Chapter 7
"Harry! HARRY!"
Ron and Hermione were waiting outside the Magical Menagerie, Ron looking impatient and Hermione beaming.
Harry ran over to them and pulled them into a hug. "I missed you guys," he said.
Hermione squeezed him back. "We missed you, too," she said. When Harry pulled back, she said, "You look amazing!"
"Yeah, mate," Ron agreed, smirking at Harry's blush. "You look a lot happier than you did when you were at the Dursleys."
"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, glancing behind him at his dad, who was wearing his Hunter glamour. "Sorry, guys, this is Hunter Orion Black, my parent chosen by Magic. Dad, this is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, my best friends."
"Well met, lady witch, sir wizard," Reg said politely.
Hermione looked confused, and Ron blinked. "Oh, yeah -- uh, well met, Mr. Black."
"Did you not get the Muggleborn list, Hermione?" Harry asked her. "There are books that introduce you to the wizarding world, like their traditions and religion and greetings."
"I don't think I did," Hermione said slowly. "I just got the same books everyone else did." She turned to Reg. "Well met, Mr. Black."
"You're a quick learner, Miss Granger," Reg noted. She flushed. "You can both call me Hunter."
"You can call me Ron," Ron said. "If you want him to call you by your first name, Hermione, you need to tell him."
"Oh," Hermione said, "well, you can call me Hermione, Hunter."
"Ron, why didn't you tell me and Hermione about wizarding greetings?" Harry asked him curiously.
"I forgot about them," Ron admitted. "I mean, the so-called 'Blood-Traitors' don't really use them, but they're still polite."
"It's considered impolite to call someone by their first name without their permission," Reg told him.
"Oh... right. Sorry."
"What did Dumbledore tell you about... my summer?" Harry asked carefully, as the four of them headed into the store.
"Not really anything," Ron told him. "But Dad told us a lot."
"Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" Hermione asked sternly. Ron laughed.
"Marge isn't my aunt, she's my uncle's sister," Harry replied flatly. "It was an accident. She called my mother a bitch."
Reg stiffened, eyes darkening. Ron and Hermione looked shocked.
"She'd been insulting them and me for a week," Harry said quietly. "The last time I saw her, her vicious bulldog chased me up a tree and my relatives just laughed. The dog didn't leave me alone until midnight."
"Oh... oh, Harry," Hermione whispered. His dad was looking furious behind a mask of forced calm.
Not being able to bear his friends' looks of pity, Harry changed the subject. "What kind of pet do you want, Hermione?"
"I want a cat," Hermione said, still looking worried.
"Oh!" Ron said in surprise. "I forgot to tell you. Scabbers was actually an Animagus, someone named Peter Pettigrew -- you know, the guy Black supposedly killed?" He glanced at Reg. "Are you related to him?"
"Yes," Reg responded, but didn't elaborate.
Ron turned back to Harry. "I kind of want my own pet, but I don't have money for it."
"Why don't we share one?" Harry suggested. "I'll pay for it, and we can both feed it and take care of it."
"You don't have to-"
"I want to," Harry insisted.
Finally, Ron nodded. "What should we get?"
"How about a dog?" Harry asked. He'd wanted a dog since he'd bathed -- or attempted to bathe -- Padfoot. "They would need to be trained, though."
Ron's eyes lit up.
"I also wanted to get a snake, just for me," Harry admitted. "I used to talk to the garden snakes in my relatives' backyard, they were really nice."
"Shall we split up?" Hermione suggested. Ron and Harry agreed, and Hermione headed over to the cats while Ron and Harry headed over to the dogs.
"Can we get a quiet one?" Harry asked Ron, wincing at the loud barking.
The other redhead gave him a pensive look. "You don't like loud, sudden noises, do you," Ron said quietly.
Harry looked down and shook his head.
"You must really hate the Gryffindor common room, then," Ron remarked.
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "So, I, um. I wrote to Professor McGonagall asking if I could have a resort."
Ron looked torn. "We'll still be friends, right?" he said.
"Always," Harry agreed. "Um... the thing is, Ron... the only other House the Hat mentioned was... was Slytherin."
His friend was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "That's fine. You were right," Ron said. "Not all Slytherins are evil. Merlin was a Slytherin."
"Actually, that's a misconception," Reg interjected. "Merlin was born several decades before Hogwarts even existed. His descendant, who was named after him, was in Slytherin. There are Slytherins who are good people, however. Andromeda Tonks Nee Black, a cousin of mine, married a Hufflepuff Firstblood. She works at St. Mungos as a Mind Healer."
They were interrupted by a commotion at the front of the store. A large orange cat hurtled over the counter, yowling, and launched himself at Reg.
"Crookshanks?!" Reg exclaimed, catching the angry cat. "What the fuck?"
"Language, Hunter!" the witch at the counter scolded.
"You know that cat?" Ron asked.
"It belonged to Lily and James," Reg told Harry, as the cat finally calmed down and curled into him. "He's half Kneazle, which is how he's lived this long and recognizes me."
Crookshanks turned to look at Harry and purred. His face looked as if it had been smashed, but Harry thought he was gorgeous.
"He recognizes you, too," said Reg quietly.
"Can we get him, too?" Harry pleaded.
"Of course," Reg agreed. "I was thinking we could gift him to Remus. Crookshanks got along very well with his furry little problem."
Harry stifled a laugh -- apparently, that was what Sirius and Lily would call Remus' werewolf. He and Ron went back to looking for a dog.
After a while, Ron and Harry picked out an adorable black wolfhound that they named Smoky. He was very playful but gentle. Crookshanks didn't seem to mind him, so he was trustworthy.
Hermione picked out two black-and-white kittens that had already been named Ma'at and Isft. Ma'at was very calm and calculating, whereas her brother had a maniacal look in his eyes and wouldn't stop twitching. They both had heterochromia; Ma'at's eyes were silver and green, while Isft's eyes were red and pale blue. Isft had a scar over his blue eye.
There weren't that many snakes in the store. Harry finally chose a female copper snake, naming her Lily. She reminded him of his mother, because she was stubborn and fiery.
They paid for all their pets and Harry spent the rest of the day with his two friends, Smoky, Ma'at, Isft, and Lily.
For the last week of the summer, Harry spent the day with his friends and went back to his dad's apartment at night. Finally, the end August arrived.