Disclaimer: I was going to put something witty here, but I really can't be bothered.
AN: This is a response to the Strange Animals Challenge by PartKneazle. It's also set in the same universe as my story 'The Insanity Of Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley, however you don't need to have read that story to get this one.
"Rose, I'd like you to meet my new pet," Scorpius said proudly as he put a large trunk down. Rose eyed the trunk dubiously.
"Your new pet?" she asked doubtfully. "It's not something insanely dangerous, with lots of sharp claws and fangs and venom, is it?"
"None of my pets are dangerous!" Scorpius protested vehemently. "They just need tender love and affection!"
Rose rolled her eyes and looked at the trunk. It was barely a metre long. Surely it couldn't be that bad? Admittedly Cuddles, the Hungarian Horntail hadn't been that big to begin with and then there was the whole issue with Fluffy the fire-beetle.
"Let's see it then," she said with a sigh. Better get it over and done with as quickly as possible, she thought to herself. Scorpius smiled and not for the first time, Rose wondered why she hung around with the crazy Ravenclaw Malfoy.
"Ta-da!" he said with a flourish as he opened the trunk. Rose stared. In the trunk, was a small dragon-like creature with a rooster's head. "Meet Furball!"
"Furball?" Rose asked in a tone of disbelief. You somehow manage to get a pet cockatrice and you call it FURBALL?"
"What's wrong with that?" Scorpius protested, clearly hurt. "He's a lovely animal!" Rose gritted her teeth.
"He. Is. A. Cockatrice." She pointed out through gritted teeth.
"And?"
"And they TURN PEOPLE TO STONE!" Rose continued and Scorpius shrugged.
"Only if you wind them up," He replied nonchantly. "They're really just misunderstood. All he needs is a little training really."
Rose took a deep breath, closed her eyes and counted to ten. Scorpius might have been a Ravenclaw, but when it came to his pets and his curiosity, it seemed he had absolutely no sense of self-preservation whatsoever.
"And how exactly do you propose training a creature that can TURN YOU TO STONE with a glare?" she asked through gritted teeth and Furball rattled against his cage angrily.
"Shhh, you're scaring him," Scorpius said as he turned towards his latest pet. "It's okay Furball, it's okay," he cooed and the creature calmed down to peck at it's feeding bowl.
"And another thing," Rose pressed on, "this is a school, what the hell do you think will happen to you if Furball kills someone?"
"His stare doesn't become dangerous until he reaches two," Scorpius said shaking his head. "Honestly Rose, do you think I would keep a dangerous animal in the school if it could kill?"
"Yes."
"Rose, that hurt."
"I haven't forgotten Fluffy and Cuddles," she replied and Scorpius looked surprised at her.
"It's not like either of them were here long enough to get big enough to seriously hurt someone!" he protested and Rose gave him a withering look.
"Cuddles almost bit my foot off and Fluffy burned my bed down!" Rose snapped and Scorpius looked embarrassed.
"Well…yeah, that was an accident," Scorpius said awkwardly and Rose growled. "It'll be different this time, I swear!"
"You said that the last time. And the time before. And the-"
"Yeah, well this time I mean it. Seriously, you can hex me six ways to Sunday if I'm wrong. Deal?" he asked as he held out his hand. She hesitated for a moment, then shook it.
"Deal. If your new pet hurts me, I WILL hex you into next week," she said with a look of distaste. "So how you planning on training him?"
Well-" Scorpius started, but he was interrupted by a sudden screech.
"What is THAT!" Professor Vane screeched loudly, her eyes widening in shock. Scorpius and Rose both paled.
"Um…well Prof-" Scorpius started, but Professor Vane imterrupted him once more.
"Thirty points from Ravenclaw and detention for both of you for the rest of the week!" and with that, she waved her wand and levitated the trunk away with her.
"Stupid b&%$ I hate her," Scorpius muttered under his breath as he glared at her retreating back. Rose put a comforting arm around her friends shoulders.
"Don't worry, not everyone thinks you're your father," she said comfortingly. "And I know you're going to come up with another crazy idea."
"Hey!"
"You're Scorpius Malfoy, it's what you do," she finished with a smirk. A few days later, Rose was following Scorpius into the Forbidden Forest to find what he assured her would be the abandoned nesting grounds of the acromantula colony her father and uncle had visited in their second year.