Something Unique, Something Different

Pets were great to keep around, they gave you company when no one was around. Ryan had a feeling that he wouldn't have many people to talk to, he wasn't as friendly as he seemed. Of course he would like to be a bit more friendly but that was hard when people were idiots. Not everyone was a idiot though, but it was hard to find someone who wasn't an idiot.

A pet sounded appealing and he needed to get one before he did the rest of his shopping. He wanted a pet the most, but other things were required. He didn't quite care about the required things. What to get though, he couldn't decide.

He passed by the kittens, they were not for him. He hated cats, they meowed too loud and their fur was annoying. He didn't want an owl, he wanted something that was unique. Something that no one else would have, something different.

Malachi had some free time on his hands, in which his mother had gone to cash a check at the bank and told him she'd be back soon enough. She allowed him to wander for a bit, knowing that Malachi wasn't adventurous enough to go anywhere harmful, like Whisper Alley, and went on her way. He wasn't sure where to go, but knew he had to pay the pet shop a visit, once he saw the sign.

He adored animals and loved his dog Elmo. He wasn't in the shop to purchase a pet that day, knowing mother would say no, but figured he could look, right? Pinned on the wall was a sign listing the pets allowed in school, and his eyes tracing down it brought a frown to his face.

"Ach! Pech!" He noted aloud to himself. Dogs were not among the list of animals permitted to school. He supposed he'd have to go empty handed then and backed up slowly in slight disappointment. He trodded on a toe as he did so and turned around quickly to apologize. "Sorry!" He sputtered, the word becoming all too familiar through his experiences on that day. "mein fehler!"

Google Translation: Alas! Such bad luck! ... my mistake!

Ryan wanted a pet but wasn't quite sure which pet he wanted, so he had to choose carefully. So, he had to pick up one of each animal and see if it was right for him. Too bad snakes weren't allowed, he would love a snake. But the first animal he picked was a brown owl. It was a pretty thing but he didn't want an owl. He wanted something else, something better.

Just as he was about to put the owl back, it was already hard enough to hold and the improper way to hold an owl, someone stepped on his toe. Which caused him to drop the owl, the owl flew up before it could fall to the ground. "Look what you did! Watch where you're going!" He reached for the owl but it flew away from him. "Well, help me catch it!" No matter how hard he tried, the owl didn't want to be caught. It was stubborn, maybe this was the animal for him. But he wouldn't never know if he didn't catch the damn thing!

The St. Holmes had a family owl, which they sent letters with often, so Malachi knew the wrong way to hold an owl when he saw it. He would've said something, but the boy ended up dropping it and, owls being owls, it flew away and out of reach.

"Maybe if you held it better, he wouldn't have flown away!" Malachi suggested, but helped the boy anyway. He moved a few crates of food to make a staircase up towards where the owl was hiding. "You let it perch on your arm like you are a tree," Malachi explained and made motions with his hands. "Not grab it!"

Ryan rolled his eyes at the other boy's comments, if he knew so much about how to properly hold an owl then he should catch the stupid thing. He had better things to do then catch an owl and it was the other boy's fault anyways, he hadn't been watching where he was going after all. It wasn't Ryan's fault that the boy was clumsy and now he had to get the run away owl. "If you know so much then you catch the stupid thing."

He turned away from the situation and picked up a kitten, this time properly unlike he did with the owl. "Too boring," he said then set the kitten back in its cage. He wasn't paying any attention the the other boy anymore, the owl was now his problem. He shouldn't have stepped on his toe, it was all his fault.

"Get a bat, then," Harley told the guy. She had heard the commotion and had been staring at the two quarreling over an owl for the past twenty minutes. Sure, owls weren't much her thing either, but when he called a cat boring, he had overstepped the line. "Sorry for intruding, but bats can be pretty cool too, and I don't think anybody's getting one this year. You seem like the 'lone wolf' kind of guy to me, anyways," she shrugged. He stood with that sort of brooding, don't touch me I'm too cool for you, kind of way. "Why do you hate cats anyways? They can keep you company and you don't have to keep them in a cage all day like you do with owls."

Who did this girl think she was? No one could just tell him what to do. He didn't want a bat, they were filthy. And she didn't know him at all, he wasn't a 'lone wolf', he had tons of friends. Well, that wasn't entirely true. All he needed was his brother, that was enough for him. "I don't want a bat," he rolled his eyes. It was all up to him to find the perfect pet.

"I don't hate cats, I just don't want one." He didn't care if 'they kept you company', he didn't want one. He didn't need her input, he didn't need anyone's input. He just needed to get an animal so he could get away from these two people. He didn't want to see either of them in a long time.

"Well, then. The name's Harley, thanks for asking," she retorted. She wasn't even in school yet and was already making enemies. This guy was obviously going to get her in to more trouble than she would need. He seemed like someone where if you got on his bad side, he would spend his time trying to annoy you and make your life absolute torture. She flashed a sarcastic smile at him, purposely trying to irk this guy. She could easily spur this guy into a fight if she needed to, and it was always handy to have someone you could annoy just for the fun of it. "You a first year too, Lone Wolf?" she asked, testing out his new nickname.

The boy didn't seem to care about his lecture on how to treat an owl and soon turned away to some cats instead. Malachi huffed, but was too shy to further pursue the boy. He wasn't much of a fighter. In fact, fights scared him. So he climbed the makeshift stairs on his own, grumbling under his breath, "Faul, Taugenichts!"

Whereas down below, conversation seemed to turn to bats and the boy was more interested in a girl than the poor soul who was sent to chase the owl, Malachi was having moderate success with his task. "There, there, schönes tier. We meant no harm in scaring you," He cooed to the bird and offered his hand as a perch. He didn't understand why he bothered, seeing as the boy was no longer interested in the owl, but he didn't like the idea of the animal being scared and in hiding. With the sweet words, the bird obeyed and hopped onto his hand. Malachi carefully descended the boxes and walked towards where the two other kids stood.

"Not that either of you care, but I got the bird down," Malachi announced, stroking the back of the owl gently. "And that, der Eigenbrotler, is why handling owls the correct way is important." He finished, indignantly and adopting the nickname he heard the girl call him.

Google translation: "Lazy, good-for-nothing...beautiful animal...lone wolf"

der

He didn't need to tell her his name nor did he want to. She didn't deserve to know his name, she was being rude to him. He didn't care what her name was, he didn't care who she was. She could disappear for all he cared. Ryan didn't like that nickname at all, he wasn't a 'lone wolf' nor did he act like one. He didn't need their opinions, she knew nothing. "I'm going to be a first year, but I'm not alone. I have my brother." He crossed his arms, by the looks of it neither the girl or the boy had anyone there for them. "Know anyone that goes to Beauxbatons?" He raised an eyebrow, he was sure he already knew the answer.

He rolled his eyes at the boy, he didn't care if he got the stupid bird down. It was his fault it hid anyways, it wasn't his problem anymore. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find a pet." He walked a few steps away to the ferrets, no way would he get one. They were ugly and gross. "Where are all the good pets?" he muttered. Why couldn't he find an awesome pet? He didn't like any of the animals he had already saw.

She rolled her eyes at the guy and turned to the one who rescued the owl. "Hallo, mein Name ist Harley," she said, greeting him in his language. She has spent enough time listening to her surrogate father converse with his German friends to know that he was speaking German. She chased after the overly rude guy and called, "And you, whatever your name is,  I do in fact know some one at Beauxbatons, not a sibling though. I'm not alone all the time."

As soon as she said it, she knew he would find some way to use that last sentence against her and regretted it. Harley usually didn't tell people about her family history, it was too depressing, so whenever someone referred to her family, she just named Elijah as her father. Never mind that though, she decided to keep the guy some company.

Hello, my name is Harley.

"Oh yeah? You know someone? I bet they're not as cool as my brother." He had no shame in saying that he thought his brother was cool, he thought his brother was the coolest person ever. He snickered, a sly grin spread across his lips. "Ha, you're alone." Rule one, don't admit anything. You never admit if you're lonely or scared, that's how you get made fun of.

"Why are you following me?" Did she want something from him? Well he had nothing for her and even if he did he wouldn't give her anything. "I bet you're some weird stalker chick and I'm gonna be one of your victims." It wasn't that hard to believe, she wouldn't leave him alone.

"Oh, yeah, totally. I'm gonna watch you while you sleep, and did you know I have an altar of you hidden in my closet?" she said, "Take the ego down a step, dude. And yeah, okay, I'm alone. It's not exactly something I'm too proud of either."

She scoffed when he just stared disbelieving at her. "Not everyone bows down at your feet. And my friend may not be the coolest, but a friend's a friend. I don't exactly have many friends anyways. I'll take what I can get," she shrugged. His brother must be pretty awesome to get someone like Mr. Too Cool For You to respect him, and now she really wanted to meet him.

They were still walking around the pet shop, trying to find him his perfect pet. She had already gathered that he didn't want something that shed fur or tracked dirt. Comfort and having company wasn't something he was too worried about. "I'm just here because I'm going to help you find a pet. And you look like you need company, but you probably don't," she reasoned with him.

"Why don't you get a hedgehog?"

All the trouble with the owl and the boy didn't even want the bird! Malachi was upset that his work had gone in vain, but then again, he was somewhat glad that the owl didn't end up getting owned by someone as careless as the boy. He feared for what pet that the boy might actually choose. He hoped whatever he decided on, that it was treated with care.

"so eine Freude ist es Sie zu treffen, Harley," Malachi replied to the girl. He had been under the impression that people who were able to speak his first language would be scarce in France. However, this was the second person he had run into who understood him. It really was a pleasant surprise each time. "But I can speak French as well, Fräulein. Maybe it's best to stick with that language? Dennoch, my name is Malachi." He offered his hand to shake, the one free of the owl. He was starting to really get attached to that bird. "Ach," he sighed. "wenn nur Mama würde es," He said, crestfallen and staring at the beautiful bird.

"You two fight like altes Ehepaar," Malachi noted, still staring at the bird. Then he repeated, "old married couple," for the boy, whom he was positive didn't understand him.

Google translation: Such a pleasure to meet you...miss...nevertheless...alas, if only mama would allow...old married couple

"We just met, you wouldn't have an altar dedicated to me. Yet. But the 'watching you sleep' thing is believable. Let's open we're not in the same house and don't see much of each other." Of course they would have classes together, but he didn't want to see her outside of those classes. "And you just admitted to being some crazed stalker." He knew she was joking of course, but he wanted a reaction out of her. It would be funny.

"No one has to bow down to me, I never said that." He wasn't some person that thought that everyone should worship him or something like that. He was used to getting his way but he wouldn't degrade or hurt someone to get something. "You're not quite getting me, blondie. Remember, 'not everything is as it seems' or 'don't judge a book by its cover'? You don't know me." Not that he wanted her to know him either, he wouldn't even tell her his name.

"I don't need your help," he rolled his eyes. He didn't need anyone's help, he could do this all on his own. He glared at the other boy, he didn't like his comment about old married couples. "Who asked you?" He walked up to a cage with a rabbit in it, it was pure white. Ryan was a sucker for rabbits, they were so cute. He open the cage and gently picked up the rabbit, he found his perfect pet. "Hello there," he said softly to the bunny. "I think I'll call you Snow."

Sarcasm flowed through her veins now, and nearly every word she spewed at him was intricately laced with sharp wit. "Oh, yeah. I may have a couple restraining orders against me, you know, those kinds of guys who just don't get you profusely declaring your love for them," she smiled, "And how'd you know about m secret plans to persuade the Headmaster to get us into the same house?" She walked past the cat cages which were opposite of the rabbits. "I was just joking about the whole 'bow down to you' thing. I tend to do that, you know, say the wrong thing without meaning it," she said, thinking back to the past friendships she had ruined by doing just that.

"I'm not exactly your average blonde either, okay? You couldn't possibly understand the greatness that is me," she joked. She turned around to look at his back as he looked over the rabbits. "I know you probably don't need help, but I'm gonna stick around anyways. I leave this effect on people when I go away. They grow attached to patronizing me or something."  She turned back around to Malachi and said, "Ah, ich hoffe wirklich nicht."

As she turned back around to Mr. Mysterious, she glanced a cage with a cat staring up at her with its soothing blue eyes, much unlike her cold, steel blue ones. It had midnight black fur that looked soft to the touch. She picked it up and laughed. "Yeah, you're mine. I'm gonna name you Nyx," she giggled. She remembered pestering her old family for a cat to the point where she had given up after being rejected so much. She then realized that her "friend" was already walking towards the register. "Hey! Wait up!"

Ah, I really hope not.

"You're admitting this, so it must be true," he joked, like he would ever believe any of her story. Of course she was also joking, but she was still kind of creepy. "I'm pretty sure Madame Leblanc doesn't really have a say in the houses. My bother told me that you dip a finger in this goblet of water and you get asked a question then based on your answer you get sorted into a certain house." It was still a little confusing for Ryan but he couldn't wait til he was sorted, he wanted to be in the same house as his brother. But if he wasn't then they'd still hang out and have fun together. "It's whatever," he reply with an eye roll. "Like I care about what you say about me."

"I didn't say you were the average blonde, I was calling you 'Blondie' because it's your hair color." And if she were a red head, he'd call her 'Red' or something along those lines. "Don't get so defensive, Blondie." He was to preoccupied with the rabbit to pay anymore attention to her, he had found the pet for him and that's all that mattered at the moment.

He was ready to check out and take his pet with him. First he had gotten all the things he would need for his pet and a little extra. He held out money for the man behind the counter to take. "You know Blondie, following people is a bit weird." He turned the the girl after he paid. "My brother is probably waiting for me," he lied. His brother was doing his own shopping, not that he didn't care about Ryan he just needed to get things for himself.

"Alright, then. Elijah didn't tell me anything about how we get sorted. He said it just sort of happens so I was sorda 'Whatever' about it," she shrugged. It was true, Elijah hadn't told her anything, but it didn't make her nervous, it only sparked an interest in her. One spark under a flame of pure curiosity.

She didn't understand how he could be so nonchalant about her insults, she had verbally abused people she had known much longer, and they wasted no time in leaving her in the dust. She picked up items she needed for her new cat as she followed him to the register. She had researched for three months straight about cats, so she was practically an expert.

"Whatever. I'm off too. I have to go find Elijah in a pub somewhere, probably in La Petit Dragon. God, I was just back there too," she whined to herself, digging the money out of her pocket. She dropped the coins in the cashier's hand. "See you sometime probably. I honestly think there are upsides to being in either house. If I'm in your house, I get to constantly annoy you. If I'm not, I get to beat your butt in Quidditch in the future. See ya," she smiled, walking off with the cat cage bumping against her side.