NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: 13. Pet Cat
"Owls, cats, and toads are the three types of pets that young wizards can choose from."
Since Ivan had enough money, he decided to buy both a cat and an owl as his pets.
Owls are excellent companions for wizards and possess unique magical abilities.
As long as you think of the name and appearance of the person you're sending a letter to, the owl can deliver it accurately, as long as there aren't any protective spells blocking the recipient.
"How beautiful!"
Outside the pet shop, Hermione gazed at a pure white snow owl in a cage. She kept thinking about buying it.
However, she had just spent a lot of Galleons on books, so her finances as a first-year witch were not very good.
"I still have plenty of Galleons left. I can exchange some pounds with you," Ivan suggested, noticing Hermione's desire for a pet.
Although they had only known each other for a short time, they had already become each other's first friends in the wizarding world.
Hermione was open to the idea of helping each other out.
"Never mind."
After hesitating for a while, Hermione shook her head and said, "I want to focus on my studies in my first year.
Having a pet will just distract me."
She planned to adjust to life at Hogwarts first and think about getting a pet later. "Okay."
Ivan stepped into the Magical Animal Store.
Inside, they had used a spell to make the space much larger than it appeared from the outside.
Despite this, the store was still very crowded.
The walls were lined with cages filled with all sorts of creatures: poisonous orange snails, big turtles with gems on their shells, sleek black mice, owls, ravens, cats of every color, fluffy rabbits, and more.
"Ahem."
Ivan gently waved his hand in front of his nose: "It smells a bit strong in here..."
With so many animals crammed together, the air was filled with various scents, which was quite overwhelming.
Hermione frowned in agreement and whispered, "This place really doesn't smell great."
Fortunately, Ivan had a clear purpose.
First-year students at Hogwarts couldn't just choose any pet they wanted. After ruling out the owl he already had and the toad that Ivan thought was very unappealing, the two of them walked straight to the section with the cats.
Ivan activated his psychic vision, which allowed him to sense the magical energies coming from the cats.
"Ivan, what do you think of this one?"
Hermione tugged on Ivan's sleeve and pointed to a cage above.
Ivan looked up and saw a Persian cat with fluffy, ginger fur, awkward bow legs, and a slightly pigeon-toed stance.
It had a peculiar face that looked like it had "run into a brick wall."
When the strange cat noticed Hermione, it looked back at her with its yellow eyes, shaking its big furry tail excitedly, as if it wanted her attention.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
"Uh..."
Ivan couldn't help but twitch his mouth. He really didn't understand Hermione's taste.
To him, this peculiar Persian cat was so unattractive that it almost made him question the overall beauty of cats.
However, he didn't want to dismiss her opinion outright, so he called over a female clerk to ask about the cat.
The clerk explained that the cat was named Crookshanks and had been in the store for almost a year.
"It has some Kneazle blood, but because it looks so unusual, customers are hesitant to buy it," she said.
According to the clerk's estimate, it might take another year or two for Crookshanks to find a home.
"Oh, that's so sad."
Hermione felt a deep affection for the big cat named Crookshanks.
When Ivan heard the name Crookshanks, he immediately recognized it as the birthday gift Hermione would eventually buy in her third year.
Ivan suggested that Hermione buy it.
He repeated his earlier offer of exchanging pounds for some Galleons.
If Hermione thought the deal was unfair, she could set a higher exchange rate. For Ivan, pounds could be used to buy things in the Muggle world too.
"Alright."
Finally, with Ivan's encouragement, Hermione decided to buy Crookshanks.
She felt sorry for Crookshanks's situation. He was so lovely; why didn't anyone else see it?
To this, Ivan could only say, "As long as you like it."
Next, it was Ivan's turn. He picked a gray and white kitten from the selection.
The kitten looked to be less than two months old. It resembled a Ragdoll cat from Ivan's past life, with sapphire blue eyes and an aura of magic that ordinary people couldn't perceive.
Ivan didn't understand what this magical aura meant, but it was clear that this kitten was more magical than the other cats.
"Excuse me, how much is this cat?" he asked.
"A Ragdoll?"
The female clerk didn't recognize the breed. Ivan explained, "It's a domestic breed that originated in America around 1970. I believe this cat has only been in England for less than ten years."
"Sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean, sir."
The wizarding world is often unaware of the changes happening in the Muggle world, so many wizards don't have much information about it.
The clerk told Ivan that the kitten he was looking at was also part Kneazle, just like Crookshanks.
If he wanted to keep it, he would need permission from the Ministry of Magic.
"But this Ragdoll is different from Crookshanks and doesn't have much Kneazle blood," she explained. "If you like it, I can sell it to you at a low price."
The clerk clearly thought that while the kitten was pretty, it wasn't as valuable as Crookshanks because it had less magical blood.
"Alright, I'll take it."
In the end, Ivan spent nearly 30 Galleons at the Magical Animal Store, with 25 of those going to buy Crookshanks, while the poor little Ragdoll was only worth 5 Galleons.
Ivan checked the kitten's gender and found out she was female.
He named her Yumi, a name inspired by a game he played in his past life called Magic Cat Yumi.
Though she didn't have a magic book, she had a master who could perform magic...
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