Billie seemed oblivious to Eugene's surprise that she didn't know what a zoo was. To be honest, she wasn't sure what he meant when he mentioned habitats or aviaries, either, but she seemed to get the gist that zoos were a place that housed all sort of animals. And that sounded amazing.

Eyes lighting up, she stared at him for a moment before bursting forth with her next comment, "There's a place with alla them animals so real close t' here, and I ain't never even heard of it 'til now?" The child wasn't sure what half of those creatures were even supposed to be, but she knew she wanted to see them all.

"I wanna go!" She wasn't sure how she'd get there. She knew about traveling by floo and the disappearing thing that Gideon seemed to do. She knew she couldn't do the latter, but maybe she could figure out the former on her own and wander over to see the zoo! It sounded as if she wanted to run off and make her way there right then.

"Do ya go there lots, or just sometimes?"

Looking to Ginger, she smiled widely for seemingly no reason, and then hugged her as if she had suddenly remembered she was supposed to be showering her with affection.

  

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MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Eugene almost felt as if he'd just given the youngster an actual present and so couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "There is indeed. It's not too far either, if you have an adult to take you. Though I know the train runs there too,maybe the Knight Bus." He hand't any idea how Billie would get there, but judging by the kid's enthusiasm, Eugene was likely to up and take him himself! He also didn't doubt if the boy wanted to go, he could figure it out.

Ginger was nearly asleep in Billie's arms, clearly content to be coddled and adored like Eugene had never seen. Maybe the kid was the Niffler Whisperer. "Ah, I go there probably more than I should, but I supposed I'm not complaining." Such was the nature of the beast of his job- pun intended. The zoo was usually pretty ready to take on whatever they could, should the department need help. Plus they were an inexhaustible source of information. Eugene knew a lot about handling creatures, but he was no magizoologist.

"Well, now I know who to reach out to when I need somebody to watch Ginger for me." He laughed as he motioned to the happy niffler who appeared to be smiling as she snuggled into Billie. Merlin knew Lena wasn't going to do it for him.

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The cogs were already starting to spin in Billie's head as Eugene listed off the ways she could get to the zoo. She'd seen the train, of course. The station was just in town, and she sometimes enjoyed heading down there to people watch. It had especially been interesting to spy all the children disembarking, off on their adventures at Hogwarts. She'd never ridden on a train, and the thought of that possibility, not to mention an excursion to the zoo, was just as exciting. The Knight Bus was something she hadn't even heard of.

"Gosh there's a million ways t' get 'round, huh?" Her usual modes of transportation had always been her own two legs, and, occasionally a cart or a carriage she hopped on the back of. Whenever she learned that certain magical creatures could also count as transportation, her little mind will be blown.

One thing was for certain, Gideon was most definitely about to get a well-rehearsed earful about how they absolutely needed to visit the zoo. He would be able to show her how to get there, and she was convinced he needed a bit more fun in his life. What better than seeing all sorts of creatures? She wasn't the best judge of what grown-ups found entertaining, but Eugene sounded like he enjoyed visiting, so that was promising. Billie didn't even make the connection that Eugene and Gideon were vastly different.

"Then ya must be an expert on it!" The kid blurted out with a wide smile. "What's the bestest thing to see there? 'Cause I'll see that first!" She was already planning the trip, even before she'd even gotten permission to go. She rocked from side to side with eager energy, but she was sure not to disturb Ginger who just looked so peaceful.

"I'll babysit anytime! I bet Gid...erm...Mr. Ollivander would love her like I do. 'M sure of it." She assured him, with a wide smile. Of course, she'd jump at the chance to be able to hang out with Ginger again, even if it meant apologizing after the fact to her poor father after volunteering to take on the task.

  

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MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Eugene shook his head a little, still chuckling at the kid's enthusiasm. "I wouldn't stay I'm an expert, but I do like the erumpet. He's pretty cool. It's like ah... a rhinoceros, but magical." And huge, and hard to deal with, but still fun to look at... from a distance, with the appropriate magical barriers in between. "I suggest you take your time, doesn't hurt to have to go back more than once." It was impossible to see everything in one day. Even as often as he'd been, Eugene always saw or noticed something different each time he went.

Despite Billie's eagerness to watch Ginger, Eugene doubted any adult would be quite as amenable. Still, Eugene wasn't discounting it for the future. The beast couldn't come to meeting with him after all and she hated her cage for the most part, so, it was something to keep in mind. "Right about now though, I need to get on with getting her treats. Yeh can come along if you want, but I need to get moving." As enjoyable as this conversation had been, Eugene was not good at sitting or standing still for too long himself.

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