Author's Note: Hey guys! This is a new one shot from me. I'm still experiencing some writer's block. I've actually been going through some psychological stuff. Got really sick in May, so I've been out of it for these past few months still a bit out of it. So, I'm only working on more drabbles/one shots.
Story Note: There's a bit of my other story, Fawkes Returns, mentioned in this bit. If you want to read the story, go ahead. It'll help you understand why Albus has what he has.
Lily pressed her nose against the dirty glass window in anticipation. The shopkeeper could be seen milling around the shop, putting fresh bags of owl treats on the shelves. Owls of all shapes and colors hooted in glee as their food dishes were magically replaced with a delicious assortment of food. From afar, Lily could spot the normal treats owls typically enjoyed, and she didn't flinch when each owl devoured the flesh and meat from mice, fish, and other small animals.
Instead, the youngest Potter had her eyes set on the most beautiful owl she had ever seen. For her Hogwarts acceptance letter, the Potter parents decided that it was time for their youngest to have her own familiar. James, her annoying older brother, had a pet lemur named Walton. Albus, on the other hand, had a pet phoenix that chose him as a familiar the year prior. Now it was time for little Lily to pick her own pet out, a pet she knew she wanted ever since she was a little girl.
"Mummy, is it open yet?" she asked anxiously, looking up at her mother with soft brown eyes. Ginny shook her head.
"Lily, what did I tell you about patience?"
"It's a virtue."
Lily went back to pressing her nose against the glass, now watching as the shopkeeper began sweeping the floor.
There's a reason why I wanted to be first on line, she thought to herself, eyeing her soon-to-be familiar. I don't want anyone getting my owl!
A few moments later, the door opened itself by magic, and the small amount of First Years stumbled into the small shop. Muggle-borns eagerly pointed at the fluttering animals to their confused Muggle parents. High and mighty Purebloods, who sneered at the flustered Muggles, meandered over to the owl treats (presumably finding the best treats to give their owls).
Ginny watched in curiosity as her youngest and only daughter bee lined to a cluster of owls in the northeast corner. All the owls there were smaller than the rest – possibly the youngest owls that recently learned how to fly or just normally smaller than average. Lily had been sneaking over to that corner for the past few years whenever the family visited Diagon Alley. Ginny figured that her daughter just knew that she wanted a younger owl.
She was, however, not expecting the type of owl Lily was looking for.
In glee, Lily began hopping up and down when she stopped in front of a beautiful snowy owl. The owl tilted its head in confusion, wondering why a small child was giving it attention.
"Mummy! That's the one I want!"
Ginny could only grin when the shopkeeper joined the two, "I see that your daughter has quite the specification for which type of owl she wants. I've been seeing the Potter clan coming in here for years, and she always stops by here first."
"I never knew why, but it makes sense," Ginny admitted, watching as the small owl flew to her daughter's shoulder. "She wanted a snowy owl, just like her father did when he was her age."
As her daughter blabbered to the owl, Ginny only heard, "I'm going to name you Hedwig, like Daddy did with his owl. I always wanted a snowy owl because he had one, but I know you're more beautiful than she was. Daddy will probably steal you away from me, though. Not that I could blame him."
