"Still upset?" Dumbledore glanced down, observing Elena's subdued mood and inquired.
Although aware that part of it might stem from the girl's Veela heritage, faced with her pure determination and occasional display of attachment to 'family,' Dumbledore couldn't help but feel a tug of indulgence.
Perhaps it was a sign of aging? Dumbledore chuckled at his own self-mockery.
Clack.
The silver-haired young girl remained silent, kicking the uneven cobblestones of Diagon Alley with her small leather boots as the old wizard guided her towards Ollivanders, evidently still upset.
Elena knew Dumbledore's verbose nature wouldn't let her turn Diagon Alley into a magical marketplace. But when she saw so many things she'd never seen or tasted before—especially that particularly ostentatious giant white rabbit, seemingly beckoning her with an "eat me, eat me, eat me!"—what could she do?
Didn't she know how to discreetly take things step by step? But she couldn't control herself!
Now, aside from the recent 'Magical Menagerie,' the only pet shop left in Diagon Alley was the nearby 'Whoo's Owl Emporium,' where Harry Potter bought his Snowy Owl named Hedwig.
Elena wasn't naive enough to fantasize that Dumbledore, knowing the truth about Hogwarts' missing owls, would take her to an owl shop.
Understanding aside, being pulled out of shops twice by Dumbledore left Elena quite unhappy. She had decided not to say a word to Dumbledore from now on.
Just when the girl was silently rebellious, she felt Dumbledore stop beside her and heard the gentle voice of the old wizard.
"Wait here for a moment, Elena. Don't wander off."
Dumbledore released her hand, ruffled the silver-haired young girl's soft hair, crouched down, and earnestly instructed her.
Elena glanced at the sign of the adjacent shop, 'Whoo's Owl Emporium.'
Beyond the door, seemingly accommodating the owls' nocturnal habits, the shop remained pitch black. One could only imagine the store filled with owls through the fluttering wings' sound and the shimmering gem-like eyes in the darkness.
As Elena watched Dumbledore's figure vanish into the dark 'Whoo's Owl Emporium,' she pursed her lips, growing more unhappy. To her, the detestable headmaster probably went in to specifically instruct the shopkeeper not to sell her any owls.
However, this mood didn't last long—Dumbledore shoved a large birdcage into Elena's hands.
"Th-This... Professor, you don't mean this is for me?" Elena stammered, utterly surprised, holding the cage, her face displaying astonishment.
Mind you, she was the emotionless butcher of dozens of Scottish round-faced fat chickens, a heartless orphan with no attachments.
Dumbledore pointed at the beautiful deep brown bird inside the cage and smiled.
"I understand it might be unexpected. But I've decided to gift you an owl. Children love owls; it can deliver your letters and packages for you."
The deep brown owl in the cage was soundly asleep, completely oblivious to any danger.
Pausing for a moment, Dumbledore gazed at Elena with his piercing blue eyes, continuing softly.
"The wizards at the shop mentioned it's an odd owl. Its calls and appearance differ from other owls, and it hasn't been too happy. But I believe you can take good care of it."
"Different?" Elena puzzled, scrutinizing the sleeping chubby owl inside the cage. Upon closer inspection, it indeed looked quite different from most Scottish round-faced fat chickens she had seen before.
It was noticeably smaller in size compared to its counterparts, perhaps a tad larger than a plump pigeon. Unlike most monochromatic owls, this round-faced chubby one looked exceptionally beautiful.
A white strap extended from its neck to its shoulder blades, bordered with white feathers. Its wings and tail had light brown stripes, and its feathers displayed a gradient from deep brown to yellow to red.
"Now that you mention it, it's really beautiful... and looks quite silly and docile," Elena curiously extended her finger through the cage, lightly poking the still-dreaming Scottish round-faced chubby owl, licking her lips as she spoke.
Hoot! Hoot!
The deep brown bird suddenly startled, flapping its wings, clumsily fell from the perch in the cage, emitting a series of peculiar noises akin to a puppy's bark or a distant hysterical laughter.
The chubby round bird's face looked comical, with large white eyes behind and below which were white, gradually shifting to grey, with brown stripes moving towards the center.
"Wait, Professor Dumbledore, did you just say it belongs to what breed?" Elena suddenly lifted her head, looking at Dumbledore, puzzled.
"It's an owl, just with odd calls and appearance. Is there a problem?" Dumbledore
looked at Elena, puzzled by her sudden excitement.
"No, this isn't an owl at all. It doesn't even belong to any species within the Strigiformes family."
Elena carefully observed the chubby, unnamed owl still curled up in the corner of the cage and shook her head slowly.
"This is a Laughing Owl, also known as WHēkau or White-faced Owl. A species declared extinct in the Muggle world. I didn't expect to find one existing in the magical world."
While she hadn't foreseen such a situation, that didn't stop Dumbledore from drawing conclusions from the information provided by the silver-haired young girl.
Raising an eyebrow, Dumbledore wore a meaningful expression, thoughtfully continuing.
"So, it might be the last one in the world? But I believe, Elena, you'll take good care of it."
Huh? The silver-haired young girl blinked her eyes.
The last one in the world? Eating it would be equivalent to driving a species to extinction?!
Elena instantly realized the kind of hot potato she had gotten herself into. A non-edible Scottish round-faced chubby owl?
"Wait, Professor Dumbledore, I don't want to keep a pet anymore. Please return it to the shop. Or perhaps, you could give it to Mr. Newt Scamander!" Elena, realizing the situation, was anxious to return the cage to Dumbledore. She might be a foodie, but she always consumed items that could be regrown or bred. Eating a creature to extinction wasn't her cup of tea.
"Of course... not!"
Watching the conflicted young girl, Dumbledore shook his head delightfully, refusing her request without hesitation.
The reason for his delight wasn't merely seeing Elena flustered; rather, he discovered something particularly precious in this young girl.
Pausing, Dumbledore continued in a cheerful tone.
"Moreover, I promised to get you a pet. I won't go back on my word. As for Mr. Newt Scamander, he's resumed his global travels, and for the moment, I can't locate him. So, for now, it's up to you to take care of it."
"Let's go; now, only Ollivanders is left."
Hoot! Hoot!
Seemingly feeling safer, the little owl inside the cage also timely let out a burst of excited calls.
"Shut up! If you annoy me, I'll eat you to extinction!" The mixed-blood girl gritted her teeth, glaring fiercely at the little creature inside the cage.
Hoot! (QAQ!)
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