When I woke up the next morning, I didn't recognize my surroundings.

Alright – have I been kidnapped, or did mum and dad take me in the middle of the night to another church and priest, or – oh, yeah…

Feeling rather stupid that I had forgotten that my parents finally disowned me, I got up and stretched. I noticed I was still in yesterday's clothes, so I went to my trunk and grabbed a pair of shorts and a green t-shirt. After getting dressed, brushing my teeth and hair, and organizing my stuff a bit, I glanced in the mirror. I jumped when it suddenly said, "You look lovely, dear," to me, and smiled at the compliment.

My long, red, thick, and intensely curly hair had been wrestled into one long plait, opposed to the two I had yesterday. My pale Irish skin looked healthier than it had in years – maybe all the magic was affecting it, or my freedom that made me so happy. My freckles – auburn and numerous – sprinkled my cheeks, nose, forehead and chin, as well as pretty much everywhere on my body. My lips were pink and healthy, as I applied chap stick often. My nose was petite and button-like. My favourite feature, my eyes, were wide and alert, framed with pale lashes and auburn eyebrows. I stared at them for a while, trying for the millionth time to figure out if they were blue, green, or grey. Once again, they just seemed a strange and unique – but beautiful – combination. I was petite and looked to be five or six, not seven, which only made me excellent at hide-and-seek. I looked weak and small, but I was surprisingly strong for my figure. I smiled at myself, my two missing front teeth obvious.

Grabbing my bag of money I headed out. I was unsurprised to find witches and wizards milling about, eating and laughing and talking. The smell of pancakes and bacon drew me to a table, where I sat down.

Aunt Hannah approached me. "Hello dear! Would you like some breakfast?"

I smiled at her gratefully. "Yes please. I would like some chocolate milk and chocolate chip pancakes, if that's alright."

She scribbled down the order, and then said, "No bacon?"

"I'm a vegetarian."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Yes," I replied, pulling out my money bag. "Two things. One, how much for the room last night?"

"Oh, honey, keep your money. I don't need it. The room is yours free."

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly –" My protest was cut off by a glare, and I feebly nodded. "Fine. For now. Anyways, I was wondering if today you could help me get a dog? It usually takes some time, and I thought magic might help but I can't control mine enough. Besides, I'm only seven."

She smiled. "Of course. I'll get you some breakfast, then we can stop off at Gringotts and exchange your money."

I smiled at her. A minute later, she came back with a plate loaded with pancakes and a large glass of chocolate milk. I have a thing for chocolate milk – it was the only way my parents could ever bribe me. I couldn't live without it. I drink it every morning to feel awake and refreshed, like most adults drink coffee.

After the platter and glass were practically spotless, I ran back upstairs and grabbed more money from my trunk. The night I left, I had gone into my father's office and gone into the drawer where he kept his money. I used to nick little bits, but the night I left I knew he couldn't punish me so I grabbed it all – about £20,000 – and hid it. I now grabbed enough for the dog I wanted – the internet is a wonderful thing, and I had found the perfect dog and its price.

"Ready to go to the bank?" Aunt Hannah asked as soon as I came back.

"No, I actually have some money." I showed her the £250 I had grabbed.

"I thought you exchanged it all," Aunt Hannah said in confusion.

I shook my head shyly. "I wasn't sure I could trust the bank yet. I was going to wait a week and then put the rest in."

Aunt Hannah shook her head in despair. "How much more do you have?"

"Ummm… a lot." I decided to be vague.

"Fine. We'll go buy you the dog, and then we need to put the rest in your vault, okay?" I nodded in defeat.

Walking in muggle London after having seen Diagon Alley, everything seemed really dull. I already missed the bright colours and light, happy feel that accompanied the whole place. I knew that I could easily get lost here and be unable to find my way back to my new home, so I clutched Aunt Hannah's hand as we walked.

"So, do you have any idea where you want to adopt, and what kind of dog?"

I nodded. "I found a breeder online. This is the address," I said, handing her a slip of paper. "She breeds several different dogs but I want a shiba inu. I did research, and that's the one I want." Aunt Hannah nodded and pulled me into a dark alleyway.

"Have you ever Side-Along Apperated before?" I nodded, Mr Parker had brought me to the Leaky that way. "Okay. Hold onto my arm tight."

The entire weight of the universe and this dimension seemed to squeeze upon me. I felt like I was being run over by Jupiter. I tried to breathe, but my lungs were crushed. Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped and I saw that we were in a different alley.

"Alright, follow me. I know the way from here," Aunt Hannah said, and I trailed behind her.

I saw the house that was on the webpage, and smiled. I bounded up the stairs and rang the doorbell. The door opened to a young woman bottle-feeding a puppy.

"May I help you?"

I smiled my sweetest smile. "Hullo! I would like to adopt a dog!"

"Alright, come on in. Are you her mother?" the woman asked, looking at Aunt Hannah.

I shook my head. "She's my aunt, she took me in when my parents died two months ago. Car crash. We thought a dog might help me with the mourning."

The woman gave me a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry. You are right, though, dogs help you when you lose a loved one. Would you like an older dog or a puppy?"

I pretended to think. "I want a puppy, to distract me for a while."

We were in a living room, and I could hear dogs barking in the next room over. "Excellent. Next door are our puppies for sale. If you want to meet their parents, they are in the yard." I shook my head again. "I'm good, thanks."

There were three groups of puppies. They were yipping and wrestling, playing in their cages. Each group was a different breed, and I saw the shiba inus almost immediately. They were sesame, my favourite colour. I went forward and tried something I read in a book. I grabbed the cage and rattled it, not too hard but enough to get a response.

One of the puppies inched back nervously, looking scared. One ran forward and began to bark at me harshly. I thought maybe the second one, but the third caught my eye. That puppy looked at me curiously, then walked forward confidently, pushing it's sibling aside. I reached forward to pet it, but it suddenly bit me. I withdrew my hand quickly, inspected the cut (there was blood), and then smiled and reached out again. The dog gave me a long, hard look, to try and scare me, then barked and licked the cut.

"Who's this one?" I asked, now stroking the pup.

The breeder looked at me strangely. "She doesn't have a name yet, she's only two and a half months old. She always bites the customers, no matter what. They usually ignore her after that."

I smiled crookedly at her. "She's just testing us. Trying to see if we're worth her time. How much is she?"

"Well, she was originally £245, but she kept biting everyone so now she's £200. I was going to drop the price again tomorrow."

I pulled out my money back, then hesitated. I turned back to the dog. "Do you like the name Jiyu?" She seemed to smile and barked. I turned to the breeder. "What forms do I have to fill?"

An hour later, I was at a muggle pet store buying a leash, collar, dog bed, and cage as well as some toys and food. Every time I picked something, I'd show Jiyu. If she liked it, I'd put it in the cart. She was in my arms, and I hadn't set her down since I adopted her. She seemed quite content with the arrangement. After grabbing everything we would need, we went to the checkout. The final price made me feel awful.

"Aunt Hannah, I only have £50 left. It's almost £175! I have more money back at home, but –"

"I'll pay." I shook my head. She insisted. "No really, I'll pay! It's fine, Lia." I sighed. "Only if I can pay you back." She smiled slightly. "Half." I groaned, but nodded. She grabbed some of her muggle money that she must have grabbed this morning and paid the cashier. We left with the bags, and me still holding Jiyu.

Once back in the Leaky Cauldron, she looked at me as I put the stuff away and made sure Jiyu was happy.

"Why Jiyu?" she asked suddenly.

I smiled. "Simple. Jiyu is Japanese, and shiba inus are from Japan."

"Yes, but what does it mean?" she persisted.

"Freedom."

I'm really sorry for any mistakes, but I;ve never adopted a dog before, only read about it so if this isn't correct that's why.

Jiyu does mean Freedom, of course it's spelled in Japanese lettering, but it's pronounced Jiyu. I want Jiyu to represent her freedom from her family.

PLEASE REVIEW! I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER!

Disclaimer: Thank J.K. for everything you recognize.