy at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but in her second year, Tom Riddle's diar...
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"One does not become enlightened by imagined figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."
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The door to Magical Menagerie creaked as Hermione and Jupiter stepped out, the former cradling an unusual-looking creature in her arms.
"You actually got that monster?" Ron blurted, his face a mix of horror and disbelief as his eyes fixed on the animal.
Hermione's smile was radiant as she held the feline closer. "Isn't he gorgeous?" she asked, practically glowing with pride.
"Gorgeous?" Ron repeated, his voice rising an octave. He looked at the cat like it was a ticking time bomb.
To say Crookshanks was unique was putting it mildly. His shaggy, mismatched coat was an explosion of ginger fur, his face scrunched up as if he were perpetually grumbling about the state of the world. His golden eyes gleamed with an unsettling intelligence—or maybe just unrestrained mischief. And those bow legs made him look like he'd walked straight out of a wizarding cartoon.
"Gorgeous?" Ron muttered again, his lips twisting. "That thing nearly scalped me in the shop!" He instinctively stepped back, clutching his chest as if Crookshanks had already started plotting his demise.
"He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" Hermione cooed, shifting into the tone one reserves for babies and overindulged pets. Crookshanks purred loudly, a noise somewhere between a tractor engine and a growl.
Ron groaned, pressing his hands to his temples like he'd just been handed a headache in feline form. "What about Scabbers? He needs rest! How's he supposed to get it with that thing lurking around?"
Jupiter, who had been rifling through her bag, tossed a small red bottle at him. "Here. You forgot your rat tonic," she said, smirking as Ron fumbled to catch it.
Ron glowered. "Thanks." He shoved the bottle into his pocket, his ears turning red.
"Not that it'll help," Jupiter added in a stage whisper to Harry, her grin widening. "Considering Scabbers probably isn't even a rat."
Harry coughed to stifle a laugh, while Ron shot Jupiter a glare. "Very funny," he muttered.
"I wasn't joking," Jupiter quipped, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
"Oh, Ron, stop worrying," Hermione cut in, rolling her eyes. "Crookshanks will be in my dormitory, and Scabbers will be in yours. What's the problem? Poor Crookshanks—he's been stuck in that shop for ages. No one wanted him." She ran a hand lovingly over the cat's fur.
Ron muttered under his breath, "I wonder why..."
As they made their way toward the Leaky Cauldron, the cobblestones of Diagon Alley echoed with the chatter of families and the rustle of shopping bags.
