August 1st, 1894 - Hunter's Pets

Cookie prophecy - Financial prosperity is coming your way!

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It was a warm August afternoon and Benedict had been working the day in his family pet shop. He had had to convince the old man to take the day off and let him keep the shift once they realised how quiet this week seemed to be, everyone was likely enjoying the lake and the park in the summer heat, but Ben still wanted the coin that the shift would bring so he could enjoy spending time with his friends before school returned.

He was warm as he stacked boxes of dried food on the shelf, he had unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves to keep cool. He briefly caught his reflection on the inside of the shop window and grinned to himself. Tori had already teased him about his vanity as she left to promenade this morning, but at least he liked what he saw in his reflection and his mother always insisted that self confidence was a good trait in a man.

The teenager had just finished placing the last heavy box on the shelf when the chimes above the door signalled a customer entering. Benedict wiped his hands in his trousers, ready to greet them.

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Millie Potts

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   Millie Potts

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The pet store door chimed as she entered, ringing a comforting melody for the young witch. It brought a smile unnoticed to her face, taking in the odors that seemed more pungent on the warm, summer day. Millie hadn't been about to spend it cooped up indoors, and was glad to accompany her family's housekeeper on market errands for the afternoon. While she might have rather taken an excursion to her familiar gnome glen, none of her family had found the time or willingness to accompany her. By this point, the young witch resigned herself to the idea that it would reflect poorly on Mum and Papa now if she went about unchaperoned, even if she was quite comfortable making her own way to the comfortable reading nook under the shady trees of the glen.

Seeing the sign to the pet store brought to mind all the oddities in Houstonia's behavior lately. Millie's cat was never one for staying cooped up, himself, and yet that was all he seemed to do lately. She didn't much mind him roaming free at the castle, when eventually she would find him back in her dorm room, curled up on her bedsheets with a coat full of briars and a belly full of mice. At home, he seemed the opposite, where Millie had left him dozing in the warm sunlight that cast itself onto the top of her bookshelf.

Millie expected to find the senior Mr. Hunter inside his shop. He was a wealth of knowledge about all kinds of animals, someone whom she sincerely believed should be teaching at Hogwarts. The young witch usually left his store toting some new toy or cat treat with her, something she considered a gesture of thanks to the shop owner. She could almost always find something to catch her eye in there, and was worth going back even when Millie didn't have a particular need for the day.

It surprised her to find her book-fellow friend working alone in the store today. The sight nearly made the young witch slink back into the ribbon-trimmed sleeves of her grey muslin dress. With her thoughts entirely on the market trip and, upon seeing the pet store, her cat, she had left aside entirely the idea of catching Benedict Hunter working at his family's store. And in the middle of something, Millie noticed at the sight of his exposed arms and dampened brow.

Hoping not to interrupt, Millie stood at the edge of his line of sight until the boy took notice of her. It warmed her heart when his eyes spotted her, or she was already warm enough from the day's temperature and walk that the shop's interior made her flush even more. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hunter. Is your father around, I have another question about Houstonia."

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   Benedict Hunter

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Benedict was quite pleased to see who come in the door, his friend and reading accomplice, looking quite warm, but as lovely as usual. "Miss Potts, welcome to Hunter, what a nice suprise to see you." He smiled warmly, perhaps a little too eager to see his friend. He pushed his hair out of his face and walked over towards her. Millie was here looking for the owner to talk about her cat, a small part of him was disappointed she wasn't here to see him.

"Erm.. Dad isn't here right now. He's taken the day off, is there anything I can help with? How is Houstonia finding the summer?" it must be confusing for the cat to move back and forth, particularly because one of its homes was Hogwarts, but it was happy with its life by all accounts. Millie's family were good customers here and would likely buy something adorable for her pet, he might even have to show her a new batch of hand made cat toys that had not long arrived, but it did feel a little strange trying to sell things to his friend.

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Millie Potts

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   Millie Potts

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That little brush of hair from in front of his face made the young witch wonder what it would look like trimmed neatly. Benedict always wore his hair in a fashion that seemed a little unruly to her. Not even the return home during summer had resolved the look, one that made Millie curious about his mother's involvement. She had never met the woman, always his father and only in the pet store.

For the moment, Millie was grateful that neither were present now. Mrs. Moore had accomplished the impossible task of disappearing inside the small shop somehow, leaving her somehow alone with the boy. The thought was furthest from her mind, and hands furthest from her necklace as well. It was strangely freeing, and Millie felt a strange sense of warmth at the idea that curled the edges of her lips. "As long as I won't have to read a book to find out."

She could hardly believe the words coming out of her own mouth. They felt far too bold to be hers, particularly in the presence of Mr. Hunter, but the young witch could hardly take them back now. She let out a breath, resisting the urge to touch the necklace at her throat, and began to explain. "At the castle, he's quite the,[/b]" Millie searched for the right term, before coming across it by the thought of books once more, "...voracious explorer. But at home, he's gone all stilly."

Stilly?!

"I meant to say still-silly." Millie was annoyed at herself, and her fingers found the silver chain at last. Her cheeks felt too warm again until she took a breath. She couldn't understand how Benedict could stand it in this shop, it was unseasonably warm. That must have been why his sleeves were all rolled up, she supposed, wishing desperately that feminine modesty would allow her the same kind of freedom. "He stays in my room most of the time and won't generally roam the house or go outside at all. In fact, he spends most of his time basking in sunbeams like he was born a bit tired, don't you think that quite odd?"

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   Benedict Hunter

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It warmed Ben to see Millie being Millie, slightly awkward but so adorable. "You don't want to read a book? Where is Miss Potts and what have you done with her?". Ben wiped his hands leaned against the shelf as he talked. Ben was always relaxed, but in his home, the place he had grown up on, he seemed doubly so. But he was also a shop worker and he had a customer to advice.

He let out a little smirk when Millie tied up her words but didnt comment on it, her reaching for her necklace told him she already felt a little, stilly, about it. It wasn't that odd for a car to fancy the sun, but to change behaviour was usually telling a secret. "Well, dad says cats sunbathe to warm up their bodies and give them energy. Is he eating more too?" The term vorascious explorer was very unlikely chosen by accident by the other bookworm, that castle was filled with mice, rats and so many birds in the rafters that Ben suspected that it wouldn't miss a few each week the Houstonia's appetites.

He looked over at a small bay window where several young cats lay waiting to be picked up by their new owners, they too seemed to follow the sunshine around as it moved across, treating the blankets like Houstonia might enjoy Millie's be... Now it was clearly his turn to feel embarrassed as he caught himself trying to picture what his friend's room might look like. He had several guesses how Millie might keep it. Everything in its place, the room pristine except maybe a mountain of well read books, flowers from the Potts shop on her ledge. He should stop.

Another thought popped into his mind. "Silly question, but he's definately a boy right, you can see all the... y'know... at the back?" what did he just ask the girl? He laughed and smiled "Sorry, Miss Potts."

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Millie Potts

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   Millie Potts

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The shyness that spread over her face came with a rosy blush nipping at its heels, spreading color over the pale witch's face. She could hardly believe the audacity of Benedict, at least they were in the empty quiet of his family's shop. It could have been far worse if he'd teased her, or asked such unpleasantry in the middle of the Great Hall for all to hear. Millie looked away, hardly able to meet his eyes without enduring the mortal struggle not to laugh.

"My cat does have all the right parts, yes," Millie said, swallowing what might have started into a chuckle. Part of her actually wanted to let herself laugh, and it might only be the impolite subject of discussion that kept her head on straight. "I don't believe I've mistaken him for a her all these years. But then I am a young lady, and what chance would I have had to make such an in-depth study of..."

Male anatomy?

She couldn't bring herself to say the words, and when Millie's hand rose toward her throat, it came up all the way to her mouth. Hand pressed hard to her lips made a small circle of pale as her face turned crimson around it. The young witch was stuck fast, unable to even turn away from Benedict —though what use would that have been?— to wear her shame in private. At least the stubborn threat of laughter had gone away, as embarrassment swept in to fill the awkward space.

"Don't make me say such things, Mr. Hunter!" Millie squeaked through at last, hardly daring to take her hand too far away from her mouth. No wonder girls her age couldn't be trusted around boys without supervision, and it was then that the young witch recalled her housekeeper was still somewhere in the store. Nowhere in sight, her eyes told her loudly, and she found it difficult to decide whether that bode well or ill for her.

The thought was sobering, however, and it helped Millie regain her composure again. At least some of the way. There was still the matter of Houstonia's behavior to reckon, and now it demanded resolution. If she left the store without at least an inkling of one, Mum was sure to have questions when Mrs. Moore told her about the encounter. "I'm not sure about his eating habits, actually. At Hogwarts, he didn't always eat from his dish every day. Come to think of it, it was only ever filled when he begged me, and he isn't doing that now."

Millie hoped that was enough to work out the source of her pet's idleness, and without another lapse into naughtiness.

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   Benedict Hunter

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Benedict smiled with a slight hint of pride in the affect he was having on the young lady in front of him. He did not wish to embarrass her, but to see this response from a girl that he had plainly accepted that he liked was hard not to enjoy just a little. Benedict had always prided himself on being a charming boy and tried at all times to be polite and friendly to the girls he encountered, but he found himself wanting to push the boundaries of manners with Millie. He nodded politely then put a conspiratorial finger to his lips in agreement that he would not force her to say any more.

As her tone returned to the transaction in hand, he too returned to his professionalism. "I didn't think you would have that wrong, but you wouldn't be the first to discover their tom was a queen on the day she started preparing for a little." He thought on what Millie said a little bit longer before gesturing she follow him to a little section of the shop that had pamphlets and other information, lovingly written by his mother and the duplicated magically for customers.

He flipped through and found on on cats eating habits. "So, that castle is old and has more hidden nooks than Dagon Alley, I would bet your cat is disappearing off and hunting. It's the best food they can get, exactly what they need." he shrugged and smiled, not sure how keen Millie would be on the thought of her pretty cat stuffing itself with fresh mice. "The food we sell here is as good as you can get, but I doubt its the same." even a good sausage was still half grain, Houstonia needed steak. "Might be why he's out of sorts. I can check with dad if you like?"

Benedict kept the card in his hand, it was a recipe for his mother's best wet cat food, Millie had probably taken this one before. He laughed to himself before smiling again at the girl. "Maybe he just enjoys your company during the summer when you aren't running off to lessons?" Benedict knew he had enjoyed the times he had gotten to be around Millie.

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Millie Potts

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Millie took several more breaths to clear her head, something that the boy's perilous smiles made difficult. If he could only do that off to the side, and not directly in the face of her embarrassment. Her nettlesome thoughts lacked the barbs she might have had for another boy, particularly another Gryffindor boy. Benedict was so different than others in his house, all the Fletchers and Becks and Seacoals put together couldn't have mustered a single ounce of the mirth that the young witch forced herself to resist upon seeing his smile.

She could nod to his answers for a while, that was simple enough. At least there was no more talk of subjects that would raise her housekeeper's eyebrows, or send Millie into another fit of blushing giggles. That would hardly be the best behavior to show off in public, acting like a tittering little girl in front of this young man. There was hardly anywhere, the young witch was beginning to realize, where she might be able to act as she wished around Benedict.

And that posed the question that Millie had been evading all summer.

"Houstonia's been hunting his own food all this time?" Millie asked, and was surprised to find herself asking. It was a graceful kind of shock, at least, one that allowed her to answer the question herself in the next moment. The one about her cat, that is. She had been silly to think that her cat was getting food and handouts from other students, though he certainly acted overly affectionate when the right kind of treat was around.

The young witch tried not to think about the types of prey a cat would find around Hogwarts castle. Insects and rodents, and things worse than that, lurked in corners —and often more boldy across the floors of classes and dorms, much to her disgust when they appeared. There was, perhaps, some good to come out of a cat taking care of those pests. There were certainly none in her parents' home, or none that were any match for mum's wits, which must be the reason for Houstonia's slovenly ways this summer.

"Well, if he isn't getting his meals that way, then I suppose..." Millie ventured, waving off the notion of inviting the elder Mr. Hunter to their conversation. How casually she did so, when her thoughts were racing again now that her mouth was open. For a moment, the young witch realized, she felt at ease with the boy. Repeating that, deliberately and with conscious thought, seemed a century beyond her now.

Laying her palm out between them, the young witch resisted the urge to let her other take refuge in her necklace. She wished her thoughts to ease and her heart to slow, as if it were possible to simply will her way to the easy confidence Benedict had on display. "He doesn't seem to enjoy much more than dozing in the sunlight. Is that a spell to make him more comfortable at home?"

Millie might try it on herself were that the case, if only to be less prim and proper, less...like herself, around friends like him.

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   Benedict Hunter

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Benedict nodded, it wasn't the nicest of images to have in your head, but that beautiful house cat might have a belly full of something wriggly when it shares your pillow. He might keep that imagery to himself though and he gave a mostly hidden grin as he considered the urge to tease the girl just a little. "Yeah, they are great hunters, even if they look like fluffy lumps sometimes."

Miss Potts didn't seem to bothered about bringing his father in, which gave him a little pride. If there was one thing that Ben hoped he was good at it was animals. He looked thoughtful for a moment when she asked if there was a spell that could improve his comfort. "I don't think he's uncomfortable, I'm sure being curled up on your bed is the most wonderful place in the world for him right now." He was about to add a little joke, but thought better of it, quickly getting his mind back on track. "I think he just needs a little something extra in his diet. Wait here Millie." Benedict said casually without even really thinking before he disappeared behind the counter and rummaged around out of sight.

It was less than thirty seconds that the girl would get alone with her thoughts before Ben returned with a small dark brown glass bottle in hand. It looked like something one might buy from the local apothecary. "So, I don't really know what's in it or how it's made, but Dad swears by this stuff for any kittens that are struggling or a bit sleepy when we get them in. A few drops on the tongue every day and yeah..." he didn't finish his sentence but handed the bottle to Millie to inspect. The little bottle simply read "Cats Vigour Elixir by C. Hunter" and had a small glass tube in the top. It was very much like something the Potts girls would have seen in one of her herbology classes. "I think that'll do it."

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Millie Potts

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   Millie Potts

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Millie was glad that she could count Benedict among the friends who would suffer her nerves with patience. She knew well that she retreated to them all too often, steadying her confidence with a silver necklace that had a dose of it ready for her with every touch. That led the young witch to finally remind herself of its magic, though her mum insisted it had none, when Benedict stepped off the shop floor for a moment.

It was then that she realized he might have offered her something more powerful than a spell.

When he returned, the young witch gave him a curious look, the rosy complexion already starting to fade from her cheeks again. Mr. Hunter knew as much as she did about the roles between them, and still he was becoming so open with her. So familiar. Millie wondered why the gesture wasn't bothering her as much as it should, already her lips had blossomed into a wider smile than usually offered in gratitude when accepting the bottle. "Thank you, Mr. Hunter, this might be just what he need."

Seeing Houstonia back to his own self would be its own reward for the money spent, and Millie did intend to pay him. Her mind was on his instructions while her fingers rummaged around where she kept her coin. The curious look returned again when he refused, the young witch was so focused that she hardly noticed the reappearance of Mrs. Moore, who had somehow shown up at the right time to leave. She wasn't thinking about the housekeeper's keen sense of hearing then, nor the kind of roles that the etiquette professor had them memorize early on at Hogwarts.

"I hope you won't let me be the reason your shop suffers in business," she remarked, as bold of a statement as one she had mentioned when first arriving. Millie couldn't fathom what was wrong with her today, it had to be more than the heat that was loosening her tongue. She would have no easier time with her collar loosened instead, Millie feared, though it certainly would have garnered more attention than Mr. Hunter's bared arms. Stepping across the threshold of the door being held open for her, she waved back at her friend. "You'll let me buy something next time I come, right Benedict?"

The young witch left him with a small wave, and it only dawned on her how familiar she had been as well after the breeze of High Street set on her face. Well, Benedict had just shown how good a friend he was to her, that should at least make their familiarity acceptable. Still, her face grew hot again despite the cool air, and Millie had to set her eyes forward to keep from seeing the questions being posed in her direction. Ignoring the furtive looks of Mrs. Moore the whole way home was going to make it a very long walk, indeed.

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   Benedict Hunter

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Benedict watched as Millie walked out with her chaperone. He smiled to himself for the good fortune of being in today instead of his dad, she had used his first name, he liked that and he hoped it signalled that the best of their friendship was still to come. She would no doubt be back buying something else for that pampered cat of hers, but he should probably make sure to put some money by for the elixir.

"Having a nice day Charlie?" he heard his mother's voice behind him at the till.

"Sure, yeah, erm. I've just got a couple of crates to unload then I think I'm done." he replied before rolling his sleeves back up and picking up the next box to take to the shelves. He had a smile on his face from the interaction with the young ravenclaw.

"And don't worry about that Elixir, it's all taken care of."

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Millie Potts

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