Written for the QLFC, seeker for Ravenclaw.
Prompt: write the genre – suspense
Written for MagnoliaFlower55's Love Triangle Challenge on HPFC.
Prompt: "One of your characters is a pet store clerk, the other two are arguing over a pet."
Characters: Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Helga Hufflepuff.
Dialogue: "Correction. I was the victim, not her."
Of Pet Shops and Portraits
"Harry, I'm telling you, a cat would be great!" Ginny argued.
"Ginny, for the last time, we aren't getting a bloody cat!" her newly-wedded husband retorted.
The young couple were walking along a tight path lined with some of the most unusual shops. One held broomsticks that looked like they wouldn't even clean the floor, another held various weird things in jars. These weird shops, as you can imagine, also had weird names, like "Quality Quidditch Supplies" or "Flourish & Blotts". But the one that Harry and Ginny Potter were heading to was called "Quips and Queps".
"Really, I don't know why we decided to go into a shop full of insane looking creatures," Ginny remarked.
"It's because we are insane darling," Harry joked.
"Ah yes, that must be it then—darling." Ginny said slyly.
The tinkling of a bell announced their arrival inside the shop, and the couple made their way through the stacks of cages holding cats, owls, toads, rats, eagles and more bizarre creatures. When they finally reached the counter, both Harry and Ginny's mouths fell open in surprise. The pet store clerk wasn't your average person, it was a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff.
"Hello dears, can I help you with anything on this fine day?" The painting asked, though Harry and Ginny remained speechless.
Helga was a slightly plump woman with curly honey-brown hair that fell to just below her shoulders. She was dressed in a silky yellow robe that gathered slightly around her hips. Her warm face glowed with happiness and her cheeks were tinted with a dainty pink blush.
"Hello?" She repeated innocently.
"Helga Hufflepuff?" Harry asked uncertainly.
"Yes dear, that's me."
"What…" Ginny said, finding no other words to describe her confusion.
"I'm filling in for the usual store manager, they couldn't be here today." Helga explained as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Harry Potter had experienced many weird things in his life; this was just another thing he would have to add to that growing list. A portrait of one of the Hogwarts founders, tending to a shop? Also there was the fact that Helga Hufflepuff thought that it was completely normal.
Ginny finally broke the silence "We're looking for our fist pet, we just got married a couple of months ago. But me and my dear husband—"
But Harry cut her off. "She means husband and I."
Ginny glared at him through a few way-ward strands of dazzling red hair.
"Harry, you are completely overlooking one of the main things that repel a woman." The flawless portrait pointed out.
"Um, what?"
"You don't correct a woman's grammar, that is not the way to go."
"Ah ha! See I keep telling him that, but he just keeps doing it!" Ginny said, turning her icy glare away from Harry and looking at Helga.
Harry leaned towards Helga and Ginny. "Well I've been around the brightest witch of my age since I was eleven years old, and she kind of rubs off on you."
"You have a point," Ginny agreed.
"Now, should we got on with choosing our 'perfect pet'?" Asked Harry.
"Yes, as I was saying before," Ginny turned her head towards Harry for a moment, as if silently telling him off for interrupting. "I have been a victim, my husband and I can't agree on a pet!"
"Correction. I was the victim, not her," Harry stated.
"My, my, you do have a problem," said Helga, "but I think I have the perfect thing for you."
"You do?" Harry asked in disbelief.
"Yes, many young couples have this problem, from what I have heard," Helga replied as she turned away from them in her large mahogany frame. "Being a founder of Hogwarts, this portrait lets me do some things that normal portraits wouldn't, for example,"
Suddenly Helga turned back around, reaching a hand out towards them, and suddenly, through the frame, her fingers started to appear.
Before their very eyes Helga Hufflepuff slipped easily through the canvas of her portrait. A fully-functional 3D human Helga was standing before them, her portrait empty apart from the golden brown backdrop.
"I didn't know portraits could do that!" Harry exclaimed in astonishment.
"It's just as I said," Helga chuckled, "Only the four main portraits of the Hogwarts founders can do it."
"Can we see the animal then?" Ginny interrupted.
"Patience is a virtue Ginny, my dear," Harry quoted.
Ginny grumbled something inaudible, then started to follow Helga who had begun to walk off to a different part of the shop. Harry followed her, muttering about Weasley tempers.
Helga led them to an area in the shop that both Harry and Ginny hadn't noticed upon entering. It was around the corner behind a stack of at least twenty identical baby Hippogriffs.
"Why so hidden?" Ginny wondered.
"Maybe it's a giant three-headed dog?" Harry joked.
Ginny snorted with laughter, forgetting about their little argument back at the counter.
Helga suddenly slowed down. "Here we are dears, what do you think?" She asked as she came to a stop in front of a door, it had large windows on either side, so that customers could see into the room.
For the second time that day, the young couple's mouth's dropped to form perfect O's.
It looked as though Harry's earlier joke had come true, almost. The creature was definitely Hagrid-worthy. Through the large glass windows they could see a massive amount of golden feathers, it turned around and Harry noticed that it had a serpent-like body, its back, head and neck covered in feathers and it had the head of a bird. Its large beak opened, a loud squawking sound, muffled through the glass, reached their ears. Ginny took a step back in shock, bumping into Harry, who hardly even noticed. He was still staring at the winged creature.
"Isn't he gorgeous?" Helga crooned.
"Uh, what exactly is that?" Ginny squeaked.
"It's an Occamy, fifteen foot wingspan, it's usually found in India. Why don't you come inside and meet him?"
Ginny looked unconvinced.
"He's completely harmless!" Helga added, looking down slightly.
"Alright. Ginny, you coming?" Harry questioned.
"Sure, yeah I'll come." But she was still staring at the Occamy with a mix of surprise and fear.
The three of them entered the room slowly.
"The original store owner told me that he's been here for a while." The founder hinted. "Oh, and he's not used to strangers."
The beast started thrashing around violently as soon as they closed the door behind them.
"Yeah, seems so," Ginny stammered, noticing the Occamy's sudden behavior.
Out of nowhere, the beast's long tail came swinging around towards them. Helga and Harry were out of the way, but Ginny wasn't so lucky. The tail was inches away from her, and then…
"DUCK!" Harry yelled, before thinking better of it and reaching out to pull Ginny out of the way. The tip of the Occamy's tail grazed Ginny's shoulder.
After a couple more near-injuring experiences, the three of them left the room.
"Well what do you think?" Helga asked with an incredibly fake looking smile.
"You know what, er—Helga?" Harry began, "I'm not sure that's the kind of pet we're looking for."
"Oh, alright. I just really want him to go to a good home, he's been here for so long!" Hufflepuff said, "How about I take you back out to look at the other animals we have on offer."
"That would be great, thank you Helga." Ginny smiled.
They started making their way back to the main part of the shop. Harry was thinking about the Occamy; they were almost there when Harry suddenly remembered something.
"Hey, I know someone who would like him," said Harry.
A spark of recognition lit up Ginny's face, she and Harry looked at Helga and smiled.
"Oh really, who?" Helga asked.
"Just an old friend."