The Hufflepuff Girl

Chapter 4

       The runt stared me down and I cocked an eyebrow, quirking a smile as he tilted his head. Then he sat, almost as if submitting, and he purred, low and sweet. He was mine. I called over the nearest worker, an older woman with greying hair, and asked her kindly to open the cage. She looked surprised, asked why a nice girl like me would want the outcasts over the perfectly normal ones in the front. "Because," I replied, "it's the different ones that are the most fun." She seemed skeptical still, but nonetheless smile at my answer and opened the cage. The runt sprung from his seated position at the sound of the cage jostling, backing up into a corner along with the others.

       "Which one?" She asked, finger hovering shakily over the cats - though most of them were kittens, really.

       "The small, spotted one," I said.

       "Oh, you won't like him. He doesn't much like people."

       "I think I will. Could you hand him to me, please?"

       She did so without another question, picking up the runt by the scruff of his neck - I laughed as he hissed and pawed at her sleeve - and placing him gently in my arms. He stopped then, looking up at me, and purred. The runt nuzzled his head into the crook of my elbow when I softly stroked the fur behind his ear. The woman then lead me towards the center of the shop, where my mother and Molly were waiting, purses in hand; they looked to be deep in conversation The older woman called Kaitlyn and Molly to attention, walking back behind an old looking counter and pressing a few creaky buttons on an old cash register.

       "Who does this young woman belong to?" Asked the woman.

       "That would be me," Kaitlyn answered, stepping up to put a hand on my shoulder.

       "You might want to convince her then to forget the creature she's holding, perhaps have her find another kitten."

       Kaitlyn looked shocked, looking from the woman to me and then down to the purring runt in my arms. "Why?" She questioned. "what's wrong with this one?"

       The older woman shrugged, "he's not so fond of people and can be aggressive, at times."

       Kaitlyn took another look at the kitten and said, finger pointing to him, "he doesn't look so aggressive."

       "I suppose not. That'll be nine galleons, please." Kaitlyn pulled the required coins from her purse and placed them on the counter, forcing a smile as the older woman said, "enjoy your beast."

       Just then, back came the twins. Fred ran up to Molly first, arms wrapped tightly around a happily squealing Puffskein; George came second, a bat in a cage dangling off his arm. At the sight of Molly's shocked face, the boys began to plead. "Please, mum, please!" and "I'll feed it! Walk it! Care for it!" and "I'm more responsible than Percy ("or Bill", "or Charlie")!" Kaitlyn and I stood off to the side, laughing as Molly shook the shock out of herself. Her eyes soon narrowed into slits and I saw the anger in her building, she opened her mouth and I waited for the explosion of devastating words when George spoke... ever so softly he muttered a broken "please." All noise stopped, even the Puffskein in Fred's arms had caught on to the tension and stilled.

       "Please, mum," he pleaded. "I promise you, you won't have to deal with Knight."

       "Knight?" Molly questioned with a soft laugh. "You've already named him, have you?"

        George smiled sheepishly, but nodded as his twin asked, "so, what do you say."

       "You two are cleaning up after them!"