The Auror scowled mistrustfully as the bushy-haired girl nearly smothered Harry Potter with a hug, then started to wonder if it counted as an assassination attempt and began contemplating whether he had enough grounds to arrest her simply to stop her endless stream of excessively fast, almost not understandable chatter, which was, quite frankly, irritating him.

After Ron had finished laughing about Harry nearly blowing up Aunt Marge and they'd altogether caught up, Hermione pulled out her purse.
"I've still got ten Galleons," She smiled at them. "It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present."
"How about a nice book?" Ron said, face carefully composed, and Harry grinned as he looked around them for Elena. She'd vanished when he'd approached his friends.
"No, I don't think so," Hermione said indignantly. "I really want an owl. I mean, Harry's got Hedwig, and Ron you've got Errol-"
"I haven't!" Ron retorted. "Errol's the family owl. All I've got is Scabbers." He pulled his pet rat abruptly from his pocket, holding it out for them to see. "Oh, and I want to get him checked over. I'm not sure Egypt agreed with him."
Harry privately thought Ron was right. The rat looked skinny and didn't move as Ron held him out.

"There's a magical creature shop over there," Harry said, proud to be able to show off his newfound knowledge about Diagon Alley. "They'll probably have something for Scabbers and Hermione can get her owl."
And that was that. After Hermione and Ron had paid for their ice cream the three of them (with the Auror trailing behind) made their way down the street and entered the Magical Menagerie.

As soon as they walked in Harry winced at the noise and Ron wrinkled his freckled nose at the smell. There was someone talking to the witch at the counter already, so Hermione drifted over to look at the owls and Harry and Ron stared at the weird creatures in the cages lining the walls.
Glancing over at Hermione, Harry felt his stomach drop as he looked at the small cat padding towards her and rubbing up against her legs. Hermione crouched and began to stroke the little cat, and Harry was torn on whether to intervene.
She wants an owl. Elena's just being friendly. As a cat. Hermione wouldn't … she doesn't even like cats. I think.

Ron approached the counter and Harry kept staring in horror as Hermione scooped Elena up and settled the cat into her arms. He watched seized with panic for a moment until Hermione set Elena down with a final pat on the head and approached the tawny owl cages.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Harry glared at Elena, who had curled up on top of one of the travelling cases for sale then joined Ron at the counter.
"-want a replacement, you can try this rat tonic," The witch was saying, pushing a red bottle towards Ron. She shifted her grip on Scabbers, and none of them noticed Elena jumping silently off from the travelling cases and slinking towards the counter.
"Okay. How much would it-"
Ron shouted as Elena leapt up onto his shoulder, digging her claws into him to try and stay balanced as he staggered back, then jumped off him and pounced for Scabbers, hissing.

The rat shot out from between the witch's hands and darted out of the shop, and Ron went racing after him, Harry in close pursuit. It took them a while to find the quivering rat, beneath a bin in the alley next to Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"Honestly! Cats! They're awful things! Ugh!" Ron grumbled, stuffing Scabbers back in his pocket and straightening up. Harry wondered how Ron would react if he saw Elena.
He won't have to. She's not coming to Hogwarts.

Hermione came out of the Magical Menagerie with a wide beaming smile on her face and a small, familiar white and spotted brown cat bundled up in her arms.
"You got that thing? It tried to kill Scabbers!"
"Oh be quiet Ron," Hermione admonished. "You didn't mean to, kitty, did you? No you didn't!"
"But, but, I thought you wanted an owl!" Harry said, panicked.
"Well I can always use the school owls if Hedwig is away, can't I?"
"But…but…that cat wasn't even from the shop…"
"I asked the witch there to check her over and she seems perfectly alright, and besides, the witch said she'd seen the cat around and fed it the other night, and it spent the entire time with the other animals and she was quite alright. Isn't she cute?"
"No." Ron grumbled.
"She came up to me as soon as we entered the store. I would say it was fate but I don't believe in that rubbish."
No, Harry thought. It's not fate. It's an interfering fugitive with an inability to hear the word no.
Harry glared furiously at Elena, who licked her paw with an air of triumph.
"Also," Hermione added with a victorious smirk in Ron's direction. "I can use the twenty Galleons Mum and Dad gave me to buy myself a nice book."

"Okay, don't freak out."

Sirius had obviously been so bored in the past hour since sunset when they had been meeting every night that he had set up a game where he took a long run up and tried to jump up onto a wheelie bin. He had just managed to jump up onto top of the bin and barked several times in celebration when Elena rushed in and transformed, brushing her dishevelled hair out of her face.
He transformed and remained sat on top of the cracked, abandoned wheelie bin in the alley.
"What did you do?"
She told him.

Elena was tense, sitting cross-legged on the dirty floor, shivering, waiting for his reaction.
"That's…" Sirius seemed lost for words. Elena winced.
"That's genius!" He laughed joyfully, jumping down off the wheelie bin. "You can be in Hogwarts, you can look after him, and you can be close to Pettigrew and I don't know, I mean, stop him or something, but, that's genius Elena! That's great!"
He pulled her up off the floor and engulfed her in a massive bear hug. Elena was more than a little surprised at his sudden display of affection, and when he jumped back with a wide delighted grin on his face she was pleased to see him so happy, and her face broke out into a bright smile in return. "I can't believe how he reacted."
"And that's not even the funniest part." She smirked.
Sirius raised his eyebrows. "No?"
Elena's eyes flashed, amused. "She's called me Marilyn."

I hope you liked it?
The plot will start speeding up from now.
Thanks!
Fly x